Maximian, Cassiodorus, Boethius, Theodahad: Literature, Philosophy and Politics in Ostrogothic Italy Two sets of Latin elegiac poems are attributed to Maximian. One of these, in which the poet names himself, comprises six elegies. These are mainly erotic and serio-comic: Maximian laments his present decrepitude, recalls past vigour and adventures, and explores the theme of sexual failure, in youth and age.'The poems are closely related, and their text may originally have been an unbroken unity.'The second and anonymous set, sometimes called the Appendix Maximiana, is closely linked with the first by its manuscript tradition, and shows such strong stylistic resemblance that most or all of its poems are probably, though not certainly, by the same author. The first two are erotic; the other four epideictic. 3 Mainly from internal evidence, we can piece together something of a biography for the poet, although much, if not all of it may be his literary fiction.'Maximian seems to I Ed. by E. Baehrens, Poeae Latini Minores V (Leipzig, 1883), used for citation and quotation in this article; ed. by M. Petschenig, Maximiani Elegiae (Berlin, 1890); ed. with comment by R. Webster, The Elegies of Maximian (Princeton, 1900); further work on the text by W. Schetter, Studien zur Uberlieferung und Kritik des Elegiker Maximian (Wiesbaden, 1970) with review by V. Tandoi, Maia 25 (1973), 140-9; comm. by F. Spaltenstein, Commentaire des Elegies de Maximien (Bibl. Helvetica Romana xx, Inst. Suisse de Rome, 1983). 2 See Spaltenstein, nn. 175-92, F. Bertini,'Boezio e Massimiano', in Atti del Congr. Internaz. di Studi Boeziani (Rome, 1981), 273-83, 282 and n. 68; on the circular patterning of the Elegies, cf. D. Shanzer,'Ennodius, Boethius and the Date and Interpretation of Maximian's Elegia III', Riv. di Fil. 111 (1983), 183-95, 193. For a florid but lively impression of their literary character, see H. Waddell, The Wandering Scholars (6th ed., Harmondsworth, 1954), pp. 48-9. 3 Ed. HW Garrod,'Poeseos Saeculi Sexti Fragmenta Quattuor', Classical Quaterly 4 (1910), 263-6, enlarged and corrected by W. Schetter,'Neueus zur Appendix Maximi-ans', Philologus 104 (1960), 116-20; further corrections by D. Romano,'II Primo Mas-simiano', Atti del Acc. di Scienze e Arti di Palermo 4.29. 2 (1968-9), 307-35, 329. From defects in prosody, Schetter, Studien, 163, doubts Maximian's authorship of at least poems 1, 2, 4 and 5; but against him, see Romano, 308-15, who thinks them early efforts.(In Philol. 104, 125, Schetter dismissed only 1 and 2, the two erotic poems.) If not the work of Maximian, they must at least be products of a poet very closely associated; cf. Tandoi (above, n. 1), 148. 4 C. Ratkowitsch, in Maximianus amat. Zu Datierurtg und Interpretation des Elegikers Maximian (Sitz. Osterreich. Akad. d. Wiss., 463, Vietna, 1986), has even argued for a late 9th century date and monastic context. I have only recently seen this book; D. Shanzer, Gnomon 60.3 (1988), 259-61, gives a highly critical review. For further bibliography, see below, n. 22. Nottingham Medieval Studies XXXIV (1990) Copyright (c) 2001 Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company Copyright (c) Institute for Medieval Studies, University of Nottingham MAXIMIAN, CASSIODORUS, BOETHIUS, THEODAHAD 17 belong to the kingdom of Italy which flourished from c. 490 to 535, under the Ostrogothic rulers Theoderic, Athalaric, Amalasuintha and Theodahad. These barbarians had much of the style of Roman emperors; in their realm, the Senate and magistracies were maintained, and classical Latin culture survived; their occupation of Italy had been sponsored by the emperor Zeno. However, their relations with the emperors in …