Valerius Maximus (c.20 BC - c.50 AD)
Hardly anything is known of Valerius Maximus, other than the fact that he wrote Memorable Deeds and Sayings, a miscellaneous collection of facts and anecdotes in nine books. It is organized to illustrate great examples of various vices and virtues.
Used to serve as a repertory for rhetoricians and teachers, it yet still contains a few gems on Roman history and her institutions.
"The divine wrath is slow indeed in vengeance, but it makes up for its tardiness by the severity of the punishment."
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Did you know...
Valerius Maximus compiled his handbook of notable deeds and sayings during the reign of the emperor Tiberius (14-37 AD). The collection was very popular in the Renaissance, and has recently attracted renewed scholarly attention.
