Rvo; and that
of Lemaire, Pari; 1823, 8vo, which last is, for the
most part, a republication of Kuhnken's.
of Lemaire, Pari; 1823, 8vo, which last is, for the
most part, a republication of Kuhnken's.
Charles - 1867 - Classical Dictionary
, p.
1385, icqq.
--
Rulmkcn, Epist. Crit. , 2, p. 199. )
VARDS, I. QDINTILIOS, a Roman commander, be-
longing to a family more illustrious for achievements
than antiquity of origin. His father had fought under
the standard of Brutus at Philippi, and, not wishing to
survive the destruction of liberty, had caused himself
to be slain by one of his freedmen. The son, never-
theless, gained the favour of Augustus, who named
him consul along with Tiberius, B. C. 13. He was
afterward appointed proconsul of Syria, and, on the
death of Herod, supported the claim of Archelaiis, the
MIII of that monarch, to the vacant throne, and chas-
tised severely all who resisted the authority of this
prince. (Josephus, Ant. Jud. , 17, 9, 3. --Flan. Jo-
seph. , Vit. , p. 6, seqq. , cd. Hatercamp. )--According
to Velleius Paterculus, a contemporary writer, Varus
was a man of mild disposition and retiring manners
'mr ingcnio mitis, moribus quietus), but still very ra-
pacious, who entered Syria a poor man and left it a
rich one. (Veil. Paterc. , 2, 117. ) Having been sub-
sequently appointed commander of the forces in Ger-
many, he employed himself not so much in watching
the movements of warlike communities jealous of their
freedom, as in the foolish attempt to bend them to new
institutions, based upon those of the Romans. A
strong feeling of discontent arose, of which Arminius,
t German leader, secretly took advantage to free his
country from the yoke of the Romans. Varus was ap-
ptiicd by Segestes, king of the Calti, of the conspiracy
? ? that had been formed: "Arrest me and Arminias, to-
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? V E. T
VE L
command of three legions. (Viol Cesar, page 88? ,
(awards the end of ihe first column. )
V*tinius, I. a Roman of most impure life. Having
been brought forward on one occasion as a witness
against an individual whom Cicero was defending, the
orator inveighed against him with so much bitterness
of reproach, and excited so much odium against him
by the picture which he drew of his vices, that odium
Vatimanum became proverbial for bitter and implaca-
ble hatred. (Compare Seneca, it Constant. Sap. ,
17. )--II. A shoemaker of Beneventum, deformed in
body, and addicted to scurrilous invective against the
members of the higher class. He lived in the reign of
Nero, and exhibited a ahow of gladiators when that
emperor passed through Beneventum. He is said to
have invented a peculiar species of cup, called after his
name. (. Tacit. , Ann. , 15, 34. --Martial, 14, 96. )
Ubii, a people of Germany, near the Rhine, trans-
ported across the river by Agrippa. Their chief town,
Cbiorum oppidum, or Ara, called after this Agrippina
Colonia, from the circumstance of Agrippina (the
daughter of-Germanicus, and mother of Nero) having
been born there, is now Cologne or Kbln. (Tacit. ,
G , 28; Ann. , 12, 27. --Plin. . 4, 17. --Cccs, 4, 30 )
Vbctis Insula, the hie of Wight, south of Britain.
(Suet. , Vit. Vesp>,i. --Plin. ,3,i. )
Vkgt rips, a Latin writer, who flourished A. D. 386,
in the reign of the Emperor Valentinian, to whom he
dedicated his treatise de Re Militari. Although prob-
ably a military man, his Latinity is pure for the age in
which he lived. Modern critics distinguish between
this writer and Vegetius who composed a treatise on
the veterinary art. The best edition of Vegetius, de
Re Militari, is that of Stewechius, Vesal, 1670, 12mo.
The best edition of the work of the other Vegetius, on
the veterinary art, is that by Gesner, in the writer's de
Re Rustics.
Vkikntks, the inhabitants (f Veii. (Vid. Veii. )
Vkii, a powerful city of Etruria, at the distance of
about twelve miles from Rome. It sustained many
(ong wars against the Romans, and was at last taken
and destroyed by Camillus, after a siege of ten years.
At the time of its destruction Veii was larger and far
more magnificent than the city of Rome. Its situa-
tion was so eligible that the Romans, after the burning
of their own city by the Gauls, were inclined to mi-
grate thither, and totally abandon their native home;
and this would have been carried into execution if not
opposed by the authority and eloquence of Camillus.
(Ovid, Fast. , 2, 195. --Cic, de Div. , 1, H. --Horat. ,
Sal. , 2, 3, 143. --Lit. , 5, 21. ) The site of ancient
Veii answers to the spot known by the name of /'In-
sula Famine, and situated about a mile and a half to
the northeast of the modern posthouse of la Slorta.
The numerous remains of antiquity found there very
recently have placed this fact beyond dispute. --After
the capture of Rome by the Gauls, and the attempt
made to transfer the seat of Roman power to Veii, we
scarcely hear of the latter city. We collect only
from a passage in Frontinus (dc Col. ) that Veii be-
came a Roman colony under Julius Caesar, who di-
vided its lands among his soldiers, but in the civil wars
which ensued after his death it was nearly destroyed,
and left in a most desolate state, a fact which is con-
firmed by Lucan (7, 392) and Propertius (4, 10, 27).
