Carvilius Maximus, at the time of the third are
mentioned
in history without a cognomen, see
Samnite war.
Samnite war.
William Smith - 1844 - Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities - a
Orelli; Cic.
Livy, whether the consuls of that year conducted
ad Att. i. 1; Sallust, Cati. 17, 23, 26; Appian, the war with two armies, or whether it was car-
B. C. ii. 3. )
(L. S. ) ried on by a dictator and L. Papirius as his magis-
CU'RIUS FORTUNATIA'NUS. [FORTU- ter equitum. It is certain, however, that Papirius
NATIANUS. )
blockaded Luceria, and that his camp was reduced
CU'RIUS, VI'BIUS, a commander of the ca- to such extremities by the Samnites, who cut off
valry in Caesar's army, when he commenced all supplies, that he would have been lost, had he
the war against Pompey in Italy. Several of not been relieved by the army of his colleague, Q.
Pompey's generals at the time deserted to Vibius Publilius Philo. He continued his operations in
Curius. (Caes. B. C. i. 24; Cic. ad Att. ii. 20, ix. Apulia in the year B. C. 319 also, for which he
6; Quintil. vi. 3. $ 73. )
[L. S. ] was likewise appointed consul. About this time
CUROPALATES. [CODINUs. ]
the Tarentines offered to act as mediators between
CURSOR, the name of a family of the Papiria the Romans and Samnites, but were haughtily
gens, which was probably given to the first who rejected by Papirius, who now made a successful
bore it from distinguishing himself in running. attack upon the camp of the Samnites : they were
1. L. PAPIRIUS CURSOR, censor in B. C. 393, compelled to retreat and to leave Luceria' to its
and afterwards twice military tribune, in B. C. 387 fate. Seven thousand Samnites at Luceria are
and 385. (Liv. vi. 5, 11, ix. 34. )
said to bave capitulated for a free departure, with-
2. Sp. PAPIRIUS CURSOR, a son of the former, out their arms and baggage ; and the Frentanians,
was military tribune in B. C. 380. (Liv, vi. 27. ) who attempted to revolt against the Romans, were
3. L. PAPIRIUS CURSOR, a son of No. 2, does obliged to submit as subjects and give hostages.
not occur in history till the time when he was After these things were accomplished, he returned
made magister equitum to the dictator L. Papirius to Rome and celebrated his second triumph.
Crassus in B. C. 340. In B. c. 333 he was made In B. c. 314 Papirius obtained the consulship
consul with C. Poetelius Libo, and according to for the fourth (or fifth) time. Although the war
some annals he obtained the same office a second against the Samnites was still going on, neither
time in B. C. 326, the year in which the second Papirius nor his colleague Publilius Philo is men-
Samnite war broke out. In the year following he tioned by Livy as having taken part in the cam-
was appointed dictator to conduct the war in place i paigns of thai year, which were conducted by
## p. 905 (#925) ############################################
CURSOR.
905
CURTILIUS.
dictators, while the consuls are said to have re- them to retreat. Papirius took the town of Duro-
mained at home. It is difficult to account for this nia, and he as well as his colleague ravaged Sani-
state of things.
