No More Learning

190: the
of No. 3, was perhaps the Lepidus who is said to other two we may therefore look upon as his
have served in the army while still a boy (puer), grandsons. (Polyb. xvi. 34 ; Liv. xxxi. 2, 18,
and to have killed an enemy, and saved the life of xxxii. 7, xxxv. 10, 24, xxxvi. 2, xxxviii. 42,
a citizen. (Val. Max. iii. 1. & 1. ) This event is xxxix. 2, 56 ; Polyb. xxiii. 1 ; Val. Max. vi. 3.
referred to in the accompanying coin of the Aemilia $ 3; Liv. xl. 42, 45, 46; Val. Max. iv. 2. $ 1;
gens: it bears on the obverse a woman's head, and Cic. de Prov. Cons. 9; Liv. Epit. 48, comp. xl. 51,
on the reverse a horseman, with the legend M. LE- xli. 27, xliii. 15, Epil. 46, 47 ; Polyb. xxxii. 22. )
PIDUS AN. XV. PR. H. O. C. S. , that is, M. Lepidus The following coin of Lepidus refers to his embassy
annorum xv. praetextatus hostem occidit, civem ser to Egypt mentioned above, and to his acting as guar-
dian of Ptolemy V. The obverse contains a female
head, intended to represent the city of Alexandria,
with the legend ALEXANDREA, and the reverse
Lepidus placing the diadem on the head of the
king, with the legend M. LEPIDVS PONT. MAX.
From the fact that Lepidus is
BIDVS
here described as pontifex maximus, and that Vale
rius Maximus (vi. 6. § 1), in relating his guardian-
ship, speaks of him as pontifex maximus and twice
consul, Pighius has supposed (Annal. vol. ii. p.
vavit. He was one of three ambassadors sent by 403) that Lepidus must have been guardian of the
the Romans in B. C. 201 to the Egyptian court, Ptolemies VI. and VII. ; but Eckhel (vol
. v. pp.
which was then a firm ally of the republic, and had 123-126) has very ably refuted this opinion, and
solicited them to send some one to administer the has shown that this coin was struck by one of the
affairs of the kingdom for their infant sovereign descendants of Lepidus, who would naturally
Ptolemy V. Although Lepidus was the youngest introduce in the legend of the coin one of the dis-
of the three ambassadors, he seems to have enjoyed tinguished offices of his ancestor, though held at a
the most power and influence, and accordingly we period subsequent to the event commemorated on
find writers speaking of him alone as the tutor of the coin,
the Egyptian king (Tac. Ann. ii. 67 ; Justin. XXX.
2, 3; Val. Max. vi. 6. § 1); and it is not impro-
bable that he remained in Egypt in that capacity
when his colleagues returned to Rome. His supe-
rior importance is also shown by his colleagues
sending him alone to Philip III. of Macedonia,
who had exhibited signs of hostility towards the
Romans by the siege of Abydos, and who was not
a little astonished at the haughty bearing of the
young Roman noble on this occasion. How long
Lepidus remained in Egypt is uncertain, but as he 8. M. AEMILIUS M'. F. M. N. LEPIDUS, son
was chosen one of the pontiffs in B. C. 199, we must probably of No. 6, consul B. C. 158, is mentioned
conclude that he was in Rome at that time, though only by Pliny (H. N. xxxiv. 6), and in the Fasti.
he may have returned again to Egypt. He was We learn from the Fasti Capitolini that he was
elected aedile B. c. 192, praetor 191 with Sicily as M. f. M. n; from which we perceive that he
TVTOR REG. S. C.
COIN OF M. AEMILIUS LEPIDUS.
a
ITIE
AMORE
ONMAN
LEX
EPIDE
COIN OF M. AEMILIUS LEPIDUS.


## p. 764 (#780) ############################################

764
LEPIDUS.
LEPIDUS.
was a son.
could not have been the son of No. 7, as Drumann 12. Q. Aemilius LEPIDUS, the grandfather of
alleges.