It is certain, however, that Veii again rose from its
. -urns, and was raised to municipal rank, probably un-
? ? der Tiberius, whose statue, with several other monu-
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? VEL
Benefit from the air. Horace was also recommended
to visit Velia for a disorder in his eyes. (Ep. , 1, 15 )
InStrabo's time this ancient town was greatly reduced,
its inhabitants being forced, from the poorness of their
soil, to betake themselves to fishing and other . seafa-
ring occupations. --The ruins of Vetia stand about half
a mile from the sea, on the site now called Castela-
mare de'la Bruca. (Cramer's Anc. Italy, vol. 2, p.
370. )
VKLINA. the name of one of the Roman tribes, de-
riving its appellation, as is said, from the lake Velinus
in the ,Sabine territory. It was added to the other
tribes, together with the one termed (Jumna, A. U. C.
513. --The locality of this tribe was in the vicinity of
Mount Palatine. (Horal. , Ep. , 1, 6, 52. )
VKUNUS, a river in the Sabine territory, rising in
the Apennines and falling into the Nar. It occasion-
ally overflowed its banks, and formed some small lakes
before it entered the Nar. One of the lakes, and the
chief of the number, was called the Lacus Velinus,
now Lugo di Pit di Lugo. The drainage of the stag-
nant waters produced by the occasional overflow of
the lakes and of the river was first attempted by Cu-
rius Dentalus, the conqueror of the Sabines. He
caused a channel to be made for the Velinus, through
which the waters of that river were carried into the
Nar, over a precipice of several hundred feet. Tins
is the celebrated fall of Terni, known in Italy by the
name of Cadula dclle Marmore. The Velinus is now
the Velino. (Cramer'* Anc. Italy, vol. 1, p. 316. )
VKI. J rK-t, an ancient town of Latium, southeast of
Aricia, and on the road between Rome and Tarracina.
It was always reckoned one of the most important and
considerable cities of the Volsci. The inhabitants
were engaged in frequent hostilities with the Romans,
and revolted so often that it became necessary to pun-
ish them with unusual severity. The walls of their
town were razed, and its senators were removed to
Rome, and compelled to reside in the Transtiberine
part of the city; a severe fine being imposed upon any
iulividii. il of their number who should be found on the
jther side of the river. (Liv. , 8, 14. ) The colony,
however, planted by the Romans at V elites still sub-
sisted in the reign of Claudius, as mention is made of
it at that period. (Front. , de Col. ) Its chief boast
was the honour of having given birth to Augustus.
Suetonius states, that the house in which he was said
to have been born was still shown in his time near
Velilrs. (Vit. Aug. , 6. ) The modern name of this
place is Velletri. (Cramer's Anc. Italy, vol. 1, p. 83. )
VKLi-iUNODUNUM, a city of the Senones, between
Agendicum and Genabum. Accoiding to D'Anville,
the modern Beaune (en Gatinois) answers to the an-
cient place. Lemaire, however, thinks the opinion of
Godum preferable, who makes Genabum to have been
situate near Sclneviire, in the neighbourhood of which
some traces of a ruined city still exist. (Cas , B. G. ,
7, 11. --Lemaire, Index Geogr. , ad Ctcs. , p. 395. )
VELLKPA, a female of ancient Germany, belonging
to the tribe of the Bructeri. She was believed to be
gifted with prophetic powers, and exercised, in conse-
quence, very great influence over the minds of her
countrymen, who ascribed to her a species of divine
lharacter. Tacitus first makes mention of her in
B. C. 71, the era of Vespasian. (Hist. , 4, 61. --Com-
pare Hist. , 4, 65. --Germ. , 8. ) From Statiua it ap-
pears that she was subsequently made captive by the
Komans. (Syh. , 1, 4, 89. ) The more correct form
? ? of the name, and the one more nearly approaching the
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? VE N
VETS
wti not himself a witness. As for those "vhtch pass-
ed under his own eyes, wheic is the historian who,
in writing the history of his own times, is wholly ex-
empt from the charge of partiality I--The best edi-
tions of Paterculus are, that of Burmann, Lugd. Bet. ,
1744, 2 vols. 8vo, that of Ruhnken, 1779, L. Bat. , 2
vols. 8vo; that of Krause, Lips. , 1800.
Rvo; and that
of Lemaire, Pari; 1823, 8vo, which last is, for the
most part, a republication of Kuhnken's. (Scholl,
Hut. Lit. Rom. , vol. 2, p. 357. )
V'elocassks or Belocasses, a people of Gallia Bel-
gica, along the northern bank of the Sequana, west of
the Bellovaci, and north of the Aulerci Eburovices.
Their capital was Rolomagus, now Rouen. (Cos. ,
fl. O. , 7, 75. --Plin. , 4, 18. )
VknIfruh, a city of Campania, in the northeast
angle of the country, and near the river Vulturnus.
(Strabo, 258 ) It is much celebrated in antiquity for
the excellence of the oil which its territory produced.
(Horat. , Od. , 2, 6, 16. -- Id. , Sat. , 2, 4, 68. -- Mart. ,
13, 98. --Cato, R. R. , 135. --Plin. , 16, 2. )
Vknkmi or ViNKD^E. a German tribe, on the eastern
bank of the Vistula, near its mouth. They gave name
to the Venedicus Sinus, off this coast, and to the
Monies Venedici, or the low range of mountains be-
tween East Prtssia and Poland. (Toe. , Gem. , 49.
