POLLIO, Caius Asinius, Roman poet, historian and orator: b. 76 s.c.; d. 4 A.D. He is known from the part he took in the politi cal events of his time, but still more by his writings and love of literature. In the Civil War, he (49 ac.) adhered to Julius Caesar, whom (after defeating Gaius Curtin in Africa) he accompanied to Pharsalia and then to the African and Spanish wars. He was afterward appointed praetor and held the government of Further Spain, where he fought, without suc cess, against Sextus Pompeius. When Lepidus and Antony were reconciled, in 43 s.c., he joined them with three legions and was made admin istrator of Transpadane Gaul. At this time he became the friend of Virgil, whose property he saved from confiscation. After obtaining the consulship he commanded in Illyria and Dal matia and for his victories was honored with a triumph 39 B.C. He afterward devoted his time to literary pursuits. He wrote speeches, tragedies and a history of the civil wars, coin prised in 17 books, which is quoted or referred to by several of the ancient writers. He was
a great patron of literary men and introduced the custom (Recitatio) of reading aloud works, before publication, to a group of expert critics. Virgil addressed two Eclogues and Horace an ode, to him. His orations are frequently spoken of by Quintilian, but his style is condemned as deficient in clearness and ease. He founded the first public library at Rome. Three of his letters to Cicero are in the Ciceronian collec tion and there are some extant fragments of his history of the civil wars. Wolfflin has on very inadequate grounds attributed to him the history of Caesar's African campaign ('Bellum He lived on intimate terms with Virgil and Horace, the latter of whom dedicated to him the first ode of his second book. Con sult Aulard, Asini Pollionis Vita et Scriptis' (1877).