r? Non per
Poeninum Graiumve montem, nec per deserta Candaviae, nec Syrtes tibi
nec Scylla aut Charybdis adeundae sunt, quae tamen omnia transisti
procuratiunculae pretio.'[80]

Sen. _N.Q._ iv. praef. 1, 'Delectat te, Lucili, Sicilia et officium
procurationis otiosae.'

For his life cf. also the words put into his mouth by Sen. _N.Q._ iv.
praef. 15-17, which show his loyalty to his friends, 'Non mihi in
amicitia Gaetulici (died A.D. 39) vel Gaius fidem eripuit, non in
aliorum persona infeliciter amatorum Messalla et Narcissus ...
propositum meum avertere potuerunt ... videbam apud Gaium tormenta,
videbam ignes.'[81]

Seneca speaks of him as a pupil in philosophy in _Ep._ 34, 2, 'Adsero
te mihi: meum opus es.'

A literary work of his is spoken of by Seneca, also a poem in which he
mentions Alpheus and Arethusa:

_Ep._ 46, 1, 'Librum tuum, quem mihi promiseras, accepi. Levis mihi
visus est, cum esset nec mei nec tui corporis, sed qui primo adspectu
aut T. Livi aut Epicuri posset videri ... Non tantum delectatus, sed
gavisus sum.'

_N.Q._ iii. 26, 6, 'Hoc et a te traditum est ut in poemate, Lucili
carissime, et a Vergilio, qui adloquitur Arethusam.'

A poem on Aetna is referred to in _Ep._ 79, 5-7, 'Donec pudor obstet,
ne Aetnam describas in tuo carmine et hunc sollemnem omnibus poetis
locum adtingas; quem quo minus Ovidius tractaret, nihil obstitit, quod
iam Vergilius impleverat ... Aut ego te non novi aut Aetna tibi
salivam movet: iam cupis grande aliquid et par prioribus scribere.'

Some authorities think that Lucilius had meant to incorporate this
description in a larger poem, but changed his mind, and wrote a poem
on Aetna alone.

As regards the date of the poem: (1) It was written at a time when
imitation of Ovid was common. Cf. Sen. _N.Q._ iv. 2, 2, 'Quare non cum
poeta meo iocor et illi Ovidium suum impingo?' (2) There is no mention
of Vesuvius in the list of volcanoes in 1. 425 _sqq._ The poem must
therefore have been written before A.D. 79.

The following are the arguments for Lucilius having been the author:

(1) The poem was written by one who knew Aetna and the vicinity. Now
Lucilius was long procurator of Sicily.

(2) Military metaphors, as ll. 464-74, would fit in with his having
been a soldier.

(3) The author speaks as if he knew the neighbourhood of Naples well.

(4) However, the argument that the writer shows Epicurean views, and
that Lucilius was an Epicurean, has little weight. (_a_)