-Plm, 4, 27. )
Veneti, I. a people of Italy, in Cisalpine Gaul, near
the mouths of the Po, fabled to have come from Paph-
lagonia, under the guidance of Antenor, after the Tro-
jan war. (Vid. Heneti. ) On the invasion of Italy
in the fifth century by the Huns, under their king Al-
ula, and the general desolation that everywhere ap-
peared, great numbers of the people who lived near
the Adriatic took shelter in the islands in this quarter,
where now stands the city of Venice. These islands
had previously, in A. D. 421, been built upon by the
inhabitants of Patavium for tho purposes of commerce.
The arrival of fresh hordes of barbarians in Italy in-
creased their population, until a commercial state was
Sormed, which gradually rose to power and opulence.
--A>> regards the origiu of the ancient Veneti, tho
tradition which makes them of Paphlagonian origin is,
as we have already remarked, purely fabulous. Man-
uert, on the other hand, has started a learned anil
plausible theory, in which he maintains, with great abil-
ity, their Northern origin. According to this writer,
they were a branch of the great Sclavonic race. His
grounds for this opinion arc, 1, the fact of the Veneti
being nut an aboriginal people of Italy; 2, the anal-
ogy of their name with that of the Vandals, both being
derived fiom the old Teutonic word wenden, and de-
noting a roving and unsteady mode of life; and, 3,
from the existence of the amber-trade among them,
and the proof which this furnishes of a communica-
tion by an overland trade between them and the na-
tions-inhabiting the shores of thr Baltic and the coun-
tries of the north. (Manner! , Geogr. , vol 10, p. 54,
seqq. )--The history of the Veneti contains little that
is worthy of notice, if we ncept the remarkable fea-
ture of their being the sole people of Italy who not
only offered no resistance to the ambitious proji. -cts of
Rome, but even, at a very early period, rendered that
power an essential service; if it be true, as Polybius
reports, that the Gauls who had taken Rome were
suddenly called away from that city by an irruption of
the Veneti into their territory (2, 18). The same au-
? ? thor elsewhere expressly states that an alliance was
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? YEN
VEK
Hymn. , 6), tha; the moist-blowing we>> . vinJ wafted
her in soft foam along the waves of the sea, and that
the gold-filleted Seasons received her on the shore of
Cyprus, clothed her in immortal garments, placed a
golden wreath on hor head, rings of orichalcum and
gold in her pierced ears, and golden chains about ner
neck, and then led her to the assembly of the immor-
tals, every one of whom admired, saluted, and loved
her, and each god desired her for his spouse. The
husband assigned to this charming goddess is usually
the lame artist Vulcan or Hephaestus, but her legend
is also interwoven with those of Mars, Adonis, and
Anchises. --According to Homer, Aphrodite had an
embroidered girdle (xeerroc 1/iuc), which possessed the
power of inspiring love and desire for the person who
wore it; and Juno, on one occasion, borrowed the
magic girdle from the goddess, in order to try its in-
fluence upon Jove. (II. , 14, 214. )--The animals sa-
cred to Aphrodite were swans, doves, and sparrows.
Horace places her in a chariot drawn by swans (Od. ,
3, 28, 15. -- lb. , 4, 1, 10), and Sappho in one whose
team were sparrows. The bird called lynx or Fritil-
lus, of which so much use was made in amatory magic,
was also sacred to this goddess, as was likewise the
swallow, the herald of spring. Her favourite plants
were the rose and the myrtle. She was chiefly wor-
shipped at Cythera and Cyprus, in which latter island
ner favourite places were Paphos, Golgi, Idalium, and
(Vmathus; and also at Cnidus, Miletus, Cos, Corinth,
Athens, Sparta, &c. In the more ancient temples of
i. 'iis goddess in Cyprus, she was represented under the
form of a rude conical stone. But the Grecian sculp-
tors and painters, particularly Praxiteles and Apelles,
vied with each other in forming her image the ideal of
female beauty and attraction. She appears sometimes
rising out of the sea and wringing her locks; some-
times drawn in a conch by Tritons, or riding on some
marine animal. She is usually nude, or but slightly
clad. The Venus de' Medici remains to us a noble
specimen of ancient ar a- rl perception of the beauti-
ful. --There is none of tie Olympians of whom the
foreign origin is to pnoabli as this goddess, and she
is generally regarded as being the same with the As-
tarte of the Phoenicians: the tale of Adonis, indeed,
sufficiently proves the identification of this last-men-
tioned goddess with the Aphrodite of the Greeks; and
yet, at the same time, the name of the latter (if we re-
iect the common Greek derivation) appears singularly
connected with the mythology of Scandinavia; for
there one of the names of the goddess of love is Frida,
and we sec the same root lurking in u-Qpot-irti. (Com-
pare the English name Friday, the " dies Veneris. ")
--When we turn to the Roman Venus, we find her so
thoroughly confounded with the Grecian Aphrodite,
that almost everything peculiar to her has disappeared.
