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Claudian: Volume I (Loeb Classical Library No. 135)

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Claudius Claudianus may in fact have been the last of the Latin poets of classical times (late 4th century AD), if, of course, the Christian poets Sidonius Apollinarius or Aurelius Prudentius Clemens are to be neglected. Claudian himself was very likely a heathen, since his poems obviously reveal pagan beliefs, while Christianity was only paid minimal lip-service; but perhaps his paganism was only a ploy to win senatorial favor. Claudian was raised to a state of prominence in the court of the emperor Honorius by writing panegyrics and propagandist poems on his behalf; also, Claudian wrote several poems eulogizing the Germanic general Stilicho and the consuls Probinus, Olybrius, and Manilus. Claudian's praise of the great general Stilicho and the emperor Theodosius may be totally justifiable, however, he never blushes to praise the degenerate weakling of an emperor Honorius, whose absolute lack of traditional Roman virtue, proved costly to the Empire. On the other end, Claudian is just as extreme. His satires on Rufinus, the corrupt "magister militia" of the East, and the eunuch consul Eutropius are hilarious and witty; he certainly had a talent for blending simple humor with sharp invective. Of Claudain's many genre, the epic is another one he employs, for he wrote, in this particular volume, a short and unfinished work on the war and defeat of Gildo, the usurper in Africa. On the whole, this Roman poet, originally a Greek author from Alexandria, shows great signs of the same skill, precision, and mythological lore found in many of the poets from the Silver Age. Despite his shameless praise of Honorius, Claudian is a great poet, and his work is important for historians of the time and entertaining for anyone enamored with good Latin poetry.