'Cultus gestare decoros vix nuribus rapuere mares'; and ll. 51-2, 'Praeterea gemino deprensam gurgite plebem faenoris illuvies ususque exederat aeris,' with Lucan, i. 181, 'Hinc usura vorax, avidumque in tempora faenus.' CALPURNIUS SICULUS. Eleven eclogues used to be attributed to T. Calpurnius Siculus, but only the first seven are his work, the last four being written by M. Aurelius Olympius Nemesianus in the second half of the 3rd century A.D. A MS. now lost gave before _Ecl._ 1, 'Titi Calphurnii Siculi bucolicum carmen ... incipit'; and before _Ecl._ 8, 'Aurelii Nemesiani poetae Carthaginiensis ecloga prima incipit.' Some information about Calpurnius' life is got from his works. In 4, 17-8, he (as Corydon) mentions a brother; in 4, 155-6, he speaks of his poverty; and in 4, 29 _sqq._, of Meliboeus as having come to his assistance when about to leave for Spain; cf. _Ecl._ 4, 36-42, Ecce nihil querulum per te, Meliboee, sonamus; per te secura saturi recubamus in umbra, et fruimur silvis Amaryllidos, ultima nuper litora terrarum, nisi tu, Meliboee, fuisses, ultima visuri, trucibusque obnoxia Mauris pascua Geryonis. The old theory was that Calpurnius lived in the time of Carus and his sons (in the second half of the 3rd century A.D.), but the facts fit in best with the view that he lived at the beginning of Nero's reign. (1) Meliboeus in _Ecl._ 4 probably stands for Seneca (others suppose Calpurnius Piso to be meant); 4, 53-7, Nam tibi non tantum venturos discere nimbos agricolis qualemque ferat sol aureus ortum, attribuere dei, sed dulcia carmina saepe concinis. These lines agree with the fact of Seneca's being the author of _Naturales Quaestiones_ and of tragedies. (2) _Ecl._ i. 77-83 refers to the comet which appeared at the beginning of Nero's reign. (3) References to Nero's youth and beauty, poetical gifts, the games he gave, and the new era of peace he introduced; 1, 42-5, Aurea secura cum pace renascitur aetas, et redit ad terras tandem squalore situque alma Themis posito, iuvenemque beata secuntur saecula, maternis causam qui vicit in ulnis 7, 6, quae patula iuvenis deus edit harena. Cf. also 1, 84-8; 4, 84-9; 7, 83-4. _Ecl._ 7 used to be taken as referring to the Colosseum, which was not commenced till about A.D. 77; but the games may be those mentioned in Sueton. _Nero_, 11, and the wooden amphitheatre in 7, 23-4, may be that mentioned by Sueton. _Nero_, 12, and Tac. _Ann._ xiii. 31.