And yet Venus cannot have been one of the original
deities of Home, as her name did not occur in the Sa-
lian hymns, and we are assured that she was unknown
in the time of the kings. (Jdacrob. , Sat. , 1,13. ) She
seems to have been a deity presiding over birth and
growth in general, for, as Venus Hortensis. she was the
goddess of gardens. She was held to be the same
as Libitina, the goddess of funerals, because, says Plu-
tarch (Quasi. Rom. , 23), the one and the same god-
less superintends birth a. id death. -- There was at
Rome a temple of Venus Fruti (Festus, s. v. Frutinal),
which latter term seems to be merely a corruption of
? ? Aphrodite. It may, however, be connected with fruc-
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? V LR
V? S
reconcile thane two opinions by admitting that the
Cehomanni made this settlement in the territory pre-
viously possessed by the Rhteti and Euganei. Under
tbo dominion of the Romans it soon became a large
and flourishing city. (Strao. , 212. ) It ia supposed
to have been colonized by Pompeius Strabo. Tacitus
speaks of it in later times as a most opulent and im-
portant colony, the possession of which enabled Ves-
pasian's party to begin offensive operations against the
Lrctt of Vitellius, and to strike a decisive blow.
{Tacit. , Hist. , 3, 8. ) The celebrity of Verona is still
farther established as being the birthplace of Catullus
(Or. , Am. , 3, 14. -- Martial, 14, 193) and of Pliny
tho naturalist, who, in his preface, calls himself the
countryman of Catullus. It was in the neighbour-
hood of Verona that the famous Kha tic wine, so high-
ly commended by Virgil, was grown. (Georg. , 2,
94. --Cramer's Anc. Italy, vol. 1, p. 70. )
Vkrres, C, a Roman who governed the province
of Sicily as praetor. The oppression and rapine of
which he was guilty while in office were of the most
flagrant description, and he was accused by the Sicil-
ians of extortion on the expiration of his office. Ci-
cero managed the prosecution, Hortensius appeared
for the defence. Of Cicero's six orations against
Verres that have come down to us, only one was pro-
nounced. Driven to despair by the depositions of the
witnesses after the first oration, he submitted, without
awaiting his sentence, to a voluntary exile. The
other rive orations of Cicero, forming the scries of
harangues which he intended to deliver after the proof
was completed, were subsequently published in the
same shape as if Verres bad actually stood his trial,
and had made a regular defence. He perished af-
terward in the proscription of Antony, whom he had
offended by refusing to share with him his Corinthian
vases. Verres appears during his exile to have lived
in great affluence on his ill-gotten gains. (Cic. in
Verr. )
Vkrrius Fliccus, a freedman and grammarian,
famous for his powers in instructing. He was ap-
pointed tutor to the grandchildren of Augustus, and
also distinguished himself by his writings, which were
historical and grammatical. Suetoniua also informs
us that he caused to be incrustcd on a semicircular
ouilding at Pneneste twelve tablets of marble, on
which was cut a Roman calendar, which Suetonius
and Macrobius often cite. Four of these tablets, or,
rather, fragments of them, were discovered in 1770,
and published by Foggini in 1779. They contain the
months of January, March, April, and December, and
throw great light on the Fasti of Ovid. Verrius
Flaccus was at the head of a celebrated school cf
grammarians. His principal work in this line was en-
titled de Verborum Signijicalione. It was abridged by
Festus, a grammarian of the fourth century. Tho
abridgment has reached us, but the original work ia
lost. ( Vid. Festus. --Aul. Gcll. , 4, 5. --Suetm. , II-
lastr. Gram , 17. )
Virtumnus or Vortomnus, a deity among the Ro-
? nans. According to some, he was, like Mercury, a
deity presiding over merchandise. (Ascon. ad Cic.
in Verr. , 2, 1, 59. --Scltol. ad Horal. , Epist. , 1, 20,
I. ) Vim, in one place, says he was a Tuscan god,
and that, t. ? refurc, his statue was in tho Tuscan street
at Rome (L. L , 4, 4, p. 14); in another, he sets him
among the gods worshipped by the Sabine king Ta-
? ? lius. (L. L. , p. 22. ) Horace uses Vertumni in the
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? VESPASIANL'S
tie. ai. d gave it once more an actual power in the gov-
ernment. TV, courts of law were also subjected to a
most salutary reform, and rendered again, what they
had long ceased to be, courts oi' justice. The insub-
ordination of the army, which had been the cause of
<<o many bloody revolutions, he repressed with a firm
and steady hand; and restored, in a great measure,
the discipline which had made it so powerful in its bet-
ter days. He directed his attention also to the treas-
ury, which had been quite exhausted by the prodiga
and corrupt expenditure of his predecessors; and
in order to replenish its coffers, he regulated anew the
tribute and custom-dues of the provinces, and imposed
a number of taxes; by which means, though he was
accused of avarice, he placed once more the revenues
of the empire on a stable basis, and restored them to a
flourishing condition. The large sums thus raised
Vespasian did not expend in revelry, neither did he
hoard up in useless masses. He rebuilt the temple
of Jupiter Capitolinus, which had been destroyed du-
ring the tumults that accompanied the fall of Vitellius;
and adorned the city with many other public buildingH
of great elegance and splendour; thus evincing, that,
though rigorous and exact in his methods of amassing
treasure, he knew, on proper occasions, how to use it
witli no parsimonious hand. Under him the empire
began to breathe with fresh life, and to exhibit signs of
prosperity and happiness, such as it had not known
aince the reign of Augustus. His son Titus being
raised to the dignity of Ca? sar, by which name the suc-
cessor to the throne was designated, the peace and
welfare of the empire seemed secured on a stable ba-
his. During the reign of Vespasian, the arms of Rome
were prosperous in various parts of the world. Sev-
eral states bordering on the Roman dominions were
reduced by his generals to the condition of provinces.
