Licinius Macer Calvus (81–47 BCE)
Born 81 BCE, died 47 BCE.
Gaius Licinius Macer Calvus (28 May 82 BC – c. 46 BC) was an orator and poet of ancient Rome. Son of Licinius Macer and thus a member of the gens Licinia, he was a friend of the poet Catullus, whose style and subject matter he shared. Calvus's oratorical style opposed the "Asian" school in favor of a simpler Attic model: he characterized Cicero as "solutum et enervem" (loose and nerveless), while Cicero described him as "exsanguem et aridum" (bloodless and dry). However, there was no enmity between these two, and Cicero praised Calvus highly. Tacitus mentions twenty-one of his speeches, including several speeches against Publius Vatinius. Calvus likely prosecuted Vatinius multiple times, in 58 BC and then later in 54 BC, where he was defended by Cicero. One of these trials (probably the second) is described in Catullus's poem 53. At the trial one of the bystanders caused Catullus to laugh by crying out "Great gods, what an eloquent salaputium!". The meaning of the rare word salaputium has been disputed, but it has been suggested that it may have referred to Calvus's wit or short stature.
Text from the Wikipedia article Gaius_Licinius_Macer_Calvus, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.