Aurelius, was dis-
tinguished alike for his high principles and for his
eloquence, in which he was excelled by no one
among his contemporaries.
tinguished alike for his high principles and for his
eloquence, in which he was excelled by no one
among his contemporaries.
William Smith - 1844 - Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities - c
C.
412 with C.
and in all probability the third alone belongs to
Furius Pacilus. (Liv. iv. 52. ) He was the last the Sex. Aurelius Victor whom we have noticed
Fabius of the name of Vibulanus. Ambustus now above.
became the name of the family. [AM BUSTUS. ) 1. Origo Gentis Romanae, in twenty-three chap-
VIBU'LE’NUS AGRIPPA. [AGRIPPA. ) ters, containing the annals of the Roman race, froin
L. VIBU'LLIUS RUFUS, a senator and an Janus and Saturnus down to the era of Romalus.
intimate friend of Pompey, is mentioned on one or We bere find many curious tales and traditions
two occasions by Ciccro before the breaking out of derived apparently from ancient sources, and it
the civil war. He was a man of resolution and may be regarded as a valuable contribution towards
energy, and was much trusted by Pompey, who the legendary history of the city. Joannes Me-
made him Praefectus Fabrûm in the civil war. tellus, Ausonius Popma, and others, have assigned
When Caesar marched into Italy at the beginning this tract to Asconius Pedianus, influenced chiefly
of B. C. 49, Pompey sent Vibullius into Picenum by some expressions in which they conceived that
to strengthen his cause in that quarter, but he was the author spoke of Livy and Virgil as his contem-
unable to effect any thing, as all the towns de- poraries, but the passages in which these occur
clared in favour of Caesar, and he accordingly (xxiii. § 7, iii. & 7, vii. § 4), do not fairly admit
threw himself into Corfinium, which was held by of any such interpretation, while the general tone
Domnitius Ahenobarbus. Vibullius was one of the of the phraseology certainly bears no resemblance
Benators who fell into Caesar's hands on the sur. to that of the Augustan age. On the other hand, it
render of Corfinium, and was along with the others seems certain, from the total dissimilarity in style,
dismissed uninjured by the conquerors. A few that it cannot have proceeded from the same band
days afterwards Pompey sent him into Spain to with the two pieces which we shall next describe ;
assist Afranius and Petreius in carrying on war and for this and other reasons Arntzenius has pru-
against Caesar. He was again taken prisoner by nounced it to be the production of some of the later
Caesar on the conquest of Pompey's troops in that grammarians who were desirous of prefixing a suit-
country, and was again pardoned. When Caesar able introduction to the series. The Origo was
landed in Greece in B. c. 48, he despatched him to first printed at Antwerp, 8vo. 1579, with the com-
Pompey with offers of peace, and Vibullius made mentary of Andreas Schottus in a volume, contain-
the greatest haste to reach Poinpey, not from any ing also the three following: -
desire to favour the views of Caesar, but in order to II. De Viris illustribus Urbis Romae, in eighty-
give Pompey the earliest intelligence possible of the six chapters, commencing with the birth of the
arrival of his enemy in Greece. (Cic. ad. Q. Fr. twin sons of Mars and Ilia, and concluding with
iii. 1. & 5, ad Att. vii. 24, viii. 1, 2, 11, 15; Caes. the death of Cleopatra The whole, or nearly the
B. C. i. 15, 23, 34, 38, iii. 10, 11. )
whole of the MSS. attach the name of Plinius
VICA POTA, that is," the Victor and Con- to this piece : by some scholars it has been given to
queror
(quae vincit et potitur), was a Roman Cornelius Nepos, by others to Aemilius Probus.
divinity of victory, whose temple was situated at the numerous mistakes with which it abounds
the fout of the hill Velia. (Liv. ii. 7; Cic. de forbid us to fix upon any one belonging to the
Leg. ii. 11. )
[L. S. ] brighter epochs of Roman literature. It was first
VICTOR, an abandoned man, whom it was sup- printed at Naples, by Sixtus Riesinger, about 1470,
posed that M. Antonius would recall from exile in and again by Jac. de Ripoli, at Florence, in 1478.
B. C. 44. (Cic. ad Fam. xiv. 14. )
III. De Cuesaribus, in forty-two chapters, ex-
VICTOR, SEX. AURE’LIUS, who is com, hibiting short biographies of the emperors, from
monly ranked among the Latin historians, flourished Augustus to Constantius. This, as we have stated,
in the middle of the fourth century under the may reasonably be regarded as the work of Sex.
emperor Constantius and his successors. Accord - Aurelius Victor, who was praefect of the city under
ing to his own account (de Caes. 20), that is, sup- Theodosius. It was first printed at Antwerp, 8vo.
posing the work from which we quote to be a 1579, with the commentary of Schottus.
genuine document, he was born in the country of IV. De Vita et Moribus Imperatorum Romanorum
very humble parents, but rose to distinction by his Excerpta ex libris Ser. Aurelii Victoris, or as it is
zeal in the cultivation of literature. Having at- frequently styled Sex. Aurelii Victoris Epitome de
tracted the attention of Julian when at Sirmium, Caesaribus, in forty-eight chapters, commencing with
he was appointed by that prince governor of one Augustus and concluding with Theodosius. These
division of Pannonia. At a subsequent period, he lives agree for the most part almost word for word
was elevated by Theodosius to the high office of with the preceding, but variations may here and
city praefect, and there seems no good reason to there be detected, some points being lightly passed
doubt that he is the Sex. Aurelius Victor, who over, or altogether omitted, in the one collection,
was consul along with Valentinian in A. D. 373. which are dwelt upon at considerable length in the
With regard to the period of his death, nothing is | other. This will be seen clearly by comparing the
## p. 1257 (#1273) ##########################################
VICTOR.
