FLORUS

florus, publius annius, roman poet and rhetorician, identified by some authorities with the historian florus (q.v.). the introduction to a dialogue called _virgilius orator an poeta_ is extant, in which the author (whose name is given as publius annius florus) states that he was born in africa, and at an early age took part in the literary contests on the capitol instituted by domitian. having been refused a prize owing to the prejudice against african provincials, he left rome in disgust, and after travelling for some time set up at tarraco as a teacher of rhetoric. here he was persuaded by an acquaintance to return to rome, for it is generally agreed that he is the florus who wrote the well-known lines quoted together with hadrian's answer by aelius spartianus (_hadrian_ 16). twenty-six trochaic tetrameters, _de qualitate vitae_, and five graceful hexameters, _de rosis_, are also attributed to him. florus is important as being the first in order of a number of 2nd-century african writers who exercised a considerable influence on latin literature, and also the first of the _poetae neoterici_ or _novelli_ (new-fashioned poets) of hadrian's reign, whose special characteristic was the use of lighter and graceful metres (anapaestic and iambic dimeters), which had hitherto found little favour. the little poems will be found in e. bahrens, _poetae latini minores_ (1879-1883); for an unlikely identification of florus with the author of the _pervigilium veneris_ (q.v.) see e.h.o. muller, _de p. annio floro poeta et de pervigilio veneris_ (1855), and, for the poet's relations with hadrian, f. eyssenhardt, _hadrian und florus_ (1882); see also f. marx in pauly-wissowa's _realencyclopadie_, i. pt. 2 (1894).