Cic. _Brut._ 167, 'L. Afranius poeta, homo perargutus, in fabulis quidem etiam ut scitis disertus.' There are extant forty-two titles (with Latin names) and more than four hundred lines of fragments. The plays exhibit Roman surroundings, and describe low life, especially of the provincial towns. Cf. the title _Brundusinae_, also l. 136, 'Ubi hice Moschis, quaeso, habet, meretrix Neapolitis?' Afranius imitated Menander, and probably Terence. Hor. _Ep._ ii. 1, 57, 'Dicitur Afrani toga convenisse Menandro.' Macrob. _Saturn._ vi. 1, 4, 'Afranius togatarum scriptor in ea togata, quae Compitalia inscribitur, non inverecunde respondens arguentibus, quod plura sumpsisset a Menandro, "Fateor" inquit "sumpsi non ab illo modo, sed ut quisque habuit conveniret quod mihi, quod me non posse melius facere credidi etiam a Latino"' (ll. 25-8). Sueton. _vit. Ter._ p. 33 R., 'Terentium Afranius omnibus comicis praefert.' MINOR POETS: (_a_) The poets immediately after Afranius include (1) Hostius.--He was perhaps the grandfather of Cynthia (Hostia), Propertius' mistress. Prop. iv. 20, 7, 'Est tibi forma potens; sunt castae Palladis artes, splendidaque a docto fama refulget avo.' There are nine lines extant from his epic poem _Bellum Histricum_, which was probably on the war of B.C. 125. Frag. 5 (Bährens), 'Non si mihi linguae centum atque ora sient totidem vocesque liquatae,' is from _Il._ ii. 489, and is imitated by Verg. _Aen._ vi. 625 (as noticed by Macrob. _Saturn._ vi. 3, 6). (2) Writers of epigrams--Pompilius, Valerius Aedituus, Porcius Licinus, and Q. Lutatius Catulus (cons. B.C. 102). (3) Q. Valerius Soranus wrote verse on philology and archaeology. (4) Volcacius Sedigitus wrote verse on literary history up to the time of the _fabula palliata_. He wrote _indices_ of Plautus (Gell. iii. 3, 1), and a work _De Poetis_, which included his canon on the comic poets (Gell. xv. 24). 'Caecilio palmam Statio do mimico. Plautus secundus facile exuperat ceteros. Dein Naevius, qui fervet, pretio in tertiost. Si erit, quod quarto detur, dabitur Licinio. Post insequi Licinium facio Atilium. In sexto consequetur hos Terentius, Turpilius septimum, Trabea octavum optinet, nono loco esse facile facio Luscium. Decimum addo causa antiquitatis Ennium.' (_b_) The following poets wrote during Cicero's youth, B.C. 106-84: (1) Cn. Matius, author of _Mimiambi_, and a translation of the _Iliad_. An example of the last is Frag. I (Bährens) = _Il._ i. 56, 'Corpora Graiorum maerebat mandier igni.' (2) Laevius, author of _Erotopaegnia_, of a lyrical character. Porphyr. ad Hor. _Od._ iii. 1, 2, 'Romanis utique non prius audita, quamvis Laevius lyrica ante Horatium scripserit; sed videntur illa non Graecorum lege ad lyricum characterem exacta.' About sixty lines are extant. Gell. xix. 7 speaks of Laevius' curious vocabulary, and instances _oblittera_ for _oblitterata_; _trisaeclisenex_, _dulciorelocus_, etc.