who when far
advanced
in years was rashly put to Ann.
William Smith - 1844 - Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities - c
G.
)
G. Winckelmann (one vol. 4to. Zürich, 1839) de- PLATOR. 1. The commander of Oreum for
serves especial mention for the accuracy of the text Philip, betrayed the town to the Romans, B. c.
and the beauty of the typography.
207 (Liv. xxviii. 6). He is probably the same
Of separate dialogues, or collections of dialogues, Plator whom Philip sent with some Illyrians,
the editions are almost endless. Those of the about the commencement of the Second Punic
Cratylus and Theaetetus, of the Euthyphro, Apo-war, to the assistance of the Cretans. (Polyb. iv.
logia, Crito, and Phaedo, of the Sophista, Politicus 55. )
and Parmenides, and of the Philebus and Sympo- 2. The brother of Gentius, the Illyrian king,
sium by Fischer ; of the Lysis, Charmides, Hip who is called Plator by Livy (xliv. 30), but Pleu-
pias Major, and Phaedrus, of the Gorgias and ratus by Poly bius. [PLBURATUS. )
Theaetetus, of the Cratylus, Euthydemus and Par- 3. Of Dyrrhacium, was slain by Piso, proconsul
menides, of the Phaedo, and of the Protagorns and in Macedonia, B. c. 57, although he had been hos-
Sophistes by Heindorf (whose notes exhibit both pitably received in the house of Plator. (Cic. in
acuteness and sound judgment); of the Phaedo by Pison. 34, comp. de llurus. Resp. 16. )
Wyttenbach ; of the Philebus, and of the Par
1
PLATORI'NUS, a cognomen of the Sulpicia
menides by Stallbaum (in the edition of the latter gens, which occurs only upon coins, one of which
of which the commentary of Proclus is incor- 1 is annexed. The obverse represents the head of
porated), are most worthy of note. Of the trans- | Augustus with the legend CAESAR AVGVSTVs, the
lations of Plato the most celebrated is the Latin
reverse the head of M. Agrippa, with the legend
version of Marsilius Ficinus (Flor. 1483-1481, PLATORINVS VIVIR. M. AGRIPPA (Eckhel, vol v.
and frequently reprinted). It was in this version, p. 317. )
which was made from manuscripts, that the writings
of Plato first appeared in a printed form. The
translation is so extremely close that it has almost
the authority of a Greek manuscript, and is of
great service in ascertaining varieties of reading.
This remark, however, does not apply to the later,
altered editions of it, which were published subse-
quently to the appearance of the Greek text of
Plato. There is no good English translation of the
whole of Plato, that by Taylor being by no means
COIN OP PLATORINUS.
The efforts of Floyer Sydenham were
much more successful, but he translated only a few PLAU’TIA GENS, plebeian.
The name is
of the pieces. There is a French translation by also written Plotius, just as we have both Clodius
V. Cousin. Schleiermacher's German translation is and Claudius. The first person of this gens who
incomparably the best, but is unfortunately incom- obtained the consulship was C. Plautius Proculus
plete. There is an Italian translation by Dardi in B. C. 358 ; and from that time down to the im-
Bembo. The versions of separate dialogues in dif- perial period many of the Plautii held at differen
ferent languages are too numerous to be noticed. intervals the highest offices in the state. Undes
We have space to notice only the following out of the republic we find the cognomens of DECIANUS,
the very numerous works written in illustration of HYPSAEUS, PROCULUS, Silvanus, Venno, VE-
Plato: -
Platonis Dialogorum Argumenta Exposita Nox: and to these there were still further additions
et Ilustrata, by Tiedemann (Bip. 1786); Syslem in the time of the empire, a list of which is given
der Platonischen Philosophie, by Tennemann (4 vols. below. A few of the Plautii occur without any
8vo. Leipz. 1792-5); Initia Philosophiae Pla-
and of them an account is also given
tonicae, by P. G. Van Heusde (ed. ii. Lugd. Bat. below. Those persons whose names are usually
1842); Platons Leben und Schriften, by G. A. F. written Plotius are spoken of under this form.
Ast (Leipz. 1816); Geschichte und System der The only cognomens occurring on coins are Hyp:
Platonischen Philosophie, by C. F. Hermann (Hei- saeus and Plancus ; and the latter surname
delb. 1838); Platonis de Ideis et Numeris Doctrina does not properly belong to the Plotii, but was
ex Aristotele illustrata, by F. A. Trendelenburg retained by Munatius Plancus after he had been
(Lips. 1826); Platonische Studien, by E. Zeller adopted by L. Plautius. (Plancus, No. 5. )
(Tübing. 1839). There are also numerous smaller PLAU’TIA URGULANILLA, the first wife
treatises by Böckh, C. F. Hermann, Stallbaum, &c. , of the emperor Claudius, who divorced her on ac-
which may be consulted with profit. Schleierma- count of her lewd conduct, and of her being sus-
cher's introductions to some of the dialogues have pected of murder. She bore two children during
been translated and published in a separate form in her marriage, Drusus, who died at Pompeii in
English.
