No More Learning

37. )
chased and then sold in Rome at a small price.
6. L. Cassius LONGINUS, described as L. F. by (Cic. Verr. i. 23, iii. 41. ) In the following year
Asconius (in Cornel. p. 78, ed. Orelli), son of No. 4, Longinus commanded as proconsul in Cisalpine
was tribune of the plebs B. c. 104; and being a Gaul, and was defeated by Spartacus near Mutina,
warm opponent of the aristocratical party, he but was not killed in the battle, as Orosius states.
hrought forward many laws to diminish their (Liv. Epit. 96; Flor. iii. 20; Plut. Crass. 9 ;
power. Among them was one which enacted that Oros. v. 24. ) In B. c. 66 he supported the Mani-
no one should be a senator whom the people had lian law for giving the command of the Mithridatic
condemned, or who had been deprived of their war to Pompey. (Cic. pro Leg. Man. 23. ) He must
imperium: this law was levelled against his per have lived to a very advanced age: the consular
sonal enemy, Q. Servilius Caepio, who had been de- Varus, who was proscribed and killed at Min-
prived of his imperium on account of his defeat by turnae in B. c. 43, can have been no other than the
the Cimbri. (Ascon. I. c. )
subject of this article, as we find no other consul
7. C. Cassius L. F. Q. x. LONGINUS, brother of with this surname from B. c. 73. (Appian, B. C.
No. 6, was consul B. C. 96, with Cn. Domitius iv. 28. )
Ahenobarbus. He is mentioned by Cicero as one ll. C. Cassius LONGINUS, the murderer of
of those persons who were elected consuls notwith- Julius Caesar, is sometimes represented as the son
standing their having failed to obtain the aedile- of the preceding (No. 10), but this is quite uncer-
ship. (Cic. pro Planc. 21. )
tain. He first appears in history as the quaestor
8. C. Cassius, C. F. C. N. LONGINUs, of un- of Crassus in his unfortunate campaign against the
certain descent. He was chosen in B. c. 173 as Parthians in B. C. 53, in which he greatly distin-
one of the decemviri for distributing a portion of the guished himself by his prudence and military skill ;
Ligurian land ; and two years afterwards, B. c. 171, and if his advice had been followed by Crassus,
was consul with P. Licinius Crassus. He obtained the result of the campaign would probably have
as his province Italy and Cisalpine Gaul ; but anx- been very different. Indeed at first he attempted
ious to distinguish himself in the war which had to dissuade Crassus from invading the country of
now commenced against Macedonia, he attempted the Parthians at all, and recommended him to take
to reach Macedonia by marching through Illyricum; up a strong position on the Euphrates. In the
he was obliged, however, to relinquish his design, fatal battle of Carrhae Cassius commanded one of
and return to Italy. In the following year, while the wings of the Roman army, and recommended the
he was serving as legate in Macedonia under the Roman general to extend his line, in order to pre-
consul A. Hostilius Mancinus, he was accused be-vent the enemy from attacking them on their flank,
fore the senate by ambassadors of the Gallic king, and likewise to distribute cavalry on the wings ; but
Cincibilus, as well as by ambassadors of the Carni, here again his advice was not followed. After the
Istri and lapydes, who complained that Cassius had defeat of the Roman army, Cassius and the legate,
treated them as enemies in his attempt to penetrate Octavius, conducted the remnants of it back to
into Macedonia in the previous year. The senate Carrhae, as Crassus hiad entirely lost all presence
intimated their disapproval of the conduct of Cas- of mind, and was incapable of giving any orders.
sius, but stated that they could not condemn a man So highly was Cassius thought of by the Roman


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SOO
LONGINUS.
LONGINCS.
soldiers, that they offered him in Carrhae the made him soon afterwards one of his legates.
supreme command of the army; but this he de- Whether Cassius took part in the Alexandrian war,
clined, although Crassus, in his despondency, was is unknown ; but he appears to have been engaged
quite willing to resign it. In the retreat from in that against Pharnaces. In B. C. 46 he re-
Carrhae, which they were soon afterwards obliged mained in Rome, as he did not wish to accompany
to make, Crassus was misled by the guides, and Caesar to Africa in order to fight against his former
killed (CRASSUS, p. 878); but Cassius, suspect-friends, and he was busily engaged during this time
ing treachery, returned to Carrhne, and thence in studying along with Cicero. In the following
made his escape to Syria with 500 horsemen by year, B. C. 45, he retired from Rome to Brundisiuin,
another way. After crossing the Euphrates, he waiting to hear the result of the struggle in Spain,
collected the remains of the Roman army, and and intending to return to Rome on the first news
made preparations to defend the province against of the victory of the dictator. During this time
the Parthians. The enemy did not cross the river lie and Cicero kept up a diligent correspondence
till the following year, B. c. 52, and then only with with one another. (Cic. ad Fam. 17–19; comp.