But the most celebrated, though not the most formi-
dable war which distinguished his reign, was that in
which he was engaged when he was called to the
throne, the war against the Jews. This was conduct-
ed by his son Titus after his departure to Rome to
enter on the possession of imperial power. The events
of this memorable war are so well known that they
need not here be detailed.
Rulmkcn, Epist. Crit. , 2, p. 199. )
VARDS, I. QDINTILIOS, a Roman commander, be-
longing to a family more illustrious for achievements
than antiquity of origin. His father had fought under
the standard of Brutus at Philippi, and, not wishing to
survive the destruction of liberty, had caused himself
to be slain by one of his freedmen. The son, never-
theless, gained the favour of Augustus, who named
him consul along with Tiberius, B. C. 13. He was
afterward appointed proconsul of Syria, and, on the
death of Herod, supported the claim of Archelaiis, the
MIII of that monarch, to the vacant throne, and chas-
tised severely all who resisted the authority of this
prince. (Josephus, Ant. Jud. , 17, 9, 3. --Flan. Jo-
seph. , Vit. , p. 6, seqq. , cd. Hatercamp. )--According
to Velleius Paterculus, a contemporary writer, Varus
was a man of mild disposition and retiring manners
'mr ingcnio mitis, moribus quietus), but still very ra-
pacious, who entered Syria a poor man and left it a
rich one. (Veil. Paterc. , 2, 117. ) Having been sub-
sequently appointed commander of the forces in Ger-
many, he employed himself not so much in watching
the movements of warlike communities jealous of their
freedom, as in the foolish attempt to bend them to new
institutions, based upon those of the Romans. A
strong feeling of discontent arose, of which Arminius,
t German leader, secretly took advantage to free his
country from the yoke of the Romans. Varus was ap-
ptiicd by Segestes, king of the Calti, of the conspiracy
? ? that had been formed: "Arrest me and Arminias, to-
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? V E. T
VE L
command of three legions. (Viol Cesar, page 88? ,
(awards the end of ihe first column. )
V*tinius, I. a Roman of most impure life. Having
been brought forward on one occasion as a witness
against an individual whom Cicero was defending, the
orator inveighed against him with so much bitterness
of reproach, and excited so much odium against him
by the picture which he drew of his vices, that odium
Vatimanum became proverbial for bitter and implaca-
ble hatred. (Compare Seneca, it Constant. Sap. ,
17. )--II. A shoemaker of Beneventum, deformed in
body, and addicted to scurrilous invective against the
members of the higher class. He lived in the reign of
Nero, and exhibited a ahow of gladiators when that
emperor passed through Beneventum. He is said to
have invented a peculiar species of cup, called after his
name. (. Tacit. , Ann. , 15, 34. --Martial, 14, 96. )
Ubii, a people of Germany, near the Rhine, trans-
ported across the river by Agrippa. Their chief town,
Cbiorum oppidum, or Ara, called after this Agrippina
Colonia, from the circumstance of Agrippina (the
daughter of-Germanicus, and mother of Nero) having
been born there, is now Cologne or Kbln. (Tacit. ,
G , 28; Ann. , 12, 27. --Plin. . 4, 17. --Cccs, 4, 30 )
Vbctis Insula, the hie of Wight, south of Britain.
(Suet. , Vit. Vesp>,i. --Plin. ,3,i. )
Vkgt rips, a Latin writer, who flourished A. D. 386,
in the reign of the Emperor Valentinian, to whom he
dedicated his treatise de Re Militari. Although prob-
ably a military man, his Latinity is pure for the age in
which he lived. Modern critics distinguish between
this writer and Vegetius who composed a treatise on
the veterinary art. The best edition of Vegetius, de
Re Militari, is that of Stewechius, Vesal, 1670, 12mo.
The best edition of the work of the other Vegetius, on
the veterinary art, is that by Gesner, in the writer's de
Re Rustics.
Vkikntks, the inhabitants (f Veii. (Vid. Veii. )
Vkii, a powerful city of Etruria, at the distance of
about twelve miles from Rome. It sustained many
(ong wars against the Romans, and was at last taken
and destroyed by Camillus, after a siege of ten years.
At the time of its destruction Veii was larger and far
more magnificent than the city of Rome. Its situa-
tion was so eligible that the Romans, after the burning
of their own city by the Gauls, were inclined to mi-
grate thither, and totally abandon their native home;
and this would have been carried into execution if not
opposed by the authority and eloquence of Camillus.
(Ovid, Fast. , 2, 195. --Cic, de Div. , 1, H. --Horat. ,
Sal. , 2, 3, 143. --Lit. , 5, 21. ) The site of ancient
Veii answers to the spot known by the name of /'In-
sula Famine, and situated about a mile and a half to
the northeast of the modern posthouse of la Slorta.
The numerous remains of antiquity found there very
recently have placed this fact beyond dispute. --After
the capture of Rome by the Gauls, and the attempt
made to transfer the seat of Roman power to Veii, we
scarcely hear of the latter city. We collect only
from a passage in Frontinus (dc Col. ) that Veii be-
came a Roman colony under Julius Caesar, who di-
vided its lands among his soldiers, but in the civil wars
which ensued after his death it was nearly destroyed,
and left in a most desolate state, a fact which is con-
firmed by Lucan (7, 392) and Propertius (4, 10, 27).
