F
Fabaria, festivals at Rome in honour of Carna wife of Janus, when beans (fabæ) were presented as an oblation.
Fabăris, now Farfa, a river of Italy in the territories of the Sabines, called also Farfarus, Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 14, li. 330.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 7, li. 715.
Fabia. See: [Fabius Fabricianus].
Făbia lex, de ambitu, was to circumscribe the number of Sectatores or attendants which were allowed to candidates in canvassing for some high office. It was proposed, but did not pass.
Făbia, a tribe at Rome. Horace, bk. 1, ltr. 7, li. 52.——A vestal virgin, sister to Terentia, Cicero’s wife.
Făbiāni, some of the Luperci at Rome, instituted in honour of the Fabian family.
Făbii, a noble and powerful family at Rome, who derived their name from faba, a bean, because some of their ancestors cultivated this pulse. They were said to be descended from Fabius, a supposed son of Hercules by an Italian nymph; and they were once so numerous that they took upon themselves to wage war against the Veientes. They came to a general engagement near the Cremera, in which all the family, consisting of 306 men, were totally slain, B.C. 477. There only remained one, whose tender age had detained him at Rome, and from him arose the noble Fabii in the following ages. The family was divided into six different branches, the Ambusti, the Maximi, the Vibulani, the Buteones, the Dorsones, and the Pictores, the three first of which are frequently mentioned in the Roman history, but the others seldom. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, bk. 9, ch. 5.—Livy, bk. 2, ch. 46, &c.—Florus, bk. 1, ch. 2.—Ovid, Tristia, bk. 2, li. 235.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 6, li. 845.
Făbius Maximus Rullianus, was the first of the Fabii who obtained the surname of Maximus, for lessening the power of the populace at elections. He was master of horse, and his victories over the Samnites in that capacity nearly cost him his life, because he engaged the enemy without the command of the dictator. He was five times consul, twice dictator, and once censor. He triumphed over seven different nations in the neighbourhood of Rome, and rendered himself illustrious by his patriotism.——Rusticus, an historian in the age of Claudius and Nero. He was intimate with Seneca, and the encomiums which Tacitus passes upon his style make us regret the loss of his compositions.——Marcellinus, an historian in the second century.——A Roman lawyer whom Horace, bk. 1, satire 2, li. 134, ridicules as having been caught in adultery.——Quintus Maximus, a celebrated Roman, first surnamed Verrucosus from a wart on his lip, and Agnicula from his inoffensive manners. From a dull and unpromising childhood he burst into deeds of valour and heroism, and was gradually raised by merit to the highest offices of the state. In his first consulship, he obtained a victory over Liguria, and the fatal battle of Thrasymenus occasioned his election to the dictatorship. In this important office he began to oppose Annibal, not by fighting him in the open field, like his predecessors, but he continually harrassed his army by countermarches and ambuscades, for which he received the surname of Cunctator, or delayer. Such operations for the commander of the Roman armies gave offence to some, and Fabius was even accused of cowardice. He, however, still pursued the measures which prudence and reflection seemed to dictate as most salutary to Rome, and he patiently bore to see his master of horse raised to share the dictatorial dignity with himself, by means of his enemies at home. When he had laid down his office of dictator, his successors for a while followed his plan; but the rashness of Varro, and his contempt for the operations of Fabius, occasioned the fatal battle of Cannæ. Tarentum was obliged to surrender to his arms after the battle of Cannæ, and on that occasion the Carthaginian enemy observed that Fabius was the Annibal of Rome. When he had made an agreement with Annibal for the ransom of the captives, which was totally disapproved by the Roman senate, he sold all his estates to pay the money, rather than forfeit his word to the enemy. The bold proposal of young Scipio to go and carry the war from Italy to Africa, was rejected by Fabius as chimerical and dangerous. He did not, however, live to see the success of the Roman arms under Scipio, and the conquest of Carthage, by measures which he treated with contempt and heard with indignation. He died in the 100th year of his age, after he had been five times consul, and twice honoured with a triumph. The Romans were so sensible of his great merit and services, that the expenses of his funeral were defrayed from the public treasury. Plutarch, Parallel Lives.