VAR'RO, MARCUS TEREN ILL'S (B.C. 116-27). A Latin author, known as the 'most learned of the Romans.' He was born at Reate, and edu cated first under L. ..Elius Stilo Pneconinus, and then under Antioehus, a philosopher of the Aead emy. Varro served with distinction in the wars against the Cilician pirates and Mithri dates; afterwards, as legatos of Pompey in Spain, he was compelled to surrender his forces to C‘sar. He continued to share the fortunes of the Pompeian party till its defeat at Pharsalia. after which lie obtained his pardon from Caesar, by whom lie was employed to volleet and arrange the great library designed for the public. The next period in Varro's life was spent in literary retirement, chiefly at his villas near Curie and Tuscultun. When the seeond triumvirate was formed, his mune was enrolled in the list of the proscribed; but lie succeeded in escaping. and, after some time spent in concealment. lie was re ceived under the protection of octavianus. The rest of his life was spent in the prosecution of his studies. \'arro was not only the most learned. but also the most prolific of Roman authors. Ile himself confesses to having, composed no fewer than -190 hooks; lint only two of these have sur vived, and one of them in a fragmentary state. The most considerable of his writings, whether lost or extant, are as follows; (1) De Ro Rus tica Libri the most important treatise on anvient agrieulture known to us. (2) /)c Lingua
Latina, a grannnatieal work, which originally extended to twenty-four books, only six of which, however, have Come down to us, and even these in an imperfect form. (3) consisting of 165 pregnant sayings strung together, not by Varro himself, but probably by different hands at different times. (4) AnGiquitaluiIa prising two sections, the Alitifillittlies !ecru», Du manarum, in twenty-five hooks, and the .tuiiqui tales Ncrum Dirinarunt, in sixteen books. This. the greatest work of Varro, and the one on which his reputation for kerning was mainly founded, has unfortunately perished, except for a few frag ments. (5) Not urn% composed in various metres, and oceasionally in prose. These pieces, copied to some extent from the productions of Mcnippus the Gadarene, were apparently a series of com ments on a great variety of subjects, generally conveyed in the form of dialogue, and aiming at the enforcement of sonic moral lesson or serious truth in a familiar and even jocular style. Of these we have only fragments; and of the other works little more than the titles. The hest edi tion of the De lee Rustica is that of Keil (Leip zig, 1884) : of the Dc Lingua. Latina, that of Spengel (Berlin, 1885). The Sat um. eni mica' are published in Bfieheler's edition of Petronius (Berlin, 1882).