FESCENNINE VERSES, Fescennini versus, carmina Fes cennina, a native Italian form of poetry. At vintage (Virgil, Georg., ii. 385) and harvest (Horace, Epp., ii. 1, 139), probably at other rustic festivals also (cf. Tibullus, ii. 1, 51), masked dan cers sang jocular dialogues in verse. Similar songs were in use at weddings (Festus, p.76 Lindsay; Symmachus, Orat. iv. 13). Ac cording to Horace, they became so abusive that a law was passed to check them ; apparently the provision of the Twelve Tables (viii., 1 Bruns) which forbade a nnalum carmen (evil song, i.e., charm intended to hurt) was stretched to include libellous verses. We also know (see the literary imitations, Catullus lxi., 126 ff., Claudian xi.–xiv.) that they were very free, to our notions ob scene, in language. Further, Festus (loc. cit.) says that they averted the evil eye and that therefore some connected the name with f ascinum. This derivation, philologically most unlikely, is supported by one or two moderns, who suppose fascinum to have the sense of "phallus," not "evil eye." The true derivation is in all probability from Fescennia; but we may very reasonably suppose that in their origin they had a magico-religious intent, abuse, buffoonery, and obscenity being well-known fertility or luck charms. That they developed into the dramatic satura and thus gave birth to the beginnings of a native drama is implied in Livy, vii., 2, 7, but has been seriously doubted in modern times; cf. LATIN LITERATURE.
See Schanz-Hosius, Gesch. der ram. Literatur (bibl.) .