Plutarch's Lives Volume III Part 15

[Footnote 189: This line is from the Prometheus Loosed ([Greek: luomenos] ???e???) of Aeschylus which is lost. Prometheus Bound ([Greek: desmotes] des?t??) is extant. Hermann is of opinion that the Prometheus Loosed did not belong to the same Tetralogy as the Prometheus Bound.]

[Footnote 190: The Gens to which Pompeius belonged was Plebeian. Cn.

Pompeius Strabo, the father of Pompeius Magnus, was consul B.C. 89.

Strabo, a name derived like many other Roman names from some personal peculiarity, signifies one who squints, and it was borne by members of other Roman Gentes also, as the Julia, and Fannia. It is said that the father of Pompeius Magnus had a cook Menogenes, who was called Strabo, and that the name was given to Cn. Pompeius because he resembled his cook. However this may be, Cn. Pompeius adopted the name, and it appears on his coins and in the Fasti. He had a bad character and appears to have deserved it. (Drumann, _Geschichte Roms_, Pompeii, p.

306.) Compare the Life of Sulla, c. 6. Notes.

The latter part of this chapter is somewhat obscure in the original.

See the note of Coraes.]

[Footnote 191: L. Marcius Philippus, Consul B.C. 91 with s.e.xtus Julius Caesar, was a distinguished orator.]

[Footnote 192: Some of the commentators have had strange opinions about the meaning of this pa.s.sage, which Kaltwa.s.ser has mistranslated.

It is rightly explained in Schaefer's note, and the learned Lambinus has fully expounded it in a note on Horatius (_Od._ i. 13): but in place of [Greek: adektos] ?d??t?? he has a wrong reading [Greek: adekto] ?d??t?. Flora was not the only courtesan who received the distinction mentioned in the text. The gilded statue of Phryne, the work of Praxiteles, was placed in the temple at Delphi, presented by the lady herself. (Pausanias, x. 15).]

[Footnote 193: Pompeius Magnus was born B.C. 106. He was younger than Marcus Cra.s.sus, of the same age as Cicero, and six years older than the Dictator Caesar. The event mentioned in the chapter belongs to the year B.C 87, in which his father fought against L. Cinna. Pompeius Strabo died in this year.]

[Footnote 194: This town, now Ascoli on the Tronto, in Picenum, was taken by Pompeius Strabo B.C. 89 in the Marsic war, and burnt. The inhabitants, who had killed the proconsul P. Servilius and other Romans, were severely handled; and Pompeius Strabo had a triumph (December 89) for his success against the Asculani and other inhabitants of Picenum. (Velleius, ii. 21.)]

[Footnote 195: P. Antistius was praetor B.C. 86, the year after the death of Pompeius Strabo.]

[Footnote 196: Compare the Life of Romulus, c. 14.]

[Footnote 197: Cinna was killed in his fourth consulate, B.C. 84.

Appia.n.u.s (_Civil Wars_, i. 78) states that he was ma.s.sacred by his soldiers, but his account may be true and that of Plutarch also, which is more particular, (See also Livius, _Epit._ 83.)]

[Footnote 198: The father of Pompeius had enriched himself during the Social wars.]

[Footnote 199: Now Osimo, was one of the cities of Picenum, south of Ancona. It was a Roman colony.]

[Footnote 200: The three commanders were C. Albius Carinnas, C. Clius Caldus and M. Junius Brutus. The word Cllius in Plutarch may be a mistake of the copyists. Brutus was the father of M. Brutus, one of Caesar's a.s.sa.s.sins.]

[Footnote 201: L. Cornelius Scipio, consul B.C. 83. Plutarch speaks of the same event in the Life of Sulla, c. 28, where he states that the soldiers of Scipio came over to Sulla. The two statements are contradictory, Appia.n.u.s (_Civil Wars_, i. 85) tells the story of Scipio's army going over to Sulla.]

