ACCIUS, or ATTICS Lucius, a Roman tragic poet, and the son of a freedman, was born about the year of Rome 583. B. C. 170. He was highly esteemed, and publicly patronized by Decimals Brutus, consul in 615, whose victories he had celebrated in several poems, and who, in return, caused some of his verses to be inscri bed on the temples and monuments that were erected in honour of his military triumphs. (Cic. de Archia Poeta, c. xi. Vizier. Max. lib. viii. 14.) The subjects of his tragedies were taken principally from the Grecian his tory ; and fragments of no fewer than fifty or them, among which are two intitled Medea, are still extant, but in such a mutilated state, that it is impossible to form any correct opinion of his merits as a dramatic author. He composed, however, at least one tragedy en tirely Roman, called Brutus, which related to the ex pulsion of the Tarquins ; and he is supposed, not without some probability to have also written comedies. Be sides his dramatic writings, he was the author of Annals, in verse, which are mentioned by INIacrobius, Priscian, Festus, and Nonnius \Iarcellus ; and, according to the testimony of Aldus Genius, of a treatise in prose, called Didascalida, relating to poets and poetry. He was held
in such high estimation by the public, that a comedian was punished for only mentioning his name on the stage. His style has been censured for its harshness, but this Quinctilian ascribes more to the age in which he lived, than to his negligence ; and, when speaking of him and his contemporary Pacuyius, passes a high encomium on their tragic works, as excelling in dignity of sentiment, force of language, and majesty of character. The opinion of some, that his talents, as a historian, are de rided by Cicero, (De C'lar. Orat. and De Legibus,) is fully refuted, not only by the frequent honourable men tion that is. made of him in the writings of that orator, but by the fact, that the Accius, of whom Cicero speaks contemptuously, wrote in prose, whereas the Annuls of Lucius Accius were in verse. See Vossius de Poet. Latin. p. 7. Quinctil. Institut. lib. v. cap. 13. lib. x. cap. 1. (d)