CORIPPUS, FLAVIUS CRESCONIUS, Roman epic poet of the 6th century A.D. He was a native of Africa, but is not to be identified with the 7th century bishop of the same name. He is known only from his own poems. He appears to have held the office of tribune or notary (scriniarius) under Anastasius, imperial treasurer and chamberlain of Justinian, at the end of whose reign he left Africa for Constantinople, having lost his property during the Moorish and Vandal wars. He was the author of two poems, one of which was not discovered till the beginning of the I gth century. This poem, which comes first in point of time, is called lohannis or De bellis Libycis, and relates the overthrow of the Moors by a certain Johannes, magister militum in 546; it is in eight books (the last is unfinished) and contains about 5,000 hexameters. The other poem (In laudem lustini minoris), in four books, contains the death of Justinian, the coronation of his successor, Justin II. (Nov. 14 565), and the early events of his reign. It is preceded by a preface, and a panegyric on Anastasius. The Laus was published at Antwerp in 1581 from a 9th or loth century ms. The preface contains a reference to a previous work by the author on the wars in Africa; it was not till 1814 that this was discovered at Milan by Cardinal Mazzucchelli, librarian of the Ambrosian library, from the codex Trivultianus (in the library of the marquis Trivulzi), the only ms. of the Iohannis still extant.
The Iohannis is of great value, as giving a description of the land and people of Africa; a number of its statements as to manners and customs are confirmed by independent ancient authorities and by our knowledge of the modern Berbers. The Laus throws much light upon Byzantine court ceremony, as in the account of the accession of Justin and the reception of the embassy of the Avars. The language and metre of Corippus are remarkably pure.