Valerius Maximus, 30-31 A.D., several editions (Google Books, 1615)

In September 1665, Lister read this work by Valerius which was written during the reign of the Emperor Tiberius.  The book concerned Roman daily life, its chapters focused on particular virtues and vices, practices of religion, as well as ancient traditions.

Valerius’s work, ‘nine books of memorable deeds and sayings’, was designed for rhetoricians with examples from history and anecdotes that could be used in speechwriting and for didactic purposes.  Despite its sometimes pretentious moral tone, it provided valuable insights into early imperial Roman life.  It was a popular work through the middle ages and the early modern era; for an early sixteenth-century annotated manuscript click here.