nium, especially the territory of Antium. lle
In B. c. 313 Papirius was invested with his fifth then pitched his camp opposite the Samnite army
(or sixth) consulship. The war against the Sam- near Aquilonia, at some distance from the camp of
nites was still going on, but no battle was fought, Carvilius. Several days passed before Papirius
although the Romans made permanent conquests, attacked the enemy, and it was agreed that Carri-
and thus gave the war a decided turn in their lius should make an attack upon Cominium on the
favour. It was, as Livy states, again doubtful as same day that Papirius offered battle to the Sam-
to who had the command of the Ronan armics in nites, in order to prevent the Samnites froin ub-
that year. In B. c. 309 Papirius was made dicta- taining any succour from Cominium. Papirius
tor to conduct the war against the Samnites, to gained a brilliant victory, which he owed mainly
save the army of C. Marcius, who was in great to his cavalry, and the Samnites fied to their camp
distress in Apulin, and to wipe off the disgrace of without being able to maintain it. They however
Caudium, which Rome had suffered the year be- still continued to fight against the two consuls,
fore. His appointment to the dictatorship was a and even beat Carvilius near Herculaneum ; but it
matter of some difficulty. Q. Fabius, who had was of no avail, for the Romans soon after again
once been his magister equitum, and had nearly got the upper hand. Papirius continued his
been sacrificed by him, was ordered to nominate operations in Samnium till the beginning of win-
Papirius. The recollection of what had happened ter, and then returned to Rome, where he and his
sixteen years before rendered it bard to the feel colleague celebrated a magnificent triumph. The
ings of Fabius to obey the command of the senate; booty which Papirius exhibited on that occasion
but he sacrificed his own personal feelings to the was very rich; but his troops, who were not satis-
good of the republic, and he nominated Papirius in fied with the plunder they had been allowed, mur-
the silence of night without saying a word. Papi- mured because he did not, like Carvilius, distribute
rius now hastened with the reserve legions to the money among them, but delivered up everything
assistance of C. Marcius. The position of the to the treasury. He dedicated the temple of Qui-
enemy, however, was so formidable, that for a time rinus, which his father had vowed, and adorned it
he merely watched them, though it would have with a solarium horologium, or a sun-dial, the first
been more in accordance with his vehement tem- that was set up in public at Rome. He was raised
per to attack them at once. Soon after, however, to the consulship again in B. C. 272, together
à battle was fought, in which the Samnites were with his former colleague, Carvilius, for the ex-
completely defeated. The dictator's triumph on ploits of their former consulship had made such an
his return to Rome was very brilliant, on account impression upon the Romans, that they were look-
of the splendid arms which he had taken from the ed up to as the only men capable of bringing the
enemy: the shields decorated with gold were dis- wearisome struggle with the Samnites to a close.
tributed among the stalls of the bankers around They entirely realized the hopes of their nation,
the forum, probably for no other purpose than to for the Samnites, Lucanians, and Bruttians were
be hung out during processions. This triumph is compelled to submit to the majesty of Rome. But
the last event that is mentioned in the life of Pa- we have no account of the manner in which those
pirius, whence we must infer that he died soon nations were thus reduced. On his return to
after. He had the reputation of being the greatest Rome, Papirius celebrated his second triumph, and
general of his age. He did not indeed extend the after this event we hear no more of him. (Liv. x.
Roman dominion by conquest, but it was he who 9, 38, 39—47; Zonar. viii. 7; Oros. iii. 2, iv. 3;
roused Rome after the defeat and peace of Cau- Frontin, de Aquaed. i. 6, Strateg. iii. 3; Plin. H.
dium, and led her to victory. But he was, not- N. vii. 60, xxxiv. 7 ; Niebuhr, iii. pp. 390, dic. ,
withstanding, not popular, in consequence of his 524, &c. )
(L. S. ]
personal character, which was that of a rough sol- CURSOR, CAE'LIUS, a Roman eques in the
dier. He was a man of immense bodily strength, time of Tiberius, who was put to death by the
and was accustomed to partake of an excessive emperor, A. D. 21, for having falsely charged
quantity of food and wine. He had something the praetor Magius Caecilianus with high treason.
horrible and savage about him, for he delighted in (Tacit. Ann. iii. 37. )
[L. S. )
rendering the service of the soldiers as hard as he CU'RTIA GENS, an obscure patrician gens,
could : he punished cruelly and inexorabls, and of whom only one member, C. Curtius Philo, was
enjoyed the anguish of death in those whom he ever invested with the consulship, B. c. 445. This
intended to punish. (Liv. viii. 12, 23, 29, 30–36, consulship is one of the proofs that the Curtia gens
47, ix. 7, 12, 13-16, 22, 28, 38, 40; Aurel. Vict. must have been patrician, since the consulship at
de Vir. IU. 31; Eutrop. ii. 4; Oros. iii. 15; Dion that time was not accessible to the plebeians ;
Cass. Excerpt. Vat. p. 32, &c. , ed. Sturz; Cic. ad other proofs are implied in the stories about the
Fam. ix. 21; Niebuhr, Hist. of Rome, iii. pp. 192 earliest Curtii who occur in Roman history. The
-250. )
fact that, in B. C. 37, C. Curtius Peducaeanus was
4. L. Papirius CURSOR, a son of No. 3, was tribune of the people, does not prove the contrary,
censor in B. c. 272. (Frontin. de Aquaed. i. 6. )
for members of the gens may have gone over to
5. L. Papirius Cursur, likewise a son of No. the plebeians. The cognomens which occur in this
3, was no less distinguished as a general than his gens under the republic are PEDUCAEAXUS, Philo,
father. He was made consul in B. C, 293 with and POSTUMUS or PostUMIUS. For those who
Sp.