—Florus, bk. 2, ch. 6.—Livy.—Polybius.——His son bore the same name, and showed himself worthy of his noble father’s virtues. During his consulship, he received a visit from his father on horseback in the camp; the son ordered the father to dismount, and the old man cheerfully obeyed, embracing his son, and saying, “I wished to know whether you knew what it is to be consul.” He died before his father, and the Cunctator, with the moderation of a philosopher, delivered a funeral oration over the dead body of his son. Plutarch, Fabius Maximus.——Pictor, the first Roman who wrote an historical account of his country, from the age of Romulus to the year of Rome, 536. He flourished B.C. 225. The work which is now extant, and which is attributed to him, is a spurious composition.——A loquacious person mentioned by Horace, bk. 1, satire 1, li. 14.——A Roman consul, surnamed Ambustus, because he was struck with lightning.——A lieutenant of Cæsar in Gaul.——Fabricianus, a Roman assassinated by his wife Fabia, that she might more freely enjoy the company of a favourite youth. His son was saved from his mother’s cruelties, and when he came of age he avenged his father’s death by murdering his mother and her adulterer. The senate took cognizance of the action, and patronized the parricide. Plutarch, Parallela minora.——A chief priest at Rome when Brennus took the city. Plutarch.——A Roman sent to consult the oracle of Delphi while Annibal was in Italy.——Another chosen dictator, merely to create new senators.——A lieutenant of Lucullus defeated by Mithridates.——A son of Paulus Æmilius, adopted into the family of the Fabii.——A Roman surnamed Allobrogicus from his victory over the Allobroges, &c. Florus, bk. 2, ch. 17.——Another chosen general against the Carthaginians in Italy. He lost all his forces in a battle, and fell wounded by the side of Annibal. Plutarch, Parallela minora.——A consul with Julius Cæsar, who conquered Pompey’s adherents in Spain.——A high priest who wrote some annals, and made war against Viriathus in Spain. Livy, bk. 30, ch. 26.—Florus, bk. 3, ch. 2.——Dorso. See: [Dorso].
Fābrātĕria, a colony and town of the Volsci in Latium. Silius Italicus, bk. 8, li. 398.—Cicero, Letters to his Friends, bk. 9, ltr. 24.
Fabrĭcius, a Latin writer in the reign of Nero, who employed his pen in satirizing and defaming the senators. His works were burnt by order of Nero.——Caius Luscinus, a celebrated Roman who, in his first consulship, obtained several victories over the Samnites and Lucanians, and was honoured with a triumph. The riches which were acquired in those battles were immense, the soldiers were liberally rewarded by the consul, and the treasury was enriched with 400 talents. Two years after, Fabricus went as ambassador to Pyrrhus, and refused with contempt the presents, and heard with indignation the offers, which might have corrupted the [♦]fidelity of a less virtuous citizen. Pyrrhus had occasion to admire the magnanimity of Fabricius; but his astonishment was more powerfully awakened when he opposed him in the field of battle, and when he saw him make a discovery of the perfidious offer of his physician, who pledged himself to the Roman general for a sum of money to poison his royal master. To this greatness of soul were added the most consummate knowledge of military affairs, and the greatest simplicity of manners. Fabricius never used rich plate at his table. A small salt-cellar, whose feet were of horn, was the only silver vessel which appeared in his house. This contempt of luxury and useless ornaments Fabricius wished to inspire among the people; and during his censorship he banished from the senate Cornelius Rufinus, who had been twice consul and dictator, because he kept in his house more than 10 pounds weight of silver plate. Such were the manners of the conqueror of Pyrrhus, who observed that he wished rather to command those that had money than possess it himself. He lived and died in the greatest poverty. His body was buried at the public charge, and the Roman people were obliged to give a dowry to his two daughters, when they had arrived to marriageable years. Valerius Maximus, bk. 2, ch. 9; bk. 4, ch. 4.—Florus, bk. 1, ch. 18.—Cicero, bk. 3, de Officiis.—Plutarch, Pyrrhus.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 6, li. 844.——A bridge at Rome, built by the consul Fabricius, over the Tiber. Horace, bk. 2, satire 3, li. 36.
