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Minor Latin Poets, Volume II: Florus. Hadrian. Nemesianus. Reposianus. Tiberianus. Dicta Catonis. Phoenix. Avianus. Rutilius Namatianus. Others (Loeb Classical Library)

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The ambiguous title (Minor Latin Poets) heaped upon this motley caste of ancient writers deserves a short, specific definition. The appellation "minor" does not mean lesser, in the sense that these poems are of the poorest quality composed by classic hands. It is true that a handful of these poems lack high merit and their authorship is anonymous, questionable or spurious. Yet to counter this slight discrepancy, the reader will be graced with fourteen short poems by Florus that easily compare, and at times surpass, the beauty and profundity of his predecessors from the famed Augustan Age. Furthermore, the eclectic emperor Hadrian has left us a few clever compositions here to admire. The virtue laden proverbs of Publius Syrus, the urbane Dicta Catonis, and the charming poems attributed to a certain Tiberianus are--among others worthy of mention--what will be found in these two volumes. So "minor" is to be rendered as "various poets whose works are short", as these two volumes are an anthology of short poems, written at different eras by different hands. These works should not be overlooked by curious readers. Many treasures lie in wait for aspiring poets here as well.