1257
VICTORINUS.
sections in each on Nerva and Hadrian. More- | hesitate to characterise them as wilful impostures.
over, it will be remarked, that while the first series (Consult the excellent papers on the Topography
terminates with Constantius, the second comes of Rome by E. H. Bunbury, published in the
down as low as Arcadius and Honorius. All the Classical Museum, and especially the remarks in
MSS. are inscribed with the words Epitome Victor. , No. X. p. 328. )
or Victoris, or Victorini, and a keen controversy has The De Regionibus Urbis Romae, as this pro-
been maintained as to the real name of the abbre- duction is usually entitled, was first printed by
viator. It seems clear, at all events, that he cannot Joannes de Tridino, at Venice, 4to. 1505, in a
be the Aurelius Victor who compiled the De Caesa- volume containing also“ Beda de Temporibus ;
ribus: he followed or rather copied the latter very it will be found under its best form in the Thesaurus
closely, but consulted other sources, and did not Antiquitatum Romanarum of Graevius, vol. iii. p. 37.
consider himself bound to adhere slavishly to his fol. Traj. ad Rhen. 1694.
(W. R. )
statements. The Epilone was first printed at VICTO'RIA, the personification of victory
Strasburg, 8vo. 1505, and again by Aldns, 8vo. among the Romans, as Nice was among the
Venet. 1516, at the end of his edition of Sueto- Greeks. Dionysius (i. 33) relates that Evander by
nius.
the command of Minerva dedicated on mount
These four picces were first published together Palatine a temple of Victoria, the daughter of
by Andreas Schottus (8vo. Antw. 1579), who Pallas. On the site of this ancient temple a new
brought to light the Origo and the De Cacsaribus one was built by L. Postumius, during the war
from the only MS. of them known to exist, and with the Samnites ; and M. Porcius Cato added to
laboured with great carnestness to prove that the it a chapel of Victoria Virgo. In later times thero
whole were the work of the same writer, and that existed three or four sanctuaries of Victory at
the writer was Sex. Aurelius Victor. The best Rome. (Liv. x. 33, xxix. 14, xxxv. 9; P. Victor,
edition which has yet appeared, is that of Jo. Reg. Urb. iv. vii, viii. )
[L. S. ]
Artzenius, Amst. et Traj. Bat. 1733, forming one
VICTO’RIA or VICTORI'N the name
of the Dutch Variorum Classics, in 4to. An elabo- given by Trebellius Pollio to the mother of Vic-
rate edition was commenced by Schroeter, of which torinus, and with her he completes his catalogue of
two volumes only have been published (8vo. Lips. the thirty tyrants (see AUREOLUS), two more being
1829, 1831) comprising the Origo and the De Viris thrown in as supernumeraries. According to this
illustribus.
[W. R. ] historian after the death of her son she was hailed
VICTOR, CLAU'DIUS, the nephew of Civilis
, as the mother of camps (Mater Castrorun); and
served under his uncle in the revolt of the Batavi coins were struck, bearing her effigy, in brass,
in A. D. 69–70, and was sent with Julius Maximus silver, and gold. Feeling herself however unequal
against Vocula. (Tac. Hist. iv. 33. )
to the weight of empire, she transferred her power
VICTOR, FLAVIUS, the son of Maximus, first to Marius, and then to Tetricus, by whom
who ruled as emperor in Spain, Gaul, and Britain, some say that she was slain, while others affirm
was associated by his father in the government that she died a natural death. Two medals have
with the title of Augustus. While Maximus been described, one bearing the legend IMP. VIC-
marched into Italy to wrest that country from the TORIA. AUG. , the other IMP. VICTORINA AUG. ;
feeble hands of Valentinian II. , Victor was left but they seem to be unique and are open to sus-
behind in Gaul. Theodosius himself conquered picion. (Trebell. Poll. Trig. Tyrann. iv. , vi. , XXX. ,
Maximus ; and shortly afterwards Arbogastes, the mentions both of the above names ; Aurel. Vict.
general of Theodosius, defeated Victor and put de Caes. xxxiii
. the former only ; comp. Eckhel,
him to death. For further details see MAXIMUS, vol. vii. p. 454. )
(W. R. )
p. 997, and THEODOSIUS, p. 1065.
VICTORI'NUS, C. AUFIDIUS, a chosen
friend and counsellor of M.