It is certain, however, that Veii again rose from its
. -urns, and was raised to municipal rank, probably un-
? ? der Tiberius, whose statue, with several other monu-
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? VEL
Benefit from the air. Horace was also recommended
to visit Velia for a disorder in his eyes. (Ep. , 1, 15 )
InStrabo's time this ancient town was greatly reduced,
its inhabitants being forced, from the poorness of their
soil, to betake themselves to fishing and other . seafa-
ring occupations. --The ruins of Vetia stand about half
a mile from the sea, on the site now called Castela-
mare de'la Bruca. (Cramer's Anc. Italy, vol. 2, p.
370. )
VKLINA. the name of one of the Roman tribes, de-
riving its appellation, as is said, from the lake Velinus
in the ,Sabine territory. It was added to the other
tribes, together with the one termed (Jumna, A. U. C.
513. --The locality of this tribe was in the vicinity of
Mount Palatine. (Horal. , Ep. , 1, 6, 52. )
VKUNUS, a river in the Sabine territory, rising in
the Apennines and falling into the Nar. It occasion-
ally overflowed its banks, and formed some small lakes
before it entered the Nar. One of the lakes, and the
chief of the number, was called the Lacus Velinus,
now Lugo di Pit di Lugo. The drainage of the stag-
nant waters produced by the occasional overflow of
the lakes and of the river was first attempted by Cu-
rius Dentalus, the conqueror of the Sabines. He
caused a channel to be made for the Velinus, through
which the waters of that river were carried into the
Nar, over a precipice of several hundred feet. Tins
is the celebrated fall of Terni, known in Italy by the
name of Cadula dclle Marmore. The Velinus is now
the Velino. (Cramer'* Anc. Italy, vol. 1, p. 316. )
VKI. J rK-t, an ancient town of Latium, southeast of
Aricia, and on the road between Rome and Tarracina.
It was always reckoned one of the most important and
considerable cities of the Volsci. The inhabitants
were engaged in frequent hostilities with the Romans,
and revolted so often that it became necessary to pun-
ish them with unusual severity. The walls of their
town were razed, and its senators were removed to
Rome, and compelled to reside in the Transtiberine
part of the city; a severe fine being imposed upon any
iulividii. il of their number who should be found on the
jther side of the river. (Liv. , 8, 14. ) The colony,
however, planted by the Romans at V elites still sub-
sisted in the reign of Claudius, as mention is made of
it at that period. (Front. , de Col. ) Its chief boast
was the honour of having given birth to Augustus.
Suetonius states, that the house in which he was said
to have been born was still shown in his time near
Velilrs. (Vit. Aug. , 6. ) The modern name of this
place is Velletri. (Cramer's Anc. Italy, vol. 1, p. 83. )
VKLi-iUNODUNUM, a city of the Senones, between
Agendicum and Genabum. Accoiding to D'Anville,
the modern Beaune (en Gatinois) answers to the an-
cient place. Lemaire, however, thinks the opinion of
Godum preferable, who makes Genabum to have been
situate near Sclneviire, in the neighbourhood of which
some traces of a ruined city still exist. (Cas , B. G. ,
7, 11. --Lemaire, Index Geogr. , ad Ctcs. , p. 395. )
VELLKPA, a female of ancient Germany, belonging
to the tribe of the Bructeri. She was believed to be
gifted with prophetic powers, and exercised, in conse-
quence, very great influence over the minds of her
countrymen, who ascribed to her a species of divine
lharacter. Tacitus first makes mention of her in
B. C. 71, the era of Vespasian. (Hist. , 4, 61. --Com-
pare Hist. , 4, 65. --Germ. , 8. ) From Statiua it ap-
pears that she was subsequently made captive by the
Komans. (Syh. , 1, 4, 89. ) The more correct form
? ? of the name, and the one more nearly approaching the
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? VE N
VETS
wti not himself a witness. As for those "vhtch pass-
ed under his own eyes, wheic is the historian who,
in writing the history of his own times, is wholly ex-
empt from the charge of partiality I--The best edi-
tions of Paterculus are, that of Burmann, Lugd. Bet. ,
1744, 2 vols. 8vo, that of Ruhnken, 1779, L. Bat. , 2
vols. 8vo; that of Krause, Lips. , 1800.
Rvo; and that
of Lemaire, Pari; 1823, 8vo, which last is, for the
most part, a republication of Kuhnken's. (Scholl,
Hut. Lit. Rom. , vol. 2, p. 357. )
V'elocassks or Belocasses, a people of Gallia Bel-
gica, along the northern bank of the Sequana, west of
the Bellovaci, and north of the Aulerci Eburovices.
Their capital was Rolomagus, now Rouen. (Cos. ,
fl. O. , 7, 75. --Plin. , 4, 18. )
VknIfruh, a city of Campania, in the northeast
angle of the country, and near the river Vulturnus.
(Strabo, 258 ) It is much celebrated in antiquity for
the excellence of the oil which its territory produced.
(Horat. , Od. , 2, 6, 16. -- Id. , Sat. , 2, 4, 68. -- Mart. ,
13, 98. --Cato, R. R. , 135. --Plin. , 16, 2. )
Vknkmi or ViNKD^E. a German tribe, on the eastern
bank of the Vistula, near its mouth. They gave name
to the Venedicus Sinus, off this coast, and to the
Monies Venedici, or the low range of mountains be-
tween East Prtssia and Poland. (Toe. , Gem. , 49.
