fuit avonculus eius, quia ex abrupto incohabat, hos vii.
versus addidit: "Bella per Emathios" usque "et pila minantia pilis."'

_Criticisms of Lucan._--Petronius, in introducing his parody of Lucan,
says, par. 118, 'Ecce belli civilis ingens opus quisquis attigerit, nisi
plenus litteris, sub onere labetur. Non enim res gestae versibus
comprehendendae sunt, quod longe melius historici faciunt, sed per
ambages deorumque ministeria et fabulosum sententiarum tormentum
praecipitandus est liber spiritus.' See p. 275.

Quint. x. 1, 90, 'Lucanus ardens et concitatus et sententiis
clarissimus et, ut dicam quod sentio, magis oratoribus quam poetis
imitandus.'

PETRONIUS.

The _Satirae_ of Petronius are attributed in the MSS. to Petronius
Arbiter. It is practically certain that the author was C. Petronius,
once proconsul of Bithynia and afterwards consul, who was long a
member of Nero's inner circle, and who, in A.D. 66, when accused by
Tigellinus, anticipated execution by suicide.

Tac. _Ann._ xvi. 18, 'Proconsul Bithyniae, et mox consul, vigentem se
ac parem negotiis ostendit. Dein revolutus ad vitia, seu vitiorum
imitatione, inter paucos familiarium Neroni adsumptus est, elegantiae
arbiter, dum nihil amoenum et molle adfluentia putat, nisi quod ei
Petronius adprobavisset. Unde invidia Tigellini ... (Ch. 19) Forte ...
Campaniam petiverat Caesar, et Cumas usque progressus Petronius illic
attinebatur. Nec tulit ultra timoris aut spei moras. Neque tamen
praeceps vitam expulit, sed incisas venas, ut libitum, obligatas
aperire rursum, et adloqui amicos, non per seria aut quibus gloriam
constantiae peteret ... Flagitia principis sub nominibus exoletorum
feminarumque et novitatem cuiusque stupri perscripsit, atque obsignata
misit Neroni.'

The document mentioned above as sent to Nero has nothing to do with
the extant _Satirae_. That C. Petronius is the author of the work is
rendered even more certain from the fact that it was obviously written
in Nero's time by a man of high culture and knowledge of the world.

The novel contains an account of the adventures of a certain
Encolpius, as told by himself. Encolpius comes in contact with Priapus
in Massilia, Cumae, and Croton; and probably the wrath of Priapus (a
parody of the wrath of Poseidon in the Odyssey) is the leading motive
that binds the disjointed parts. Cf. ch. 139,

'Me quoque per terras, per cani Nereos aequor
Hellespontiaci sequitur gravis ira Priapi.'