a small force, which was easily driven back by ad Att. xiii. 22. )
Cassius, upon whom the government of the pro- In B. C. 44 Cassius was praetor peregrinus, and
vince had devolved as proquacstor, as no successor was to receive the province of Syria next year.
to Crassus had yet been appointed. Next year, | But although his life had been spared, and he was
B. C. 51, the Parthians again crossed the river, with thus raised to honours by Caesar, yet he was the
a much larger army, under the command of Osaces author of the conspiracy against the dictator's life.
and Pacorus, the son of Orodes, the Parthian king. He was said to have been deeply aggrieved, because
As M. Bibulus, who had been appointed proconsul | M. Brutus, although his junior, had been appointed
of Syria, had not yet arrived, the conduct of the by Caesar as city praetor, in preference to himself ;
war again devolved upon Cassius. He thought it but this slight only exasperated the feelings he had
more prudent to retire at first before the Parthians, previously entertained. He had never ceased to
and threw himself into the strongly fortified city be Caesar's enemy, and Caesar seems to have looked
of Antioch ; and when the barbarians withdrew upon him with more mistrust than upon most of his
finding it impossible to take the place, he followed former foes (comp. Plut. Caes. 62 ; Vell. Pat. ii.
them, and gained, in September, a brilliant victory 56). One thing, however, is clear, that it was
over them. Osaces died a few days after of the mere personal hatred and ambition which urged on
wounds which he had received in the battle, and Cassius to take away the dictator's life ; and that
the remains of the army fed in confusion across a love of country and of liberty was a sheer pretext.
the Euphrates. Cicero, who commanded in the His grant object was to gain over M. Brutus, the
neighbouring province of Cilicia, was now delivered dictator's favourite, and when this was done, every-
from the great fear he had entertained of being thing else was easily arranged. In the bloody
obliged to meet the Parthians himself, and accord-tragedy of the 15th of March, Cassius took a dis-
ingly wrote to Cassius to congratulate him on his tinguished part. When the conspirators pressed
success (ad Fum. xv. 14. 3), but notwithstand-round Caesar, and one of them hesitated to strike,
ing this attempted, in every possible way, to rob | Cassius called out “Strike, though it be through
him of the honour of the victory. (Ad Fam. iii. 8, me," and he himself is said to have wounded
viii. 10, ad Att. v. 21. ) On the arrival of Bibulus, Caesar in the face.
Cassius returned to Italy. He expected to be ac- After the murder the conspirators fled to the
cused of extortion ; and he was generally sup- Capitol ; but they were bitterly disappointed in
posed, and apparently with justice, to have fleeced finding that the supreme power fell into the hands
the provincials unmercifully. But the breaking of Antony, who was supported by the army of
out of the civil war, almost immediately after- Lepidus, which was in the neighbourhood of the
wards, saved him from the accusation which he city. (LEPIDUS, p. 767. ] A hollow agreement
dreaded.
was patched up between Antony and the conspi-
In B. C. 49 Cassius was tribune of the plebs. rators, in consequence of which the latter left the
He was a supporter of the aristocratical party, and, Capitol ; but the riots which broke out at Caesar's
with the rest of the leaders of that party, left funeral showed the conspirators that even their
Rome in the month of January. He crossed over lives were not safe in Rome. Many of them im-
to Greece with Pompey in the month of March, mediately quitted the city, but Cassius and Brutus
and subsequently received the command of the remained behind, till the attempts of the Pseudo-
Syrian, Phoenician, and Cilician ships. With Marius, who was executed by Marius, hastened
these he went to Sicily in the following year, B. C. their departure in the middle of April. They did
48, where he burnt off Messana thirty-five ships, not, however, go far, but flattering themselves with
commanded by the Caesarian, M. Pomponius, and the hope that there might be some change in their
subsequently five ships belonging to the squadron favour, they remained for the next four months in
of Sulpicius and Libo. After that he made many Latium and Campania. As praetors, they ought of
descents upon the coasts of Sicily and Italy, till course to have continued in Rome ; and the senate,
the news of the battle of Pharsalia obliged him to anxious to make it appear that they had not fied
put a stop to his devastations.
