C(ELIUS, or rather CA:LIUS ANT1'PATER (LUCIUS), wrote a history of the second Punic war, in a work bearing the name of 'Annals,' and extending to at least seven books. Some indeed are of opinion that the history embraced a much wider period, beginning with the first Punic war, and inelnding the tittles of the Gracci. it was dedicated to L..tElius, the same person to whom the poet Lucilius dedicated his 'Satires.' From his cognomen Antipater he was of Greek origin. The precise period of his birth or death cannot be fixed, but he is called by Cicero ('De Leg.' L 2) the contemporary of C. Fannies Strabo, himself an historian, and we know that Fanidus was with Scipio at Carthage, in n.c. 146, and consul in B.C. 122. He was also (Cicero, 'De Divluat.' L 26) a contemporary of Caine Graceus, who was qumstor in n.o. 126, tribune for the first time iu B.C. 123, and murdered in B.C. 121. Lastly, the orator, L. Crams, born Lc. 140, was one among many pupils of Ctelius. We shall therefore not be very wrong if we suppose Crelius to have been born about the middle of the second century B.C.
The historical writings of Cmlius were highly valued by his country men in the time of Cicero, who assigns to him the credit of having surpassed his predecessors in historic composition by the dignity and eloquence of his style. Though he wanted that knowledge of the juriepreehnce of his country which is essential to an accurate historian, jet he was a man of an inquisitive temper, and seems generally to have the advantage in point of credibility where he differs from the historians of the same period. Marcus Brutus so highly prized his
writings, that he made an epitome or abridgment of them, as be had before done of the histories composed by Pol3bius end Fannies. But the more complete work of Livius threw all the historical works of his predecessors into oblivion. Cselius was afterwards seldom read, except by antiquarians end those who sought in his writings examples of quaint words and obsolete phraseology; it is to the grammarians therefore that we are chiefly indebted for the fragments of his works that still exist. These fragments, together with those of other Romac historians, may be found in an appendix to Cores and Ilavereamp's editions of Salluat. They have also been edited by Krause (' Vita, el Fmgmenta Veterum Illetoricorum Romanorum,' BeroL, 1833.) Ow of the most interesting among them is that in which he bears testimony to having seen a merchant who had sailed from Spain AI far as Ethiopia, by which he probably meant the coast of Guinea. II Is Callum tee who gives the most direct evidence in favour of Han nibel'a route across the Alpe having been by the Little St. Bernard Two copious dissertations on L Cailius, by B. A. Nauta and W. Van Prinsterer, a ill be found in the Annals, of the Academy of Leydet for 1821.