one of the early Roman poets, is classed among the comic poets of Rome by Vulcatius
Sedigitus, who assigns him the fifth place among them in order of merit. (Ap.
Gell. 15.24.) But as Atilius translated into Latin the Electra of Sophocles (Cic. de Fin. 1.2; comp. Poet. Latin. Reliquiae, p. 139), that
he had turned the Electra of Sophocles into a comedy. Among his other plays we have the titles
of the following : Tusc.
Disp. 4.11), Bocolia (Varr. L. L. 6.89, ed.
Müller), Commorientes. (Varr. apud Gell. 3.3.) According to another reading
the last three are attributed to a poet Aquillius. With the exception of a line quoted by
Cicero (L. L. 7.90, 106), nothing of Atilius has come down to
us. Cicero (ad Att. l.c.) calls him poeta
durissimus, and Licinius describes him as ferreus scriptor. (Cic.
de Fin. l.c.)