An- de Breda, at
Deventer
in Holland, in the year
tonius.
tonius.
William Smith - 1844 - Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities - a
27, especial regulations were made to secure to Rome, where new honours and distinctions were
strict justice in their administration ; in conse- conferred upon him. His vanity was so much gra-
quence of which many, especially those which were tified at these bloodless victories which he had
not oppressed by armies, enjoyed a period of great obtained in Syria and Samos, that he struck medals
prosperity. Egypt was governed in a manner to commemorate them, and afterwards dedicated
different from that of all other provinces. The the standards which he had received from Phraates
division of the provinces was necessarily followed in the new temple of Mars Ultor. In B. (r. 18, the
by a change in the administration of the finances, imperium of Augustus was prolonged for five years,
which were in a bad condition, partly in conse- and about the same time he increased the number
quence of the civil wars, and partly through all the of senators to 600. The wars in Armenia, in the
domain lands in Italy having been assigned to the Alps, and on the Lower Rhine, were conducted by
veterans. The system of taxation was revised, his generals with varying success. In B. c. 16 the
and the taxes increased. The aerarium, out of Romans suffered a defeat on the Lower Rhine by
which the senate defrayed the public expenses,
some German tribes; and Augustus, who thought
was separated from the fiscus, the funds of the the danger greater than it really was, went himself
emperor, out of which he paid his armies.
to Gaul, and spent two years there, to regulate the
Augustus enacted several laws to improve the government of that province, and to make the ne-
moral condition of the Romans, and to secure the cessary preparations for defending it against the
public peace and safety. Thus he made several Germans. In B. c. 13 be returned to Roine, leav-
regulations to prevent the recurrence of scarcity and | ing the protection of the frontier on the Rhine to
famine, promoted industry, and constructed 'roads his step-son, Drusus Nero. In B. c. 9 he again
and other works of public utility. The large sums went to Gaul, where he received German ambassa-
of money which were put into circulation revived dors, who sued for peace; but be treacherously
commerce and industry, from which the eastern detained them, and distributed them in the towns
provinces especially and Egypt derired great ad- of Gaul, where they put an end to their lives in
vantages.
despair. Towards the end of this year, he returned
Although Augustus, who must have been star- to Rome with Tiberius and Drusus. From this
tled and frightened by the murder of Caesar, treat time forward, Augustus does not appear to have
ed the Romans with the utmost caution and mild-again taken any active part in the wars that were
ness, and endeavoured to keep out of sight every carried on. Those in Germany were the most for-
thing that might shew him in the light of a sove midable, and lasted longer than the reign of Au-
reign, yet several conspiracies against his life re- gustus.
minded him that there were still persons of a In A. D. 13, Augustus, who had then reached
republican spirit. It will be sufficient here to his 75th year, again undertook the government of
mention the names of the leaders of these conspi- the empire for ten years longer; but be threw
racies,–M. Lepidus, L. Murena, Fannius Caepio, some part of the burden upon his adopted son and
and Cornelius Cinna, who are treated of in sepa- successor, Tiberius, by making him his colleague.
rate articles.
In the year following, A. D. 14, Tiberius was to
After this brief sketch of the internal affairs of undertake a campaign in Nlyricum, and Augustus,
the Roman empire during the reign of Augustus, though he was bowed down by old age, by domestic
it only remains to give some account of the wars misfortunes and cares of every kind, accompanied
in which he himself took part. Most of them him as far as Naples. On his return, he was taken
were conducted by his friends and relations, and ill at Nola, and died there on the 29th of August,
need not be noticed here. On the whole, we inay A. D. 14, at the age of 76. When he felt his end
remark, that the wars of the reign of Augustus approaching, he is said to have asked his friends
were not wars of aggression, but chiefly undertaken who were present whether he had not acted his
to secure the Roman dominion and to protect the part well. He died very gently in the arms of his
frontiers, which were now more exposed than be | wife, Livia, who kept the event secret, until Tibe-
## p. 430 (#450) ############################################
430
AUGUSTUS.
AUGUSTUS.
rius had returned to Nola, where he was immedi- the son of his sister Octavia, who was married to his
ately saluted as the successor of Augustus. The daughter, Julia Agrippa, jealous of Augustus'
body of the emperor was carried by the decuriones partiality for him, left Rome, and did not return
of Nola to Bovillae, where it was received by the till Marcellus had died in the flower of his life.
Roman equites and conveyed to Rome. The 80- Julia was now compelled by her father to marry
lemn apotheosis took place in the Campus Martius, the aged Agrippa, and her sons, Caius and Lucius
and bis ashes were deposited in the mausoleum Caesar, were raised to the dignity of principes ju-
which he himself had built.
ventutis. At the death of Agrippa, in B. c. 12,
As regards the domestic life of Augustus, he was Tiberius was obliged to divorce his wife, Vipsania,
one of those unhappy men whom fortune surrounds and, contrary to his own will, to marry Julia.
with all her outward splendour, and who can yet Dissatisfied with her conduct and the elevation of
partake but little of the general happiness which her sons, he went, in B. c. 6, to Rhodes, where he
they establish or promote. His domestic misfor- spent eight years, to avoid living with Julia. Au-
tunes must have embittered all his enjoyments. gustus, who became at last disgusted with her
Augustus was a man of great caution and modera- conduct, sent her in B. c. 2 into exile in the island
tion—two qualities by which he maintained his of Pandataria, near the coast of Campania, whither
power over the Roman world; but in his matri- she was followed by her mother, Scribonia. The
monial relations and as a father he was not happy, children of Julia, Julia the Younger and Agrippa
chiefly through his own fault. He was first mar- Postumus, were likewise banished. The grief of
ried, though only nominally, to Clodia, a daughter Augustus was increased by the deaths of his friend
of Clodius and Fulvia. His second wife, Scribonia, Maecenas, in B. C. 8, and of his two grandsons,
was a relation of Sext. Pompeius : she bore him Caius and Lucius Caesar, who are said to have
his only daughter, Julia. After he had divorced fallen victims to the ambitious designs of Livia,
Scribonia, he married Livia Drusilla, who was car- who wished to make room for her own son, Tibe-
ried away from her husband, Tiberius Nero, in a rius, whom the deluded emperor was persuaded to
state of pregnancy. She brought Augustus two adopt and to make his colleague and successor.
step-sons, Tiberius Nero and Nero Claudius Dru- Tiberius, in return, was obliged to adopt Drusus
She secured the love and attachment of her Germanicus, the son of his late brother, Drusus.
husband to the last moments of his life. Augustus A more complete view of the family of Augustus
had at first fixed on M. Marcellus as his successor, ' is given in the annexed stemma.
BUS.
