SOURCE: Knoche, Ulrich. “Aules Persius Flaccus.” In Roman Satire, translated by Edwin S. Ramage, pp. 127-39. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1975.

In the following essay, Knoche discusses Persius's life, surveys his satires, and analyzes his style.

Aules Persius Flaccus was born on December 4, 34 after Christ at Volaterrae (modern Volterra) in the northwest part of Etruria. He was the son of respected and very wealthy parents of equestrian rank. The family, which clearly made much of the Etruscan tradition in its history, was related directly and by marriage to the Roman aristocracy. When he was about six years old, Persius lost his father, and soon after this his mother, Fulvia Sisennia, was remarried to a Roman knight whose name was Fusius. But she lost him too a few years later.

Persius received his first instruction in his hometown until he was about twelve years old and then he was sent...