(C. P. M. ] A. D. 20 [Drusus, No. 23), and Clandia, whom
PLATONIUS (NIAarávos), a grammarian, of she had by a freedman of Claudius, and who was
whom all that we know is that a treatise bearing therefore exposed by command of the emperor.
his name is generally prefixed to the editions (Suet. Claud. 26, 27. ).
of Aristophanes. It is entitled Περί διαφοράς PLAUTIANUS, L. (or C. ) FU'LVIUS, an
κωμωδιών. The subject is the difference between | African by birth, the fellow-townsman and pro-
bably a connection of Septimius Severus. He
volumes containing the various readings, and por- served as praefect of the praetorium under this
tions of the commentary of Proclus on the Cratylus, emperor, who loaded hiin with honours and
edited by Boissonade.
wealth, deferred to his opinion upon all important
accurate.
surname ;
DD 3
## p. 406 (#422) ############################################
406
PLAUTILLA.
PLAUTIUS.
FACILS
QOAT
COIN OF PLAUTILLA.
a
points of state policy, granted all his requests, and between her marriage and exile, a statement which
virtually made over much of the imperial authority it is extremely difficult to reconcile with the fact
into his hands. Intoxicated by these distinctions that a vast number of coins were struck in honour
Plautianus indulged in the most despotic tyranny; of this princess, not only in the city but in the
and perpetrated acts of cruelty almost beyond more distant provinces. She had a brother, Plau-
belief. His cupidity was boundless: no state, no tius, who shared her banishment and her fate.
province, no city escaped his exactions ; in Rome (Dion Cass. lxxvi. 6, lxxvii. 1; Herodian, iii. 13.
he plundered all whose wealth excited his avarice, $ 7, iv. 6. 87; Eckhel, vol. vii. p. 225. ) (W. R. ]
contrived the banishment or death of every one
who impeded or thwarted his schemes, and ven-
tured to treat with contumely even the empress
Domna and her sons. He reached the pinnacle of
his ambition when Severus in the year A. D. 202
selected his daughter Plautilla as the wife of
Caracalla, and on that occasion he presented the
bride with an outfit which a contemporary his-
torian declares would have sufficed for hfty queens.
But even gratified ambition brought him no hap-
piness. His external appearance gave evidence of
a mind ill at ease: when seen in public he was PLAU'TIUS. 1. A comic poet, some of whose
ever deadly pale, and shook with nervous agi-comedies were erroneously ascribed to Plautus, as
tation, partly, says Dion Cassius who was himself we learn from Varro. (Gell. iii. 3. )
an eye-witness of these things, from the irregu- 2. A. PLAUTIUS, was sent by the emperor Clau-
larities of his life and diet, and partly from the dius in A. D. 43 to subdue Britain. As he is called
hopes by which he was excited, and the terrors both by Tacitus and Suetonius a man of consular
by which he was torinented. But the high rank, he is perhaps the same as the A. Plautius,
fortunes of this second Sejanus were short-lived. who was one of the consules suffecti in A. D. 29.
Having soon discovered the dislike cherished by Plautius remained in Britain four years, and sub-
Caracalla towards both his daughter and himself
, dued, after a severe struggle, the southern part of
and looking forward with apprehension to the the island. Vespasian, who was afterwards em-
downfall which awaited him upon the death of the peror, served under him and distinguished himself
sovereign, he resolved to anticipate these threat greatly in the war. In the first campaign Claudius
ened disasters by effecting the destruction of his himself passed over to Britain, and on his return
benefactor and of his son-in-law. His treachery to Rome celebrated a triumph for the victories
was discovered, he was suddenly summoned to which he pretended to have gained. Plautius
the palace, and there put to death in A. D. 203. came back to the city in a. D. 47, and was allowed
His property was confiscated, his daughter ban- by Claudius the unusual honour of an ovation ; and
ished, and his name erased from the public monu- to show the favour in which he was held by the
ments on which it had been inscribed side by side emperor, the latter walked by his side both on his
with those of the emperor and the royal family. way to and his return from the Capitol. When sub-
We onght to remark that the treason of Plautianus sequently his wife Pomponia Graecina was accused
"ests upon the testimony of Herodian, for Dion of religious worship unauthorised by the state, her
Cassius rather leans to the belief that this charge husband was granted the privilege of deciding
was fabricated by Caracalla for the ruin of an upon the case himself, according to the custom of
obnoxious favourite. (Dion Cass. lxxv. 14-16, the old Roman law. (Dion Cass. lx. 19-21, 30;
lxxvi. 2–9, lxxvii. 1; Herodian, iü. 13. $ 7, iv. Suet. Claud. 24, Vesp. 4; Tac. Agr. 14, Ann.
6. $ 7; Eckhel, vol. vii. p. 224. ) [W. R. ) xiii. 32).
PLAUTIANUS, QUINTILLUS, a senator 3. Q. PLAUTIUS, consul A. D. 36 with Sex.
of high rank, blameless life and retired habits, Papirius Allienus. (Dion Cass. lviii. 26 ; Tac.
who when far advanced in years was rashly put to Ann. vi. 40; Plin. H. N. x. 2. )
death by Septimius Severus upon some vague suis- 4. A. PLAUTIUS, a youth slain by Nero. (Suet.
picion. His last words have been preserved by Ner. 35. )
Dion Cassius (lxxvi. 7).