Carvilius Maximus, at the time of the third are mentioned in history without a cognomen, see
Samnite war. The Samnites, after having made Curtius.
[L. S. ]
immense efforts, had invaded Campania ; but the CURTI'LIUS, a Roman who belonged to the
consuls, instead of attacking them there, penetrated party of Caesar, and who, after the victory of his
into their unprotected country, and thus compelled party in B. C. 43, is described as in the possesion
## p. 906 (#926) ############################################
906
CURTIUS.
CURTIUS.
of an estate at Fundi, which had belonged to C. I have given rise to the story about the self-sacrifice
Sextilius Rufus. (Cic. au «111. xiv. 6), 10. ) [L. S. ) of Curtius. (Suet. suy. 57; Stat. Silt. i. 1. )
CURTI'LIUS MA'NCIA. [MANCIA. ]
2. CURTIUS, an accuser, was killed in the tiine
CU'RTIUS. 1. METTUS or METIUS CURTIUS, of the proscription of Sulla, or perlaps even before,
a Sabine of the time of Romulus. During the by C. Marius, near the lake Servilius. (Cic. pro
war between the Romans and Sabines, which arose Sert. Kose. 32 ; Senec. de Provil. 3. )
from the rape of the Sabine women, the Sabines 3. C. Curtius, probably a son of the preceding,
had gained possession of the Roman arx. When lost his property during the proscription of Sullit
,
the Roman army was drawn up between the Pala- and went into exile. Subsequently, however, he
tine and Capitoline hills, two chiefs of the armies, was allowed to return through the mediation of
Mettus Curtius on the part of the Sabines, and Cicero, with whom he had been acquainted from
Hostus Hostilius on that of the Romans, opened carly youth. In B. c. 45 Cresir made him a mem-
the contest, in which the latter was slain. While ber of the senate. In the same year, Caesar dis-
Curtius was glorying in his victory, Romulus and tributed 'ands among his veterans in Italy; and
a band of Romans made an attack upon him. Curtius, who had spent the little property he had
Curtius, who fought on horseback, could not main sared in purchasing an estate near Volaterrac, and
tain his ground; he was chased by the Romans, was now in danger of losing it again, applied to
and in despair he leaped with his horse into a Cicero to interfere on his behalf. Cicero accord-
swamp, which then covered the valley afterwards ingly wrote a letter to Q. Valerius Orca, the legate
occupied by the forum. However, he got out of it of Caesar, who superintended the distribution of
with difficulty at the bidding of his Sabines. land among the veterans, and requested him to
Peace was soon after concluded between the Ro. spare the property of Curtius, since the loss of it
mans and their neighbours, and the swamp was would render it impossible for him to maintain the
henceforth called lacus Curtius, to commemorate dignity of a senator. (Cic. ad Fam. xiii. 5. )
the event. (Liv. i. 12, &c. ; Dionys. ii. 42; Varr. 4. P. CURTIUS, a brother of Q. Salassus, was be-
L. L. v. 148 ; Plut. Romul. 18. ) This is the headed in Spain by the command of Cn. Pompeius
common story about the name of the lacus Curtius; (the son of the Great), in the presence of the
but there are two other traditions, which though whole army, B. C. 45, for he had formed a secret
they likewise trace it to a person of the name of understanding with some Spaniards that Cn. Pom-
Curtius, yet refer us to a much later time. Ac-i peius, if he should come to a certain town for the
cording to the first of these, it happened one day sake of getting provisions, should be apprehended
that the earth in the forum gave way, sank, and and delivered up into the hands of Caesar. (Cic.
