Sabi'nus
1. A contemporary poet and a friend of Ovid, known to us only from two passages of the works of the latter.
Works
From one of these (
Am. 2.18. 27-34) we learn that Sabinus had written answers to six of the
Epistolae Heroidum of Ovid. Three answers enumerated by Ovid in this passage are printed in many editions of the poet's works as the genuine poems of Sabinus.
It is remarked in the life of Ovid [Vol. III. p. 72a.] that their genuineness is doubtful; but we may go further, and assert with certainty that they written by a modern scholar, Angelus Sabinus, about the year 1467.
The other passage of Ovid, in which Sabinus is mentioned (
ex Pont. 4.16. 13-16) alludes to one of the answers already spoken of, and likewise informs us of the titles of two other works of Sabinus:--
Quique suam Troezena, imperfectumque dierum
Deseruit celeri more Sabinus opus.
It has been conjectured by Gläser that the
Troezen here spoken of was an epic poem, containing a history of the birth and adventures of Theseus till his arrival at his father's court at Athens, so called from Troezen being the birth-place of Theseus, and that the
Dierum Opus was a continuation of Ovid's Fasti.
As the letter from Pontus in which the death of Sabinus is mentioned was written in A. D. 15, he probably died shortly before this year.
Further Information
For further discussion respecting this poet, see an essay by Glaser, entitled
Der Dichter Sabinus in the
Rheiniscles Museum for 1842, p. 437, &c.