[W. R. ) 5. Son of Fulvius Plautianus (PLAUTIANUS),
PLAUTIL'LA, FU’LVIA, daughter of Plau- upon the downfall of his father was banished along
tianus (PLAUTIANUS) praefect of the praetorium with his sister Plautilla (PLAUTILLA) to Lipara,
under Septimius Severus, by whom she was selected where he was subsequently put to death by Cara-
as the bride of his eldest son. This union, which calla. (Dion Cass. lxxvi. 7, lxxvii. 1 ; Herodian
took place in A. D. 202, proved most unhappy, for vi. 13. $ 7, iv. 6. § 7. )
Caracalla was from the first averse to the match, PLAU'TIUS, a Roman jurist, who is not men-
and even after the marriage was concluded virtually tioned by Pomponius, though he lived before Pom-
refused to acknowledge her as his wife. Upon ponius. That he was a jurist of some note may be
the disgrace and death of her father she was inferred from the fact that Paulus wrote eighteen
banished, first, it would appear, to Sicilt, and | Libri ad Plautium [PAULUS, JULIUS). Jarolenus
subsequently to Lipara, where she was treated also wrote five books ad Plautium or ex Plautio,
with the greatest harshness, and supplied with and Pomponius seven books. Plautius cited Cas-
scarcely the necessaries of life. After the murder sius (Dig. 34. tit. 2. s. 8) and Proculus (Dig. 35.
of Geta in A. D. 212, Plautilla was put to death tit. 1. 8. 43), and was cited by Neratius Priscus,
by order of her husband. According to the who wrote Libri ex Plautio [Neratius Priscus).
narrative of Dion Cassius, who represents her a Plautius therefore lived about the time of Vespa-
woman of most profligate liſe, a very short period, sian. (Grotius, Vitue Jurisconsult. ; Zimmern,
not more, probably, than a few months, intervened | Geschichte des Röm. Privatrechts, p. 322 ; Vatican.
## p. 407 (#423) ############################################
PLAUTUS
407
PLAUTUS.
U'TIUS
Frag. $ 74, 82 ; and $ 77, which is a testimony | such a kind was called an operarius, as we see
to the merits of Plautius ; Wieling, Jurispru- from funeral inscriptions. Moreover, if Plautus
dentia Restituta, p. 338. )
(G. L. ] had previously written plays for the stage, which
PLAUTIUS LATERA'NUS. [LATERA- must have already gained him some reputation, it
NUB. )
is not likely that he should have been compelled on
PLAU'TIUS, NOʻVIUS, a Roman artist, in the his return to Rome to engage in the menial office
department of ornamental metal-work (caelutura). of a grinder at a mill for the sake of obtaining a
He was the maker of one of the most admired of livelihood. On the contrary, it is much more pro-
those cylindrical bronze caskets (cistae mysticae), bable that the comedies which he composed in the
which are found in combs in Italy, containing pa- mill, were the first that he ever wrote, and that the
terae, mirrors, and utensils of the bath, such as reputation and money which he acquired by them
strigils. The greatest number of such caskets have enabled him to abandon his menial mode of life.
been found at Praeneste, where some of them sccm The age of Plautus has been a subject of no
to have been laid up in the temple of Fortune, as small controversy. Cicero says (Brut. 15) that he
votive offerings from women. The one which bears died in the consulship of P. Claudius and L. Por-
the name of Plautius is beautifully engraved with cius, when Cato was consor, that is, in v. c. 184 ;
subjects from the Argonautic expedition ; a hunt and there is no reason to doubt this express state
is engraved round the lid, which is surmounted by ment. It is true that Hieronymus, in the Chro
three figures in bronze ; and on the lid is the fol. nicon of Eusebius, places bis death in the 145th
lowing inscription : on the one side, DINDIA. MA- Olympiad, fourteen years earlier (B. C. 200) ; but
COLINA . FILEA. DEDIT,-on the other, Novios. the dates of Hieronymus are frequently erroneous,
PLAUTIOS. MED. (me) ROMAI. FECID. From the and this one in particular deserves all the less credit,
style of the workmanship and of the inscription, since we know that the Pseudolus was not repre-
the date of the artist is supposed to be about A. U. sented till B. c. 191, and the Bacchides somewhat
500, B. c. 254. (Winckelmann, Gesch. d. Kunst, later, according to the probable supposition of
b. viii. c. 4. $ 7; Müller, Arch. d. Kunst, § 173, n. Ritschl. But though the date of Plantus's death
4. )
[P. S. ) seems certain, the time of his birth is a more
PLAUẤTIUS QUINTILLUS. (QUINTIL- doubtful point. Ritschl, who has examined the
LUS. )
subject with great diligence and acumen in his
PLAU'TIUS RUFUS. [RUFUS. ]
essay De Aetate Plauti, supposes that he was born
PLAUTUS, the most celebrated comic poet of about the beginning of the sixth century of the
Rome, was a native of Sarsina, a small village in city (about B. C. 254), and that he commenced
Umbria. Almost the only particulars, which we his career as a comic poet about B. c. 224, when he
possess respecting his life, are contained in a pas- was thirty years of age. This supposition is con-
sage of A. Gellius (iii. 3), which is quoted from firmed by the fact that Cicero speaks (Cato, 14)
Varro. According to this account it would appear of the Pseudolus, which was acted in B. c. 191, as
that Plautus was of. humble origin (compare Plar written by Plautus when he was an old man, an epi-
tinae prosupiae homo, Minuc. Felix, Oct. 14), and thet which Cicero would certainly have given to no
that he came to Rome at an early age. Varro re- one under thirty years of age ; and also by the
lated that the poet was first employed as a work circumstance that in another passage of Cicero
man or a menial for the actors on the stage (in (quoted by Augustine, De Civ. Dei, ii. 9), Plautus
operis artificum scenicorum), and that with the and Naevius are spoken of as the contemporaries of
money which he earned in this way, he embarked P. and Cn. Scipio, of whom the former was consul
in some business, but that having lost all his money in B. C. 222, and the latter in B. c. 218. The
in trade, he returned to Rome, and, in order to principal objection to the above mentioned date for
gain a living, was obliged to work at a hand-mill
, the birth of Plautus, arises from a passage of Cicero,
grinding corn for a baker. Varro further adds in his Tusculan Disputations (i. 1), according to
that while employed in this work (in pistrino), he which it would appear that Plautus and Naevius
wrote three comedies, the Saturio, Addictus, and a were younger than Ennius, who was born in B. C.