formed a great chasin. All attempts to fill it up ad Fam. vi. 18. )
were useless, and when at length the aruspices 5. Q. CURTius, a friend of Verres, is called
were consulted about it, they declared, that the judex quaestionis, concerning which nothing further
chasm could not be filled except by throwing into is known. (Cic. in Verr. i. 61. )
it that on which Rome's greatness was to be based, 6. Q. CURTIUS, a good and well-educated young
and that then the state should prosper. When all man, brought in B. C. 54 the charge of ambitus
were hesitating and doubting as to what was against C. Memmius, who was then a candidate for
meant, a noble youth of the name of M. Curtius the consulship. (Cic. ad Qu. Fr. ili. 2. ) We possess
came forward, and declaring that Rome possessed several coins on which the name of Q. Curtius ap-
10 greater treasure than a brave and gallant citizen pears, together with that of M. Silanus and Cn.
in arms, he offered himself as the victim demanded, Domitius. The types of these coins differ from
and having mounted his steed in full armour, le those which we usually meet with on Roman
leaped into the abyss, and the earth soon closed coins; and Eckhel (Doctr. Num. v. p. 200) con-
over him. This event is assigned to the year B. C. jectures, that those three inen were perhaps trium-
362. (Liv. vii. 6; Varro, l. c. ; Val. Max. v. 6. $ 2; virs for the establishment of some colony, and that
Plin. H. N. xv. 18; Festus, s. v. Curtilucum ; their coins were struck at a distance from Rome.
Plut. Purallel. Min. 5; Stat. Sir. i. 1, 65, dc. ; 7. CURTIUS, a Roman eques, who once, while
Angustin, de Civ. Dei, v. 18. ) According to the dining with Augustus, availed himself of a joke
second tradition, the place called lacus Curtius had and threw a fish, which was standing on the table,
been struck by lightning, and, at the command of | out of the window. (Wacrob. Sat. ii. 4. ) Some
the senate, it was enclosed in the usual manner by writers suppose, though without any apparent
the consul C. Curtius Philo, B. C. 415. (Varr. L. L. reason, that he is the same as the Curtius Atticus
v. 150. ) But that this place was not regarded as who lived in the reign of Tiberius. (ATTICUS,
a bulental, that is, a sacred spot struck by light- CURTIUS. ]
[L. S. ]
ning, seems to be clear from what Pliny (H. N. CU'RTIUS ATTICUS. [ATTICUS, p. 413, a. ]
xv. 18) relates of it. All that we can infer with CU'RTIUS LUPUS. [LUPUS. ]
safety from the ancient traditions respecting the CU'RTIUS MONTANUS. [MONTANUS. ]
lacus Curtius, is, that a part of the district which CU'RTIUS RUFUS. [Rufus. ]
subsequently formed the Roman forum, was ori- Q. CURTIUS RUFUS, the Roman historian
ginally covered by a swamp or a lake, which may of Alexander the Great. Respecting his life and
have obtained the name of Curtius from some such the time at which he lived, nothing is known with
occurrence as tradition has handed down. This lake any certainty, and there is not a single passage in
was afterwards drained and filled up, but on one any ancient writer that can be positively said to
occasion after this the ground seems to have sunk, refer to Q. Curtius, the historian. One Curtius
& circumstance which was regarded as an ostentum Rufus is mentioned by Tacitus ( Ann. xi. 21) and
fatale. In order to avert any evil, and at the Pliny (Ep. vii. 27), and a Q. Curtius Rufus occurs
same time symbolically to secure the duration of in the list of the rhetoricians of whom Suetonius
the republic, an altar was erected on the spot, and created in his work “ De Claris Rhetoribus. ” But
a regular sacrifice was offered there, which may there is nothing to show that any of them is the
## p. 907 (#927) ############################################
CURTIUS.
907
CYATIIL'S.
a
same as our Q. Curtins, though it may be, as F. | edition (1556) divided the work into twelve books.
A. Wolf was inclined to think, that the rhetorician The deficiency of the first two books has been
spoken of by Suetonius is the same as the histo- made up in the form of supplements by Bruno,
rian. This total want of external testimony com- | Cellarius, and Freinsheim; but that of the last of
pels us to seek information concerning Q. Curtius these scholars, although the best, is still without
in the work that has come down to us under his any particular merit. The criticism of the text of
name; but what we find here is as vague and un- Curtius is connecied with great ditñculties, for
siltisfactory as that which is gathered from external although all the extant MSS. are derived froin
testimonies. There are only two passages in his one, yet some of them, especially those of the 14th
work which contain allusions to the time at and 15th centuries, contain considerable interpola-
which he lived. In the one (iv. 4, in fin.
