CLAUDIA'NUS, CLAU'DIUS, was born at Alexandria in Egypt, A.D. 365. Though of a family originally Roman, his education was Greek ; and he appears to have written first in the Greek language. Ifis work on the 'Antiquities of Tarsus' is loot. llis first Latin verses were written during the consulship of Probinus, A.D. 395. In this year be became a dependent of the regent Stilicho, guardian of the two minor*, Arcadius and Honorius ; and in his pommel he sometimes alludes to his soldier's life. Both Michel and his beautiful wife Serena warmly befriended tho poet, who repayed their kindness by no dieted measure of preiso. Claudian Hems to have enjoyed all the splendour and luxuries which the high station of Stilicho afforded; and he either purchased or requited those indulgences by lavishing indiscriminate eulogies on his patrons and bringing infamy and ridicule on their enemies.
The most important favour for which ho was indebted to Serena appears to have been her assisting him to obtain a very wealthy bride. The nuptial, were celebrated at. Alexandria, and It acorns probable that Claudian and his wife soon after came to Italy. After the war with Oildo he was honoured with a bronze statue, erected in the forum of Trojan, an honour which, as Gibbon (ell. 30) observes, he acknowledged as a man who deserved it : the Inscription which was cut on the statue is still extant. (Orelli, 'Corpus Inscript.; vol. i., p.259.) The death of Stilicho (a.n. 40S) was soon followed by the rubs of his favourite. Hadrian, the successor of Stilicho, had formerly been the subject of a satirical epigram ('Epigr.; 25, in some editions 30) of Claudian, and 1 o now began to watch for a favourable opportunity of revenge. The particulars of Claudian's death are not known ; but
it seems probable, though some recent scholars have doubted the statement, that his attempts to conciliate Hadrian were ineffectual, and that he finally fell a victim to his resentment.
Claudian's poetical merits are considerable. Ho does not excel in the chastised and severe beauties of the older poets whom ha aspired to imitate, nor is he remarkable for groat invention or a lofty imagi nation; but in what may be called the picturesque style ho is aura passed by none : he brings out tho smallest details of a scene into n vivid and correct form, amplified and ornamented with all the graces of diction. Tho most prosaic) topio in his hands is invested with tho charms of poetry. An elegant and harmonious versification always delights his reader. "In the decliuo of arts and of empire, a native of Egypt, who had received the education of a Greek, assumed in a mature age the familiar use and absolute command of the Latin lan guage, soared above tho heads of his feeble contemporaries, and placed himself, after an interval of 300 years, among the poets of ancient Rome." (Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall,' chap. 30.) Claudian's principal poems are, 3 books 'De Rapti Proserpinaa 3 books 'De Laudibus Stiliehonis ; ' 2 books In Rufinum ;' 2 books 'In Eutropiuto ;' De Bello Getico;" De Bello Gildonico,' &c. Tho best editions are those of Gesner and Burin: um. Claudian is included in Weber's 'Corpus Poetarum Latinorum; Frankfurt, 1633. The poems of Claudian were translated into English by A. Hawkins, Loud., 2 vols. Svo, 1817.