According to historian Cassius Dio, Nero decided to write a huge, epic work about Roman history. Only one question occupied his mind – how long should this work be?
Some advised him to make the poem 400 volumes (for comparison, “Aeneid” Virgil has 12 books, and “Metamorphoses” Ovid 15).
The Stoic philosopher – Annaeus Cornutus decided to express his opinion, claiming that 400 books are too many for a poem and few people will want to reach for such a long work. Then Nero condemned the “daredevil” to exile.