[♦] ‘fidelty’ replaced with ‘fidelity’
Fabulla, a prostitute, &c. Juvenal, satire 2, li. 68.
Facelina, a small place on the north of Sicily, where Diana had a temple. Servius, Commentary on the Æneid of Vergil, bk. 9, li. 117.—Hyginus, fable 261.
Fadus, a Rutulian killed in the night by Euryalus. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 9, li. 344.
Fæsŭlæ, now Fiesole, a town of Etruria, famous for its augurs. Cicero, For Lucius Murena, ch. 24.—Silius Italicus, bk. 8, li. 478.—Sallust, Catilinae Coniuratio, ch. 27.
Falcīdia lex, was enacted by the tribune Falcidius, A.U.C. 713, concerning wills and the right of heirs.
Faleria, a town of Picenum, now Fallerona, of which the inhabitants were called Falerienses. Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 13.
Falerii (or ium), now Palari, a town of Etruria, of which the inhabitants are called Falisci. The Romans borrowed some of their laws from Falerii. The place was famous for its pastures, and for a peculiar sort of sausage. See: [Falisci]. Martial, bk. 4, ltr. 46.—Livy, bk. 10, chs. 12 & 16.—Ovid, Fasti, bk. 1, li. 84; ex Ponto, bk. 4, poem 8, li. 41.—Cato, De Re Rustica, bks. 4 & 14.—Servius, Commentary on the Æneid of Vergil, bk. 7, li. 695.—Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 5.
Falerina, a tribe at Rome. Livy, bk. 9, ch. 23.
Falernus, a fertile mountain and plain of Campania, famous for its wine, which the Roman poets have greatly celebrated. Livy, bk. 22, ch. 14.—Martial, bk. 12, ltr. 57.—Virgil, Georgics, bk. 2, li. 96.—Horace, bk. 1, ode 20, li. 10; bk. 2, satire 4, li. 15.—Strabo, bk. 5.—Florus, bk. 1, ch. 15.
Fălisci, a people of Etruria, originally a Macedonian colony. When they were besieged by Camillus, a schoolmaster went out of the gates of the city with his pupils, and betrayed them into the hands of the Roman enemy, that by such a possession he might easily oblige the place to surrender. Camillus heard the proposal with indignation, and ordered the man to be stripped naked and whipped back to the town by those whom his perfidy wished to betray. This instance of generosity operated upon the people so powerfully that they surrendered to the Romans. Plutarch, Camillus.
Faliscus Gratius. See: [Gratius].
Fama (fame), was worshipped by the ancients as a powerful goddess, and generally represented blowing a trumpet, &c. Statius, bk. 3, Thebiad, li. 427.
Fannia, a woman of Minturnæ, who hospitably entertained Marius in his flight, though he had formerly sat in judgment upon her, and divorced her from her husband.
Fannia lex, de sumptibus, by Fannius the consul, A.U.C. 593. It enacted that no person should spend more than 100 asses a day at the great festivals, and 30 asses on other days, and 10 at all other times.
Fannii, two orators of whom Cicero speaks in Brutus.
Fannius, an inferior poet ridiculed by Horace, because his poems and picture were consecrated in the library of Apollo, on mount Palatine at Rome, as it was then usual for such as possessed merit. Horace, bk. 1, satire 4, li. 21.——A person who killed himself when apprehended in a conspiracy against Augustus. Martial, bk. 12, ltr. 80.——Caius, an author in Trajan’s reign, whose history of the cruelties of Nero is greatly regretted.
Fanum Vacūnæ, a village in the country of the Sabines. Horace, bk. 1, ltr. 10, li. 49.
Farfărus, a river of the Sabines, falling into the Tiber above Capena. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 14, li. 330.