Lepidus the triumvir, must have been either a son
9. M. AEMILIUS LEPIDUS, the son of No. 7, or grandson of No. 7. (See below, No. 17. ) But
tribune of the soldiers in the war against Anti-the dates will hardly allow us to suppose that he
ochus the Great, B. c. 190. (Liv. xxxvii. 43. )
He was therefore probably a son of
10. M. AEMilius M. f. M. n. Lepidus Por- No. 9, and a grandson of No. 7.
CINA, son probably of No. 9, and grandson of No. 13. M. AEMILIUS Q. F. M. N. LEPIDUS, the
7, was consul B. c. 137. He was sent into Spain son of No. 11, and the father of the triumvir, was
in his consulship to succeed his colleague C. Hos pretor in Sicily in B. c. 81, where he earned a
tilius Mancinus, who had been defeated by the character by his oppressions only second to that of
Numantines (MANCINUS); and while he was Verres. (Cic. in Verr. iii. 91. ) In the civil wars
waiting for reinforcements from home, as he was between Marius and Sulla he belonged at first to
not yet in a condition to attack the Numantines, the party of the latter, and acquired considerable
he resolved to make war upon the Vaccaei, under property by the purchase of confiscated estates ;
the pretence of their having assisted the Numan, but he was afterwards seized with the ambition
tines. This he did merely from the desire of dis- of becoming a leader of the popular party, to
tinguishing himself; and the senate, immediately which post he might perhaps consider himself as in
his intention became known, sent deputies to com- some degree entitled, by having married Appulein,
mand him to desist from his design, as they depre the daughter of the celebrated tribune Appuleinis
cated a new war in Spain, after experiencing 60 Saturnimus. He accordingly sued for the con-
many disasters. Lepidus, however, had commenced sulship in B. c. 79, in opposition to Sulla ; but
the war before the deputies arrived, and had sum- the latter, who had resigned his dictatorship in
moned to his assistance his relation, D. Brutus, who this year, felt that his power was too well esta-
commanded in Further Spain, and was a general blished to be shaken by any thing that Lepidus
of considerable experience and skill. [Brutus could do, and accordingly made no efforts to oppose
No. 15, p. 509, b. ) Notwithstanding his aid, his election. Pompey, moreover, whose vanity
Lepidus was unsuccessful. After laying waste the was inflamed by the desire of returning a candidate
open country, the two generals laid siege to Pal- against the wishes of the all-powerful Sulla, ex-
lantia, the capital of the Vaccaei (the modern erted himself warmly to secure the election of
Palencia), but they suffered so dreadfully from Lepidus, and not only succeeded, but brought him
want of provisions, that they were obliged to raise in by more votes than his colleague, Q. Lutatius
the siege ; and a considerable part of their army Catulus, who belonged to the ruling party. Sulla
was destroyed by the enemy in their retreat. This viewed all these proceedings with great indiffer-
happened in the proconsulship of Lepidus, B. C. ence, and contented himself with warning Pompey,
136 ; and when the news reached Rome, Lepidus when he met him returning in pride from the elec-
was deprived of his command, and condemned to tion, that he had strengthened one who would be
pay a fine. (Appian, Hisp. 80-83, who says his rival.
that Lepidus was deprived of his consulship, by The death of Sulla in the following year, B. C.
which we must understand proconsulship; Liv. 78, soon after Lepidus and Catulus had entered
Epit. 56; Oros. v. 5. ) Lepidus was augur in B. C. upon their consulship, determined Lepidus to make
125, when he was summoned by the censors, Cn. the bold attempt to rescind the laws of Sulla and
Servilius Caepio and L. Cassius Longinus, to ac- overthrow the aristocratical constitution which he
count for having built a house in too magnificent a had established. There were abundant materials
style. (Vell Pat ii 10 ; Val. Max. viii. 1, damn. 7. ) of discontent in Italy, and it would not have been
Lepidus was a man of education and refined difficult to collect a numerous army ; but the rie-
taste.
