**Censorinus** (fl. c. 238) was a [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] [[Philologist|grammarian]] and miscellaneous writer.

## Name

From its grammatical form, Censorinus is presumably his [[Cognomen|cognomen]], the shared surname of a branch of a Roman family (*[[Gens (Roman)|gens]]*). The cognomen *Censorinus* would typically be used by those descended from, [[Roman adoption|adopted by]], or related by prominent [[Roman marriage|marriage]] to someone who had held the office of [[Roman censor|censor]]. Censorinus's [[Given name|given name]] (*[[Praenomen|praenomen]]*) and [[Family name|family name]] (*[[Nomen (ancient Rome)|nomen]]*) are unknown, although the [[Marcii Censorini]] were by far the most prominent family to use the cognomen. The author is sometimes distinguished as **Censorinus the Grammarian** (*Censorinus Grammaticus*).

## Life

Little is known of Censorinus, although he lived during the 3rd century and apparently dedicated *De Die Natali* to his patron Quintus Caerellius as a birthday gift.[^1]

## Works

Censorinus was the author of a lost work *De Accentibus* as well as the surviving *De Die Natali*.[^2]

*De Die Natali*[^3] ([[Latin language|Latin]] for "On the Natal Day" or "On the Birthday") or *Opusculum de Die Natali* ("Little Work on the Birthday") was apparently written in 238 for the birthday of Censorinus's patron Quintus Caerellius. The book covers many topics: the natural history of man, the influence of the stars and *[[Genius (mythology)|genii]],* music, [[Ritual|religious rites]], [[Astronomy|astronomy]], the doctrines of the [[Greek philosophers]], and [[Antiquarian|antiquarian]] subjects. The second part deals with chronological and mathematical questions, and has been useful for modern scholars to determine principal epochs of ancient history. The chief authorities used were [[Marcus Terentius Varro|Varro]] and [[Suetonius' minor works|Suetonius]]. Some scholars hold that the entire work is practically an adaptation of the lost *Pratum* of Suetonius. The fragments of a work *De Naturali Institutione*, dealing with astronomy, [[Geometry|geometry]], [[Music|music]], and [[Metre (poetry)|versification]], and usually printed with the *De Die Natali* of Censorinus, are not by him. Part of the original manuscript, containing the end of the genuine work, and the title and name of the author of the fragment are lost.[^1]

## Legacy

A bright [[Censorinus (crater)|crater]] in the [[Mare Tranquillitatis|Sea of Tranquility]] on the Moon has been named after him.

## References

### Editions

-   [*De Die Natali*](https://gutenberg.beic.it/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=13257978) (in Latin), Bologna: Benedetto Faelli, 1497.
-   Lindenbrog, Heinrich, ed. (1614), (in Latin) .
-   Mangeart, J., ed. (1614), [*Sur le Jour Natal*](https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/F/Roman/Texts/Censorinus/home.html) (in French), Paris: C.L.F. Panckoucke.
-   [[Otto Jahn|Jahn, Otto]], ed. (1845), (in Latin) .
-   [[Friedrich Hultsch|Hultsch, Friedrich]], ed. (1867), (in Latin) .
-   Cholodniak, Ivan, ed. (1889), [*De Die Natali Liber ad Q. Caerellium*](https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/L/Roman/Texts/Censorinus/text*.html) (in Latin), St Petersburg: Russian Imperial Academy of Science.
-   Maude, William, ed. (1900), [*De Die Natali ("The Natal Day")*](https://elfinspell.com/ClassicalTexts/Maude/Censorinus/Contents-Preface-Memoir.html), New York: Cambridge Encyclopedia Co., omitting the first 11 chapters.
-   Parker, Holt N., ed. (2007), *Censorinus: The Birthday Book*, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] 978-0-226-09974-3.
-   Brodersen, Kai, ed. (2012), *Censorinus: Über den Geburtstag* (in German), Darmstadt: WBG, [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] 978-3-534-18154-4.
-   Brodersen, Kai, ed. (2011), *Censorinus: Das Geburtstagsbuch* (in German), Darmstadt: Primus, [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] 978-3-89678-752-1.

### Bibliography

-   This article incorporates text from a publication now in the [[Public domain|public domain]]: [[Hugh Chisholm|Chisholm, Hugh]], ed. (1911). "[Censorinus](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911%20Encyclopædia%20Britannica/Censorinus)". *[[Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition|Encyclopædia Britannica]]*. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 662.

## Notes

[^1]: [[Censorinus|Chisholm 1911]].
[^2]: ["LacusCurtius • Censorinus — De Die Natali"](https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/L/Roman/Texts/Censorinus/text*.html). *penelope.uchicago.edu*. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
[^3]: Sometimes—mistakenly—given as *De Die Natale*.