third, of which the name is not mentioned. Hiero- | 239. But we know that this cannot be true of
nymus, in the Chronicon Eusebius, gives almost Naevius ; and Ritschl has shown that the passage,
the same account, which he probably also derived when rightly interpreted, refers to Livius, and not
from Varto. It would seem that it was only for to Ennius, being older than Naevius and Plautus,
the sake of varying the narrative that he wrote Indeed, Cicero, in another of his works (Brut. 18.
" that as often as Plautus had leisure, he was ac- $ 23),* makes Plautus somewhat (aliquanto) older
customed to write plays and sell them. "
than Ennius, and states that Naevius and Plautus
This is all that we know for certain respecting bad exhibited many plays before the consulship of
the life of Plautus ; but even this little has not C. Cornelius and Q. Minucius, that is, before B. C.
been correctly stated by most authors of his life. 197. Moreover, from the way in which Naevius
Thus Lessing, in his life of the poet, relates that and Plautus are mentioned together, we may con-
Plautus early commenced writing plays for the clude that the latter was older than Ennius. Te
aediles, and acquired thereby a sufficient sum of rence, therefore, in his Prologue to the Andria (v.
money to enable him to embark in business. It is 18), has preserved the chronological order, when
the more necessary to call attention to this error, he speaks of “ Naevium, Plautum, Ennium. ” We
since, from the great authority of Lessing, it has may safely assign the second Punic war and a few
been repeated in most subsequent biographies of the years subsequently, as the flourishing period of the
poet. The words of Gellius, in operis artifuum literary life of Plautus.
scenicorum, have no reference to the composition of It is a curious fact that the full name of the
plays. The artifices scenici are the actors, who
employed servants to attend to various things • Read “cui si aequalis fuerit," and not “cui
which they needed for the stage, and a servant of I quum aequalis fuerit. ”
了
## p. 408 (#424) ############################################
408
PLAUTUS.
PLAUTUS.
i
poet has been erroneously given in all editions | at Rome he was in needy circumstances, and
of Plautus from the revival of learning down was first employed in the service of the actors.
to the present day. Ritschl first pointed out, With the money he had saved in this inferior
in an essay published in 1842, that the real name station he left Rome and set up in business :
of the poet was T. Maccius Plautus, and not M. but his speculations failed ; he returned to Rome,
Accius Plautus, as we find in all printed editions. and his necessities obliged him to enter the
It would take too much space to copy the proofs of service of a baker, who employed him in turning a
this fact, which are perfectly satisfactory. We hand-mill. While in this degrading occupation
need only state here that in not a single manuscript he wrote three plays, the sale of which to the
is the poet called M. Accius Plautus, but almost managers of the public games enabled him to quit
always Plautus simply, Plautus Comicus, or Plautus his drudgery, and begin his literary career. He
Comicus Poeta. Ritschl was first led to the discovery was then probably about 30 years of age (B. C.
of the real name of the poet by finding, in the Pa 224), and accordingly commenced writing come
limpsest manuscript in the Ambrosian library at dies a few years before the breaking out of the
Milan, the plays entitled T. Macci PLAVTI, and Second Punic War. He continued his literary
not M. Acci Plauti
. He has shown that the two occupation for about forty years, and died B. Ć.
names of M. Accius have been manufactured out of 184, when he was seventy years of age. His
the one of Maccius, just as the converse has hap- contemporaries at first were Livius Andronicus and
pened to the author of the Noctes Atticae, whose Naevius, afterwards Ennius and Caecilius: Te-
two names of A. Gellius have been frequently con- rence did not rise into notice till almost twenty
tracted into Agellius. Ritschl has restored the years after his death. During the long time that
true name of the poet in the prologies to two of he held possession of the stage, he was always a
his plays, where the present reading bears evident great favourite of the people ; and he expressed a
marks of corruption. Thus in the prologue to the bold consciousness of his own powers in the epitaph
Mercator (v. 10), we ought to read “ Eadem which he wrote for his tomb, and which has been
Latine Mercator Macci Titi," instead of “ Eadem preserved by A. Gellius (i. 24):-
Latine Mercator Marci Accii ;” and in the prologue “ Postquam est mortem aptus Plautus, comoedia
to the Asinaria (v. 11), Demophilus scripsit,
luget
Macciu' vortit barbare" is the true reading, and
Scena deserta, dein risus, ludus jocusque
not “ Demophilus scripsit, Marcus vortit barbare. "
Et numeri innumeri simul omnes collacrumarunt. "
T. Maccius was the original name of the poet.
The surname of Plautus was given him from the We now come to the works of Plautus. In the
flatness of his feet, according to the testimony of time of Varro there were 130 plays, which bore
Festus (p. 238, ed. Müller), who further states the name of Plautus, but of these a large portion
that people with flat feet were called Ploti by the was considered by the best Roman critics not to
Umbrians. But besides Plautus we find another be the genuine productions of the poet.
