Lucretius lived ca. 99-ca. 55 BC, but the details of his career are unknown. In his didactic poem De Rerum Natura (On the Nature of Things) he expounds Epicurean philosophy so as to dispel fear of the gods and death, and promote spiritual tranquility.

Lucretius's great poetical account of Epicurean philosophy aims at promoting spiritual tranquility, in part by dispelling fear of death. Revising Rouse's translation in 1975, Smith added full explanatory notes and a substantial Introduction.