ad Att. i. 1; Sallust, Cati. 17, 23, 26; Appian, the war with two armies, or whether it was car-
B. C. ii. 3. )
(L. S. ) ried on by a dictator and L. Papirius as his magis-
CU'RIUS FORTUNATIA'NUS. [FORTU- ter equitum. It is certain, however, that Papirius
NATIANUS. )
blockaded Luceria, and that his camp was reduced
CU'RIUS, VI'BIUS, a commander of the ca- to such extremities by the Samnites, who cut off
valry in Caesar's army, when he commenced all supplies, that he would have been lost, had he
the war against Pompey in Italy. Several of not been relieved by the army of his colleague, Q.
Pompey's generals at the time deserted to Vibius Publilius Philo. He continued his operations in
Curius. (Caes. B. C. i. 24; Cic. ad Att. ii. 20, ix. Apulia in the year B. C. 319 also, for which he
6; Quintil. vi. 3. $ 73. )
[L. S. ] was likewise appointed consul. About this time
CUROPALATES. [CODINUs. ]
the Tarentines offered to act as mediators between
CURSOR, the name of a family of the Papiria the Romans and Samnites, but were haughtily
gens, which was probably given to the first who rejected by Papirius, who now made a successful
bore it from distinguishing himself in running. attack upon the camp of the Samnites : they were
1. L. PAPIRIUS CURSOR, censor in B. C. 393, compelled to retreat and to leave Luceria' to its
and afterwards twice military tribune, in B. C. 387 fate. Seven thousand Samnites at Luceria are
and 385. (Liv. vi. 5, 11, ix. 34. )
said to bave capitulated for a free departure, with-
2. Sp. PAPIRIUS CURSOR, a son of the former, out their arms and baggage ; and the Frentanians,
was military tribune in B. C. 380. (Liv, vi. 27. ) who attempted to revolt against the Romans, were
3. L. PAPIRIUS CURSOR, a son of No. 2, does obliged to submit as subjects and give hostages.
not occur in history till the time when he was After these things were accomplished, he returned
made magister equitum to the dictator L. Papirius to Rome and celebrated his second triumph.
Crassus in B. C. 340. In B. c. 333 he was made In B. c. 314 Papirius obtained the consulship
consul with C. Poetelius Libo, and according to for the fourth (or fifth) time. Although the war
some annals he obtained the same office a second against the Samnites was still going on, neither
time in B. C. 326, the year in which the second Papirius nor his colleague Publilius Philo is men-
Samnite war broke out. In the year following he tioned by Livy as having taken part in the cam-
was appointed dictator to conduct the war in place i paigns of thai year, which were conducted by
## p. 905 (#925) ############################################
CURSOR.
905
CURTILIUS.
dictators, while the consuls are said to have re- them to retreat. Papirius took the town of Duro-
mained at home. It is difficult to account for this nia, and he as well as his colleague ravaged Sani-
state of things.
