"Custodes ovium, teneraeque propaginis agnûm, Quaeritis ignem? ite huc: Quaeritis? ignis homo est. Si digito attigero, incendam silvam simul omnem, Omne pecus: flamma est omnia quae video." This Porcius wrote also on the history of literature. Some rather ill- natured lines on Terence are preserved in Suetonius. [12] He there implies that the young poet, with all his talent, could not keep out of poverty, a taunt which we have good reason for disbelieving as well as disapproving. Two lines on the rise of poetry at Rome deserve quotation-- "Poenico bello secundo Musa pinnato gradu Intulit se bellicosam Romuli in gentem feram." A certain POMPILIUS is mentioned by Varro as having epigrammatic tastes; one distich that is preserved gives us no high notion of his powers-- "Pacvi [13] discipulus dicor: porro is fuit Enni: Ennius Musarum: Pompilius clueor." Lastly, VALERIUS AEDITUUS, who is only known by the short notices in Varro and Gellius, wrote similar short pieces, two of which are preserved. AD PAMPHILAM. "Dicere cum conor curam tibi, Pamphila, cordis, Quid mi abs te quaeram? verba labris abeunt Per pectus miserum manat subito mihi sudor. Si tacitus, subidus: duplo ideo pereo." AD PUERUM PHILEROTA. "Quid faculam praefers, Phileros, qua nil opus nobis? Ibimus, hoc lucet pectore flamma satis. Illam non potis est vis saeva exstinguere venti, Aut imber caelo candidus praecipitans. At contra, hunc ignem Veneris, si non Venus ipsa, Nulla est quae possit vis alia opprimare." We have quoted these pieces, not from their intrinsic merit, for they have little or none, but to show the painful process by which Latin versification was elaborated. All these must be referred to a date at least sixty years after Ennius, and yet the rhythm is scarcely at all improved. The great number of second-rate poets who wrought in the same laboratory did good work, in so far that they made the technical part less wearisome for poets like Lucretius and Catullus. With mechanical dexterity taste also slowly improved by the competing effort of many ordinary minds; but it did not make those giant strides which nothing but genius can achieve. The later developments of the Epigram will be considered in a subsequent book. CHAPTER IX. PROSE LITERATURE--HISTORY. FABIUS PICTOR--MACER (210-80 B.C.).