-Plm, 4, 27. )
Veneti, I. a people of Italy, in Cisalpine Gaul, near
the mouths of the Po, fabled to have come from Paph-
lagonia, under the guidance of Antenor, after the Tro-
jan war. (Vid. Heneti. ) On the invasion of Italy
in the fifth century by the Huns, under their king Al-
ula, and the general desolation that everywhere ap-
peared, great numbers of the people who lived near
the Adriatic took shelter in the islands in this quarter,
where now stands the city of Venice. These islands
had previously, in A. D. 421, been built upon by the
inhabitants of Patavium for tho purposes of commerce.
The arrival of fresh hordes of barbarians in Italy in-
creased their population, until a commercial state was
Sormed, which gradually rose to power and opulence.
--A>> regards the origiu of the ancient Veneti, tho
tradition which makes them of Paphlagonian origin is,
as we have already remarked, purely fabulous. Man-
uert, on the other hand, has started a learned anil
plausible theory, in which he maintains, with great abil-
ity, their Northern origin. According to this writer,
they were a branch of the great Sclavonic race. His
grounds for this opinion arc, 1, the fact of the Veneti
being nut an aboriginal people of Italy; 2, the anal-
ogy of their name with that of the Vandals, both being
derived fiom the old Teutonic word wenden, and de-
noting a roving and unsteady mode of life; and, 3,
from the existence of the amber-trade among them,
and the proof which this furnishes of a communica-
tion by an overland trade between them and the na-
tions-inhabiting the shores of thr Baltic and the coun-
tries of the north. (Manner! , Geogr. , vol 10, p. 54,
seqq. )--The history of the Veneti contains little that
is worthy of notice, if we ncept the remarkable fea-
ture of their being the sole people of Italy who not
only offered no resistance to the ambitious proji. -cts of
Rome, but even, at a very early period, rendered that
power an essential service; if it be true, as Polybius
reports, that the Gauls who had taken Rome were
suddenly called away from that city by an irruption of
the Veneti into their territory (2, 18). The same au-
? ? thor elsewhere expressly states that an alliance was
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? YEN
VEK
Hymn. , 6), tha; the moist-blowing we>> . vinJ wafted
her in soft foam along the waves of the sea, and that
the gold-filleted Seasons received her on the shore of
Cyprus, clothed her in immortal garments, placed a
golden wreath on hor head, rings of orichalcum and
gold in her pierced ears, and golden chains about ner
neck, and then led her to the assembly of the immor-
tals, every one of whom admired, saluted, and loved
her, and each god desired her for his spouse. The
husband assigned to this charming goddess is usually
the lame artist Vulcan or Hephaestus, but her legend
is also interwoven with those of Mars, Adonis, and
Anchises. --According to Homer, Aphrodite had an
embroidered girdle (xeerroc 1/iuc), which possessed the
power of inspiring love and desire for the person who
wore it; and Juno, on one occasion, borrowed the
magic girdle from the goddess, in order to try its in-
fluence upon Jove. (II. , 14, 214. )--The animals sa-
cred to Aphrodite were swans, doves, and sparrows.
Horace places her in a chariot drawn by swans (Od. ,
3, 28, 15. -- lb. , 4, 1, 10), and Sappho in one whose
team were sparrows. The bird called lynx or Fritil-
lus, of which so much use was made in amatory magic,
was also sacred to this goddess, as was likewise the
swallow, the herald of spring. Her favourite plants
were the rose and the myrtle. She was chiefly wor-
shipped at Cythera and Cyprus, in which latter island
ner favourite places were Paphos, Golgi, Idalium, and
(Vmathus; and also at Cnidus, Miletus, Cos, Corinth,
Athens, Sparta, &c. In the more ancient temples of
i. 'iis goddess in Cyprus, she was represented under the
form of a rude conical stone. But the Grecian sculp-
tors and painters, particularly Praxiteles and Apelles,
vied with each other in forming her image the ideal of
female beauty and attraction. She appears sometimes
rising out of the sea and wringing her locks; some-
times drawn in a conch by Tritons, or riding on some
marine animal. She is usually nude, or but slightly
clad. The Venus de' Medici remains to us a noble
specimen of ancient ar a- rl perception of the beauti-
ful. --There is none of tie Olympians of whom the
foreign origin is to pnoabli as this goddess, and she
is generally regarded as being the same with the As-
tarte of the Phoenicians: the tale of Adonis, indeed,
sufficiently proves the identification of this last-men-
tioned goddess with the Aphrodite of the Greeks; and
yet, at the same time, the name of the latter (if we re-
iect the common Greek derivation) appears singularly
connected with the mythology of Scandinavia; for
there one of the names of the goddess of love is Frida,
and we sec the same root lurking in u-Qpot-irti. (Com-
pare the English name Friday, the " dies Veneris. ")
--When we turn to the Roman Venus, we find her so
thoroughly confounded with the Grecian Aphrodite,
that almost everything peculiar to her has disappeared.
And yet Venus cannot have been one of the original
deities of Home, as her name did not occur in the Sa-
lian hymns, and we are assured that she was unknown
in the time of the kings. (Jdacrob. , Sat. , 1,13. ) She
seems to have been a deity presiding over birth and
growth in general, for, as Venus Hortensis. she was the
goddess of gardens. She was held to be the same
as Libitina, the goddess of funerals, because, says Plu-
tarch (Quasi. Rom. , 23), the one and the same god-
less superintends birth a. id death. -- There was at
Rome a temple of Venus Fruti (Festus, s. v. Frutinal),
which latter term seems to be merely a corruption of
? ? Aphrodite. It may, however, be connected with fruc-
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? V LR
V? S
reconcile thane two opinions by admitting that the
Cehomanni made this settlement in the territory pre-
viously possessed by the Rhteti and Euganei. Under
tbo dominion of the Romans it soon became a large
and flourishing city. (Strao. , 212. ) It ia supposed
to have been colonized by Pompeius Strabo. Tacitus
speaks of it in later times as a most opulent and im-
portant colony, the possession of which enabled Ves-
pasian's party to begin offensive operations against the
Lrctt of Vitellius, and to strike a decisive blow.