G. Winckelmann (one vol. 4to. Zürich, 1839) de- PLATOR. 1. The commander of Oreum for
serves especial mention for the accuracy of the text Philip, betrayed the town to the Romans, B. c.
and the beauty of the typography.
207 (Liv. xxviii. 6). He is probably the same
Of separate dialogues, or collections of dialogues, Plator whom Philip sent with some Illyrians,
the editions are almost endless. Those of the about the commencement of the Second Punic
Cratylus and Theaetetus, of the Euthyphro, Apo-war, to the assistance of the Cretans. (Polyb. iv.
logia, Crito, and Phaedo, of the Sophista, Politicus 55. )
and Parmenides, and of the Philebus and Sympo- 2. The brother of Gentius, the Illyrian king,
sium by Fischer ; of the Lysis, Charmides, Hip who is called Plator by Livy (xliv. 30), but Pleu-
pias Major, and Phaedrus, of the Gorgias and ratus by Poly bius. [PLBURATUS. )
Theaetetus, of the Cratylus, Euthydemus and Par- 3. Of Dyrrhacium, was slain by Piso, proconsul
menides, of the Phaedo, and of the Protagorns and in Macedonia, B. c. 57, although he had been hos-
Sophistes by Heindorf (whose notes exhibit both pitably received in the house of Plator. (Cic. in
acuteness and sound judgment); of the Phaedo by Pison. 34, comp. de llurus. Resp. 16. )
Wyttenbach ; of the Philebus, and of the Par
1
PLATORI'NUS, a cognomen of the Sulpicia
menides by Stallbaum (in the edition of the latter gens, which occurs only upon coins, one of which
of which the commentary of Proclus is incor- 1 is annexed. The obverse represents the head of
porated), are most worthy of note. Of the trans- | Augustus with the legend CAESAR AVGVSTVs, the
lations of Plato the most celebrated is the Latin
reverse the head of M. Agrippa, with the legend
version of Marsilius Ficinus (Flor. 1483-1481, PLATORINVS VIVIR. M. AGRIPPA (Eckhel, vol v.
and frequently reprinted). It was in this version, p. 317. )
which was made from manuscripts, that the writings
of Plato first appeared in a printed form. The
translation is so extremely close that it has almost
the authority of a Greek manuscript, and is of
great service in ascertaining varieties of reading.
This remark, however, does not apply to the later,
altered editions of it, which were published subse-
quently to the appearance of the Greek text of
Plato. There is no good English translation of the
whole of Plato, that by Taylor being by no means
COIN OP PLATORINUS.
The efforts of Floyer Sydenham were
much more successful, but he translated only a few PLAU’TIA GENS, plebeian.
The name is
of the pieces. There is a French translation by also written Plotius, just as we have both Clodius
V. Cousin. Schleiermacher's German translation is and Claudius. The first person of this gens who
incomparably the best, but is unfortunately incom- obtained the consulship was C. Plautius Proculus
plete. There is an Italian translation by Dardi in B. C. 358 ; and from that time down to the im-
Bembo. The versions of separate dialogues in dif- perial period many of the Plautii held at differen
ferent languages are too numerous to be noticed. intervals the highest offices in the state. Undes
We have space to notice only the following out of the republic we find the cognomens of DECIANUS,
the very numerous works written in illustration of HYPSAEUS, PROCULUS, Silvanus, Venno, VE-
Plato: -
Platonis Dialogorum Argumenta Exposita Nox: and to these there were still further additions
et Ilustrata, by Tiedemann (Bip. 1786); Syslem in the time of the empire, a list of which is given
der Platonischen Philosophie, by Tennemann (4 vols. below. A few of the Plautii occur without any
8vo. Leipz. 1792-5); Initia Philosophiae Pla-
and of them an account is also given
tonicae, by P. G. Van Heusde (ed. ii. Lugd. Bat. below. Those persons whose names are usually
1842); Platons Leben und Schriften, by G. A. F. written Plotius are spoken of under this form.
Ast (Leipz. 1816); Geschichte und System der The only cognomens occurring on coins are Hyp:
Platonischen Philosophie, by C. F. Hermann (Hei- saeus and Plancus ; and the latter surname
delb. 1838); Platonis de Ideis et Numeris Doctrina does not properly belong to the Plotii, but was
ex Aristotele illustrata, by F. A. Trendelenburg retained by Munatius Plancus after he had been
(Lips. 1826); Platonische Studien, by E. Zeller adopted by L. Plautius. (Plancus, No. 5. )
(Tübing. 1839). There are also numerous smaller PLAU’TIA URGULANILLA, the first wife
treatises by Böckh, C. F. Hermann, Stallbaum, &c. , of the emperor Claudius, who divorced her on ac-
which may be consulted with profit. Schleierma- count of her lewd conduct, and of her being sus-
cher's introductions to some of the dialogues have pected of murder. She bore two children during
been translated and published in a separate form in her marriage, Drusus, who died at Pompeii in
English.
