The Moral Sayings of Publius Syrus, A Roman Slave
About this book
A new edition of the Moral Sayings of Publius Syrus, A Roman Slave -- also known as the Sayings of Publilius Syrus . Syrus was a Syrian who was brought to Rome as a slave, before winning over his master with his wit and talent and being granted his freedom. As a freedman, he gained fame as an entertainer, performing mimes and comedy routines with different characters saying witty bon mots and wise maxims in iambic and troaichic verse -- some intended sincerely, some sardonically. Publilius even performed for and received an award from Julius Caesar himself. Fans collected Syrus's sayings and passed them down, leaving us over 1000 different one-liners attributed (some surely pseudipigraphically) to him. Sometimes profound, sometimes funny, sometimes morally dubious, but at all times interesting to students of philosophy and ancient history. These words also take on special meaning when remembering the harrowing life story of the person who crafted and performed them.This edition is based on the 1856 translation by Darius Lyman (1821-1892).