Aurelius, was dis-
tinguished alike for his high principles and for his
eloquence, in which he was excelled by no one
among his contemporaries. He was legate in Ger-
many, proconsul of Africa, and praefect of the city
under Commodus. Although detested by that
emperor on account of his virtues, he escaped de-
struction by his bold and fearless bearing, died a
natural death soon after the ruin of Perennis (PE-
RENNIS), and was honoured by the erection of a
VI'CTOR, PU'BLIUS, the name prefixed to an statue to his memory. He is probably the same
enumeration of the principal buildings and monu- person with the C. Aufidius Victorinus who is
ments of ancient Rome, distributed according to marked in the Fasti as consul for the second time
the regions of Augustus, which has generally been in d. D. 183, the year in which the first great
respected as a work of great authority by Italian plot against Commodus was organised and failed.
local antiquaries, from Nardini downwards. Bun- (Dion Cass. lxxii. 4, 11; Gruter, ccclxix. 2 ;
sen, however, in his Beschreibung der Stadt Rom Capitolin. M. Aurel. 38).
[W. R. ]
(vol. i. p. 173, 8vo. Stutt. 1830), after a careful VICTORI'NUS, CORNEʼLIUS, praefect of
examination into the history of this tract and of the the praetorians under Antoninus Pius. (Capitolin.
similar production ascribed to Sextus Rufus, has Anton. Pius, 8. )
[W. R. ]
arrived at the conclusion that, in their present VICTORI'NUS, FUʼRIUS, praefect of the
state, they cannot be received as ancient at all, but praetorians under M. Aurelius. (Capitolin. M.
must be regarded as mere pieces of patchwork Aurel. 14. )
(W. R. )
fabricated not earlier than the fifteenth century.
VICTORI'NUS, M. PIAVVOʻNIUS, who is
To this opinion Becker in his Handbuch der Rö- included by Trebellius Pollio in his list of the
mischen Alterthümer fully subscribes, and does not thirty tyrants (see AUREOLUS], was the third of
3
SIA
goal
est
BADPS
200990
COIN OF FLAVIUS VICTOR,
## p. 1258 (#1274) ##########################################
1258
VICTORINUS.
VICTORINUS.
V
Coos my
17
OVE
INTE
COIN OF VICTORINUS.
the usurpers who in succession ruled Gaul while it | he was originally a rhetorician (Victorinus, de oras
was dismembered from the empire during the reign tore episcopus, İnst. Div. 5). The difficulty, how-
of the imbecile son of Valerian. Victorinus, how. ever, will be removed if we suppose that Greek was
ever, had previously been assumed as a colleague his native language, but that he felt himself con-
by Postumus to whom he afforded important aid in strained to write in Latin, with which he was less
the war against Gallienus, and after the destruction conversant, because it was the tongue spoken in the
of Gallienus alone enjoyed the sovereignty. He is province where he exercised his episcopal functions.
said to have possessed many of the highest qnalities it is to be remarked that this Victorinus was loug
both of a general and a statesman, but was un supposed to have been bishop of Poitiers, an error
happily a slave to his passions, which eventually first dissipated by the dissertation of Launoy, who
proved his ruin, for he was assassinated at Agrip- demonstrated that Petabiuin in upper Pannonia,
pina by one of his own officers whose honour he and not Pictavium, was the see from which he de-
had wounded. This event 'seems to have taken rived his designation.
place in A. D. 268 after he had reigned for some- St. Jerome informs us that he wrote commen-
what more than a year. (Trebell. Pollio, Trig. tаrics In Genesin ; In Exodum; In Leviticum ;
Tyrann. v. ; Aurel. Vict. de Cacs. xxxiii. ; Eutrop. In Jesaiam ; In Ezechiclem ; In Abacuc ; In Ec-
ix. 7; it would be a vain task however to at- clesiasten ; In Cantica Canticorum ; In Apocalypsin
tempt to reconcile these authorities with each Joannis adversus omnes haerescs (some editors
other. )
place a stop after Jounnis and suppose Adrersus
omnes haercses to be the name of a separate tract);
and many other pieces. Of all these it is doubtful
whether any one remains. In the third volume of
the Bibliotheca Patrum Marima (fol. Lugdun.
1677) we find a Commentarius in Apocalypsin
bearing his name ; but the best judges have for
the most part either rejected it altogether or re-
garded it as much altered and interpolated by
different hands, both on account of the discrc-
pancies in style which may be here and there de-
tected, and also from the circumstance that the
millenarian doctrine is here directly impugned,
VICTORINUS JUNIOR, son of the foregoing ac. while we know that it was advocated by Victo-
cording to Pollio, by whom alone he is mentioned, rinus. The prologne is given up by all. The
being numbered among the thirty tyrants, was fragment published by Care (H. L. vol. i. p. 147),
proclaimed Caesar immediately before the death of from a MS. in the archiepiscopal library at Lam-
his father whose fate he shared. (Trebell. Pollio, beth, entitled De Fabrica Mundi, has, with better
Trig. Tyrann. vi. )
(W. R. ) reason, been supposed to be an extract from the
VICTORI'NÚS, literary and ecclesiastical. annotations on Genesis or on the Apocalypse, and
The subjects of the three following articles have here the opinions of the Chiliasts are avowedly
proved a source of considerable embarrassment to the supported.
