strange use of prepositions and his fondness for alliteration;
imitations of Virgil are found throughout.

Manilius is a fatalist (iv. 14 and 22): still fate does not abolish
the moral quality of actions (iv. 108-118). The universe is directed
by a 'vis animae divina' or 'divinum numen' (i. 250, 491).

LIVY.

There is no ancient biography of Livy, and very little light is thrown
on his life by his own writings or by allusions in other authors.

Titus Livius was born at Patavium (the modern Padua) B.C. 59: Jerome
yr. Abr. 1958, 'T. Livius Patavinus scriptor historicus nascitur.'
(The Armenian version gives _Ol._ 180, 4 = B.C. 57.) Near Patavium
there was a famous sulphur spring known as Aponus or Aponi fons,
whence Martial calls the district Apona tellus (i. 61, 3, 'Censetur
Apona Livio suo tellus'). There is no reason to suppose from this that
Livy's birthplace was not Patavium itself, but a village Aponus, which
is nowhere mentioned. Statius (_Silv._ iv. 7, 55) calls him 'Timavi
alumnus.' For Livy's acquaintance with Patavium cf. x. 2, 14 and 15.

From his tone we may infer that he came of a good family, and he must
have possessed a fair income. The charge against his style of
_Patavinitas_ implies that he spent a considerable part of his life in
his native town, but he probably settled at Rome about B.C. 30. That
he took no part in public life is clear from his own words: i. praef.
5, 'Hoc laboris praemium petam, ut me a conspectu malorum, quae nostra
tot per annos vidit aetas, tantisper certe, dum prisca illa tota mente
repeto, avertam, omnis expers curae, quae scribentis animum etsi non
flectere a vero, sollicitum tamen efficere posset.'

He enjoyed the intimacy of Augustus, whom he himself mentions, iv. 20,
7, 'hoc ego cum Augustum Caesarem ... se ipsum ... legisse audissem.'
Tac. _Ann._ iv. 34, 'T. Livius, eloquentiae ac fidei praeclarus in
primis, Cn. Pompeium tantis laudibus tulit, ut Pompeianum eum Augustus
appellaret; neque id amicitiae eorum offecit.' It was at Livy's
suggestion that the future emperor, Claudius, started to compose a
history: Sueton. _Claud._ 41, 'historiam in adulescentia, hortante T.
Livio, Sulpicio vero Flavo etiam adiuvante, scribere adgressus est.'
On the other hand, Caligula would have liked to remove Livy's writings
and his bust from all the libraries, calling him 'verbosum in historia
neglegentemque' (Sueton. _Calig._ 34).

Nothing more is known of his life, except that