Fulgentius

• a Roman mythographer and grammarian in the beginning of the sixth century of the Christian era.

(not Placiades), a Latin grammarian of uncertain date, probably not earlier than the sixth century after Christ. Works

Fulgentius' barbarous and inflated style yields strong indications of African origin, but he must by no means be confounded with Fulgentius, who was bishop of Ruspe about the year A. D. 508, nor with Fulgentius Ferrandus, a pupil of that prelate. Three works which bear evident marks of the same hand are ascribed to Fabius Planciades Fulgentius. I. Mythologiarum Libri III. ad Catum Presbyterum.

A collection of the most remarkable tales connected with the history and exploits of gods and heroes. A few incidents derived from sources now no longer accessible may be gathered here and there from this generally worthless compilation; but the attempts to rationalise the legends are characterised by the wildest extravagance, while the Greek etymologies of proper names are perfect portents of folly or ignorance. Editions

The Editio Princeps of the Mythologiae was published at Milan, with the commentaries of Bapt. Pius, in 1487, or according to other bibliographical authorities, in 1498. II. Expositio Sermonum Antiquorum cum Testimoniis ad Chalcidicum Grammaticum.

A glossary, as the name imports, of obsolete words and phrases. It is very short, and almost entirely without value, for many of the passages which profess to be quotations from ancient authorities are ascribed to writers and works which no one ever heard of, and are universally regarded as impudent fabrications. III. Liber de Expositione Virgilianae Continentiae ad Chalcidicum Grammaticum

Liber de Expositione Virgilianae Continentiae ad Chalcidicum Grammaticum, a title which means, an eaplanation of what is contained in Virgil, that is to say, of the esoteric truths allegorically convcyed in the Virgilian poems. The absurdity of this piece is so glaring, that, had it been composed in a different age, we should have at once pronounced it to be a tedious and exaggerated burlesque. To take a single example. The Aeneid is supposed to shadow forth the career of man, as he passes upwards through the weakness of infancy and the waywardness of youth to wisdom and happiness. Now we are told that Anchises died and was buried at Drepanum. But δρέπανον or δρέπανος is quasi δριμύπαιδος : δριμύς means harsh, παῖς means a boy, therefore the interment of Anchises by his son covertly expresses that the harshness of youth casts aside paternal restraint. Editions

The Expositio Sermonum is generally appended to Nonius Marcellus. Editions

The best edition of the collected works of Fulgentius is included in the "Mythographi Latini" of Muncker, Auct. 1681, 8vo., reprinted, with large additions, by Van Staveren, Lug. Bat. 1742, 4to. [Marcellus, Nonius.] [W.R]

A Latin grammarian, a native of Carthage, who wrote towards the end of the fifth century A.D. His works include, among other things, an allegorical interpretation of the ancient mythology in three books (Mythologiae), the form of which reminds one of Martianus Capella (q.v.); an allegorical exposition of the Aeneid (Vergiliana Continentia); an explanation of strange and antiquated words illustrated by forged citations (Expositio Sermonis Antiqui); and a sort of universal history (De Aetatibus Mundi), of which fourteen books are extant. The plan of this last work is the absurd one called λειπογράμματος — that is, in the respective books, one letter of the alphabet in succession remains unemployed, a fact which is duly announced at the beginning and close of each book. Of the first three works, the text is printed in the edition of the Mythographi Latini by Staveren (Leyden, 1742). The De Aetatibus has been edited by Reifferscheid (Breslau, 1883-84). See Zink, Der Mytholog Fulgentius (Würzburg, 1867).