historian of literature. Both the first and second ap- Various foundling poems have been fathered
pear to have been rhetoricians before they became upon this Victorinus without any evidence direct
theologians, both wrote commentaries on the Scrip. or circumstantial. Such are De Jesu Christo in
tures and both are believed to have been Christian 137 hexameters and Hymnus de Pascha Domini
poets, a series of coincidences which, combined with s. De Lugno Vitae in 70 hexameters, both contained
identity of name, rendered confusion almost ineri- | in the collection of Fabricius ; the De Cruce Domini
table, while the second and third, if we admit the found among the works of Cyprian (see Bed. de
existence of the third, having both compiled essays locis sanct. c. 2. ); and the five books Adversus
upon the same departments of grammar, became in Marcionem generally appended to editions of Ter-
like manner mixed up with each other. The diffi- tullian.
culties connected with the subject have been in (Our chief ancient authority for everything con-
some degree removed by Rivinus in a book ennected with Victorinus of Pettaw is St. Jerome,
titled Sanctae Reliquiae duur Victorinorum, Pic- who speaks of him in a great number of passages,
tariensis unius Episcopi Martyris, Afri alterius e. g. De Viris IV. 74, comp. 187, Praef. in lesai. ,
Cuii Murii, &c. 8vo. Goth. 1652, and by Launoy in In Ezech. c. 36, Praef. in Mutt. , Ad Damas. vol. ii.
his dissertation De Victorino Episcopo et Martyre, p. 569, Ad Paulin. vol. iv. p. 567, ed. Bened. &c. ;
Par. 1664, in the appendix to which we find a see also Cassiodor. Inst. Dio. 5, 7, 9; Lardner,
discussion on five distinguished persons who bore Credibility of Gospel History, c. Ivi. ; Schoenemann,
the name of Victorinus ; but several points are Bih. Patrum Lat. vol. i. cap. 3. § 8; Baehr,
still involved in much obscurity.
Geschichte der Röm. Litterat. Suppl. Band. Ite Ab-
1. VICTORINUS, bishop of Pettaw on the Drave theil. § 14, 2te Abtheil. § 33. )
in Styria, hence distinguished by the epithet Peta- 2. C. (or according to some MSS. Fabius) Ma.
rionensis, or Pictaviensis, flourished towards the RIUS VICTORINUS, surnamed Afer from the country
close of the third century (A. D. 270—290), and of his birth, taught rhetoric at Rome in the middle
suffered martyrdom during the persecution of Dio- of the fourth century, with so much reputation that
cletian, probably in A. D. 303. St. Jerome tells us his statue was erected in the forum of Trajan.
that he understood Greek better than Latin ; and Convinced by diligent study of the Scriptures, he,
that, in consequence, his works, though pregnant in old age, openly embraced the true faith ; and
with great thoughts, were couched in poor lan- when the edict of Julian, prohibiting Christians
guage; a criticisin which has been thought incon- from giving instruction in polite literature, was
sistent with the fact recorded by Cassiodorus that promulgated, Victorinus chose to shut up his school
## p. 1259 (#1275) ##########################################
VICTORINUS.
1259
VICTORIUS.
manner.
rather than deny his religion. The history of his of Paul by the same autbor, yet, for some reason
conversion is detailed at length, upon the authority not known, he did not publish the latter which
of Simplicianus, bishop of Milan, in the Confessions were altogether lost sight of, until ro less than
of St. Augustine, who glories not a little in so three MSS. of them were discovered in the library
distinguished a proselyte. The following works of the Vatican by Angelo Mai, by whom they were
ascribed to this author are still extant.
included in the third volume of the Scriptorum
I. Commentarius 8. Expositio in Ciceronis libros Veterum Nova Collectio ex Vaticunis codicibus
de Inrentione. First printed at Milan by Zarotus edita, 4to. Rom. 1828. Whether Victorinus wrote
fol. 1474, again by Aldus, 8vo. Venet. 1522, along commentaries upon all epistles of Paul is left
with the Annotations of Asconius upon the Ora- in doubt by the words of St. Jerome, and annot
tions of Cicero; and again by R. Stepheng, 4to. now be determined. Thc De Physicis is found in
Par. 1537. It will be found in the Antiqui Rhe all the three Vatican MSS. subjoined to the com-
tores Latini of Pithou, 4to. Par. 1599, pp. 79—mentary on the Ephesians ; and although not
239 ; and in the same collection as re-edited by actually inscribed with the name of Victorinus
Caperonnier, 4to. Argentor. 1756, pp. 102—255. seems to be alluded to by himself (Ad Ephes. lib. ii.
It is likewise included in the fifth volume of p. 126); and bears strong external evidence of his
Orelli's edition of Ciccro.
II. Ars Grammutica de Orthographia et Ratione In addition to all these a descriptive epic in seven
Metrorum, a complete and voluminous treatise upon books, entitled De Fratribus VII. Muccubaeis inter-
metres in four books, first printed by Ulric. Mor- fectis ab Antiocho Epiphane, has been ascribed
hard in the collection of Latin grammarians, pub- sometimes to Victorinus of Pettaw, sometimes to
lished under the inspection of Jo. Camerarius, 4to. Victorinus Afer, and sometimes to Hilarius of Arles.
