32 - History and biography

Summary

VELLEIUS PATERCULUS

Several major historians, including Aufidius, Servilius, and Pliny, flourished in the century between Livy and Tacitus, but change of fashion or ill chance has robbed us of their works. Of the historical writing of this period only two representatives survive, Curtius (whose subject matter separates him from the main stream) and Velleius. Such is the dearth of other evidence that, if the criticisms directed against Velleius, for bias and incompetence, were trebly deserved, he could still not be neglected.

Velleius' history is neither epitome nor rudimentary summary, but a highly personal and selective outline, marked by special interests and very much overloaded. He vastly expands his scale of treatment as he approaches his own times, and some have supposed that everything which precedes Augustus and Tiberius is mere introduction: Velleius hurries on to talk about contemporary history, desiring to present in Tiberius the consummation of Roman virtues. If that were entirely true, his earlier exposition would have been derivative and perfunctory. In fact it is often studied and independent, albeit patchy. The same attitudes and techniques are indeed evident throughout: in particular he constantly seeks to evaluate the worth and achievements of individuals, rather than to describe the political circumstances of past ages. For him character and personality form history's very essence, and, though this recurrent obsession prompts some memorable sketches (e.g. 2.29, 2.35, 2.127), it also weakens and distorts the whole picture.