or Titus Lucretius Caius, one of the most celebrated of the Latin poets, was born of an ancient and noble Roman family, and studied at Athens, where he became one of Epicurus's sect. He acquired great reputation by his learning and eloquence; but in the flower of his age fell into a frenzy, occasioned by a philtre given him by his wife, who was distractedly fond of him. Lucretius, during the intervals of his madness, put Epicurus's doctrines into verse, and composed his six books De rerum natura, which are still extant. It is said that he killed himself in a fit of madness, in the 54th year before the Christian era, when 51 years old. The most correct edition of Lucretius is that of Simon de Coline. The cardinal de Poignac has refuted Lucretius's arguments in his excellent Latin poem intitled Anti-Lucretius. His poem De rerum natura has been translated into English by Mr Creech.