Читать книгу The Student's Companion to Latin Authors - Thomas Ross Mills - Страница 21

1. Tragedies.—Titles of twelve are known, and over four hundred lines of fragments are extant. The Antiopa, which is the best known, was from Euripides.

Cic. de Fin. i. 4, ‘Quis enim tam inimicus paene nomini Romano est, qui Enni Medeam aut Antiopam Pacuvi spernat aut reiciat quod se eisdem Euripidis fabulis delectari dicat?’

The Niptra is from Sophocles. Cic. T.D. ii. 49, speaking of ll. 256–8 (Ribbeck), says, ‘Pacuvius melius quam Sophocles.’

Pacuvius also wrote one praetexta, Paulus, doubtless on L. Aemilius Paulus, the victor of Pydna.

2. Saturae (lost).

Sueton. p. 20 R., ‘Carmen quod ex variis poematibus constabat satura vocabatur, quale scripserunt Pacuvius et Ennius.’

Pacuvius, like Ennius, shows interest in philosophy, and attacks superstition; l. 93,

‘Mater est terra: ea parit corpus, animam aeter adiugat’;

ll. 366–75; cf. l. 372,

‘Sunt autem alii philosophi, qui contra fortunam negant

esse ullam, sed temeritate res regi omnis autumant’;

ll. 83–5,

‘Nam isti qui linguam avium intellegunt

plusque ex alieno iecore sapiunt quam ex suo,

magis audiendum quam auscultandum censeo.’

For Pacuvius’ stilted expressions, cf. Quint. i. 5, 67, ‘Ceterum etiam ex praepositione et duobus vocabulis dure videtur struxisse Pacuvius

“Nerei repandirostrum, incurvicervicum pecus” ’ (l. 408);

Paulus, l. 5

‘Qua vix caprigeno generi gradilis gressio est.’

Some views on Pacuvius may be referred to:

Cic. de Opt. Gen. Or. 1, ‘Itaque licet dicere et Ennium summum epicum poetam et Pacuvium tragicum et Caecilium fortasse comicum.’

Hor. Ep. ii. 1, 55,

‘Ambigitur quotiens uter utro sit prior, aufert

Pacuvius docti[18] famam senis, Accius alti’;

Mart. xi. 90, 5,

‘Attonitusque legis “terrai frugiferai,”

Accius et quidquid Pacuviusque vomunt.’

Cf. also Gell. vi. 14, 6; Cic. Brut. 258; Or. 36; Quint. x. 1, 97; Persius, 1. 76–8; Tac. Dial. 20.