STEMMA OF AUGUSTUS AND HIS FAMILY.
1. Ancharia.
C. Octavius, praetor in B. C. 61, married to
2. Atia, daughter of M. Atius Balbus and Julia, a sister of C. Julius Caesar.
Octavia, the elder.
1. Octavia, the younger.
2. C. Octavius (C. JULIUS CAESAR OCTAVI-
ANUS AUGUSTUS), married to
1. Clodia. 2. Scribonia 3. Livia
1
Julia, married to
1. M. Marcellus. 2. M. Vipsanius Agrippa. 3. TIBERIUS, emperor.
No issue.
No issue.
1. C. Caesar, married to Livia, 2. L. Caesar, betrothed 3. Julia, married
the sister of Germanicus. to Aemilia Lepida to L. Aemilius
Died A. D. 4.
Died A. D. 2.
Paullus.
4. Agrip 5. Agrippa
na, Postu-
mar-
mus.
ried to
Put to
Germa- death
nicus.
A, D. 14.
1. M. Aemilius Lepidus,
married to Drusilla,
daughter of Germanicus.
2. Aemilia Lepida,
married to
1. Ap. Junius Silanus. 2. Drusus.
1. L. Silanus.
2. M. Silanus.
3. Junia Calvina.
1. Nero, married 2. Drusus,
to Julia, dau. married to
of Drusus, the Aemilia
son of Tiberius. Lepida.
(Tac. Ann. vi. (Tac. Anne
27. )
vi. 40. )
3. CALIGULA, 4. Agrippina, 5. Drusilla, married 6. Livia or Li-
einperor.
married to to l. L. Cassius, villa, married
Cn. Domi- and 2. M. Aemil. to 1. M. Vic
tius.
Lepidus.
cinius,
2. Quintilius
Varus. (1)
NBRO, emperor.
## p. 431 (#451) ############################################
AVIANUS.
431
AVIANUS.
66
Our space does not allow us here to enter into gument derived from the style of these compositions
a critical examination of the character of Augus must, to every reader of taste and discrimination,
t118: what he did is recorded in history, and public appear conclusive. Nothing can be imagined more
opinion in his own time praised him for it as an unlike the vigorous, bold, spirited, and highly em-
excellent prince and statesman ; the investigation bellished rotundity which characterizes the Des-
of the hidden motives of his actions is such a deli- criptio Orbis and the Aratea than the feeble, hesi-
cate subject, that both ancient and modern writers tating, dull meagreness of the fabulist. Making all
have advanced the most opposite opinions, and allowances for numerous corruptions in the text,
both supported by strong arguments. The main we can scarcely regard these pieces in any other
difficulty lies in the question, whether his govern- light than as the early effusions of some unprac-
ment was the fruit of his honest intentions and tised youth, who patched very unskilfully expres-
wishes, or whether it was merely a means of satis- sions borrowed from the purer classics, especially
fying his own ambition and love of dominion ; in Virgil, upon the rude dialect of an unlettered age.
other words, whether he was a straightforward Cannegieter, in his erudite but most tedious
and honest man, or a most consummate hypocrite. dissertation, has toiled unsuccessfully to prove that
Thus much is certain, that his reign was a period Avianus flourished under the Antonines. Wers-
of happiness for Italy and the provinces, and that dorf, again, places him towards the end of the
it removed the causes of future civil wars. Pre fourth century, adopting the views of those who
vious to the victory of Actium his character is less believe that the Theodosius of the dedication may
a matter of doubt, and there we find sufficient be Aurelius Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius, the
proofs of his cruelty, selfishness, and faithlessness grammarian, and adding the conjecture, that the
towards his friends. He has sometimes been Flavianus of the Saturnalia may have been cor-
charged with cowardice, but, so far as military rupted by transcribers into Fl. Avianus. These
courage is concerned, the charge is unfounded. are mere guesses, and may be taken for what they
(The principal ancient sources concerning the are worth. Judging from the language, and we
life and reign of Augustus are: Sueton. Augustus ; | have nothing else whatever to guide us, we should
Nicolaus Damasc. De Vita Augusti ; Dion Cass. feel inclined to place him a hundred years later.
xlv. -lvi. ; Tacitus, Annal. i. ; Cicero's Epistles Avianus was first printed independently by Jac.
and Philippics ; Vell. Pat. ii. 59—124; Plut.
An- de Breda, at Deventer in Holland, in the year
tonius. Besides the numerous modern works on 1494, 4to. , Gothic characters, under the title
the History of Rome, we refer especially to A. A pologus Aviani civis Romani adolescentulis ad
Weichert, Imperatoris Caesaris Augusti Scriptorum mores et Latinum sermonem capessendos utilissi-
Reliquiae, Fasc. i. , Grimae, 1841, 410. , which con- mus;" but the editio princeps is appended to the
tains an excellent account of the youth of Augustus fables of Aesop which appeared about 1480. The
and his education ; Drumann, Geschichte Roms, vol. earlier editions contain only twenty-seven fables ;
iv. pp. 245—302, who treats of his history down the whole forty-two were first published by Rigal-
to the battle of Actium ; Loebell, Veber das Prin- tius, along with Aesop and other opuscula (16mo.
cipat des Augustus, in Raumer's Historisches Tas- Lugd. 1570). The most complete edition is that
chenbuch, 5ter, Jahrgang, 1834 ; Karl Hoeck, of Cannegieter, 8vo. Amstel. 1731, which was fol-
Römische Geschichte vom Verfall der Republik bis lowed by those of Nodell, 8vo. Amstel. 1787, and
zur Vollendung der Monarchie unter Constantin, i. of C. H. Tzschucke, 12mo. Lips. 1790.
1. pp. 214–421. )
[L. S. ) “ The fables of Avian translated into Englyshe"
are to be found at the end of “The Subtyi Histo
ryes and Fables of Esope, translated out of Frenshe
OBCHIS
into Englysshe, by William Caxton at Westmyn-
stre. In the yere of our lorde M cccc lxxxii. , &c.
Enprynted by the same the xxvjdaye of Marche the yere
of our lord M cccc lxxxiij, And the fyrst yere of the
regne of kyng Rychard the thyrde," folio. This book
CERVATOS was reprinted by Pynson. We have a translation
into Italian by Giov. Gris. Trombelli, 8vo. Venez.
1735; and into German by H. Fr. Kerler, in his
Röm. Fabeldichter, Stuttgard, 1838. (Vossius, de
AVIA'NUS, M. AEMILIUS, a friend of Poctis Latt. p. 56 ; Funccius, de l'egeta L. L. Senec-
Cicero, and the patron of Avianus Evander and tute, cap. iii. S lvi. ; Barth. Adversar. xix. 24, xxvii.
