On the Magistrates of the Roman Republic

(Published by Victor Trincavellus at Venice in 1536 in folio, together with the Questions of Alexander of Aphrodisias), this work should be attributed not to our Lydus, but to Priscian Lydus. Priscian Lydus was a 6th-century Neoplatonist philosopher, often confused with the civil servant John Lydus because they shared the same ethnic surname "Lydus" (signifying they were from Lydia) and lived at the same time. It was this Priscian who, along with Isidore, Damascius, Simplicius, and other philosophers of the ancient religion, departed from Athens and the empire of Justinian; he was eventually brought back to the Roman world in the year 533 AD by Chosroes, King of the Persians. This refers to the closing of the Neoplatonic Academy in Athens by Justinian in 529 AD, which prompted the last pagan philosophers to seek refuge in the Persian court of Chosroes I. See Gibbon, History of the Decline and Fall, etc., Vol. IV, London 1788, quarto, page 118 and following. Because this Priscian Lydus was a contemporary and a fellow countryman of our John Lydus, it is all the more necessary to distinguish carefully between the two, as they are very easily confused.

I come now to the historical writings of our Lydus, which fall into two categories. First are those he published in his old age, which still partially survive. The second category consists of those he composed as a young man, which have utterly vanished—perhaps they were never even circulated to the public.

As a young man, he wrote:

1.) An Encomium of Zoticus, Praetorian Prefect, Zoticus served as the Praetorian Prefect of the East around 511–512 AD under Emperor Anastasius. written around the year 512. This work was so highly approved by his patron that for every verse Lydus wrote, the Prefect paid him one gold solidus from the funds of the Prefecture. The solidus was the standard gold coin of the later Roman Empire; receiving one for every line of poetry was an extraordinary, almost legendary, level of payment. See Book III, chapter 27, page 194 of this edition. This act of patronage renewed the legendary generosity shown by the Emperor Caracalla toward the poet Oppian, and by Octavia (as the story goes) toward the poet Virgil. Octavia, sister of Augustus, is said to have paid Virgil a massive sum for the verses in the Aeneid regarding her deceased son Marcellus.

2.) An Oration in Praise of Justinian Augustus, delivered before ambassadors of the highest rank sent from the City The "City" here refers to Rome, which had been recovered by Justinian's forces. to the Imperial Court. See Book III, chapter 28, page 198. From...