[Footnote 202: A mistake for aesis (Esino, or Finmesino), a river which formed the boundary between Umbria and Picenum, and enters the sea north of Ancona. Appia.n.u.s (_Civil Wars_, i. 87) states that Metellus defeated Carinnas, the legatus of Carbo, on the aesis (B.C. 82).]

[Footnote 203: This was Q. Metellus Pius who afterwards commanded in Iberia against Sertorius. See the Life of Sertorius.]

[Footnote 204: The Greek writers often employ similes and metaphors derived from the athletic contests. There were contests both for boys and full-grown men. Compare the Life of Agesilaus, c. 13.]

[Footnote 205: The marriage arrangements mentioned in this chapter took place after the capture of Praeneste, B.C. 82. See the Life of Sulla, c. 33. Sulla attempted to make Caesar also part with his wife (Caesar, c. 1): but Caesar would not. Sulla, who was a cunning man, wished to gain over to his side all the young men of promise.

Antistius had been murdered in the Senate-house, by the order of the consul, the younger Marius, who was then blockaded in Praeneste. Q.

Mucius Scaevola, the Pontifex, was murdered at the same time.

(Appia.n.u.s, _Civil Wars_, i. 88.)]

[Footnote 206: His true name is Perperna. See the Life of Sertorius.]

[Footnote 207: Cn. Papirius Carbo was put to death, B.C. 82, in his third consuls.h.i.+p. Compare Appia.n.u.s, _Civil Wars_, i. 96, and Life of Sulla, c. 28, Notes. Valerius Maximus, ix. c. 13, gives the story of his begging for a short respite, with some other particulars.]

[Footnote 208: Caius Oppius, an intimate friend of Caesar. Some persons believed that he was the author of the Books on the Alexandrine, African, and Spanish campaigns, which are printed with the Gallic War of Caesar. (Suetonius, _Caesar_, 56.) Hs wrote various biographies.

Oppius is often mentioned by Cicero. There is extant a letter of Cicero to him _Ad Diversos_, xi. 29); but it is ent.i.tled in some editions of Cicero 'To Appius.']

[Footnote 209: This was Cn. Domitius Ahen.o.barbus, the father-in-law of Cinna. He had been consul B.C. 96 with C. Ca.s.sius Longinus.]

[Footnote 210: C. Memmius, according to Drumann, the same who afterwards fell in the war against Sertorius. (Life of Sertorius, c.

21.)]

[Footnote 211: The expedition of Pompeius to Africa was in B.C. 81.

Iarbas is said to have been a descendant of Ma.s.sinissa. He escaped from the battle. The scene of the battle and the subsequent movements of Pompeius cannot be collected from Plutarch's narrative, which here, as in the case of military operations generally, is of no value. As to the age of Pompeius, see the note in Clinton's Fasti B.C. 81.]

[Footnote 212: The lion is a native of North Africa, but it is doubtful if the elephant is. The Carthaginians employed many elephants in their armies, which they probably got from the countries south of the great desert. Plutarch evidently considers the elephant as a native of North Africa, or he would not speak of hunting it; yet in chapter 14 he speaks of the elephants as the King's, or the King's elephants, as if the elephants that Pompeius took were merely some that belonged to Iarbas or some of the African kings, and had got loose. Plinius (_N.H._ viii. 1) speaks of elephants in the forests of Mauritania. They are enumerated by Herodotus (iv. 191) among the beasts of North Africa.]

[Footnote 213: Drumann discusses at some length the question as to the time and occasion on which Pompeius received the appellation: those who are curious may consult his work, _Geschichte Roms_, Pompeii, p.

335.]

[Footnote 214: M. Valerius Maximus, a brother of Publicola. The allusion is to the secession of the Plebs to the Mons Sacer, B.C. 494, which was followed by the inst.i.tution of the Tribunitian office.

Cicero (Brutus, 14) mentions this Valerius, and the secession to the Mons Sacer. See Livius, ii. 30.]