Avianus Hammonius. (Cic. ad Fam. xiii. 2, 21, 3, xxxix. 7 and 13, xlvi. 4, 7, 16; Wernsdorf,
27. )
Poett. Latt. Minn. vol. v. pars. i. p. 663, who effec-
AVIA'NUS, FLAVIUS, the author of a col- tually destroys the leading argument of Cannegieter
lection of forty-two Aesopic fables in Latin elegiac that Avianus must be intermediate between Phae
verse, dedicated to a certain Theodosius, who is drus and Titianus, upon which idea the hypothesis
addressed as a man of great learning and highly that he lived under the Antonines rests. ) (W. R. ]
cultivated mind. The designation of this writer AVIA'NUS EVANDER. (EvANDER. ]
appears under a number of different shapes in dif- AVIA'NUS FLACCUS. [FLACCUS. ]
ferent MSS. , such as Avianus, Anianus, Abidnus, AVIANUS HAMMONIUS. [HammoniUS. )
Abienus, and Avienus, from which last form he was AVIANUS, LAETUS, the name prefixed to
by many of the earlier historians of Roman litera- an epigram in bad Latin, comprised in three ele
ture, such as Vossius and Funccias, identified with giac distichs, on the famous work of Martianus
the geographical poet, Rufus Festus Avienus. Capella. The subject proves that it cannot be ear-
[Avienus. ] But, independent of the circumstance lier than the end of the fifth century. (Burmann,
that no fact except this resemblance of name can Antholog. Add. i. p. 738, or Ep. n. 553, ed. Meyer. ;
be adduced in support of such an opinion, the ar- Barth. Adversar. xviii. 21. )
(W. R. ]
CAESAR
کده
COIN OF AUGUSTUS.
## p. 432 (#452) ############################################
432
AVIENUS.
AVIENUS.
AVIA'NUS PHILO'XENUS. [PHILOXE- | distracted with discussions on localities and objects
yus. )
totally foreign to the matter in hand. Moreover,
AVI'DIUS CA'SSIUS. (Cassius. )
the different nations and districts are distinguished
AVI'DIUS FLACCUS. [Flaccus. )
by their ancient and forgotten names, instead of
C. AVIE'NUS, tribune of the soldiers of the those by which they were actually known at the
tenth legion, was ignominiously dismissed from the time when this guide book was composed, and all
army, on account of misconduci in the African war, the old and exploded fantasies of half mythical
B. C. 46. (Hirt. B. Afr. 46. )
geography revived and gravely propounded. We
AVIEŠNUS, RUFUS FESTUS. The fol- are led almost irresistibly to the conclusion, that
lowing poems are ascribed to an author bearing Avienus, possessing no practical or scientitic ac-
this name :-
quaintance with his subject, had read a number of
1. Descriptio Orbis Terrae, or, as it is variously conflicting accounts of the countries in question,
entitled in different editions and MSS. , Metaphrasis written in former times by persons who were as
Perigescos Dionysii--Situs Orbis-- Ambitus Orbis - ignorant as himself, and had combined and pieced
in 1394 hexameter lines, derived directly from the them together in the hope of elaborating a consistent
Trepinnnois of Dionysius, and containing a succinct whole, - neglecting with strange perversity the
account of the most remarkable objects in the numerous sources of accurate information opened
physical and political geography of the known up by the wars so long waged and the dominion
world. It adheres too closely in some places, and 80 long exercised by his countrymen in those
departs too widely in others, from the text of the regions.
Alexandrian, to be called with propriety a trans- 3. Aratea Phaenomena, and Aratea Prog-
Jation, or even a paraphrase, and still less does it nostica, both in Hexameter verse, the first con-
deserve to be regarded as an independent work, taining 1325, the second 552 lines. They bear
but approaches more nearly to our modern idea of exactly the same relation to the well known works
a new edition compressed in certain passages, en- of Aratus as the Descriptio Orbis Terrae does
larged in others, and altered throughout. These to that of Dionysius. The general arrangement of
changes can hardly be considered as improvements, the Greek original is followed throughout, and
for not unfrequently the anxiety of the writer to several passages are translated more closely than
expand and embellish his original has made him in the versions of Cicero and Germanicus, but on
wander into extravagance and error, while on the the other hand many of the mythical legends are
other hand the fear of becoming prolix and tedious expanded, new tales are introduced, and extracts
has led to injudicious curtailments, and induced from the works of celebrated astronomers, scraps
him to omit the names of nations and districts of Pythagorean philosophy, and fragments of
which ought not to have been passed over. Nor Aegyptian superstition, are combined and worked
does he attempt to correct the mistakes of his pre- up with the materials of the old fabric. The re-
decessor, por to take advantage of those stores of sult is much more successful than in the two efforts
knowledge which must have been available at the previously examined. Here there was more room
period when he lived; but the blunders and follies for the imagination to disport itself unencumbered
of the old Greek poets, who were profoundly with dry details and stubborn facts, and accord-
ignorant of all the regions to the West and North ingly the interest is well sustained and the flowing
of their own cowtry, are implicitly followed, and and spirited style of the poet appears to great
many things set down which every well-informed advantage.
man under the empire must have known to be 4. Three short fugitire pieces, the first addressed
absurd. There is, however, a considerable energy to a friend, Flavianus Myrmecius, V. C. , requesting
and liveliness of style, which animates the inherent a gift of some pomegranates from his estates in
dulness of the undertaking and carries the reader Africa, in order to remove an attack of bile and
lightly on, while much ingenuity is displayed in indigestion ; the second, De Cantu Sirenum, or
varying the expression of constantly-recurring Sirenum Allegoria, on the allurements of the daugh-
ideas.
ters of Achelous and the device by which Ulysses
2. Ora Maritima, a fragment in 703 lambic escaped their wiles ; the third, Ad Amicos de Agro,
trimeters. The plan comprehended a full delinea- enumerating the various occupations which by
tion of the shores of the Mediterranean, together turns occupied the time and engaged the attention
with those of the Euxine and sea of Asov, and a of the writer each day when living in country re-
portion of the Atlantic without the pillars of tirement.
Hercules ; but we know not if this design was We must remark, that while we can scarcely
ever fully carried out, for the portion which has entertain a doubt that the two Geographical Essays
been preserved is confined almost entirely to the are from the same pen, especially since in the
coast stretching from Marseilles to Cadiz. The second (1. 71) we find a direct reference to the
author professes to have commenced the essay in first, we have no external evidence connecting
order to satisfy the intelligent inquiries of a youth them with the others, except the fact, that the
named Probus, to whom it is addressed, with re- same name is prefixed in all MSS. to the whole,
gard to the geography of the Pontus and the with the exception of the 2nd and 3rd epigrams.
