269. Boissier, _L'Opposition sous les Césars (p. 279), sees some significance in the fact that the list of Nero's ancestors always stops at Augustus. But there was no reason why the list should go further than the founder of the principate. It is noteworthy that Lucan's uncle Seneca wrote a number of epigrams in praise of the Pompeii and Cato. The famous lines, quis iustius induit arma scire nefas: magno se iudice quisque tuetur, victrix causa deis placuit, sed victa Catoni (i. 126), are supremely diplomatic. Without sacrificing his principles, Lucan avoids giving a shadow of offence to his emperor. 270. See p. 116. 271. Petron., loc. cit. 272. v. 207, vii. 451, 596, 782, x. 339-42, 431. 273. i. 143-57. 274. ii. 657 nil actum credens cum quid superesset agendum. 275. v. 317 meruitque timeri non metuens. 276. See Shelley, _Prometheus Unbound_, Preface. 277. vii. 45-150. 278. vii. 342. 279. vii. 647-727. 280. Cp. the epigrams attributed to Seneca, _P. L. M._ iv, _Anth. Lat._ 7, 8, 9. 281. The one exception is Curio, sec iv. 799. 282. i. 185: ut ventum est parvi Rubiconis ad undas, ingens visa duci patriae trepidantis imago, clara per obscuram voltu maestissima noctem turrigero canos effundens vertice crines caesarie lacera nudisque adstare lacertis et gemitu permixta loqui: 'quo tenditis ultra? quo fertis mea signa, viri? si iure venitis, si cives, huc usque licet.' 283. iii. 1: propulit ut classem velis cedentibus Auster incumbens mediumque rates movere profundum, omnis in Ionios spectabat navita fluctus; solus ab Hesperia non flexit lumina terra Magnus, dum patrios portus, dum litora numquam ad visus reditura suos tectumque cacumen nubibus et dubios cernit vanescere montes. 284. v. 722-end. 285. vii. 6-44. 286. iii. 399-425. 287. iii. 399. 288. Cp. Seneca, _Oed._ 530 sqq. The description of a grove was part of the poetic wardrobe. Cp. Pers. i. 70. 289. See p. 103. 290. iii. 509-762. For a still more grotesque fight, cp. vi. 169-262; also ii. 211-20; iv. 794, 5. 291. v. 610-53. Cp. also ix. 457-71. 292. Sir E. Ridley's trans. 293. Sir E. Ridley's trans. 294. ix. 619-838. 295. ix. 946, 7. 296. For examples of erudition, cp. ix. loc. cit., where the origin of serpents of Africa is given, involving the story of Perseus and Medea, iv. 622 sqq. The arrival of Curio in Africa is signalized by a long account of the slaying of Antaeus by Hercules. 297. i. 523-end. 298. ii. 67-220. 299. ii. 392-438. Cp. the geography of Thessaly, coupled with a description of its witches, vi. 333-506. 300. v. 71-236. 301. vi. 507-830. It is noteworthy, also, that incidents not necessarily irrelevant in themselves are treated with a monstrous lack of proportion, e.g. the siege of Massilia is not irrelevant; but it is given 390 lines (iii. 372-762), and Lucan forgets to mention that Caesar captured it.