Minor Latin poets; with introductions and English translations

INTRODUCTIONTO THE FABLES OF AVIANUSIn most of the extant MSS. the name of the authorof these forty-two fables is given (in the genitive)Aviani. Two of our principal MSS. (A and RarvL),however, have Avieni. If one may judge frominscriptions, Avianius was a commoner name thanAvianus. Between Avienus and Avienius there isnot enough material on which to form a judgement.Since, however, there is no trace of theending ~ii in any of our MSS., we may venture tolimit ourselves to the question of Avianus as againstAvienus.The suggestion has been made that the writer ofthe fables was identical with Rufius Festus Avienus,author of w^orks entitled Aratea and Descripiio OrbisTerrae. Chronology agrees, it is true ; but there aretwo grave objections: the fables and the Aratea arepoles asunder in style ; and the author of the Arateais designated in full in the MSS. Ruji Festl Avieni,while the prevailing description of the fabulist issimply Aviani. A more possible suggestion is thatour fabulist was the Avienus who took part in thesymposium described in the Saturnalia which wasA\Titten early in the fifth century by MacrobiusTheodosius. The theory appears more likely, if weagree that ad Theodosium in the title of the dedi-669