Maeotic Gulf; but if intended for the purposes But, on the other hand, the style, manner, and
of instruction, it is impossible to imagine any task phraseology of the Aratean poems correspond so
executed in a less satisfactory manner. There is exactly with what we observe in the rest, that
an absence of all order and arrangement. Instead scholars in general have acquiesced in the arrange-
of advancing steadily in a given direction, we are ment which assigns the whole to one person. They
carried backwards and forwards, transported evidently belong to an epoch when Latin litera-
abruptly from one spot to another at a great dis- ture, although fast verging to old age, was still
tance, and brought again and again to the same fresh and hale, and far from being paralyzed by
point without completing any circuit, besides being infirmities ;-we still perceive with pleasure a
## p. 433 (#453) ############################################
AVIENUS.
433
AVIENUS.
force and freedom of expression in strong contrast | appointments are in this way determined. 3. The
with the inflated fcebleness and uneasy stiffness words " carmina multa serens” point out a simi-
which marked the last period of decay.
larity of taste and occupation. 4. Lastly, in the
Assuming that the astronomical Avienus is the epitaph by Placidus we detect an expression,
same with the geographical Avienus, we can at " Jupiter aethram (Pandit, Feste tibi)," which
once determine approximately the age to which he seems to allude directly to the second line of the
belongs ; for Jerome, in his commentary on the Phaenomena, “excelsum rescrat Jupiter aethram,"
Epistle of St. Paul to Titus, mentions that the although this may be merely an accidental resem-
quotation by the Apostle, in the xvii. chapter of blance. It will be seen that the evidence requires
the Acts, Toù gap kal yéros douév, is to be found a good deal of hypothetical patching to enable it to
in the Phaenomena of Aratus,“ quem Cicero in hang together at all, and by no means justiñes the
Latinum sermonem transtulit, et Germanicus Cae- undoubting confidence of Wernsdorf ; but, at the
sar, et nuper Avicnus. ” Now Jerome died in 420; same time, we can scarcely refuse to acknowledge
therefore, allowing all fair latitude to the somewhat that the coincidences are remarkable.
indefinite nuper, we may with tolerable certainty We need scarcely notice the opinion of some
place Avienus in the latter half of the fourth cen- early critics, that Avienus was a Spaniard, since it
tury, under Valens, the Valentinians, Gratian, avowedly rests upon the consideration, that the
and Theodosius, or even somewhat earlier, under fragment of the Ora Maritima which has been
Constantine and Julian. Our next step leads us preserved is devoted chiefly to the coast of Spain,
upon ground much less firm, but we may venture and contains quotations from the works of Himilco
yet a little further. An inscription, discovered and the Carthaginian annalists with regard to that
originally, we are told, in the church of St. Nicholas, country and the shores of the Atlantic. To refute
of the Furbishers, at Rome, and afterwards de- such arguments would be almost as idle as to
posited in the Villa Caesarina, has been published invent them. Nor need we treat with greater
by Fabretti and others, and will be found in Bur- respect the assertion that he was a Christian. Not
mann's Anthologia. (i. 79, or Ep. n. 278, ed. Meyer. ) a line can be quoted which would appear to any
It bears as a title R. FESTUS V. C. DE SE AD reasonable man favourable to such a notion ; but, on
Dean Norteam, and begins in the first person, the contrary, wherever he speaks of the Pagan
Festus Musoni soboles prolesque Avieni, after gods we find that he expresses in very unequivocal
which follows an announcement on the part of this language a marked reverence for their worship.
individual, that he was born at Vulsinii, that he There is little to be said either for or against the
dwelt at Rome, taat he had twice been elevated to idea, that he is the young Avienus introduced by
the office of proconsul, that he was the happy Macrobius in the Saturnalia as talking with Sym-
husband of a lady named Placida, the proud father machus. So far as dates are concerned there is no.
of a numerous offspring, and the author of many anachronism involved, but the name was very
poems (carmina multa serens), then follows a sort common, and we have no clue to guide us to any
of epitaph in four lines, inscribed by Placidus, ap- conclusion.
parently the son of the above personage, to the Servius, in his commentary on Virgil (x. 388),
sacred memory of his sire. Wernsdorf and others speaks of an Avienus who had turned the whole of
have at once pronounced without hesitation, that Virgil and Liry into lambics (qui totum Virgilium
the Festus who here calls himself descendant of et Livium iambis scripsit), and refers to him again
Musonius and son of Avienus, for such is undoubt. (x. 272) as the person " qui iambis scripsit Vir-
edly the true meaning of the words, must be the gilii fabulas. " We cannot doubt that Livy the
same with our Rufus Festus Avienus. The proof historian must be indicated here, for he was by so
adduced, when carefully sifted, amounts to this:- much the most celebrated of all authors bearing
1. It is probable that the ancestor here referred to that appellation, that a grammarian like Servius
may be C. Musonius Rufus, the celebrated Stoic would scarcely have failed to add a distinguishing
and intimate friend of Apollonius of Tyana. He epithet had any other Livy been meant. There
was exiled by Nero, patronized by Vespasian, and is no difficulty in believing the operation to have
is frequently mentioned by the writers who treat been performed upon Virgil, for we know that
of this period. This idea receives confirmation such conversions were common exercises during
from the circumstance that Tacitus and Philostratus the decline of literature, and Suidas tells us in
both represent Musonius as a Tuscan, and Suidas particular of a certain Marianus, in the reign of the
expressly asserts that he was a native of Vulsinii
. emperor Anastasius, who turned the dactylics of
We thus fully establish an identity of name be- Theocritus, Apollonius, Callimachus, and others,
tween the writer of the inscription and our into iambic measures.
