Lucan (c. 39-65)
“I’ve in mind to reveal the causes of great matters,
and the deed is immense: to expose what drove
a people to arms, raving, what struck peace
from the globe. Fates’ hateful sequence: the mighty
don’t stand long. A grave downfall, excessive weight:
Rome couldn’t bear herself.”
- From Lucan’s Civil War (Book I, between lines 70-80), translated by Matthew Fox (Penguin Classics, 2012).
