Finally Epicurus : A Note on Lucr. VI 1250-1251

In VI 1250-1251, Lucretius states that no one could be found who was not assault- ed by illness, mourning, and death during the terrible plague in Athens, which concludes the De rerum natura. This article suggests that the reference to nec ... quisquam ... quem neque ...implicitly evokes Epicurus as the future saviour of Athens and of mankind, as described in the proem of Book VI. Lucretius uses here the passive form of the verb reperire, which appears elsewhere to refer to Epicurus’ discoveries (VI 7) and to the discovery of Epicu- rus himself (VI 5). Lucretius also seems to allude here to the letter that Epicurus wrote to Idomeneus from his deathbed, in which he expressed his endurance of pain and inner joy. The analysis of these verses, whose structure recalls Epicurus’ depiction in I 68, may bring further arguments to the hypothesis that they are the true ending of the De rerum natura, as was suggested by Bockemüller and other scholars.