Avienus, and can explain satisfactorily how the ap- Lastly, all scholars now admit that there are no
pellation Rufus came into the family. 2. From grounds for supposing, that the prose treatise
two laws in the Codex of Justinian (see Gotho- “ Breviarium de Victoriis ac Provinciis Populi Ro-
fred, Prosopogr. Cod. Theod. ), it appears that a mani ad Valentinianum Augustum," ascribed to a
certain Festus was proconsul of Africa in the Sextus Rufus or Rufus Festus, and the topographi-
years 366 and 367, which agrees with the age we cal compendium“ Sexti Rufi de Regionibus Urbis
have assigned to our Avienus from St. Jerome, Romae," belong to Arienus, as was at one time
and an inscription is extant (Boeckh, Inscr. Graec. maintained ; while the poem * De Urbibus His-
i. p. 436) commemorating the gratitude of the paniae Mediterraneis," quoted as his work by
Athenians towards 'Poúpios añotos, proconsul of several Spaniards, is now known to be a forgery,
Greece.
strict justice in their administration ; in conse- conferred upon him. His vanity was so much gra-
quence of which many, especially those which were tified at these bloodless victories which he had
not oppressed by armies, enjoyed a period of great obtained in Syria and Samos, that he struck medals
prosperity. Egypt was governed in a manner to commemorate them, and afterwards dedicated
different from that of all other provinces. The the standards which he had received from Phraates
division of the provinces was necessarily followed in the new temple of Mars Ultor. In B. (r. 18, the
by a change in the administration of the finances, imperium of Augustus was prolonged for five years,
which were in a bad condition, partly in conse- and about the same time he increased the number
quence of the civil wars, and partly through all the of senators to 600. The wars in Armenia, in the
domain lands in Italy having been assigned to the Alps, and on the Lower Rhine, were conducted by
veterans. The system of taxation was revised, his generals with varying success. In B. c. 16 the
and the taxes increased. The aerarium, out of Romans suffered a defeat on the Lower Rhine by
which the senate defrayed the public expenses,
some German tribes; and Augustus, who thought
was separated from the fiscus, the funds of the the danger greater than it really was, went himself
emperor, out of which he paid his armies.
to Gaul, and spent two years there, to regulate the
Augustus enacted several laws to improve the government of that province, and to make the ne-
moral condition of the Romans, and to secure the cessary preparations for defending it against the
public peace and safety. Thus he made several Germans. In B. c. 13 be returned to Roine, leav-
regulations to prevent the recurrence of scarcity and | ing the protection of the frontier on the Rhine to
famine, promoted industry, and constructed 'roads his step-son, Drusus Nero. In B. c. 9 he again
and other works of public utility. The large sums went to Gaul, where he received German ambassa-
of money which were put into circulation revived dors, who sued for peace; but be treacherously
commerce and industry, from which the eastern detained them, and distributed them in the towns
provinces especially and Egypt derired great ad- of Gaul, where they put an end to their lives in
vantages.
despair. Towards the end of this year, he returned
Although Augustus, who must have been star- to Rome with Tiberius and Drusus. From this
tled and frightened by the murder of Caesar, treat time forward, Augustus does not appear to have
ed the Romans with the utmost caution and mild-again taken any active part in the wars that were
ness, and endeavoured to keep out of sight every carried on. Those in Germany were the most for-
thing that might shew him in the light of a sove midable, and lasted longer than the reign of Au-
reign, yet several conspiracies against his life re- gustus.
minded him that there were still persons of a In A. D. 13, Augustus, who had then reached
republican spirit. It will be sufficient here to his 75th year, again undertook the government of
mention the names of the leaders of these conspi- the empire for ten years longer; but be threw
racies,–M. Lepidus, L. Murena, Fannius Caepio, some part of the burden upon his adopted son and
and Cornelius Cinna, who are treated of in sepa- successor, Tiberius, by making him his colleague.
rate articles.
In the year following, A. D. 14, Tiberius was to
After this brief sketch of the internal affairs of undertake a campaign in Nlyricum, and Augustus,
the Roman empire during the reign of Augustus, though he was bowed down by old age, by domestic
it only remains to give some account of the wars misfortunes and cares of every kind, accompanied
in which he himself took part. Most of them him as far as Naples. On his return, he was taken
were conducted by his friends and relations, and ill at Nola, and died there on the 29th of August,
need not be noticed here. On the whole, we inay A. D. 14, at the age of 76. When he felt his end
remark, that the wars of the reign of Augustus approaching, he is said to have asked his friends
were not wars of aggression, but chiefly undertaken who were present whether he had not acted his
to secure the Roman dominion and to protect the part well. He died very gently in the arms of his
frontiers, which were now more exposed than be | wife, Livia, who kept the event secret, until Tibe-
## p. 430 (#450) ############################################
430
AUGUSTUS.
AUGUSTUS.
rius had returned to Nola, where he was immedi- the son of his sister Octavia, who was married to his
ately saluted as the successor of Augustus. The daughter, Julia Agrippa, jealous of Augustus'
body of the emperor was carried by the decuriones partiality for him, left Rome, and did not return
of Nola to Bovillae, where it was received by the till Marcellus had died in the flower of his life.
Roman equites and conveyed to Rome. The 80- Julia was now compelled by her father to marry
lemn apotheosis took place in the Campus Martius, the aged Agrippa, and her sons, Caius and Lucius
and bis ashes were deposited in the mausoleum Caesar, were raised to the dignity of principes ju-
which he himself had built.
ventutis. At the death of Agrippa, in B. c. 12,
As regards the domestic life of Augustus, he was Tiberius was obliged to divorce his wife, Vipsania,
one of those unhappy men whom fortune surrounds and, contrary to his own will, to marry Julia.
with all her outward splendour, and who can yet Dissatisfied with her conduct and the elevation of
partake but little of the general happiness which her sons, he went, in B. c. 6, to Rhodes, where he
they establish or promote. His domestic misfor- spent eight years, to avoid living with Julia. Au-
tunes must have embittered all his enjoyments. gustus, who became at last disgusted with her
Augustus was a man of great caution and modera- conduct, sent her in B. c. 2 into exile in the island
tion—two qualities by which he maintained his of Pandataria, near the coast of Campania, whither
power over the Roman world; but in his matri- she was followed by her mother, Scribonia. The
monial relations and as a father he was not happy, children of Julia, Julia the Younger and Agrippa
chiefly through his own fault. He was first mar- Postumus, were likewise banished. The grief of
ried, though only nominally, to Clodia, a daughter Augustus was increased by the deaths of his friend
of Clodius and Fulvia. His second wife, Scribonia, Maecenas, in B. C. 8, and of his two grandsons,
was a relation of Sext. Pompeius : she bore him Caius and Lucius Caesar, who are said to have
his only daughter, Julia. After he had divorced fallen victims to the ambitious designs of Livia,
Scribonia, he married Livia Drusilla, who was car- who wished to make room for her own son, Tibe-
ried away from her husband, Tiberius Nero, in a rius, whom the deluded emperor was persuaded to
state of pregnancy. She brought Augustus two adopt and to make his colleague and successor.
step-sons, Tiberius Nero and Nero Claudius Dru- Tiberius, in return, was obliged to adopt Drusus
She secured the love and attachment of her Germanicus, the son of his late brother, Drusus.
husband to the last moments of his life. Augustus A more complete view of the family of Augustus
had at first fixed on M. Marcellus as his successor, ' is given in the annexed stemma.
BUS.
STEMMA OF AUGUSTUS AND HIS FAMILY.