Tubing. 1537. It will be found in the Gram- If it belongs to any one of these three personages,
maticae Latinae Auctores Antiqui of Putschins, 4to.
Furius Pacilus. (Liv. iv. 52. ) He was the last the Sex. Aurelius Victor whom we have noticed
Fabius of the name of Vibulanus. Ambustus now above.
became the name of the family. [AM BUSTUS. ) 1. Origo Gentis Romanae, in twenty-three chap-
VIBU'LE’NUS AGRIPPA. [AGRIPPA. ) ters, containing the annals of the Roman race, froin
L. VIBU'LLIUS RUFUS, a senator and an Janus and Saturnus down to the era of Romalus.
intimate friend of Pompey, is mentioned on one or We bere find many curious tales and traditions
two occasions by Ciccro before the breaking out of derived apparently from ancient sources, and it
the civil war. He was a man of resolution and may be regarded as a valuable contribution towards
energy, and was much trusted by Pompey, who the legendary history of the city. Joannes Me-
made him Praefectus Fabrûm in the civil war. tellus, Ausonius Popma, and others, have assigned
When Caesar marched into Italy at the beginning this tract to Asconius Pedianus, influenced chiefly
of B. C. 49, Pompey sent Vibullius into Picenum by some expressions in which they conceived that
to strengthen his cause in that quarter, but he was the author spoke of Livy and Virgil as his contem-
unable to effect any thing, as all the towns de- poraries, but the passages in which these occur
clared in favour of Caesar, and he accordingly (xxiii. § 7, iii. & 7, vii. § 4), do not fairly admit
threw himself into Corfinium, which was held by of any such interpretation, while the general tone
Domnitius Ahenobarbus. Vibullius was one of the of the phraseology certainly bears no resemblance
Benators who fell into Caesar's hands on the sur. to that of the Augustan age. On the other hand, it
render of Corfinium, and was along with the others seems certain, from the total dissimilarity in style,
dismissed uninjured by the conquerors. A few that it cannot have proceeded from the same band
days afterwards Pompey sent him into Spain to with the two pieces which we shall next describe ;
assist Afranius and Petreius in carrying on war and for this and other reasons Arntzenius has pru-
against Caesar. He was again taken prisoner by nounced it to be the production of some of the later
Caesar on the conquest of Pompey's troops in that grammarians who were desirous of prefixing a suit-
country, and was again pardoned. When Caesar able introduction to the series. The Origo was
landed in Greece in B. c. 48, he despatched him to first printed at Antwerp, 8vo. 1579, with the com-
Pompey with offers of peace, and Vibullius made mentary of Andreas Schottus in a volume, contain-
the greatest haste to reach Poinpey, not from any ing also the three following: -
desire to favour the views of Caesar, but in order to II. De Viris illustribus Urbis Romae, in eighty-
give Pompey the earliest intelligence possible of the six chapters, commencing with the birth of the
arrival of his enemy in Greece. (Cic. ad. Q. Fr. twin sons of Mars and Ilia, and concluding with
iii. 1. & 5, ad Att. vii. 24, viii. 1, 2, 11, 15; Caes. the death of Cleopatra The whole, or nearly the
B. C. i. 15, 23, 34, 38, iii. 10, 11. )
whole of the MSS. attach the name of Plinius
VICA POTA, that is," the Victor and Con- to this piece : by some scholars it has been given to
queror
(quae vincit et potitur), was a Roman Cornelius Nepos, by others to Aemilius Probus.
divinity of victory, whose temple was situated at the numerous mistakes with which it abounds
the fout of the hill Velia. (Liv. ii. 7; Cic. de forbid us to fix upon any one belonging to the
Leg. ii. 11. )
[L. S. ] brighter epochs of Roman literature. It was first
VICTOR, an abandoned man, whom it was sup- printed at Naples, by Sixtus Riesinger, about 1470,
posed that M. Antonius would recall from exile in and again by Jac. de Ripoli, at Florence, in 1478.
B. C. 44. (Cic. ad Fam. xiv. 14. )
III. De Cuesaribus, in forty-two chapters, ex-
VICTOR, SEX. AURE’LIUS, who is com, hibiting short biographies of the emperors, from
monly ranked among the Latin historians, flourished Augustus to Constantius. This, as we have stated,
in the middle of the fourth century under the may reasonably be regarded as the work of Sex.
emperor Constantius and his successors. Accord - Aurelius Victor, who was praefect of the city under
ing to his own account (de Caes. 20), that is, sup- Theodosius. It was first printed at Antwerp, 8vo.
posing the work from which we quote to be a 1579, with the commentary of Schottus.
genuine document, he was born in the country of IV. De Vita et Moribus Imperatorum Romanorum
very humble parents, but rose to distinction by his Excerpta ex libris Ser. Aurelii Victoris, or as it is
zeal in the cultivation of literature. Having at- frequently styled Sex. Aurelii Victoris Epitome de
tracted the attention of Julian when at Sirmium, Caesaribus, in forty-eight chapters, commencing with
he was appointed by that prince governor of one Augustus and concluding with Theodosius. These
division of Pannonia. At a subsequent period, he lives agree for the most part almost word for word
was elevated by Theodosius to the high office of with the preceding, but variations may here and
city praefect, and there seems no good reason to there be detected, some points being lightly passed
doubt that he is the Sex. Aurelius Victor, who over, or altogether omitted, in the one collection,
was consul along with Valentinian in A. D. 373. which are dwelt upon at considerable length in the
With regard to the period of his death, nothing is | other. This will be seen clearly by comparing the
## p. 1257 (#1273) ##########################################
VICTOR.