(C. P. M. ] A. D. 20 [Drusus, No. 23), and Clandia, whom
PLATONIUS (NIAarávos), a grammarian, of she had by a freedman of Claudius, and who was
whom all that we know is that a treatise bearing therefore exposed by command of the emperor.
his name is generally prefixed to the editions (Suet. Claud. 26, 27. ).
of Aristophanes. It is entitled Περί διαφοράς PLAUTIANUS, L. (or C. ) FU'LVIUS, an
κωμωδιών. The subject is the difference between | African by birth, the fellow-townsman and pro-
bably a connection of Septimius Severus. He
volumes containing the various readings, and por- served as praefect of the praetorium under this
tions of the commentary of Proclus on the Cratylus, emperor, who loaded hiin with honours and
edited by Boissonade.
wealth, deferred to his opinion upon all important
accurate.
surname ;
DD 3
## p. 406 (#422) ############################################
406
PLAUTILLA.
PLAUTIUS.
FACILS
QOAT
COIN OF PLAUTILLA.
a
points of state policy, granted all his requests, and between her marriage and exile, a statement which
virtually made over much of the imperial authority it is extremely difficult to reconcile with the fact
into his hands. Intoxicated by these distinctions that a vast number of coins were struck in honour
Plautianus indulged in the most despotic tyranny; of this princess, not only in the city but in the
and perpetrated acts of cruelty almost beyond more distant provinces. She had a brother, Plau-
belief. His cupidity was boundless: no state, no tius, who shared her banishment and her fate.
province, no city escaped his exactions ; in Rome (Dion Cass. lxxvi. 6, lxxvii. 1; Herodian, iii. 13.
he plundered all whose wealth excited his avarice, $ 7, iv. 6. 87; Eckhel, vol. vii. p. 225. ) (W. R. ]
contrived the banishment or death of every one
who impeded or thwarted his schemes, and ven-
tured to treat with contumely even the empress
Domna and her sons. He reached the pinnacle of
his ambition when Severus in the year A. D. 202
selected his daughter Plautilla as the wife of
Caracalla, and on that occasion he presented the
bride with an outfit which a contemporary his-
torian declares would have sufficed for hfty queens.
But even gratified ambition brought him no hap-
piness. His external appearance gave evidence of
a mind ill at ease: when seen in public he was PLAU'TIUS. 1. A comic poet, some of whose
ever deadly pale, and shook with nervous agi-comedies were erroneously ascribed to Plautus, as
tation, partly, says Dion Cassius who was himself we learn from Varro. (Gell. iii. 3. )
an eye-witness of these things, from the irregu- 2. A. PLAUTIUS, was sent by the emperor Clau-
larities of his life and diet, and partly from the dius in A. D. 43 to subdue Britain. As he is called
hopes by which he was excited, and the terrors both by Tacitus and Suetonius a man of consular
by which he was torinented. But the high rank, he is perhaps the same as the A. Plautius,
fortunes of this second Sejanus were short-lived. who was one of the consules suffecti in A. D. 29.
Having soon discovered the dislike cherished by Plautius remained in Britain four years, and sub-
Caracalla towards both his daughter and himself
, dued, after a severe struggle, the southern part of
and looking forward with apprehension to the the island. Vespasian, who was afterwards em-
downfall which awaited him upon the death of the peror, served under him and distinguished himself
sovereign, he resolved to anticipate these threat greatly in the war. In the first campaign Claudius
ened disasters by effecting the destruction of his himself passed over to Britain, and on his return
benefactor and of his son-in-law. His treachery to Rome celebrated a triumph for the victories
was discovered, he was suddenly summoned to which he pretended to have gained. Plautius
the palace, and there put to death in A. D. 203. came back to the city in a. D. 47, and was allowed
His property was confiscated, his daughter ban- by Claudius the unusual honour of an ovation ; and
ished, and his name erased from the public monu- to show the favour in which he was held by the
ments on which it had been inscribed side by side emperor, the latter walked by his side both on his
with those of the emperor and the royal family. way to and his return from the Capitol. When sub-
We onght to remark that the treason of Plautianus sequently his wife Pomponia Graecina was accused
"ests upon the testimony of Herodian, for Dion of religious worship unauthorised by the state, her
Cassius rather leans to the belief that this charge husband was granted the privilege of deciding
was fabricated by Caracalla for the ruin of an upon the case himself, according to the custom of
obnoxious favourite. (Dion Cass. lxxv. 14-16, the old Roman law. (Dion Cass. lx. 19-21, 30;
lxxvi. 2–9, lxxvii. 1; Herodian, iü. 13. $ 7, iv. Suet. Claud. 24, Vesp. 4; Tac. Agr. 14, Ann.
6. $ 7; Eckhel, vol. vii. p. 224. ) [W. R. ) xiii. 32).
PLAUTIANUS, QUINTILLUS, a senator 3. Q. PLAUTIUS, consul A. D. 36 with Sex.
of high rank, blameless life and retired habits, Papirius Allienus. (Dion Cass. lviii. 26 ; Tac.
who when far advanced in years was rashly put to Ann. vi. 40; Plin. H. N. x. 2. )
death by Septimius Severus upon some vague suis- 4. A. PLAUTIUS, a youth slain by Nero. (Suet.
picion. His last words have been preserved by Ner. 35. )
Dion Cassius (lxxvi. 7).