Cicero, who had read his speeches, speaks tory of the aristocratical party was too firmly
of him as the greatest orator of his age, and says secured by Sulla's military colonies to fear any
that he was the first who introduced into Latin attempts that Lepidus might make, since he did
oratory the smooth and even flow of words and the not possess either sufficient influence or sufficient
artificial construction of sentences which distin- talent to take the lead in a great revolution. He
guished the Greek. He helped to form the style seems, moreover, to have reckoned upon the as-
of Tib. Gracchus and C. Carbo, who were accus sistance of Pompey, who remained, on the con-
tomed to listen to him with great care.
trary, firm to the aristocracy. The first movement
however, very deficient in a knowledge of law and of Lepidus was to endeavour to prevent the burial
Roman institutions. (Cic. Brute 25, 86, 97, de of Sulla in the Campus Martius, but he was obliged
Orat. i. 10, Tuscul. i. 3; Auctor, ad Herenn. iv. 5. ) | to relinquish this design through the opposition of
In politics Lepidus seems to have belonged to the Pompey. He next formally proposed several laws
aristocratical party. He opposed in his consulship with the object of abolishing Sulla’s constitution,
(B. C. 137) the law for introducing the ballot (lex but their exact provisions are not mentioned by
tabellaria) proposed by L. Cassius Longinus (Cic. the ancient writers. We know, however, that he
Brut. 25); and it appears from a fragment of Pris proposed to recall all persons who had been pro-
cian (vol. i. p. 456), that Lepidus spoke in favour of scribed, and to restore to them their property,
a repeal of the lex Aemilia, which was probably which had passed into the hands of other parties.
the sumptuary law proposed by the consul, M. Such a measure would alone have thrown all
Aemilius Scaurus in B. C. 115. (Meyer, Orator. Italy into confusion again. At Rome the utmost
Rom. Fragm. p. 193, &c. 2d. ed. )
agitation prevailed. Catulus showed himself a
11. M. Aemilius M. f. M. n. Lepidus, consul firm and dauntless friend of the aristocracy,
B. c. 126 (Cic. Brut. 28 ; Obsequ. 89; Oros. v. 10. ), and appears to have obtained a tribune to put
and brother apparently of No. 10. , though it is his veto upon the rogations of Lepidus. The
difficult to account for their both having the same exasperation between the two parties rose to its
praenomen.
height, and the senate saw no other means of
He was,
p


## p. 765 (#781) ############################################

LEPIDUS.
765
LEPIDUS.
avoiding an immediate outbreak except by inducing | he retired to his Formian villa to watch the prin
the two consuls to swear that they would not take gress of events. Here he was in almost daily in-
up arms against one another. 'To this they both tercourse with Cicero, from whose letters we learn
consented, and Lepidus the more willingly, as the that Lepidus was resolved not to cross the sea with
oath, according to his interpretation, only bound Pompey, but to yield to Caesar if the latter was
him during his consulship, and he had now time to likely to be victorious. lle erentually returned to
collect resources for the coming contest. These Rome in March. (Sall. Cat. 18; Cic. in Cal. i. 6,
the senate itself supplied him with. They had in pro Sull. 4; Dion Cass. xxxvi. 25; Ascon. in
the previous year voted Italy and Further Gaul as Corncl
. p. 66, ed. Orelli ; Cic. ad All, vii. 12, 23,
the consular provinces, and the latter had fallen to viii. 1, 6, 9, 15, ix. 1. )
Lepidus, Anxious now to remove him from Italy, 16. L. AEMILIUS M. F. Q. N. PAULLUS, was a
the senate ordered him to repair to his province, son of No. 13, and a brother of M. Lepidus, the
under the pretence of threatening dangers, and triumvir. (Vell. Pat. ii. 67. ) His surname Paullus
furnished him with money and supplies. Lepidus instead of Lepidus has led many to suppose that
left the city ; but instead of repairing to his pro- he was only an adopted brother of the iriamvir ;
vince he stopped in Etruria and collected an army. but Drumann has shown that Paullas was own
The senate thercupon ordered hiin to return to the brother of the triumvir. (Drumann's Rom, vol. i.