1. Ancharia.
C. Octavius, praetor in B. C. 61, married to
2. Atia, daughter of M. Atius Balbus and Julia, a sister of C. Julius Caesar.
Octavia, the elder.
1. Octavia, the younger.
2. C. Octavius (C. JULIUS CAESAR OCTAVI-
ANUS AUGUSTUS), married to
1. Clodia. 2. Scribonia 3. Livia
1
Julia, married to
1. M. Marcellus. 2. M. Vipsanius Agrippa. 3. TIBERIUS, emperor.
No issue.
No issue.
1. C. Caesar, married to Livia, 2. L. Caesar, betrothed 3. Julia, married
the sister of Germanicus. to Aemilia Lepida to L. Aemilius
Died A. D. 4.
Died A. D. 2.
Paullus.
4. Agrip 5. Agrippa
na, Postu-
mar-
mus.
ried to
Put to
Germa- death
nicus.
A, D. 14.
1. M. Aemilius Lepidus,
married to Drusilla,
daughter of Germanicus.
2. Aemilia Lepida,
married to
1. Ap. Junius Silanus. 2. Drusus.
1. L. Silanus.
2. M. Silanus.
3. Junia Calvina.
1. Nero, married 2. Drusus,
to Julia, dau. married to
of Drusus, the Aemilia
son of Tiberius. Lepida.
(Tac. Ann. vi. (Tac. Anne
27. )
vi. 40. )
3. CALIGULA, 4. Agrippina, 5. Drusilla, married 6. Livia or Li-
einperor.
married to to l. L. Cassius, villa, married
Cn. Domi- and 2. M. Aemil. to 1. M. Vic
tius.
Lepidus.
cinius,
2. Quintilius
Varus. (1)
NBRO, emperor.
## p. 431 (#451) ############################################
AVIANUS.
431
AVIANUS.
66
Our space does not allow us here to enter into gument derived from the style of these compositions
a critical examination of the character of Augus must, to every reader of taste and discrimination,
t118: what he did is recorded in history, and public appear conclusive. Nothing can be imagined more
opinion in his own time praised him for it as an unlike the vigorous, bold, spirited, and highly em-
excellent prince and statesman ; the investigation bellished rotundity which characterizes the Des-
of the hidden motives of his actions is such a deli- criptio Orbis and the Aratea than the feeble, hesi-
cate subject, that both ancient and modern writers tating, dull meagreness of the fabulist. Making all
have advanced the most opposite opinions, and allowances for numerous corruptions in the text,
both supported by strong arguments. The main we can scarcely regard these pieces in any other
difficulty lies in the question, whether his govern- light than as the early effusions of some unprac-
ment was the fruit of his honest intentions and tised youth, who patched very unskilfully expres-
wishes, or whether it was merely a means of satis- sions borrowed from the purer classics, especially
fying his own ambition and love of dominion ; in Virgil, upon the rude dialect of an unlettered age.
other words, whether he was a straightforward Cannegieter, in his erudite but most tedious
and honest man, or a most consummate hypocrite. dissertation, has toiled unsuccessfully to prove that
Thus much is certain, that his reign was a period Avianus flourished under the Antonines. Wers-
of happiness for Italy and the provinces, and that dorf, again, places him towards the end of the
it removed the causes of future civil wars. Pre fourth century, adopting the views of those who
vious to the victory of Actium his character is less believe that the Theodosius of the dedication may
a matter of doubt, and there we find sufficient be Aurelius Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius, the
proofs of his cruelty, selfishness, and faithlessness grammarian, and adding the conjecture, that the
towards his friends. He has sometimes been Flavianus of the Saturnalia may have been cor-
charged with cowardice, but, so far as military rupted by transcribers into Fl. Avianus. These
courage is concerned, the charge is unfounded. are mere guesses, and may be taken for what they
(The principal ancient sources concerning the are worth. Judging from the language, and we
life and reign of Augustus are: Sueton. Augustus ; | have nothing else whatever to guide us, we should
Nicolaus Damasc. De Vita Augusti ; Dion Cass. feel inclined to place him a hundred years later.
xlv. -lvi. ; Tacitus, Annal. i. ; Cicero's Epistles Avianus was first printed independently by Jac.
and Philippics ; Vell. Pat. ii. 59—124; Plut.
An- de Breda, at Deventer in Holland, in the year
tonius. Besides the numerous modern works on 1494, 4to. , Gothic characters, under the title
the History of Rome, we refer especially to A. A pologus Aviani civis Romani adolescentulis ad
Weichert, Imperatoris Caesaris Augusti Scriptorum mores et Latinum sermonem capessendos utilissi-
Reliquiae, Fasc. i. , Grimae, 1841, 410. , which con- mus;" but the editio princeps is appended to the
tains an excellent account of the youth of Augustus fables of Aesop which appeared about 1480. The
and his education ; Drumann, Geschichte Roms, vol. earlier editions contain only twenty-seven fables ;
iv. pp. 245—302, who treats of his history down the whole forty-two were first published by Rigal-
to the battle of Actium ; Loebell, Veber das Prin- tius, along with Aesop and other opuscula (16mo.
cipat des Augustus, in Raumer's Historisches Tas- Lugd. 1570). The most complete edition is that
chenbuch, 5ter, Jahrgang, 1834 ; Karl Hoeck, of Cannegieter, 8vo. Amstel. 1731, which was fol-
Römische Geschichte vom Verfall der Republik bis lowed by those of Nodell, 8vo. Amstel. 1787, and
zur Vollendung der Monarchie unter Constantin, i. of C. H. Tzschucke, 12mo. Lips. 1790.
1. pp. 214–421. )
[L. S. ) “ The fables of Avian translated into Englyshe"
are to be found at the end of “The Subtyi Histo
ryes and Fables of Esope, translated out of Frenshe
OBCHIS
into Englysshe, by William Caxton at Westmyn-
stre. In the yere of our lorde M cccc lxxxii. , &c.
Enprynted by the same the xxvjdaye of Marche the yere
of our lord M cccc lxxxiij, And the fyrst yere of the
regne of kyng Rychard the thyrde," folio. This book
CERVATOS was reprinted by Pynson. We have a translation
into Italian by Giov. Gris. Trombelli, 8vo. Venez.
1735; and into German by H. Fr. Kerler, in his
Röm. Fabeldichter, Stuttgard, 1838. (Vossius, de
AVIA'NUS, M. AEMILIUS, a friend of Poctis Latt. p. 56 ; Funccius, de l'egeta L. L. Senec-
Cicero, and the patron of Avianus Evander and tute, cap. iii. S lvi. ; Barth. Adversar. xix. 24, xxvii.