nium, especially the territory of Antium. lle
In B. c. 313 Papirius was invested with his fifth then pitched his camp opposite the Samnite army
(or sixth) consulship. The war against the Sam- near Aquilonia, at some distance from the camp of
nites was still going on, but no battle was fought, Carvilius. Several days passed before Papirius
although the Romans made permanent conquests, attacked the enemy, and it was agreed that Carri-
and thus gave the war a decided turn in their lius should make an attack upon Cominium on the
favour. It was, as Livy states, again doubtful as same day that Papirius offered battle to the Sam-
to who had the command of the Ronan armics in nites, in order to prevent the Samnites froin ub-
that year. In B. c. 309 Papirius was made dicta- taining any succour from Cominium. Papirius
tor to conduct the war against the Samnites, to gained a brilliant victory, which he owed mainly
save the army of C. Marcius, who was in great to his cavalry, and the Samnites fied to their camp
distress in Apulin, and to wipe off the disgrace of without being able to maintain it. They however
Caudium, which Rome had suffered the year be- still continued to fight against the two consuls,
fore. His appointment to the dictatorship was a and even beat Carvilius near Herculaneum ; but it
matter of some difficulty. Q. Fabius, who had was of no avail, for the Romans soon after again
once been his magister equitum, and had nearly got the upper hand. Papirius continued his
been sacrificed by him, was ordered to nominate operations in Samnium till the beginning of win-
Papirius. The recollection of what had happened ter, and then returned to Rome, where he and his
sixteen years before rendered it bard to the feel colleague celebrated a magnificent triumph. The
ings of Fabius to obey the command of the senate; booty which Papirius exhibited on that occasion
but he sacrificed his own personal feelings to the was very rich; but his troops, who were not satis-
good of the republic, and he nominated Papirius in fied with the plunder they had been allowed, mur-
the silence of night without saying a word. Papi- mured because he did not, like Carvilius, distribute
rius now hastened with the reserve legions to the money among them, but delivered up everything
assistance of C. Marcius. The position of the to the treasury. He dedicated the temple of Qui-
enemy, however, was so formidable, that for a time rinus, which his father had vowed, and adorned it
he merely watched them, though it would have with a solarium horologium, or a sun-dial, the first
been more in accordance with his vehement tem- that was set up in public at Rome. He was raised
per to attack them at once. Soon after, however, to the consulship again in B. C. 272, together
à battle was fought, in which the Samnites were with his former colleague, Carvilius, for the ex-
completely defeated. The dictator's triumph on ploits of their former consulship had made such an
his return to Rome was very brilliant, on account impression upon the Romans, that they were look-
of the splendid arms which he had taken from the ed up to as the only men capable of bringing the
enemy: the shields decorated with gold were dis- wearisome struggle with the Samnites to a close.
tributed among the stalls of the bankers around They entirely realized the hopes of their nation,
the forum, probably for no other purpose than to for the Samnites, Lucanians, and Bruttians were
be hung out during processions. This triumph is compelled to submit to the majesty of Rome. But
the last event that is mentioned in the life of Pa- we have no account of the manner in which those
pirius, whence we must infer that he died soon nations were thus reduced. On his return to
after. He had the reputation of being the greatest Rome, Papirius celebrated his second triumph, and
general of his age. He did not indeed extend the after this event we hear no more of him. (Liv. x.
Roman dominion by conquest, but it was he who 9, 38, 39—47; Zonar. viii. 7; Oros. iii. 2, iv. 3;
roused Rome after the defeat and peace of Cau- Frontin, de Aquaed. i. 6, Strateg. iii. 3; Plin. H.
dium, and led her to victory. But he was, not- N. vii. 60, xxxiv. 7 ; Niebuhr, iii. pp. 390, dic. ,
withstanding, not popular, in consequence of his 524, &c. )
(L. S. ]
personal character, which was that of a rough sol- CURSOR, CAE'LIUS, a Roman eques in the
dier. He was a man of immense bodily strength, time of Tiberius, who was put to death by the
and was accustomed to partake of an excessive emperor, A. D. 21, for having falsely charged
quantity of food and wine. He had something the praetor Magius Caecilianus with high treason.
horrible and savage about him, for he delighted in (Tacit. Ann. iii. 37. )
[L. S. )
rendering the service of the soldiers as hard as he CU'RTIA GENS, an obscure patrician gens,
could : he punished cruelly and inexorabls, and of whom only one member, C. Curtius Philo, was
enjoyed the anguish of death in those whom he ever invested with the consulship, B. c. 445. This
intended to punish. (Liv. viii. 12, 23, 29, 30–36, consulship is one of the proofs that the Curtia gens
47, ix. 7, 12, 13-16, 22, 28, 38, 40; Aurel. Vict. must have been patrician, since the consulship at
de Vir. IU. 31; Eutrop. ii. 4; Oros. iii. 15; Dion that time was not accessible to the plebeians ;
Cass. Excerpt. Vat. p. 32, &c. , ed. Sturz; Cic. ad other proofs are implied in the stories about the
Fam. ix. 21; Niebuhr, Hist. of Rome, iii. pp. 192 earliest Curtii who occur in Roman history. The
-250. )
fact that, in B. C. 37, C. Curtius Peducaeanus was
4. L. Papirius CURSOR, a son of No. 3, was tribune of the people, does not prove the contrary,
censor in B. c. 272. (Frontin. de Aquaed. i. 6. )
for members of the gens may have gone over to
5. L. Papirius Cursur, likewise a son of No. the plebeians. The cognomens which occur in this
3, was no less distinguished as a general than his gens under the republic are PEDUCAEAXUS, Philo,
father. He was made consul in B. C, 293 with and POSTUMUS or PostUMIUS. For those who
Sp.