1257
VICTORINUS.
sections in each on Nerva and Hadrian. More- | hesitate to characterise them as wilful impostures.
over, it will be remarked, that while the first series (Consult the excellent papers on the Topography
terminates with Constantius, the second comes of Rome by E. H. Bunbury, published in the
down as low as Arcadius and Honorius. All the Classical Museum, and especially the remarks in
MSS. are inscribed with the words Epitome Victor. , No. X. p. 328. )
or Victoris, or Victorini, and a keen controversy has The De Regionibus Urbis Romae, as this pro-
been maintained as to the real name of the abbre- duction is usually entitled, was first printed by
viator. It seems clear, at all events, that he cannot Joannes de Tridino, at Venice, 4to. 1505, in a
be the Aurelius Victor who compiled the De Caesa- volume containing also“ Beda de Temporibus ;
ribus: he followed or rather copied the latter very it will be found under its best form in the Thesaurus
closely, but consulted other sources, and did not Antiquitatum Romanarum of Graevius, vol. iii. p. 37.
consider himself bound to adhere slavishly to his fol. Traj. ad Rhen. 1694.
(W. R. )
statements. The Epilone was first printed at VICTO'RIA, the personification of victory
Strasburg, 8vo. 1505, and again by Aldns, 8vo. among the Romans, as Nice was among the
Venet. 1516, at the end of his edition of Sueto- Greeks. Dionysius (i. 33) relates that Evander by
nius.
the command of Minerva dedicated on mount
These four picces were first published together Palatine a temple of Victoria, the daughter of
by Andreas Schottus (8vo. Antw. 1579), who Pallas. On the site of this ancient temple a new
brought to light the Origo and the De Cacsaribus one was built by L. Postumius, during the war
from the only MS. of them known to exist, and with the Samnites ; and M. Porcius Cato added to
laboured with great carnestness to prove that the it a chapel of Victoria Virgo. In later times thero
whole were the work of the same writer, and that existed three or four sanctuaries of Victory at
the writer was Sex. Aurelius Victor. The best Rome. (Liv. x. 33, xxix. 14, xxxv. 9; P. Victor,
edition which has yet appeared, is that of Jo. Reg. Urb. iv. vii, viii. )
[L. S. ]
Artzenius, Amst. et Traj. Bat. 1733, forming one
VICTO’RIA or VICTORI'N the name
of the Dutch Variorum Classics, in 4to. An elabo- given by Trebellius Pollio to the mother of Vic-
rate edition was commenced by Schroeter, of which torinus, and with her he completes his catalogue of
two volumes only have been published (8vo. Lips. the thirty tyrants (see AUREOLUS), two more being
1829, 1831) comprising the Origo and the De Viris thrown in as supernumeraries. According to this
illustribus.
[W. R. ] historian after the death of her son she was hailed
VICTOR, CLAU'DIUS, the nephew of Civilis
, as the mother of camps (Mater Castrorun); and
served under his uncle in the revolt of the Batavi coins were struck, bearing her effigy, in brass,
in A. D. 69–70, and was sent with Julius Maximus silver, and gold. Feeling herself however unequal
against Vocula. (Tac. Hist. iv. 33. )
to the weight of empire, she transferred her power
VICTOR, FLAVIUS, the son of Maximus, first to Marius, and then to Tetricus, by whom
who ruled as emperor in Spain, Gaul, and Britain, some say that she was slain, while others affirm
was associated by his father in the government that she died a natural death. Two medals have
with the title of Augustus. While Maximus been described, one bearing the legend IMP. VIC-
marched into Italy to wrest that country from the TORIA. AUG. , the other IMP. VICTORINA AUG. ;
feeble hands of Valentinian II. , Victor was left but they seem to be unique and are open to sus-
behind in Gaul. Theodosius himself conquered picion. (Trebell. Poll. Trig. Tyrann. iv. , vi. , XXX. ,
Maximus ; and shortly afterwards Arbogastes, the mentions both of the above names ; Aurel. Vict.
general of Theodosius, defeated Victor and put de Caes. xxxiii
. the former only ; comp. Eckhel,
him to death. For further details see MAXIMUS, vol. vii. p. 454. )
(W. R. )
p. 997, and THEODOSIUS, p. 1065.
VICTORI'NUS, C. AUFIDIUS, a chosen
friend and counsellor of M.