[Footnote 215: Q. Fabius Maximus Rullus, who was five times consul, and for the last time in B.C. 295. (Livius, x. 22.) He was afterwards Dictator and Censor. It was in his capacity of Censor that he ejected these persons from the Senate, B.C. 304. Compare the Life of Fabius Maximus, c. 1.]

[Footnote 216: Kaltwa.s.ser observes that it was not so much a law (lex) as a usage: but Plutarch's words by no means imply that he thought there was a Lex to this effect. Livius (x.x.xi. c. 20) states that only a dictator, consul, or praetor could have a triumph. The claim of Pompeius was an impudent demand: but he felt his power. The 'first Scipio' is the elder Africa.n.u.s. See Life of Tiberius Gracchus, c. 1, Notes.]

[Footnote 217: Plutarch may mean that Pompeius really attempted to enter the gate in a chariot drawn by elephants, and finding that he could not do it, he got out and mounted a chariot drawn by horses.

This is perhaps nearer the literal version of the pa.s.sage, and agrees better with Plinius (_N. H._ viii. 1).]

[Footnote 218: P. Servilius Vatia Isauricus, consul for B.C. 79.

Pompeius triumphed B.C. 81, or in the beginning of 80 B.C., the first of the cla.s.s of Equites who ever had this honour. The review of the Equites, which is spoken of at the end of this chapter, is explained by c. 22.]

[Footnote 219: Compare the Life of Sulla, c. 31, &c. Sulla died in the consuls.h.i.+p of M. aemilius Lepidus and Q. Lutatius Catulus, B.C. 78.]

[Footnote 220: This is the Roman expression, which Plutarch has rendered by [Greek: hoi aristoi] ?? ???st??. Compare Life of Tib.

Gracchus, c. 10.]

[Footnote 221: On the site of Modena. The events of the consuls.h.i.+p of Lepidus are very confused. Drumann observes (Pompeii, p. 345) that Plutarch incorrectly tells the story as if Pompeius was not present at the attack of Lepidus on Rome (Appia.n.u.s, _Civil Wars_, i. 107; Floras, iii. 23): but Plutarch's narrative does not of necessity imply that Pompeius was not there.]

[Footnote 222: See the Life of Brutus.]

[Footnote 223: See the Life of Sertorius, and as to the conduct of Pompeius in the war more particularly, chapter 12, &c.]

[Footnote 224: Pro Consule was the t.i.tle of a Roman general who was sent to a province with consular authority. It was not unusual to appoint a man Pro Consule who had not been 'consul.' The point of the reply lies in the form of the expression 'Pro Consule,' which was a t.i.tle, as contrasted with 'Pro Consulibus,' which means 'instead of the consuls, to displace the consuls.' The expression of L. Philippus is recorded by Cicero (_Pro Lege Manilia_, c. 21). Pompeius went to Iberia B.C. 76.]

[Footnote 225: The death of Sertorius took place B.C. 72. As to the death of Perperna, see the Life of Sertorius, c. 26. The allusion to Sicily will be explained by referring to c. 10; but there is nothing there stated for which Pompeius needed to show any grat.i.tude to Perperna. We may a.s.sume that Perperna left the island, because he could not safely stay.]

[Footnote 226: The war in Spain was not quite settled by the death of Perperna. There was still some work left to do. Several towns held out, particularly in the country of the warlike Arevaci, who were on the east coast of Spain. Pompeius burnt Uxama; and L. Afranius conducted the war with unsparing severity against the Calaguritani who made a desperate resistance. (Floras, iii. 22.) The capture of their town ended the war. Drumann, _Geschichte Roms_, Pompeii, p. 376.]

[Footnote 227: The history of the Servile war is in the Life of Cra.s.sus, c. 11, &c.]

[Footnote 228: This was in B.C. 71. In B.C. 70 Pompeius was consul for the first time with M. Licinius Cra.s.sus.]