from the city, passed a decree on the 5th of June,
Cassius sailed to the Hellespont, with the hope by which they were commissioned to purchase
• of inducing Pharnaces to join him against Caesar ; corn in Sicily and Asia. But Cassius looked upon
but in that sea he accidentally fell in with Caesar, this as an insult in the guise of a favour. About
and although he had a much larger force, he was so the same time he and Brutus received Cyrene and
much astonished and alarmed at meeting with the Crete as praetorian provinces, but this was a poor
conqueror, that he did not attempt to make any re- compensation for the provinces of Syria and Mace-
sistance, but surrendered himself unconditionally donia, the former of which Caesar had promised to
into his power. Ciresar not only forgave him, but | Cassius and the latter to Brutus, but which had


## p. 801 (#817) ############################################

LONGINUS.
801
LONGINUS.
ܪ
now been assigned to Dolabella and Antony re | accordingly, on his return to Asia, he imposed upon
spectively. Resolving to make a final effort to the province a ten years' tribute, which was to be
segain the popular favour, Brutus celebrated the raised immediately. Meanwhile, the colleague of
Ludi Apollinares with extraordinary splendour in Cassius, M. Brutus, was employed in the same wny
the month of July ; but as this was not followed in robbing the towns of Lycia; and the liberator's
by the expected results, they resolved to leave luals of the Roman world made it pay very dearly for
They accordingly published a decree, in which they its freedom.
resigned their office as praetors, and declared that At the beginning of the following year, B. C. 42,
they would for the future live in banishment, in Brutus and Cissilis met again at Sirdis, where
order to preserve the harmony of the stute. This, their armies greeted them with the title of impe-
however, was only done to excite odium against rators. Here they had some serious differences,
Antony. Instead of going to the provinces which and were nearly coming to an open rupture; but
had been assigned to them by the senate, Brutus the common danger to which they were exposed
went into Macedonia, and Cassius hastened to take produced a reconciliation between them. They
possession of Syria before Dolabella could arrive crossed over the Hellespont, marched through
there. In Asia Cassius received the support of Thrace, and finally took up their position near
the proconsul L. Trebonius, and of the quaestor P. Philippi in Macedonia. Here Antony also soon
Lentulus Spinther, who supplied him with money appeared with his army, and Octavian followed ten
On his arrival in Syria, where his former victories days afterwards. Brutus and Cassius, whose
over the Parthians had gained him a great reputa- position was four more favourable than that of the
tion, Cassius soon collected a considerable arny. enemy, resolved to avoid a battle, and to subdne
Jle was joined by the troups of Caecilius Bassus, them by hunger. But this plan was frustrated loy
the Pompeian, as well as by those of the Caesarian the bold manoeuvres of Antony, who forced them
generals, who had for some years been carrying on into a general engagement. The left wing, com-
war against one another. [Bassus, CAECILIUS. ] manded by Brutus, conquered Octavian's forces,
His army was still further strengthened by the and took his camp ; but Antony, who commanded
addition of four legions, commanded by A. Allienus, the other wing, defeated Cassius and obtained pos-
the legate of Dolabella, and which went over to session of his camp. Cassius himself, supposing all
Cassius in Judea, at the beginning of B. C. 43.
was lost, and ignorant of the success of Brutus,
Cassius was now prepared to meet Dolabella ; he commanded his freedman Pindarus to put an end
was at the head of twelve legions, besides the to his life. Brutus mourned over his companion,
troops which he had brought with him into Sy- calling him the last of the Romans, and caused
ria. The senate, meantime, who had come to an him to be buried in Thasos.
open rupture with Antony, confirmed Cassius in Cassius was married to Junia Tertia or Tertulla,
his province, and entrusted to him the conduct of half-sister of his confederate, M. Brutus: she sur-
the war against Dolabella. The after he vived him upwards of sixty years, and did not die
had killed Trebonius in Smyrna, entered Syria in till the reign of Tiberius, A. D. 22. (JUNA, No. 3. ]
the month of April. After an unsuccessful attack Only one of his children is mentioned (See No. 13),
upon Antioch, he obtained possession of Laodiceia, and we do not know whether he had any more.
where he maintained himself for a short time; but Cassius was a man of literary tastes and habits.
the town was soon afterwards betrayed to Cassius, He received instruction in the Greek language and
and Dolabella, to avoid falling into the hands of his literature from Archelaus of Rhodes, and he both
enemies, ordered one of his soldiers to put him to wrote and spoke Greck with facility. He was a
death. The inhabitants of Laodiceia, as well as follower of the Epicurean philosophy; but was ab-
those of Tarsus, which had also submitted to Dola- stemious and simple in his mode of life. His
bella, were obliged to purchase their pardon by abilities were considerable ; and though he would
large contributions.
