Until recently, this second-century compilation has been attributed to Caecilius Balbus. It is nowadays regarded as anonymous. With many things in common with several senecan anthologies – e.g. Publilius Syrus and the anonymous De Moribus – its transmission is varied and to a great extent fragmentary. It nevertheless was a key text in the mediæval period, providing a rich source of classical source material to a great many later writers.
The text made available here is from the only edition: Eduard Woelfflin, Caecilii Balbi De Nugis Philosophorum quae supersunt, Basle, 1855. Woelfflin’s extensive discussion and variant readings are not included. You can download the text (25k *.zip file) by clicking here.
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