Avianus Hammonius. (Cic. ad Fam. xiii. 2, 21, 3, xxxix. 7 and 13, xlvi. 4, 7, 16; Wernsdorf,
27. )
Poett. Latt. Minn. vol. v. pars. i. p. 663, who effec-
AVIA'NUS, FLAVIUS, the author of a col- tually destroys the leading argument of Cannegieter
lection of forty-two Aesopic fables in Latin elegiac that Avianus must be intermediate between Phae
verse, dedicated to a certain Theodosius, who is drus and Titianus, upon which idea the hypothesis
addressed as a man of great learning and highly that he lived under the Antonines rests. ) (W. R. ]
cultivated mind. The designation of this writer AVIA'NUS EVANDER. (EvANDER. ]
appears under a number of different shapes in dif- AVIA'NUS FLACCUS. [FLACCUS. ]
ferent MSS. , such as Avianus, Anianus, Abidnus, AVIANUS HAMMONIUS. [HammoniUS. )
Abienus, and Avienus, from which last form he was AVIANUS, LAETUS, the name prefixed to
by many of the earlier historians of Roman litera- an epigram in bad Latin, comprised in three ele
ture, such as Vossius and Funccias, identified with giac distichs, on the famous work of Martianus
the geographical poet, Rufus Festus Avienus. Capella. The subject proves that it cannot be ear-
[Avienus. ] But, independent of the circumstance lier than the end of the fifth century. (Burmann,
that no fact except this resemblance of name can Antholog. Add. i. p. 738, or Ep. n. 553, ed. Meyer. ;
be adduced in support of such an opinion, the ar- Barth. Adversar. xviii. 21. )
(W. R. ]
CAESAR
کده
COIN OF AUGUSTUS.
## p. 432 (#452) ############################################
432
AVIENUS.
AVIENUS.
AVIA'NUS PHILO'XENUS. [PHILOXE- | distracted with discussions on localities and objects
yus. )
totally foreign to the matter in hand. Moreover,
AVI'DIUS CA'SSIUS. (Cassius. )
the different nations and districts are distinguished
AVI'DIUS FLACCUS. [Flaccus. )
by their ancient and forgotten names, instead of
C. AVIE'NUS, tribune of the soldiers of the those by which they were actually known at the
tenth legion, was ignominiously dismissed from the time when this guide book was composed, and all
army, on account of misconduci in the African war, the old and exploded fantasies of half mythical
B. C. 46. (Hirt. B. Afr. 46. )
geography revived and gravely propounded. We
AVIEŠNUS, RUFUS FESTUS. The fol- are led almost irresistibly to the conclusion, that
lowing poems are ascribed to an author bearing Avienus, possessing no practical or scientitic ac-
this name :-
quaintance with his subject, had read a number of
1. Descriptio Orbis Terrae, or, as it is variously conflicting accounts of the countries in question,
entitled in different editions and MSS. , Metaphrasis written in former times by persons who were as
Perigescos Dionysii--Situs Orbis-- Ambitus Orbis - ignorant as himself, and had combined and pieced
in 1394 hexameter lines, derived directly from the them together in the hope of elaborating a consistent
Trepinnnois of Dionysius, and containing a succinct whole, - neglecting with strange perversity the
account of the most remarkable objects in the numerous sources of accurate information opened
physical and political geography of the known up by the wars so long waged and the dominion
world. It adheres too closely in some places, and 80 long exercised by his countrymen in those
departs too widely in others, from the text of the regions.
Alexandrian, to be called with propriety a trans- 3. Aratea Phaenomena, and Aratea Prog-
Jation, or even a paraphrase, and still less does it nostica, both in Hexameter verse, the first con-
deserve to be regarded as an independent work, taining 1325, the second 552 lines. They bear
but approaches more nearly to our modern idea of exactly the same relation to the well known works
a new edition compressed in certain passages, en- of Aratus as the Descriptio Orbis Terrae does
larged in others, and altered throughout. These to that of Dionysius. The general arrangement of
changes can hardly be considered as improvements, the Greek original is followed throughout, and
for not unfrequently the anxiety of the writer to several passages are translated more closely than
expand and embellish his original has made him in the versions of Cicero and Germanicus, but on
wander into extravagance and error, while on the the other hand many of the mythical legends are
other hand the fear of becoming prolix and tedious expanded, new tales are introduced, and extracts
has led to injudicious curtailments, and induced from the works of celebrated astronomers, scraps
him to omit the names of nations and districts of Pythagorean philosophy, and fragments of
which ought not to have been passed over. Nor Aegyptian superstition, are combined and worked
does he attempt to correct the mistakes of his pre- up with the materials of the old fabric. The re-
decessor, por to take advantage of those stores of sult is much more successful than in the two efforts
knowledge which must have been available at the previously examined. Here there was more room
period when he lived; but the blunders and follies for the imagination to disport itself unencumbered
of the old Greek poets, who were profoundly with dry details and stubborn facts, and accord-
ignorant of all the regions to the West and North ingly the interest is well sustained and the flowing
of their own cowtry, are implicitly followed, and and spirited style of the poet appears to great
many things set down which every well-informed advantage.
man under the empire must have known to be 4. Three short fugitire pieces, the first addressed
absurd. There is, however, a considerable energy to a friend, Flavianus Myrmecius, V. C. , requesting
and liveliness of style, which animates the inherent a gift of some pomegranates from his estates in
dulness of the undertaking and carries the reader Africa, in order to remove an attack of bile and
lightly on, while much ingenuity is displayed in indigestion ; the second, De Cantu Sirenum, or
varying the expression of constantly-recurring Sirenum Allegoria, on the allurements of the daugh-
ideas.
ters of Achelous and the device by which Ulysses
2. Ora Maritima, a fragment in 703 lambic escaped their wiles ; the third, Ad Amicos de Agro,
trimeters. The plan comprehended a full delinea- enumerating the various occupations which by
tion of the shores of the Mediterranean, together turns occupied the time and engaged the attention
with those of the Euxine and sea of Asov, and a of the writer each day when living in country re-
portion of the Atlantic without the pillars of tirement.
Hercules ; but we know not if this design was We must remark, that while we can scarcely
ever fully carried out, for the portion which has entertain a doubt that the two Geographical Essays
been preserved is confined almost entirely to the are from the same pen, especially since in the
coast stretching from Marseilles to Cadiz. The second (1. 71) we find a direct reference to the
author professes to have commenced the essay in first, we have no external evidence connecting
order to satisfy the intelligent inquiries of a youth them with the others, except the fact, that the
named Probus, to whom it is addressed, with re- same name is prefixed in all MSS. to the whole,
gard to the geography of the Pontus and the with the exception of the 2nd and 3rd epigrams.
