Epigrams, Volume III: Books 11–14 - Loeb Classical Library New edition

In his epigrams, Martial is a keen, sharp-tongued observer of Roman scenes and events, including the new Colosseum, country life, a debauchee’s banquet, and the eruption of Vesuvius. His poems are sometimes obscene, in the tradition of the genre, sometimes affectionate or amusing, and always pointed.