is the South Italian
popular speech of the time, filled with grammatical mistakes and
provincialisms, and rich in proverbial expressions. The longest poems
in the work are: (1) _Troiae halosis_ (ch. 89), 65 senarii, supposed
to be a parody of Nero's poem of the same name; (2) _De bello civili_
(ch. 119-124), 295 hexameters, in which Lucan's style is imitated and
sometimes parodied. Cf. ll. 26-7,

'Et laxi crines et tot nova nomina vestis,
quaeque virum quaerunt,'

with Lucan, i. 164-5,

'Cultus gestare decoros
vix nuribus rapuere mares';

and ll. 51-2,

'Praeterea gemino deprensam gurgite plebem
faenoris illuvies ususque exederat aeris,'

with Lucan, i. 181,

'Hinc usura vorax, avidumque in tempora faenus.'

CALPURNIUS SICULUS.

Eleven eclogues used to be attributed to T. Calpurnius Siculus, but
only the first seven are his work, the last four being written by M.
Aurelius Olympius Nemesianus in the second half of the 3rd century
A.D. A MS. now lost gave before _Ecl._ 1, 'Titi Calphurnii Siculi
bucolicum carmen ... incipit'; and before _Ecl._ 8, 'Aurelii Nemesiani
poetae Carthaginiensis ecloga prima incipit.'

Some information about Calpurnius' life is got from his works. In 4,
17-8, he (as Corydon) mentions a brother; in 4, 155-6, he speaks of
his poverty; and in 4, 29 _sqq._, of Meliboeus as having come to his
assistance when about to leave for Spain; cf. _Ecl._ 4, 36-42,

Ecce nihil querulum per te, Meliboee, sonamus;
per te secura saturi recubamus in umbra,
et fruimur silvis Amaryllidos, ultima nuper
litora terrarum, nisi tu, Meliboee, fuisses,
ultima visuri, trucibusque obnoxia Mauris
pascua Geryonis.

The old theory was that Calpurnius lived in the time of Carus and his
sons (in the second half of the 3rd century A.D.), but the facts fit
in best with the view that he lived at the beginning of Nero's reign.
(1) Meliboeus in _Ecl._ 4 probably stands for Seneca (others suppose
Calpurnius Piso to be meant); 4, 53-7,

Nam tibi non tantum venturos discere nimbos
agricolis qualemque ferat sol aureus ortum,
attribuere dei, sed dulcia carmina saepe
concinis.

These lines agree with the fact of Seneca's being the author of
_Naturales Quaestiones_ and of tragedies. (2) _Ecl._ i. 77-83 refers
to the comet which appeared at the beginning of Nero's reign. (3)
References to Nero's youth and beauty, poetical gifts, the games he
gave, and the new era of peace he