Aurelius, was dis-
tinguished alike for his high principles and for his
eloquence, in which he was excelled by no one
among his contemporaries. He was legate in Ger-
many, proconsul of Africa, and praefect of the city
under Commodus. Although detested by that
emperor on account of his virtues, he escaped de-
struction by his bold and fearless bearing, died a
natural death soon after the ruin of Perennis (PE-
RENNIS), and was honoured by the erection of a
VI'CTOR, PU'BLIUS, the name prefixed to an statue to his memory. He is probably the same
enumeration of the principal buildings and monu- person with the C. Aufidius Victorinus who is
ments of ancient Rome, distributed according to marked in the Fasti as consul for the second time
the regions of Augustus, which has generally been in d. D. 183, the year in which the first great
respected as a work of great authority by Italian plot against Commodus was organised and failed.
local antiquaries, from Nardini downwards. Bun- (Dion Cass. lxxii. 4, 11; Gruter, ccclxix. 2 ;
sen, however, in his Beschreibung der Stadt Rom Capitolin. M. Aurel. 38).
[W. R. ]
(vol. i. p. 173, 8vo. Stutt. 1830), after a careful VICTORI'NUS, CORNEʼLIUS, praefect of
examination into the history of this tract and of the the praetorians under Antoninus Pius. (Capitolin.
similar production ascribed to Sextus Rufus, has Anton. Pius, 8. )
[W. R. ]
arrived at the conclusion that, in their present VICTORI'NUS, FUʼRIUS, praefect of the
state, they cannot be received as ancient at all, but praetorians under M. Aurelius. (Capitolin. M.
must be regarded as mere pieces of patchwork Aurel. 14. )
(W. R. )
fabricated not earlier than the fifteenth century.
VICTORI'NUS, M. PIAVVOʻNIUS, who is
To this opinion Becker in his Handbuch der Rö- included by Trebellius Pollio in his list of the
mischen Alterthümer fully subscribes, and does not thirty tyrants (see AUREOLUS], was the third of
3
SIA
goal
est
BADPS
200990
COIN OF FLAVIUS VICTOR,
## p. 1258 (#1274) ##########################################
1258
VICTORINUS.
VICTORINUS.
V
Coos my
17
OVE
INTE
COIN OF VICTORINUS.
the usurpers who in succession ruled Gaul while it | he was originally a rhetorician (Victorinus, de oras
was dismembered from the empire during the reign tore episcopus, İnst. Div. 5). The difficulty, how-
of the imbecile son of Valerian. Victorinus, how. ever, will be removed if we suppose that Greek was
ever, had previously been assumed as a colleague his native language, but that he felt himself con-
by Postumus to whom he afforded important aid in strained to write in Latin, with which he was less
the war against Gallienus, and after the destruction conversant, because it was the tongue spoken in the
of Gallienus alone enjoyed the sovereignty. He is province where he exercised his episcopal functions.
said to have possessed many of the highest qnalities it is to be remarked that this Victorinus was loug
both of a general and a statesman, but was un supposed to have been bishop of Poitiers, an error
happily a slave to his passions, which eventually first dissipated by the dissertation of Launoy, who
proved his ruin, for he was assassinated at Agrip- demonstrated that Petabiuin in upper Pannonia,
pina by one of his own officers whose honour he and not Pictavium, was the see from which he de-
had wounded. This event 'seems to have taken rived his designation.
place in A. D. 268 after he had reigned for some- St. Jerome informs us that he wrote commen-
what more than a year. (Trebell. Pollio, Trig. tаrics In Genesin ; In Exodum; In Leviticum ;
Tyrann. v. ; Aurel. Vict. de Cacs. xxxiii. ; Eutrop. In Jesaiam ; In Ezechiclem ; In Abacuc ; In Ec-
ix. 7; it would be a vain task however to at- clesiasten ; In Cantica Canticorum ; In Apocalypsin
tempt to reconcile these authorities with each Joannis adversus omnes haerescs (some editors
other. )
place a stop after Jounnis and suppose Adrersus
omnes haercses to be the name of a separate tract);
and many other pieces. Of all these it is doubtful
whether any one remains. In the third volume of
the Bibliotheca Patrum Marima (fol. Lugdun.
1677) we find a Commentarius in Apocalypsin
bearing his name ; but the best judges have for
the most part either rejected it altogether or re-
garded it as much altered and interpolated by
different hands, both on account of the discrc-
pancies in style which may be here and there de-
tected, and also from the circumstance that the
millenarian doctrine is here directly impugned,
VICTORINUS JUNIOR, son of the foregoing ac. while we know that it was advocated by Victo-
cording to Pollio, by whom alone he is mentioned, rinus. The prologne is given up by all. The
being numbered among the thirty tyrants, was fragment published by Care (H. L. vol. i. p. 147),
proclaimed Caesar immediately before the death of from a MS. in the archiepiscopal library at Lam-
his father whose fate he shared. (Trebell. Pollio, beth, entitled De Fabrica Mundi, has, with better
Trig. Tyrann. vi. )
(W. R. ) reason, been supposed to be an extract from the
VICTORI'NÚS, literary and ecclesiastical. annotations on Genesis or on the Apocalypse, and
The subjects of the three following articles have here the opinions of the Chiliasts are avowedly
proved a source of considerable embarrassment to the supported.
