About Marcus Terentius Varro
Marcus Terentius Varro (116–27 BCE) was one of ancient Rome’s most prolific and learned authors, known for works spanning agriculture, grammar, philosophy, history, and satire. He wrote extensively on Roman antiquities and practical subjects, though much of his output survives only in fragments or through quotations in later writers.
Note on This Title
Cras credo hodie nihil is the title of one of Varro’s Menippean Satires (Saturae Menippeae), a work that survives only in a few fragments quoted by later writers, notably the grammarian Nonius Marcellus. The Latin phrase is usually understood as a proverbial refusal of credit (“Tomorrow I will give credit, today nothing”), though credo can also be rendered “I believe.” Because only fragments survive, the satire’s content and purpose can be reconstructed only partially. Scholars should consult editions and specialized studies of Varro’s fragments for further detail.
