Iulius Montanus' Coldness. A Note on a Literary Judgement in Sen. Ep. 122.11–13

Iulius Montanus is mentioned by Seneca (Ep. 122.11–13) as a tolerabilis poeta et amicitia Tiberi notus et frigore. This statement should not be interpreted as a reference to an alleged fall from grace of Montanus with the princeps, as many scholars have done, but rather as Seneca’s negative judgement on his ‘frigid’ poetry. An analysis of the language of the passage, in the light of ancient literary criticism, as well as the context of the letter, offers many arguments in support of this reading.