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Caecilius’ works were at first unsuccessful; cf. the actor Ambivius’ words in Ter. Hec. prol. ii. 6–7,

‘In eis quas primum Caecili didici novas,

partim sum earum exactus, partim vix steti.’

Later he examined plays before they were acted, as, e.g. Terence’s Andria in B.C. 166 (see under ‘Terence,’ p. 42). This implies that he occupied a responsible and leading position in the guild of poets.

We have two hundred and ninety lines of fragments, and titles of forty-two comedies, sixteen of which correspond with those of plays by Menander. For Caecilius’ imitation of Menander see Gell. ii. 23. Cf., e.g., ‘Caecilii Plocium legebamus; hautquaquam mihi et qui aderant displicebat … Sed enim postquam in manus Menander venit, a principio statim, di boni, quantum stupere atque frigere quantumque mutare a Menandro Caecilius visus est!’

Among the views on Caecilius are:

Cic. ad Att. vii. 3, 10, ‘(Caecilius) malus auctor Latinitatis est’ (probably because he was an Insubrian).

Cic. de Opt. Gen. Or. 1, ‘fortasse summus comicus.’ Sedigitus ap. Gell. xv. 24,

‘Caecilio palmam Statio do mimico.’

Hor. Ep. ii. 1, 59,

‘(dicitur) vincere Caecilius gravitate.’

The contemporaries of Caecilius include Trabea, Atilius (‘poeta durissimus,’ Cic. ad Att. xiv. 20, 3), Aquilius (possibly the author of the Boeotia, attributed by Varro to Plautus, Gell. iii. 3, 4), Licinius Imbrex, Luscius Lanuvinus, all writers of palliatae. Our chief information about Luscius Lanuvinus is got from the prologues to Terence’s plays (in all of which, except that of the Hecyra, he is attacked), and from Donatus’ commentary on these passages. From Ter. Eun. prol. 9–13, we see that he did not tone down his originals to suit a Roman audience,

‘Idem Menandri Phasma nuper perdidit

atque in Thensauro scripsit, causam dicere

prius unde petitur, aurum qua re sit suom,

quam illic qui petit, unde is sit thensaurus sibi

aut unde in patrium monumentum pervenerit.’

Donatus ad loc., ‘Arguit Terentius quod Luscius contra consuetudinem litigantium defensionem ante accusationem induxerit.’