The History of Roman Literature: From the Earliest Period to the Death of Marcus AureliusCruttwell, Charles Thomas
Philosophy
The History of Roman Literature: From the Earliest Period to the Death of Marcus Aurelius
Cruttwell, Charles Thomas
Latin literature -- History and criticism
Of these the first was the one for which he was most highly qualified, and
in which he gained his highest renown. His crowning work in this
department was the _Antiquities Divine and Human_, in 41 books. [13] This
was the greatest monument of Roman learning, the reference book for all
subsequent writers. It is quoted continually by Pliny, Gellius, and
Priscian; and, what is more interesting to us, by St Augustine in the
fifth and seventh books of his _Civitas Dei_, as the one authoritative
work on the subject of the national religion. [14] He thus describes the
plan of the work. It consisted of 41 books; 25 of human antiquities, 16 of
divine. In the human part, 6 books were given to each of the four
divisions; viz. of Agents, of Places, of Times, of Things. [15] To these
24 one prefatory chapter was prefixed of a general character, thus
completing the number. In the divine part a similar method was followed.
Three books were allotted to each of the five divisions of the subject,
viz. the Men who sacrifice, the Places, and Times of worship, [16] the
Rites performed, and finally the Divine Beings themselves. To these was
prefixed a book treating the subject comprehensively, and of a prefatory
nature. The five triads were thus subdivided: the first into a book on
_Pontifices_, one on Augurs, one on _Quindecimviri Sacrorum_; the second
into books on shrines, temples, and sacred spots, respectively; the third
into those on festivals and holidays, the games of the circus, and
theatrical spectacles; the fourth treats of consecrations, private rites,
and public sacrifices, while the fifth has one treatise on gods that
certainly exist, one on gods that are doubtful, and one on the chief and
select deities.
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