historian of literature. Both the first and second ap- Various foundling poems have been fathered
pear to have been rhetoricians before they became upon this Victorinus without any evidence direct
theologians, both wrote commentaries on the Scrip. or circumstantial. Such are De Jesu Christo in
tures and both are believed to have been Christian 137 hexameters and Hymnus de Pascha Domini
poets, a series of coincidences which, combined with s. De Lugno Vitae in 70 hexameters, both contained
identity of name, rendered confusion almost ineri- | in the collection of Fabricius ; the De Cruce Domini
table, while the second and third, if we admit the found among the works of Cyprian (see Bed. de
existence of the third, having both compiled essays locis sanct. c. 2. ); and the five books Adversus
upon the same departments of grammar, became in Marcionem generally appended to editions of Ter-
like manner mixed up with each other. The diffi- tullian.
culties connected with the subject have been in (Our chief ancient authority for everything con-
some degree removed by Rivinus in a book ennected with Victorinus of Pettaw is St. Jerome,
titled Sanctae Reliquiae duur Victorinorum, Pic- who speaks of him in a great number of passages,
tariensis unius Episcopi Martyris, Afri alterius e. g. De Viris IV. 74, comp. 187, Praef. in lesai. ,
Cuii Murii, &c. 8vo. Goth. 1652, and by Launoy in In Ezech. c. 36, Praef. in Mutt. , Ad Damas. vol. ii.
his dissertation De Victorino Episcopo et Martyre, p. 569, Ad Paulin. vol. iv. p. 567, ed. Bened. &c. ;
Par. 1664, in the appendix to which we find a see also Cassiodor. Inst. Dio. 5, 7, 9; Lardner,
discussion on five distinguished persons who bore Credibility of Gospel History, c. Ivi. ; Schoenemann,
the name of Victorinus ; but several points are Bih. Patrum Lat. vol. i. cap. 3. § 8; Baehr,
still involved in much obscurity.
Geschichte der Röm. Litterat. Suppl. Band. Ite Ab-
1. VICTORINUS, bishop of Pettaw on the Drave theil. § 14, 2te Abtheil. § 33. )
in Styria, hence distinguished by the epithet Peta- 2. C. (or according to some MSS. Fabius) Ma.
rionensis, or Pictaviensis, flourished towards the RIUS VICTORINUS, surnamed Afer from the country
close of the third century (A. D. 270—290), and of his birth, taught rhetoric at Rome in the middle
suffered martyrdom during the persecution of Dio- of the fourth century, with so much reputation that
cletian, probably in A. D. 303. St. Jerome tells us his statue was erected in the forum of Trajan.
that he understood Greek better than Latin ; and Convinced by diligent study of the Scriptures, he,
that, in consequence, his works, though pregnant in old age, openly embraced the true faith ; and
with great thoughts, were couched in poor lan- when the edict of Julian, prohibiting Christians
guage; a criticisin which has been thought incon- from giving instruction in polite literature, was
sistent with the fact recorded by Cassiodorus that promulgated, Victorinus chose to shut up his school
## p. 1259 (#1275) ##########################################
VICTORINUS.
1259
VICTORIUS.
manner.
rather than deny his religion. The history of his of Paul by the same autbor, yet, for some reason
conversion is detailed at length, upon the authority not known, he did not publish the latter which
of Simplicianus, bishop of Milan, in the Confessions were altogether lost sight of, until ro less than
of St. Augustine, who glories not a little in so three MSS. of them were discovered in the library
distinguished a proselyte. The following works of the Vatican by Angelo Mai, by whom they were
ascribed to this author are still extant.
included in the third volume of the Scriptorum
I. Commentarius 8. Expositio in Ciceronis libros Veterum Nova Collectio ex Vaticunis codicibus
de Inrentione. First printed at Milan by Zarotus edita, 4to. Rom. 1828. Whether Victorinus wrote
fol. 1474, again by Aldus, 8vo. Venet. 1522, along commentaries upon all epistles of Paul is left
with the Annotations of Asconius upon the Ora- in doubt by the words of St. Jerome, and annot
tions of Cicero; and again by R. Stepheng, 4to. now be determined. Thc De Physicis is found in
Par. 1537. It will be found in the Antiqui Rhe all the three Vatican MSS. subjoined to the com-
tores Latini of Pithou, 4to. Par. 1599, pp. 79—mentary on the Ephesians ; and although not
239 ; and in the same collection as re-edited by actually inscribed with the name of Victorinus
Caperonnier, 4to. Argentor. 1756, pp. 102—255. seems to be alluded to by himself (Ad Ephes. lib. ii.
It is likewise included in the fifth volume of p. 126); and bears strong external evidence of his
Orelli's edition of Ciccro.
II. Ars Grammutica de Orthographia et Ratione In addition to all these a descriptive epic in seven
Metrorum, a complete and voluminous treatise upon books, entitled De Fratribus VII. Muccubaeis inter-
metres in four books, first printed by Ulric. Mor- fectis ab Antiocho Epiphane, has been ascribed
hard in the collection of Latin grammarians, pub- sometimes to Victorinus of Pettaw, sometimes to
lished under the inspection of Jo. Camerarius, 4to. Victorinus Afer, and sometimes to Hilarius of Arles.
Tubing. 1537. It will be found in the Gram- If it belongs to any one of these three personages,
maticae Latinae Auctores Antiqui of Putschins, 4to.