certainly have been incapable, like Caesar or Au-
Cassius now proposed to march against Cleopatra gustus, of governing the Roman world, yet he ex-
in Egypt ; but Brutus suminoned him to his celled the rest of the conspirators in prudence, reso-
assistance, in consequence of the formation of the lution, and power of ruling. His campaigns against
celebrated triumvirate, in the month of October, the Parthians had early gained for him a military
by Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus. After appoint- reputation, and he was always respected and
ing his brother's son, L. Cassius Longinus, governor cheerfully obeyed by his soldiers. But with all
of Syria, and leaving him one legion, he set out this he had a mean soul. He was a lover of money,
with the rest of his forces to join Brutus. They and a lover of self of the worst kind. In his first
met at Smyrna, and there concerted measures for government of Syria he was notorious for his ra-
the prosecution of the war. Brutus was anxious pacity; and when a second time in Asia, he availed
to proceed at once into Macedonia, but Cassius was himself of the pretext of liberating bis country, in
of opinion that they should first put down all the order to increase his private fortune by plundering
friends of the triumvirs in Asia, and not proceed the provincials. It was his high estimate of
further till they had increased their army and fleet, himself, his envy of Caesar's position, and mor-
and obtained further resources by plundering the tification at becoming an inferior and a subject,
provinces. The latter plan was resolved upon, and which led him to become a murderer of the greatest
Rhodes, which had assisted Dolabella, was first man that Rome ever produced. (Cicero, in the
destined to feel the vengeance of Cassius. After passages collected in Orelli's Onomast. Tull, vol. ii.
conquering the Rhodians in a sea-fight, he obtained p. 134, &c. ; Plut. Crass. 18, 20, 22, 24, 27, Brut.
possession of their city by treachery, executed | 39—44 ; Appian, B. C. ii. 88, iv. 114 ; Dion Cass.
fifty of the leading inhabitants, and plundered lib. xl. -xlvii. All the authorities are collected
them so unmercifully that the booty was said to in Drumann, Gesch. Roms, rol. ii. pp. 117–152. )
amount to 8500 talents. This immense sum only 12. L. Cassius LONGINUs, brother of No. 11,
whetted still more the appetite of Cassius, and assisted M. Litercusis in accusing Cn. Plancius, in
3F
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VOL. II.
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802
LONGINUS.
LONGINUS.
ܪ
B. c. 54 (LATERENSIS), and the speech which he measures of the aristocracy. They put their veto
delivered on that occasion is replied to by Cicero at upon the decrees of the senate, and when they
considerable length. (Cic. pro Planc. 24, &c. ) He were driven out of the senate-house by the consuls
is again mentioned in B. c. 52 as the accuser of M. on the 6th of January, they left Rome, and fled to
Saufeius. (Ascon. in Mil. p. 54, ed. Orelli. ) On Caesar's camp. Caesar's victorious advance through
the breaking out of the civil war he joined the Italy soon restored them to the city, and it was
party of Caesar, while his brother espoused that of they who summoned the senate to receive the con-
Pompey. He is mentioned as one of Caesar's le queror. Upon Caesar's setting out for Spain in
gates in Greece in B. C. 48, and was sent by him the course of this year, in order to oppose Afranius
into Thessaly, in order to keep a watch upon the and Petreius, the legates of Pompey, he took Cas-
movements of Metellus Scipio. Before the battle sius with him ; and after the defeat of the Pom-
of Pharsalia he was despatched by Caesar with peians, when he departed from the province, he left
Fufius Calenus into Southern Greece (Calenus. ] Cassius governor of Further Spain. Hated by the
Some ancient writers (Suet. Caes. 63 ; Dion Cass. inhabitants, on account of his former exactions, and
xlii. 6) confound him with his brother, and erro- anxious to accumulate still further treasures, he
neously state that it was Lucius, and not Caius, was obliged to rely entirely upon the support of
who fell in with Caesar in the Ilellespont after the his soldiers, whose favour be courted by presents
battle of Pharsalia. (See above, p. 800, b. ) and indulgencies of every kind. Meantime, he
In B. c. 44 L. Cassius was tribune of the plebs, received orders from Caesar to pass over to Africa,
but was not one of the conspirators against Caesar's in order to prosecute the war against Juba, king of
life. lle is mentioned by Cicero as present at the Numidia, who had espoused the side of Pompey ;