city in order to hold the comitia for the election of p. 5. ). The surname of Paullus was probably given
the consuls ; but he would not trust himself in him by his father in honour of the celebrated
their hands This year seems to have passed Aemilius Paullus, the conqueror of Macedonia,
away without any decisive measures on either side. which he might do with the less scruple, as Paullus
At the beginning of the following year, however, appears to have left no descendants bearing his
B. c. 77, Lepidus was declared a public enemy by name. Lepidus might therefore naturally desire
the senate. Without waiting for the forces M. that this family should be, as it were, again revived
Brutus, who had espoused bis cause and commanded by one of his sons; and to show the more honour
in Cisalpine Gaul, Lepidus marched straight against to the name, he gave it to his eldest son ; for that
Rome. "Here Pompey and Catulus were prepared L. Paullus was older than his brother the triumvir
to receive him ; and in the battle which was fought appears almost certain from the respective dates at
under the walls of the city, in the Campus Martius, which they attained the offices of the state. Some
Lepidus was easily defeated and obliged to take to writers have supposed that the triumvir must bare
flight. While Pompey marched against Brutus in been the elder from his bearing the praenomen of
Cisalpine Gaul, whom he overcame and put to his father ; but since Lucius was the praepomen of
death (Brutus, No. 20), Catulus followed Lepi- the conqueror of Macedonia, we can easily under-
dus into Etruria Finding it impossible to hold stand why the father should depart on this occasion
his ground in Italy, Lepidus sailed with the re- from the usual Roman practice of giving his own
mainder of his forces to Sardinia; but repulsed even praenomen to his eldest son.
in this island by the propraetor, he died shortly Since Aemilius Paullus undoubtedly belonged
afterwards of chagrin and sorrow, which is said to to the family of the Lepidi, and not to that of the
have been increased by the discovery of the infi- Paulli, he is inserted in this place and not under
delity of his wife. The aristocratical party used PAULLUS.
their victory with great moderation, probably from Aemilius Paullus did not follow the example of
fear of driving their opponents to join Sertorius his father, but commenced his public career by
in Spain. (Sall
. Hist. lib. 1, and Fragm. p. 190, warmly supporting the aristocratical party. His
in Gerlach's ed. min. ; Appian, B. C. i. 105, 107 ; first public act was the accusation of Catiline in
Plut. Sull. 34, 38, Pomp. 15, 16 ; Liv. Epit. 90 ; B. C. 63, according to the Lex Plautia de vi, an act
Flor. iii. 23 ; Oros. v. 22 ; Eutrop. vi. 5; Tac. which Cicero praised as one of great service to the
Ann. iii. 27 ; Suet. Cacs. 3, 5; Cic. in Cat. iii. 10; state, and on account of which Paullus incurred
Plin. H. N. vii. 36, 54 ; Drumann's Rom, vol. iv. the hatred of the popular party. He must then have
Pp. 339–346. )
been quite a young man, for he was not quaestor
14. MAM. A EMILIUS MAM. F. M. n. LEPIDUS till three years afterwards ; and it was during his
LIVIANUS, who appears to have been a grandson of quaestorship in Macedonia, in B. C. 59, under the
No. 8, but only an adopted son, as his surname propraetor C. Octavius, that he was accused by
Livianus shows, was consul, B. c. 77, with D. Junius L. Vettius as one of the persons privy to the pre-
Brutus. He belonged to the aristocratical party, and tended conspiracy against the life of Pompey. He
is mentioned as one of the influential persons who is mentioned in B. c. 57 as exerting himself to ob-
prevailed upon Sulla to spare the life of the young tain the recall of Cicero from banishment.
Julius Caesar. He failed in obtaining the consul- In his aedileship, B. c. 55, Paullus restored one
ship at his first attempt, because he was supposed, of the ancient basilicae in the middle of the forum,
though very rich, to have declined the office of and likewise commenced a new one of extraordi-
aedile in order to avoid the expences attending it. nary size and splendour. (Cic. ad Att. iv. 16. )
(Suet. Caes. 1; Cic. Brut. 47, de Off. ii. 17 ; Respecting these basilicae, which have given rise
Obsequ. 119; Val. Max. vii. 7. $ 6.