Carvilius Maximus, at the time of the third are mentioned in history without a cognomen, see
Samnite war. The Samnites, after having made Curtius.
[L. S. ]
immense efforts, had invaded Campania ; but the CURTI'LIUS, a Roman who belonged to the
consuls, instead of attacking them there, penetrated party of Caesar, and who, after the victory of his
into their unprotected country, and thus compelled party in B. C. 43, is described as in the possesion
## p. 906 (#926) ############################################
906
CURTIUS.
CURTIUS.
of an estate at Fundi, which had belonged to C. I have given rise to the story about the self-sacrifice
Sextilius Rufus. (Cic. au «111. xiv. 6), 10. ) [L. S. ) of Curtius. (Suet. suy. 57; Stat. Silt. i. 1. )
CURTI'LIUS MA'NCIA. [MANCIA. ]
2. CURTIUS, an accuser, was killed in the tiine
CU'RTIUS. 1. METTUS or METIUS CURTIUS, of the proscription of Sulla, or perlaps even before,
a Sabine of the time of Romulus. During the by C. Marius, near the lake Servilius. (Cic. pro
war between the Romans and Sabines, which arose Sert. Kose. 32 ; Senec. de Provil. 3. )
from the rape of the Sabine women, the Sabines 3. C. Curtius, probably a son of the preceding,
had gained possession of the Roman arx. When lost his property during the proscription of Sullit
,
the Roman army was drawn up between the Pala- and went into exile. Subsequently, however, he
tine and Capitoline hills, two chiefs of the armies, was allowed to return through the mediation of
Mettus Curtius on the part of the Sabines, and Cicero, with whom he had been acquainted from
Hostus Hostilius on that of the Romans, opened carly youth. In B. c. 45 Cresir made him a mem-
the contest, in which the latter was slain. While ber of the senate. In the same year, Caesar dis-
Curtius was glorying in his victory, Romulus and tributed 'ands among his veterans in Italy; and
a band of Romans made an attack upon him. Curtius, who had spent the little property he had
Curtius, who fought on horseback, could not main sared in purchasing an estate near Volaterrac, and
tain his ground; he was chased by the Romans, was now in danger of losing it again, applied to
and in despair he leaped with his horse into a Cicero to interfere on his behalf. Cicero accord-
swamp, which then covered the valley afterwards ingly wrote a letter to Q. Valerius Orca, the legate
occupied by the forum. However, he got out of it of Caesar, who superintended the distribution of
with difficulty at the bidding of his Sabines. land among the veterans, and requested him to
Peace was soon after concluded between the Ro. spare the property of Curtius, since the loss of it
mans and their neighbours, and the swamp was would render it impossible for him to maintain the
henceforth called lacus Curtius, to commemorate dignity of a senator. (Cic. ad Fam. xiii. 5. )
the event. (Liv. i. 12, &c. ; Dionys. ii. 42; Varr. 4. P. CURTIUS, a brother of Q. Salassus, was be-
L. L. v. 148 ; Plut. Romul. 18. ) This is the headed in Spain by the command of Cn. Pompeius
common story about the name of the lacus Curtius; (the son of the Great), in the presence of the
but there are two other traditions, which though whole army, B. C. 45, for he had formed a secret
they likewise trace it to a person of the name of understanding with some Spaniards that Cn. Pom-
Curtius, yet refer us to a much later time. Ac-i peius, if he should come to a certain town for the
cording to the first of these, it happened one day sake of getting provisions, should be apprehended
that the earth in the forum gave way, sank, and and delivered up into the hands of Caesar. (Cic.