Ludi Apollinares, which Brutus exhibited in the orders which delighted him much, as Africa afforded
month of July, in order to conciliate the people a fine field for plunder. Accordingly, in B. c. 48,
[sce above, p. 801,2], and is said to have been re- he collected his army at Corduba ; but while he
ceived with applause as the brother of Caius. He was thus employed, a conspiracy broke out which
subsequently espoused the side of Octavian, in op- had been formed against him by the provincials,
position to Antony; and consequently, when the and in which many of his troops joined. He was
latter assembled the senate in the capitol on the openly attacked in the market-place of Corduba,
28th of November, in order to declare Octavian an and received many wounds : the conspirators,
enemy of the state, he forbade Cassius and two of thinking that he was killed, chose L. Laterensis as
his colleagues to approach the capitol, lest they his successor. (Laterensis, No. 2. ) Cassius,
should put their veto upon the decree of the senate. however, escaped with his life, succeeded in put-
[Comp. T. CANUTIUS. ] In March, B. C. 43, L. ting down the insurrection, and executed Lateren-
Cassius, in conjunction with his mother and Ser- sis and all the other conspirators who were unable
vilia, the mother-in-law of his brother Caius, at- to purchase their lives. The province was treated
tempted to prevent the latter from obtaining the with greater severity than ever. Shortly after-
conduct of the war against Dolabella, because the wards two legions, which had formerly served
consuls Hirtius and Pansa laid claims to it. On under Varro, the legate of Pompey, and which were
the reconciliation of Octavian and Antony in the marching to Calpe to be shipped for Africa, openly
latter end of this year, Lucius, who dreaded the declared against Cassius, and elected one T. Torius
anger of the latter, fled to Asia ; but after the as their commander. The inhabitants of Corduba
battle of Philippi he was pardoned by Antony at also rose in insurrection, and the quaestor, M.
Ephesus, in B. c. 41. (Caes. B. C. iii. 34, &c. , 55; Marcellus Aeserninus, who had been sent by
Dion Cass. xli. 51 ; Cic. ad Att
. xiv. 2, ad Fam. Cassius to quiet the town, placed himself at their
xii. 2, 7, Philipp. iii. 9 ; Appian, B. C. v. 7. ) head. Cassius immediately sent to Bogud, king
13. C. Cassius LONGINUS, the son of the mur- of Mauritania, and to M. Lepidus, who commanded
derer of Caesar (No. 11), to whom his father gave in Nearer Gaul, for succours ; and till these should
the toga virilis on the 15th of March, B. C. 44, just arrive, he took up a strong position on a hill, about
before the assassination of the dictator. (Plut. 4000 paces from Corduba, from which it was se-
Brut. 14. )
parated by the river Baetis (Guadalquiver). From
14. L. Cassius LONGINUS, son of No. 12, was this position, however, he was obliged to retire,
left by his uncle C. Cassius [No. 11] as governor and take refuge in the town of Ulia, which Mar-
of Syria, in B. C. 43, when the latter departed from cellus proceeded to enclose by lines of circumval-
the province in order to unite his forces with those lation. But before these were completed Bogud
of M. Brutus. He subsequently joined his uncle, came to his assistance, and shortly afterwards
and fell in the battle of Philippi in the following Lepidus appeared with a numerous force. The
year. (Appian, B. C. iv. 63, 135. )
latter called upon Marcellus and Cassius to lay
15. Q. Cassius LONGINUS, is called by Cicero aside hostilities ; Marcellus immediately obeyed,
(al Att. v. 21) the frater of C. Cassius [No. 11], and joined Lepidus, but Cassius hesitated to place
by which he probably means the first cousin rather himself in his power, and asked for a free de-
than the brother of Caius, more especially as both parture. This was granted to him ; and as he
Quintus and Caius were tribunes of the plebs in heard about the same time that his successor, C.
the same year. The public life of Quintus com- Trebonius, had arrived in the province, he hastened
menced and ended in Spain. In B. C. 54 he went to place his troops in winter-quarters (B. C. 47),
as the quaestor of Pompey into that country, and and to escape from the province with his treasures.
availed himself of the absence of the triumvir to He embarked at Malaca, but his ship sank, and he
accumulate vast treasures in Further Spain. His was lost, at the mouth of the Iberus. (Cic. ad Att.
conduct was 60 rapacious and crucl, that a plot v. 20, 21, vi. 6, 8, vii. 3, 18, ad Fam. xvi. 11; Caes.
was formed to take away his life. In B. C. 49 he B. C. i.