"Den sicheren Freund erkennt man in der unsicheren Sache"
(Quintus Ennius, altröm. Poet)
"Quintus Ennius - to Lucretius - was the immortal father of Roman poetry, whilst for Silius Italicus he was a poetic icon of the past. Ennius was born in 239B.C. at Rudiae, a town in Calabria, and was able to speak Latin, Greek and Oscan. In 204B.C.
He was discovered by Cato ('the Censor') when serving in the Roman army as centurion in Sardinia, and brought to Rome, where he was eventually granted full citizenship.
Ennius was perceived as being able to give adequate treatment to the serious themes of Roman history, hich he treated in his Annales, and especially to the great achievements of a Roman army commander. In this way the Roman form of literary patronage was born, which valued poetry on serious themes and established the poet as a distinguished member of society, whilst in return he immortalised his patrons in his verse."
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