formed a great chasin. All attempts to fill it up ad Fam. vi. 18. )
were useless, and when at length the aruspices 5. Q. CURTius, a friend of Verres, is called
were consulted about it, they declared, that the judex quaestionis, concerning which nothing further
chasm could not be filled except by throwing into is known. (Cic. in Verr. i. 61. )
it that on which Rome's greatness was to be based, 6. Q. CURTIUS, a good and well-educated young
and that then the state should prosper. When all man, brought in B. C. 54 the charge of ambitus
were hesitating and doubting as to what was against C. Memmius, who was then a candidate for
meant, a noble youth of the name of M. Curtius the consulship. (Cic. ad Qu. Fr. ili. 2. ) We possess
came forward, and declaring that Rome possessed several coins on which the name of Q. Curtius ap-
10 greater treasure than a brave and gallant citizen pears, together with that of M. Silanus and Cn.
in arms, he offered himself as the victim demanded, Domitius. The types of these coins differ from
and having mounted his steed in full armour, le those which we usually meet with on Roman
leaped into the abyss, and the earth soon closed coins; and Eckhel (Doctr. Num. v. p. 200) con-
over him. This event is assigned to the year B. C. jectures, that those three inen were perhaps trium-
362. (Liv. vii. 6; Varro, l. c. ; Val. Max. v. 6. $ 2; virs for the establishment of some colony, and that
Plin. H. N. xv. 18; Festus, s. v. Curtilucum ; their coins were struck at a distance from Rome.
Plut. Purallel. Min. 5; Stat. Sir. i. 1, 65, dc. ; 7. CURTIUS, a Roman eques, who once, while
Angustin, de Civ. Dei, v. 18. ) According to the dining with Augustus, availed himself of a joke
second tradition, the place called lacus Curtius had and threw a fish, which was standing on the table,
been struck by lightning, and, at the command of | out of the window. (Wacrob. Sat. ii. 4. ) Some
the senate, it was enclosed in the usual manner by writers suppose, though without any apparent
the consul C. Curtius Philo, B. C. 415. (Varr. L. L. reason, that he is the same as the Curtius Atticus
v. 150. ) But that this place was not regarded as who lived in the reign of Tiberius. (ATTICUS,
a bulental, that is, a sacred spot struck by light- CURTIUS. ]
[L. S. ]
ning, seems to be clear from what Pliny (H. N. CU'RTIUS ATTICUS. [ATTICUS, p. 413, a. ]
xv. 18) relates of it. All that we can infer with CU'RTIUS LUPUS. [LUPUS. ]
safety from the ancient traditions respecting the CU'RTIUS MONTANUS. [MONTANUS. ]
lacus Curtius, is, that a part of the district which CU'RTIUS RUFUS. [Rufus. ]
subsequently formed the Roman forum, was ori- Q. CURTIUS RUFUS, the Roman historian
ginally covered by a swamp or a lake, which may of Alexander the Great. Respecting his life and
have obtained the name of Curtius from some such the time at which he lived, nothing is known with
occurrence as tradition has handed down. This lake any certainty, and there is not a single passage in
was afterwards drained and filled up, but on one any ancient writer that can be positively said to
occasion after this the ground seems to have sunk, refer to Q. Curtius, the historian. One Curtius
& circumstance which was regarded as an ostentum Rufus is mentioned by Tacitus ( Ann. xi. 21) and
fatale. In order to avert any evil, and at the Pliny (Ep. vii. 27), and a Q. Curtius Rufus occurs
same time symbolically to secure the duration of in the list of the rhetoricians of whom Suetonius
the republic, an altar was erected on the spot, and created in his work “ De Claris Rhetoribus. ” But
a regular sacrifice was offered there, which may there is nothing to show that any of them is the
## p. 907 (#927) ############################################
CURTIUS.
907
CYATIIL'S.
a
same as our Q. Curtins, though it may be, as F. | edition (1556) divided the work into twelve books.
A. Wolf was inclined to think, that the rhetorician The deficiency of the first two books has been
spoken of by Suetonius is the same as the histo- made up in the form of supplements by Bruno,
rian. This total want of external testimony com- | Cellarius, and Freinsheim; but that of the last of
pels us to seek information concerning Q. Curtius these scholars, although the best, is still without
in the work that has come down to us under his any particular merit. The criticism of the text of
name; but what we find here is as vague and un- Curtius is connecied with great ditñculties, for
siltisfactory as that which is gathered from external although all the extant MSS. are derived froin
testimonies. There are only two passages in his one, yet some of them, especially those of the 14th
work which contain allusions to the time at and 15th centuries, contain considerable interpola-
which he lived. In the one (iv. 4, in fin.
