nd the heavenly bodies, the origin of life, and the progress of
civilization. It is shown that nothing has been created, and that
everything must perish. Book vi. treats of abnormal phenomena, such as
thunder and lightning, tempests, volcanoes, earthquakes, etc. The
plague at Athens is described (from Thucydides). Books v. and vi. are
unfinished.

Ethical views are given only by the way, the poem being primarily on
physics. Pleasure is the end of action: ii. 172, 'dux vitae dia
voluptas.' This pleasure is the absence of disturbance (+ataraxia+),
hence all passion (as of love, iv. 1121-40) is deprecated; ii. 14,

'O miseras hominum mentes, o pectora caeca!
qualibus in tenebris vitae quantisque periclis
degitur hoc aevi quodcumque est! nonne videre
nil aliud sibi naturam latrare, nisi utqui
corpore seiunctus dolor absit, mente fruatur
iucundo sensu cura semota metuque?'

Lucretius, as Epicurus, is often weak in physics. Cf. v. 564 _sqq._,
of the sun's size,

'Nec nimio solis maior rota nec minor ardor
esse potest, nostris quam sensibus esse videtur.'

In i. 1052 _sqq._ he states well the theory of the antipodes but his
dependence on Epicurus will not allow him to accept it. Reasons are
sometimes given for a thing that never existed, as in iv. 710-21 for
the fear that a lion has for a cock. Some passages come near the
results of modern science, cf. v. 837 _sqq._ on extinct species; v.
855 _sqq._ on the struggle for existence; v. 610-3, on the invisible
rays of the sun.

The references to Lucretius by name are few.

Nep. _Att._ 12, 4, 'L. Iulium Calidum, quem post Lucreti Catullique
mortem multo elegantissimum poetam nostram tulisse aetatem vere videor
posse contendere.'

Ovid, _Am._ i. 15, 23,

'Carmina sublimis tunc sunt peritura Lucreti,
exitio terras cum dabit una dies.'

_Trist._ ii. 425,

'Explicat ut causas rapidi Lucretius ignis.'

Stat. _Silv._ ii. 7, 76,

'docti furor arduus Lucreti.'

Quint. x. 1, 87, 'Macer et Lucretius legendi quidem, sed non ut
phrasin, id est, corpus eloquentiae faciant; elegantes in sua quisque
materia, sed alter humilis alter difficilis.'

Cf. Tac. _Dial._ 23.

His influence on Virgil is seen _passim_. Cf. Gell. i. 21, 7, 'Non
verba sola sed versus prope totos et locos quoque Lucreti plurimos
sectatum esse Vergilium videmus.'

Verg. _Georg._ ii. 490 _sqq._ and _Ecl._ 6, 31 _sqq._ refer to
Lucretius. _Georg._ ii. 490,

'Felix qui potuit r