a Greek historian.
The time when Aesopus lived is uncertain, and even his existence has been doubted. (Barth, Adversar. 2.10.) Mai, in the preface to his edition, contended that the work was written before 389, A. D., because the temple of Serapis at Alexandria, which was destroyed by order of Theodosius, is spoken of in the translation (Jul. Valer. 1.31) as still standing. But serious objections to this inference have been raised by Letronno (Journ. des Sarans, 1818, p. 617), who refers it to the seventh or eighth century, which the weight of internal evidence would rather point to. The book is full of the most extravagant stories and glaring mistakes, and is a work of no credit.
[A.A]