{Tacit. , Hist. , 3, 8. ) The celebrity of Verona is still
farther established as being the birthplace of Catullus
(Or. , Am. , 3, 14. -- Martial, 14, 193) and of Pliny
tho naturalist, who, in his preface, calls himself the
countryman of Catullus. It was in the neighbour-
hood of Verona that the famous Kha tic wine, so high-
ly commended by Virgil, was grown. (Georg. , 2,
94. --Cramer's Anc. Italy, vol. 1, p. 70. )
Vkrres, C, a Roman who governed the province
of Sicily as praetor. The oppression and rapine of
which he was guilty while in office were of the most
flagrant description, and he was accused by the Sicil-
ians of extortion on the expiration of his office. Ci-
cero managed the prosecution, Hortensius appeared
for the defence. Of Cicero's six orations against
Verres that have come down to us, only one was pro-
nounced. Driven to despair by the depositions of the
witnesses after the first oration, he submitted, without
awaiting his sentence, to a voluntary exile. The
other rive orations of Cicero, forming the scries of
harangues which he intended to deliver after the proof
was completed, were subsequently published in the
same shape as if Verres bad actually stood his trial,
and had made a regular defence. He perished af-
terward in the proscription of Antony, whom he had
offended by refusing to share with him his Corinthian
vases. Verres appears during his exile to have lived
in great affluence on his ill-gotten gains. (Cic. in
Verr. )
Vkrrius Fliccus, a freedman and grammarian,
famous for his powers in instructing. He was ap-
pointed tutor to the grandchildren of Augustus, and
also distinguished himself by his writings, which were
historical and grammatical. Suetoniua also informs
us that he caused to be incrustcd on a semicircular
ouilding at Pneneste twelve tablets of marble, on
which was cut a Roman calendar, which Suetonius
and Macrobius often cite. Four of these tablets, or,
rather, fragments of them, were discovered in 1770,
and published by Foggini in 1779. They contain the
months of January, March, April, and December, and
throw great light on the Fasti of Ovid. Verrius
Flaccus was at the head of a celebrated school cf
grammarians. His principal work in this line was en-
titled de Verborum Signijicalione. It was abridged by
Festus, a grammarian of the fourth century. Tho
abridgment has reached us, but the original work ia
lost. ( Vid. Festus. --Aul. Gcll. , 4, 5. --Suetm. , II-
lastr. Gram , 17. )
Virtumnus or Vortomnus, a deity among the Ro-
? nans. According to some, he was, like Mercury, a
deity presiding over merchandise. (Ascon. ad Cic.
in Verr. , 2, 1, 59. --Scltol. ad Horal. , Epist. , 1, 20,
I. ) Vim, in one place, says he was a Tuscan god,
and that, t. ? refurc, his statue was in tho Tuscan street
at Rome (L. L , 4, 4, p. 14); in another, he sets him
among the gods worshipped by the Sabine king Ta-
? ? lius. (L. L. , p. 22. ) Horace uses Vertumni in the
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? VESPASIANL'S
tie. ai. d gave it once more an actual power in the gov-
ernment. TV, courts of law were also subjected to a
most salutary reform, and rendered again, what they
had long ceased to be, courts oi' justice. The insub-
ordination of the army, which had been the cause of
<<o many bloody revolutions, he repressed with a firm
and steady hand; and restored, in a great measure,
the discipline which had made it so powerful in its bet-
ter days. He directed his attention also to the treas-
ury, which had been quite exhausted by the prodiga
and corrupt expenditure of his predecessors; and
in order to replenish its coffers, he regulated anew the
tribute and custom-dues of the provinces, and imposed
a number of taxes; by which means, though he was
accused of avarice, he placed once more the revenues
of the empire on a stable basis, and restored them to a
flourishing condition. The large sums thus raised
Vespasian did not expend in revelry, neither did he
hoard up in useless masses. He rebuilt the temple
of Jupiter Capitolinus, which had been destroyed du-
ring the tumults that accompanied the fall of Vitellius;
and adorned the city with many other public buildingH
of great elegance and splendour; thus evincing, that,
though rigorous and exact in his methods of amassing
treasure, he knew, on proper occasions, how to use it
witli no parsimonious hand. Under him the empire
began to breathe with fresh life, and to exhibit signs of
prosperity and happiness, such as it had not known
aince the reign of Augustus. His son Titus being
raised to the dignity of Ca? sar, by which name the suc-
cessor to the throne was designated, the peace and
welfare of the empire seemed secured on a stable ba-
his. During the reign of Vespasian, the arms of Rome
were prosperous in various parts of the world. Sev-
eral states bordering on the Roman dominions were
reduced by his generals to the condition of provinces.
But the most celebrated, though not the most formi-
dable war which distinguished his reign, was that in
which he was engaged when he was called to the
throne, the war against the Jews. This was conduct-
ed by his son Titus after his departure to Rome to
enter on the possession of imperial power. The events
of this memorable war are so well known that they
need not here be detailed.
