href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@38566@[email protected]#page222" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">CHAPTER VIII.

EARLY ROMAN SATIRE. C. LUCILIUS, DIED 102 b.c.

Independent origin of Roman satire 222 Essentially Roman in form and spirit 224        "              "      in its political and censorial function 225 Personal and miscellaneous character of early satire 227 Critical epoch at which Lucilius appeared 229 Question as to the date of his birth 229 Fragments chiefly preserved by grammarians 232 Miscellaneous character and desultory treatment of subjects 233 Traces of subjects treated in different books 234 Impression of the author's personality 236 Political character of Lucilian satire 238 Social vices satirised in it 239 Intellectual peculiarities 243 Literary criticism 245 His style 246 Grounds of his popularity 249

CHAPTER IX.

REVIEW OF THE FIRST PERIOD.

Common aspects in the lives of poets in the second century b.c. 253 Popular and national character of their works 256 Political condition of the time reflected in its literature 257 Defects of the poetic literature in form and style 259 Other forms of literature cultivated in that age 260 Oratory and history 260 Familiar letters 262 Critical and grammatical studies 263 Summary of character of the first period 264

SECOND PERIOD.

THE CLOSE OF THE REPUBLIC.

CHAPTER X.

TRANSITION FROM LUCILIUS TO LUCRETIUS.

Dearth of poetical works during the next half century 269 Literary taste confined to the upper classes 271 Great advance in Latin prose writing 272 Influence of this on the style of Lucretius and Catullus 273