EDW: Petronius

Celebrities should set an example, we're told. Why on earth should they? What we want is high-profile figures setting an example for flamboyant bad behaviour (so why don't have to do it) or style.

In the case of Gnaius Petronius Arbiter, Nero's arbiter elegentiae, we have both.

As befitted his office, he slept days and partied nights. He was a lover of style, manners, and literature, and his personality was characterized by freedom, a lack of self-consciousness, a loose tongue, and an attitude. A rival's jealousy turned Nero agains Petronius, and he was forced to commit suicide. However, before his death, he lampooned Nero in his will and sent the emperor a copy.

Now that's the way to do it. He's remembered as the author of the splendidly louche Satyricon.