Publilius Syrus facts for kids

Publilius Syrus was a famous Latin writer who lived a long time ago, from about 85 BC to 43 BC. He was best known for his "sententiae," which are short, wise sayings.

Publilius Syrus was originally from Antioch, a city in what was then Roman Syria. He was brought to Roman Italy as a slave. On the ship to Rome, he traveled with other interesting people, like an astronomer named Manilius and a teacher named Staberius Eros.

Publilius was very smart and talented. Because of his cleverness, his owner liked him a lot. His owner decided to set him free and even made sure he got an education. After gaining his freedom, Publilius became part of a Roman family group called the Publilia gens. Sometimes, his name is written as 'Publius' in old books. This is because of how letters changed over time.

His Amazing Performances

Publilius Syrus was known for his "mimes." These were like short plays where actors used gestures and actions, often without speaking. He performed in these mimes himself. His shows were very popular in towns across Italy.

He even performed at big games organized by Julius Caesar in 46 BC. Publilius was also famous for being able to make up verses and sayings on the spot. He was so good that he won a prize from Julius Caesar in a competition. He beat all the other performers, including a very famous one named Decimus Laberius.

Many people loved his performances. However, not everyone was a fan. The famous Roman speaker Cicero didn't enjoy his plays and sometimes left early!

What Are Sententiae?

Today, we don't have his plays anymore. What we do have is a collection of his "Sententiae." These are moral sayings or wise thoughts, written in short poetic lines. This collection was put together a very long time ago, even known by a writer named Aulus Gellius in the 2nd century AD.

Each saying is usually just one line long. They are organized in alphabetical order by their first letter. Over time, other sayings from different writers were added to the collection. But about 700 of them are truly from Publilius Syrus.

These sayings include many famous and clever phrases. For example, one well-known saying is "iudex damnatur ubi nocens absolvitur." This means "The judge is condemned when the guilty is acquitted." This particular saying was even used as a motto for a famous magazine called the Edinburgh Review.

Because we only have these short sayings and not the full plays, some of them might seem a bit confusing or even contradict each other. We also don't know the original plays or characters they were written for. We only know the names of two of his plays: Putatores (which means "The Pruners") and a play called Murmidon.

Publilius Syrus's Influence

Publilius Syrus had a big impact on other writers.

• Seneca the Younger: A famous Roman philosopher named Seneca admired Publilius Syrus. Seneca tried to write in a similar "sententious style," meaning he wanted his writing to be full of short, wise sayings. He even quoted Syrus in his letters.

• William Shakespeare: The famous English playwright William Shakespeare might have been influenced by Publilius Syrus too. In his play Much Ado About Nothing, a character says, "if she did not hate him deadly, she would love him dearly." Some experts believe this idea came from Publilius Syrus's writings, either directly or through other authors who were influenced by him.

• Music and Pop Culture: One of Publilius Syrus's most famous sayings is "A rolling stone gathers no moss" (in Latin: Saxum volutum non obducitur musco). This means that someone who keeps moving or changing won't settle down or become stale.
  • This saying inspired the title of the 1950 song Rollin' Stone by the blues musician Muddy Waters.
  • In turn, the famous British rock band The Rolling Stones got their name from Muddy Waters' song!

Famous Quotes

Here are some of the wise sayings from Publilius Syrus:

• Ignorance is bliss (In nil sapiendo vita iucundissima est)
• Death is fortunate for the child, bitter to the young man, too late for the old. (Mors infanti felix, iuveni acerba, nimis sera est seni.)
• It may not be right but if it pays think it so (quamvis non rectum quod ivat rectum putes)
• The end justifies the means (honesta turpitudo est pro causa bona)
• Thinking carefully teaches wisdom (deliberando discitur sapientia)
• Thinking carefully often makes you miss a good chance (deliberando saepe perit occasio)
• Honor among thieves (etiam in peccato recte praestatur fides)
• Least said, soonest mended (male dictum interpretando facias acrius)
• No man is a hero to his valet (inferior rescit quicquid peccat superior)
• Where there is unity, there is always victory (Ubi concordia, ibi semper victoria).
• To call yourself happy is to provoke disaster (irritare est calamitatem cum te felicem voces)
• Necessity gives the law without itself acknowledging one (necessitas dat legem non ipsa accipit)
  • Necessity knows no law (necessitas non habet legem [ca; es])
• He gives the poor man twice as much good who gives quickly (inopi beneficium bis dat qui dat celeriter)