L. Varius Rufus, De Morte (Frs. 1–4 Morel)

¹ See Bardon, , La Littérature latine inconnue, vol. ii, pp. 28–30.

¹ Rivista di filologia N.S. 37 (1959), 380–94.

³ The texts, with a summary of the voluminous scholarship on them, are conveniently reproduced by Gigante, M., Cronache ercolanesi 3 (1973), 86–7. Varius' name is certain in both fragments.

⁴ Bassi, D., Herculanensium Voluminum Quae Supersunt, Collectio Tertia, vol. i (Milan, 1914), 19 ff.Gigante, , Ricerche filodemee (1969), pp. 63–122, discusses and annotates the most interesting portions.

⁵ e.g. Odes ii. 14.23 on the cypress (Gigante, , Ricerche filodemee, p. 111)–one can cite several other points of contact.

⁶ Philodemus over den Dood (Amsterdam, 1925), p. 96.

⁷ JRS 31 (1941), 154.

⁸ Momigliano, , op. cit. 153–4.

⁹ A point which Rostagni, (op. cit. 383) appears to overlook.

¹⁰ Morel, , FPL, p. 103 (from Martial 11. 20).

¹¹ Morel would join them (supported by Wigodsky, M.Virgil and Early Latin Poetry, p. 103 n.507).

¹² I would not argue that the de Morte must be later than March 43 (the date of the Twelfth Philippic); the catch phrase including ‘figere’ and ‘refigere’ could have been current during the previous year (cf. ‘fixit legem’ in ad Att. 14.12.1, which I quote later).

¹³ The basic discussion of Antony's agrarian legislation was by Sternkopf, W. in Hermes 47 (1912), 146–51.

¹⁴ Cf. Bailey on Lucr. 3.31–93 (vol. ii, p. 996) for the same idea in other Epicurean texts.

¹⁵ Bailey's text with commentary gives the same pattern in Lucretius 3.83. But it seems much more likely that ‘hunc’ in 3.83 picks up ‘hunc … timorem’ in 82, and that ’ (84) is corrupt.

¹⁶ Discussed by Momigliano, , op. cit. 154.

¹⁷ Professor Long points out that the taming of animals was a subject which interested Epicureans (cf. Huby, P., ‘The Epicureans, Animals and Free-will’, Apeiron 3 (1969), 17–19).

¹⁸ A refusal to be diverted is also the essence in Silius' imitation of Varius fr. 4 (Punica 10.79–82).

¹⁹ The echo of Lucretius 3.37 ‘et metus ille foras praeceps Acheruntis agendus’ is obvious.

²⁰ For comments and information I am indebted to Mr. E.W. Gray, Professor R.G.M. Nisbet, and Mr. David Sedley.