Weichert (_Poet. Lat. Rell._ p. 157) thinks that Plutarch has confused the tr. pleb. with the poet, and that Virgil's words (below) imply that Helvius Cinna was alive when the _Eclogue_ was written (B.C. 41-39). The latest authorities, however, identify the two persons. Verg. _Ecl._ 9, 35, 'Nam neque adhuc Vario videor nec dicere Cinna digna, sed argutos inter strepere anser[39] olores.' Cinna's works were: 1. _Zmyrna_, on the incestuous love of Myrrha for Cinyras. Cinna spent nine years on this poem, which was very obscure. Catull. 95, 'Zmyrna mei Cinnae nonam post denique messem quam coeptast nonamque edita post hiemem.' Philargyrius ad Verg. _Ecl._ 9, 35, 'Fuit autem liber obscurus adeo ut et nonnulli eius aetatis grammatici in eum scripserint magnamque ex eius enarratione sint gloriam consecuti.' 2. _Propempticon Pollionis_, written on the occasion of Asinius Pollio's visit to Greece. 3. _Epigrams and Love Poems._--For the latter cf. Ovid, _Trist._ ii. 435 (on the erotic poets), 'Cinna quoque his comes est, Cinnaque procacior Anser, et leve Cornifici parque Catonis opus.' (_c_) _C. Licinius Macer Calvus_ was the son of the annalist C. Licinius Macer, and was born 28th May, B.C. 82. Cic. _ad Q.F._ ii. 4, 1, 'Macer Licinius.' Valer. Max. ix. 12, 7, 'C. Licinius Macer, Calvi pater.' Pliny, _N.H._ vii. 165, 'C. Mario Cn. Carbone iii. coss. a. d. v. Kal. Iun. M. Caelius Rufus et C. Licinius Calvus eadem die geniti sunt.' Calvus probably died B.C. 47. Cf. Cic. _ad Fam._ xv. 21, 4, written to C. Trebonius towards the end of that year. The letter refers to correspondence with Calvus, and criticizes his oratory. See also Cic. _Brut._ 279 and 283-4; and, for his relations with Cicero, Tac. _Dial._ 18. Calvus vied with Cicero for the first place in the forum. His best known speeches were _in Vatinium_, whom he prosecuted at least three times (B.C. 58-54). Seneca, _Controv._ vii. 4, 6-8, 'Calvus, qui diu cum Cicerone iniquissimam litem de principatu eloquentiae habuit, usque eo violentus actor et concitatus fuit, ut in media eius actione surgeret Vatinius reus et exclamaret: Rogo vos, iudices, num si iste disertus est, ideo me damnari oportet? Idem postea cum videret a clientibus Catonis, rei sui, Pollionem Asinium circumventum in foro caedi, imponi se supra cippum iussit; erat enim parvolus statura, propter quod etiam Catullus in hendecasyllabis (c. 53) vocat illum "salaputtium disertum." ... Solebat praeterea excedere subsellia sua et impetu latus usque in adversariorum partem transcurrere. Et carmina quoque eius, quamvis iocosa sint, plena sunt ingentis animi ... Compositio quoque eius in actionibus ad exemplum Demosthenis riget: nihil in illa placidum, nihil lene est, omnia excitata et fluctuantia.' Catullus also refers to Calvus in c. 14, and in c. 96, where he speaks of the 'mors immatura Quintiliae,' probably Calvus' wife.