[W. R. ) 5. Son of Fulvius Plautianus (PLAUTIANUS),
PLAUTIL'LA, FU’LVIA, daughter of Plau- upon the downfall of his father was banished along
tianus (PLAUTIANUS) praefect of the praetorium with his sister Plautilla (PLAUTILLA) to Lipara,
under Septimius Severus, by whom she was selected where he was subsequently put to death by Cara-
as the bride of his eldest son. This union, which calla. (Dion Cass. lxxvi. 7, lxxvii. 1 ; Herodian
took place in A. D. 202, proved most unhappy, for vi. 13. $ 7, iv. 6. § 7. )
Caracalla was from the first averse to the match, PLAU'TIUS, a Roman jurist, who is not men-
and even after the marriage was concluded virtually tioned by Pomponius, though he lived before Pom-
refused to acknowledge her as his wife. Upon ponius. That he was a jurist of some note may be
the disgrace and death of her father she was inferred from the fact that Paulus wrote eighteen
banished, first, it would appear, to Sicilt, and | Libri ad Plautium [PAULUS, JULIUS). Jarolenus
subsequently to Lipara, where she was treated also wrote five books ad Plautium or ex Plautio,
with the greatest harshness, and supplied with and Pomponius seven books. Plautius cited Cas-
scarcely the necessaries of life. After the murder sius (Dig. 34. tit. 2. s. 8) and Proculus (Dig. 35.
of Geta in A. D. 212, Plautilla was put to death tit. 1. 8. 43), and was cited by Neratius Priscus,
by order of her husband. According to the who wrote Libri ex Plautio [Neratius Priscus).
narrative of Dion Cassius, who represents her a Plautius therefore lived about the time of Vespa-
woman of most profligate liſe, a very short period, sian. (Grotius, Vitue Jurisconsult. ; Zimmern,
not more, probably, than a few months, intervened | Geschichte des Röm. Privatrechts, p. 322 ; Vatican.
## p. 407 (#423) ############################################
PLAUTUS
407
PLAUTUS.
U'TIUS
Frag. $ 74, 82 ; and $ 77, which is a testimony | such a kind was called an operarius, as we see
to the merits of Plautius ; Wieling, Jurispru- from funeral inscriptions. Moreover, if Plautus
dentia Restituta, p. 338. )
(G. L. ] had previously written plays for the stage, which
PLAUTIUS LATERA'NUS. [LATERA- must have already gained him some reputation, it
NUB. )
is not likely that he should have been compelled on
PLAU'TIUS, NOʻVIUS, a Roman artist, in the his return to Rome to engage in the menial office
department of ornamental metal-work (caelutura). of a grinder at a mill for the sake of obtaining a
He was the maker of one of the most admired of livelihood. On the contrary, it is much more pro-
those cylindrical bronze caskets (cistae mysticae), bable that the comedies which he composed in the
which are found in combs in Italy, containing pa- mill, were the first that he ever wrote, and that the
terae, mirrors, and utensils of the bath, such as reputation and money which he acquired by them
strigils. The greatest number of such caskets have enabled him to abandon his menial mode of life.
been found at Praeneste, where some of them sccm The age of Plautus has been a subject of no
to have been laid up in the temple of Fortune, as small controversy. Cicero says (Brut. 15) that he
votive offerings from women. The one which bears died in the consulship of P. Claudius and L. Por-
the name of Plautius is beautifully engraved with cius, when Cato was consor, that is, in v. c. 184 ;
subjects from the Argonautic expedition ; a hunt and there is no reason to doubt this express state
is engraved round the lid, which is surmounted by ment. It is true that Hieronymus, in the Chro
three figures in bronze ; and on the lid is the fol. nicon of Eusebius, places bis death in the 145th
lowing inscription : on the one side, DINDIA. MA- Olympiad, fourteen years earlier (B. C. 200) ; but
COLINA . FILEA. DEDIT,-on the other, Novios. the dates of Hieronymus are frequently erroneous,
PLAUTIOS. MED. (me) ROMAI. FECID. From the and this one in particular deserves all the less credit,
style of the workmanship and of the inscription, since we know that the Pseudolus was not repre-
the date of the artist is supposed to be about A. U. sented till B. c. 191, and the Bacchides somewhat
500, B. c. 254. (Winckelmann, Gesch. d. Kunst, later, according to the probable supposition of
b. viii. c. 4. $ 7; Müller, Arch. d. Kunst, § 173, n. Ritschl. But though the date of Plantus's death
4. )
[P. S. ) seems certain, the time of his birth is a more
PLAUẤTIUS QUINTILLUS. (QUINTIL- doubtful point. Ritschl, who has examined the
LUS. )
subject with great diligence and acumen in his
PLAU'TIUS RUFUS. [RUFUS. ]
essay De Aetate Plauti, supposes that he was born
PLAUTUS, the most celebrated comic poet of about the beginning of the sixth century of the
Rome, was a native of Sarsina, a small village in city (about B. C. 254), and that he commenced
Umbria. Almost the only particulars, which we his career as a comic poet about B. c. 224, when he
possess respecting his life, are contained in a pas- was thirty years of age. This supposition is con-
sage of A. Gellius (iii. 3), which is quoted from firmed by the fact that Cicero speaks (Cato, 14)
Varro. According to this account it would appear of the Pseudolus, which was acted in B. c. 191, as
that Plautus was of. humble origin (compare Plar written by Plautus when he was an old man, an epi-
tinae prosupiae homo, Minuc. Felix, Oct. 14), and thet which Cicero would certainly have given to no
that he came to Rome at an early age. Varro re- one under thirty years of age ; and also by the
lated that the poet was first employed as a work circumstance that in another passage of Cicero
man or a menial for the actors on the stage (in (quoted by Augustine, De Civ. Dei, ii. 9), Plautus
operis artificum scenicorum), and that with the and Naevius are spoken of as the contemporaries of
money which he earned in this way, he embarked P. and Cn. Scipio, of whom the former was consul
in some business, but that having lost all his money in B. C. 222, and the latter in B. c. 218. The
in trade, he returned to Rome, and, in order to principal objection to the above mentioned date for
gain a living, was obliged to work at a hand-mill
, the birth of Plautus, arises from a passage of Cicero,
grinding corn for a baker. Varro further adds in his Tusculan Disputations (i. 1), according to
that while employed in this work (in pistrino), he which it would appear that Plautus and Naevius
wrote three comedies, the Saturio, Addictus, and a were younger than Ennius, who was born in B. C.
