n the
signs of the zodiac; but he wrote an epic poem, _Annales_ (_ad Att._
ii. 16, 4 [Quintus] 'ita remittit ut me roget ut annales suos emendem
et edam'), and composed tragedies with great rapidity (_ad Q.F._ iii.
6, 7, 'quattuor tragoedias xvi. diebus absolvisse cum scribas, tu
quidquam ab alio mutuaris?'). His admiration for Sophocles and
Euripides appears in _De Fin._ v. 3; _ad Fam._ xvi. 8, 2.

TIRO.

M. Tullius Tiro, the freedman of Cicero, who had a high opinion of his
worth and ability (_ad Fam._ xvi. 4, 3; _ad Att._ vii. 5, 2), wrote
(1) a biography of his patron: Ascon. p. 49, 'ut legimus apud Tironem
libertum Ciceronis in libro iiii. de vita eius.'

(2) Editions of Cicero's speeches and letters: Gell. i. 7, 1, 'in
oratione Ciceronis v. in Verrem, libro spectatae fidei, Tironiana cura
atque disciplina facto.' (See also p. 85.)

(3) A collection of Cicero's witticisms: Quint. vi. 3, 5, 'utinam
libertus eius Tiro aut alius, quisquis fuit, qui iii. hac de re libros
edidit, parcius dictorum numero indulsissent.'

(4) Grammatical works, as +pandektai+, mentioned by Gell. xiii.
9, 2.

For his system of shorthand, cf. Sueton. p. 136 R., 'Romae primus
Tullius Tiro, Ciceronis libertus, commentatus est notas, sed tantum
praepositionum.'

T. POMPONIUS ATTICUS (B.C. 109-32).

Author of (1) _Annalis_, a chronological table of the chief events in
Roman and foreign history, accompanied by genealogies (Nepos, _Att._
18, 1). As it was Cicero's _De Re Publica_ that suggested its
composition (Cic. _Brut._ 19), its date cannot be earlier than B.C.
54. (2) Family histories, _e.g._ of the Iunii (Nepos, _Att._ 18, 3),
published separately. (3) _De Imaginibus_, a collection of
inscriptions in verse for the busts of celebrated men (Nepos, _Att._
18, 5). (4) _De Consulatu Ciceronis_, in Greek (Nepos, _Att._ 18, 6),
written B.C. 60 (Cic. _ad Att._ ii. 1, 1).

Atticus is an interesting figure on account of the large publishing
business which he conducted (Nepos, _Att._ 13, 3); and the great care
with which he sought out good MSS. to reproduce in his establishment
makes him important in the history of the preservation of ancient
literature.

M. TERENTIUS VARRO.

(1) LIFE.

M. Terentius Varro was born B.C. 116 at Reate in the Sabine country.

Jerome yr. Abr. 1901, 'M. Terentius Varro philosophus et poeta
nascitur.' Symmachus, _Ep._ i. 2, calls him 'Terentius Reatinus'; and
he owned property in that dist