A Manual for Flatterers, a Proof of Candor: Philodemus' on Flattery and Horace'S Satires 2.5

The burlesque portrait of Ulysses and Tiresias in Satires 2.5 is often read as the poet's detached and rather tangled invective on inheritance-hunting. This article argues that Horace's negative description of Ulysses as a flatterer and greedy opportunist is intended to address jealous detractors' accusations of flattery against him in connection with his relationship with Maecenas by providing an implied contrast between the poet's own behavior and that of the inheritance-hunter. More importantly, it introduces the suggestion that this description, which is not only highly satirical but also reminiscent of the character portraits popularized by Hellenistic thinkers, derives its structure and content from similar observations in Philodemus of Gadara's ethical treatise On Flattery, which was likely inspired by concerns regarding similar accusations of flattery.