third, of which the name is not mentioned. Hiero- | 239. But we know that this cannot be true of
nymus, in the Chronicon Eusebius, gives almost Naevius ; and Ritschl has shown that the passage,
the same account, which he probably also derived when rightly interpreted, refers to Livius, and not
from Varto. It would seem that it was only for to Ennius, being older than Naevius and Plautus,
the sake of varying the narrative that he wrote Indeed, Cicero, in another of his works (Brut. 18.
" that as often as Plautus had leisure, he was ac- $ 23),* makes Plautus somewhat (aliquanto) older
customed to write plays and sell them. "
than Ennius, and states that Naevius and Plautus
This is all that we know for certain respecting bad exhibited many plays before the consulship of
the life of Plautus ; but even this little has not C. Cornelius and Q. Minucius, that is, before B. C.
been correctly stated by most authors of his life. 197. Moreover, from the way in which Naevius
Thus Lessing, in his life of the poet, relates that and Plautus are mentioned together, we may con-
Plautus early commenced writing plays for the clude that the latter was older than Ennius. Te
aediles, and acquired thereby a sufficient sum of rence, therefore, in his Prologue to the Andria (v.
money to enable him to embark in business. It is 18), has preserved the chronological order, when
the more necessary to call attention to this error, he speaks of “ Naevium, Plautum, Ennium. ” We
since, from the great authority of Lessing, it has may safely assign the second Punic war and a few
been repeated in most subsequent biographies of the years subsequently, as the flourishing period of the
poet. The words of Gellius, in operis artifuum literary life of Plautus.
scenicorum, have no reference to the composition of It is a curious fact that the full name of the
plays. The artifices scenici are the actors, who
employed servants to attend to various things • Read “cui si aequalis fuerit," and not “cui
which they needed for the stage, and a servant of I quum aequalis fuerit. ”
了
## p. 408 (#424) ############################################
408
PLAUTUS.
PLAUTUS.
i
poet has been erroneously given in all editions | at Rome he was in needy circumstances, and
of Plautus from the revival of learning down was first employed in the service of the actors.
to the present day. Ritschl first pointed out, With the money he had saved in this inferior
in an essay published in 1842, that the real name station he left Rome and set up in business :
of the poet was T. Maccius Plautus, and not M. but his speculations failed ; he returned to Rome,
Accius Plautus, as we find in all printed editions. and his necessities obliged him to enter the
It would take too much space to copy the proofs of service of a baker, who employed him in turning a
this fact, which are perfectly satisfactory. We hand-mill. While in this degrading occupation
need only state here that in not a single manuscript he wrote three plays, the sale of which to the
is the poet called M. Accius Plautus, but almost managers of the public games enabled him to quit
always Plautus simply, Plautus Comicus, or Plautus his drudgery, and begin his literary career. He
Comicus Poeta. Ritschl was first led to the discovery was then probably about 30 years of age (B. C.
of the real name of the poet by finding, in the Pa 224), and accordingly commenced writing come
limpsest manuscript in the Ambrosian library at dies a few years before the breaking out of the
Milan, the plays entitled T. Macci PLAVTI, and Second Punic War. He continued his literary
not M. Acci Plauti
. He has shown that the two occupation for about forty years, and died B. Ć.
names of M. Accius have been manufactured out of 184, when he was seventy years of age. His
the one of Maccius, just as the converse has hap- contemporaries at first were Livius Andronicus and
pened to the author of the Noctes Atticae, whose Naevius, afterwards Ennius and Caecilius: Te-
two names of A. Gellius have been frequently con- rence did not rise into notice till almost twenty
tracted into Agellius. Ritschl has restored the years after his death. During the long time that
true name of the poet in the prologies to two of he held possession of the stage, he was always a
his plays, where the present reading bears evident great favourite of the people ; and he expressed a
marks of corruption. Thus in the prologue to the bold consciousness of his own powers in the epitaph
Mercator (v. 10), we ought to read “ Eadem which he wrote for his tomb, and which has been
Latine Mercator Macci Titi," instead of “ Eadem preserved by A. Gellius (i. 24):-
Latine Mercator Marci Accii ;” and in the prologue “ Postquam est mortem aptus Plautus, comoedia
to the Asinaria (v. 11), Demophilus scripsit,
luget
Macciu' vortit barbare" is the true reading, and
Scena deserta, dein risus, ludus jocusque
not “ Demophilus scripsit, Marcus vortit barbare. "
Et numeri innumeri simul omnes collacrumarunt. "
T. Maccius was the original name of the poet.
The surname of Plautus was given him from the We now come to the works of Plautus. In the
flatness of his feet, according to the testimony of time of Varro there were 130 plays, which bore
Festus (p. 238, ed. Müller), who further states the name of Plautus, but of these a large portion
that people with flat feet were called Ploti by the was considered by the best Roman critics not to
Umbrians. But besides Plautus we find another be the genuine productions of the poet.