Maeotic Gulf; but if intended for the purposes But, on the other hand, the style, manner, and
of instruction, it is impossible to imagine any task phraseology of the Aratean poems correspond so
executed in a less satisfactory manner. There is exactly with what we observe in the rest, that
an absence of all order and arrangement. Instead scholars in general have acquiesced in the arrange-
of advancing steadily in a given direction, we are ment which assigns the whole to one person. They
carried backwards and forwards, transported evidently belong to an epoch when Latin litera-
abruptly from one spot to another at a great dis- ture, although fast verging to old age, was still
tance, and brought again and again to the same fresh and hale, and far from being paralyzed by
point without completing any circuit, besides being infirmities ;-we still perceive with pleasure a
## p. 433 (#453) ############################################
AVIENUS.
433
AVIENUS.
force and freedom of expression in strong contrast | appointments are in this way determined. 3. The
with the inflated fcebleness and uneasy stiffness words " carmina multa serens” point out a simi-
which marked the last period of decay.
larity of taste and occupation. 4. Lastly, in the
Assuming that the astronomical Avienus is the epitaph by Placidus we detect an expression,
same with the geographical Avienus, we can at " Jupiter aethram (Pandit, Feste tibi)," which
once determine approximately the age to which he seems to allude directly to the second line of the
belongs ; for Jerome, in his commentary on the Phaenomena, “excelsum rescrat Jupiter aethram,"
Epistle of St. Paul to Titus, mentions that the although this may be merely an accidental resem-
quotation by the Apostle, in the xvii. chapter of blance. It will be seen that the evidence requires
the Acts, Toù gap kal yéros douév, is to be found a good deal of hypothetical patching to enable it to
in the Phaenomena of Aratus,“ quem Cicero in hang together at all, and by no means justiñes the
Latinum sermonem transtulit, et Germanicus Cae- undoubting confidence of Wernsdorf ; but, at the
sar, et nuper Avicnus. ” Now Jerome died in 420; same time, we can scarcely refuse to acknowledge
therefore, allowing all fair latitude to the somewhat that the coincidences are remarkable.
indefinite nuper, we may with tolerable certainty We need scarcely notice the opinion of some
place Avienus in the latter half of the fourth cen- early critics, that Avienus was a Spaniard, since it
tury, under Valens, the Valentinians, Gratian, avowedly rests upon the consideration, that the
and Theodosius, or even somewhat earlier, under fragment of the Ora Maritima which has been
Constantine and Julian. Our next step leads us preserved is devoted chiefly to the coast of Spain,
upon ground much less firm, but we may venture and contains quotations from the works of Himilco
yet a little further. An inscription, discovered and the Carthaginian annalists with regard to that
originally, we are told, in the church of St. Nicholas, country and the shores of the Atlantic. To refute
of the Furbishers, at Rome, and afterwards de- such arguments would be almost as idle as to
posited in the Villa Caesarina, has been published invent them. Nor need we treat with greater
by Fabretti and others, and will be found in Bur- respect the assertion that he was a Christian. Not
mann's Anthologia. (i. 79, or Ep. n. 278, ed. Meyer. ) a line can be quoted which would appear to any
It bears as a title R. FESTUS V. C. DE SE AD reasonable man favourable to such a notion ; but, on
Dean Norteam, and begins in the first person, the contrary, wherever he speaks of the Pagan
Festus Musoni soboles prolesque Avieni, after gods we find that he expresses in very unequivocal
which follows an announcement on the part of this language a marked reverence for their worship.
individual, that he was born at Vulsinii, that he There is little to be said either for or against the
dwelt at Rome, taat he had twice been elevated to idea, that he is the young Avienus introduced by
the office of proconsul, that he was the happy Macrobius in the Saturnalia as talking with Sym-
husband of a lady named Placida, the proud father machus. So far as dates are concerned there is no.
of a numerous offspring, and the author of many anachronism involved, but the name was very
poems (carmina multa serens), then follows a sort common, and we have no clue to guide us to any
of epitaph in four lines, inscribed by Placidus, ap- conclusion.
parently the son of the above personage, to the Servius, in his commentary on Virgil (x. 388),
sacred memory of his sire. Wernsdorf and others speaks of an Avienus who had turned the whole of
have at once pronounced without hesitation, that Virgil and Liry into lambics (qui totum Virgilium
the Festus who here calls himself descendant of et Livium iambis scripsit), and refers to him again
Musonius and son of Avienus, for such is undoubt. (x. 272) as the person " qui iambis scripsit Vir-
edly the true meaning of the words, must be the gilii fabulas. " We cannot doubt that Livy the
same with our Rufus Festus Avienus. The proof historian must be indicated here, for he was by so
adduced, when carefully sifted, amounts to this:- much the most celebrated of all authors bearing
1. It is probable that the ancestor here referred to that appellation, that a grammarian like Servius
may be C. Musonius Rufus, the celebrated Stoic would scarcely have failed to add a distinguishing
and intimate friend of Apollonius of Tyana. He epithet had any other Livy been meant. There
was exiled by Nero, patronized by Vespasian, and is no difficulty in believing the operation to have
is frequently mentioned by the writers who treat been performed upon Virgil, for we know that
of this period. This idea receives confirmation such conversions were common exercises during
from the circumstance that Tacitus and Philostratus the decline of literature, and Suidas tells us in
both represent Musonius as a Tuscan, and Suidas particular of a certain Marianus, in the reign of the
expressly asserts that he was a native of Vulsinii
. emperor Anastasius, who turned the dactylics of
We thus fully establish an identity of name be- Theocritus, Apollonius, Callimachus, and others,
tween the writer of the inscription and our into iambic measures.
Avienus, and can explain satisfactorily how the ap- Lastly, all scholars now admit that there are no
pellation Rufus came into the family. 2. From grounds for supposing, that the prose treatise
two laws in the Codex of Justinian (see Gotho- “ Breviarium de Victoriis ac Provinciis Populi Ro-
fred, Prosopogr. Cod. Theod. ), it appears that a mani ad Valentinianum Augustum," ascribed to a
certain Festus was proconsul of Africa in the Sextus Rufus or Rufus Festus, and the topographi-
years 366 and 367, which agrees with the age we cal compendium“ Sexti Rufi de Regionibus Urbis
have assigned to our Avienus from St. Jerome, Romae," belong to Arienus, as was at one time
and an inscription is extant (Boeckh, Inscr. Graec. maintained ; while the poem * De Urbibus His-
i. p. 436) commemorating the gratitude of the paniae Mediterraneis," quoted as his work by
Athenians towards 'Poúpios añotos, proconsul of several Spaniards, is now known to be a forgery,
Greece.
