Vatinius, Nero and Curiatius Maternus

The above passage, from Maternus' first speech, poses a number of rather intricate textual problems. J. F. Gronovius rightly divined that the meaningless vaticinii referred to a person whose evil power Maternus had broken. Who else but Vatinius, Nero's notorious jester? To read Vatinii for vaticinii is intrinsically attractive, and in default of a better alternative has found almost universal approval. The contextual implications of this acclaimed conjecture have not, however, always been appreciated. It is with these that the present paper is concerned. Discussing (I) the conjecture imperante Nerone (L. Miiller), and (II) the interpretation of J. Stroux, it will attempt in the final section (III) to relate the Vatinius incident to its original political and ideological context.