﻿THE AGE OF PETROXIUS ARBITER. 73 



Alexauder, the other a representation of AVar with hands tied, and a triumphant Alex- 

 ander. Both these pictures, which Augustus had placed in the most frequented places 

 of his forum, existed yet in the times of Claudius, who, with a barbarism worthy of 

 such a pedantic fool, substituted in both the foi-m of Augustus for that of Alexander. 

 In the temple of Autonia (Sillig reads "Anna" ; Plin. Nat. Hist. 35. 10. 36. 9i) was 

 an Averted Hercules. The Three Lines, drawn on a tablet by Apelles and Protogenes, 

 were preserved in the house of Caesar, that is, Ccesar Octavianus (Plm. Xat. Hist. 35. 10. 

 36. 81-83), on the Palatine, and were, together with the house, destroyed by fire. 

 King Archelaus on horseback and Diana surrounded by sacrificmg \ii-gins were by 

 connoisseurs preferred to all other works of Apelles (Plin. Xat. Hist. 35. 10. 36. 96). 

 Alexander holdmg a thimderbolt, in the temple of Diana at Ephesus, is mentioned by 

 Pliny as still extant. So also the portrait of Habro at Sanios ; of Menander, king of 

 Caria, at Ehodes ; and of Ancseus, a tragic actor, at Alexandria. 



Of the works of Zeuxis, who lived, according to Pliny, 01. 95. -4 (396 B. C), 

 according to others 01. 89 (426 B. C), — (K. O. MuUer places him between 01. 90 and 

 100,) — Pliny mentions as extant at Eome his Helen in the Portico of Philippus, and 

 his Bound Marsyas in the temple of Concordia (Plin. Xat. Hist. 35. 10. 36. 66). 



The lalysus of Protogenes, who was born 01. 104 (362 B. C.) and was yet alive 

 01. 119 (300 B. C.), — (K. O. Miiller places him between 01. 112 and 120,) — con- 

 sidered the finest work of that artist, was, in the times of Pliny, at Rome in the temple 

 of Pax (Xat. Hist. 35. 10. 36. 102, 104). 



It might, indeed, be objected, that these pictures, though still extant, were not in 

 Naples, the scene of this part of the story, but in Eome. This is certainly true ; but it 

 should be borne ui mind, that, while Petronius selects a j)articular place as the scene of 

 his story, he takes his materials, as regards jDersons, thmgs, customs, from other places, 

 especially Rome, as I shall have occasion to observe in several instances. 



It will be seen, then, that by comparing the language of Petronius and Pliny on 

 the decline of the art of painting, and considering the mention by Petronius of artists 

 some of whose works are stated by Pliny as still extant in his time, we arrive at a high 

 degree of probability that Petronius li^ed and wrote at or before the time of Pliny. 

 C. Pliuius Secundus Major was born at Como or Verona 23 A. D., and perished, while 

 commander of the Roman fleet at Misenum, by the eruption of Vesuvius, in 79 A. D. 

 His great work, Xaturalis Historia, was completed about two years before his death, in 

 77 A. D. According to this view, then, Petronius cannot be placed later than the 

 middle of the second half of the first century of the Christian era. This \iew is 

 strengthened by the entire silence of succeeding writers concerning the works of the 



