The next example of the old Latin is contained in the Tiburtine inscription, which was discovered in the sixteenth century at Tivoli, the ancient Tibur. It came into the possession of the Barberini family; but it was afterwards lost, and has never been recovered. Niebuhr[[54]] considers (and his conjecture is probably correct) that this monument is a Senatus-consultum, belonging to the period of the second Samnite war.[[55]] The inscription is given at length in the collection of Gruter,[[56]] and also by Niebuhr[[57]] and Donaldson.[[58]] The Latin in which it is written may be considered almost classical, the variations from that of a later age being principally orthographical. For example:—

Tiburtesis written Teiburtes
Castorisis written Kastorus
Advertitis written advortit
Dixistisis written deixsistis
Publicæis written poplicæ
Utileis written oitile
Inducimusis written indoucimus
A or ab before vis written af.

This document is followed very closely, in point of time, by the well-known inscription on the sarcophagus of L. Cornelius Scipio[[59]] Barbatus, and the epitaph on his son,[[60]] which are both written in the old Saturnian metre. Scipio Barbatus was the great-grandfather of the conqueror of Hannibal, and was consul in A. U. C. 456, the first year of the third Samnite war. His sarcophagus was found A. D. 1780 in a tomb near the Appian Way, whence it was removed to the Vatican. The epitaph is as follows:—

Cornelius Lucius Scipio Barbatus Gnaivod

Patre prognatus fortis vir sapiensque

Quoius forma virtutei parisuma fuit

Consol Censor Aidilis quei fuit apud vos

Taurasia Cisauna Samnio cepit

Subigit omne Loucana opsidesque abdoucit.

“Cornelius L. Scipio Barbatus, son of Cnæus, a brave and wise man, whose beauty was equal to his virtue. He was amongst you Consul, Censor, Ædile. He took Taurasia, Cisauna, and Samnium; he subjugated all Lucania, and led away hostages.”