Introduction to classical Latin literature . are even in a way restful after the** Annals and Histories, since they pretend to noelaboration, no dignity, no strenuous moral quality. Sue-tonius does not rise even to indignation. Thus his accountof Domitian, whom he knew so well, is distinctly morelenient than the passing allusions of Tacitus, or even ofPliny. Suetoniuss lives of Terence and the elder Pliny, perhapsalso of Horace and Lucan, are tolerably preserved in con-nection with those authors own works or comments onthem. The whole volume of his literary biographies,from Cicero and Sallust
Introduction to classical Latin literature . are even in a way restful after the** Annals and Histories, since they pretend to noelaboration, no dignity, no strenuous moral quality. Sue-tonius does not rise even to indignation. Thus his accountof Domitian, whom he knew so well, is distinctly morelenient than the passing allusions of Tacitus, or even ofPliny. Suetoniuss lives of Terence and the elder Pliny, perhapsalso of Horace and Lucan, are tolerably preserved in con-nection with those authors own works or comments onthem. The whole volume of his literary biographies,from Cicero and Sallust to Neros time, would be valuable,if extant, though it too was rather a copious and earlycollection of the traditions than a work of research or judi-cious selection. Far more graceful and enjoyable is Aulus Gellius, whoperhaps acquired in Athens his genial taste and sense ofform. Almost any one of his three hundred and seventyessays would serve as a daily lesson in our own average length is hardly four hundred words. Archae- 310. MAIJCrS statue on the Capitoline. EPILOGUE 311 ology, history, biography, literary criticism, epitaphs, an-ecdotes, etc., etc., make his Attic Nights anything butmonotonous. Often we have to do rather with a studentsscrap-book than Avith an authors compositions : yet Gel-liuss erudition, if not deep, is widely gathered, and lightlycarried. Though the output apparently of a whole life,all the papers have a certain youthful Wander-year looks reverently backward to the Catos and Varros ofa greater time. In short, he shows in amiable, contentedfashion the decay of the intellectual life. Gellius likewise illustrates the all but complete fusionof Greek and Latin culture. Suetonius, Apuleius, Ha-drian himself, wrote in both languages. Marcus Aurelius,on the Eoman throne, preferred Greek, even when touch-ing upon subjects of purely national interest. As theorgan of imperialism, and as the vehicle of culture gener-ally, L
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