Fascelis, a surname of Diana, because her statue was brought from Taurica by Iphigenia in a bundle of sticks (fascis), and placed at Aricia.
Fascellina, a town of Sicily near Panormus. Silius Italicus, bk. 14, li. 261.
Faucŭla, a prostitute who privately conveyed food to the Roman prisoners at Capua. Livy, bk. 26, ch. 33.
Faventia, a town of Spain. Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 1.——Of Italy. Silius Italicus, bk. 8, li. 597.—Pliny, bk. 14, ch. 15.—Martial, bk. 2, ltr. 74.
Faveria, a town of Istria. Livy, bk. 41, ch. 11.
Faula, a mistress of Hercules.
Fauna, a deity among the Romans, daughter of Picus, and originally called Marica. Her marriage with Faunus procured her the name of Fauna, and her knowledge of futurity that of Fatua and Fatidica. It is said that she never saw a man after her marriage with Faunus, and that her uncommon chastity occasioned her being ranked among the gods after death. She is the same, according to some, as Bona Mater. Some mythologists accuse her of drunkenness, and say that she expired under the blows of her husband, for an immoderate use of wine. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 7, li. 47, &c.—Varro.—Justin, bk. 43, ch. 1.
Faunalia, festivals at Rome in honour of Faunus.
Fauni, certain deities of the country, represented as having the legs, feet, and ears of goats, and the rest of the body human. They were called satyrs by the Greeks. The peasants offered them a lamb or a kid with great solemnity. Virgil, Georgics, bk. 1, li. 10.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 6, li. 392.
Faunus, a son of Picus, who is said to have reigned in Italy about 1300 years B.C. His bravery as well as wisdom have given rise to the tradition that he was son of Mars. He raised a temple in honour of the god Pan, called by the Latins Lupercus, at the foot of the Palatine hill, and he exercised hospitality towards strangers with a liberal hand. His great popularity and his fondness for agriculture made his subjects revere him as one of their country deities after death. He was represented with all the equipage of the satyrs, and was consulted to give oracles. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, bk. 1, ch. 7.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 7, li. 47; bk. 8, li. 314; bk. 10, li. 55.—Horace, bk. 1, ode 17.
Favo, a Roman mimic, who at the funeral of Vespasian imitated the manners and gestures of the deceased emperor. Suetonius, Vespasian, ch. 19.
Favorinus, a philosopher and eunuch under Adrian, &c.
Fausta, a daughter of Sylla, &c. Horace, bk. 1, satire 2, li. 64.——The wife of the emperor Constantine, disgraced for her cruelties and vices.
Faustīna, the wife of the emperor Antoninus, famous for her debaucheries. Her daughter of the same name, blessed with beauty, loveliness, and wit, became the most abandoned of her sex. She married Marcus Aurelius.——The third wife of the emperor Heliogabalus bore that name.
Faustĭtas, a goddess among the Romans supposed to preside over cattle. Horace, bk. 4, ode 5, li. 17.
Faustŭlus, a shepherd ordered to expose Romulus and Remus. He privately brought them up at home. Livy, bk. 1, ch. 4.—Justin, bk. 43, ch. 2.—Plutarch, Romulus.
Faustus, an obscure poet under the first Roman emperors, two of whose dramatic pieces, Thebæ and Tereus, Juvenal mentions, satire 7, li. 12.
Februus, a god at Rome, who presided over purifications.——The Feralia sacrifices which the Romans offered to the gods manes, were also called Februa, whence the name of the month of February, during which the oblations were made.
Feciāles, a number of priests at Rome, employed in declaring war and making peace. When the Romans thought themselves injured, one of this sacerdotal body was empowered to demand redress, and after the allowance of 33 days to consider the matter, war was declared if submissions were not made, and the Fecialis hurled a bloody spear into the territories of the enemy in proof of intended hostilities. Livy, bk. 1, ch. 3; bk. 4, ch. 30.
Felginas, a Roman knight killed by Pompey at Dyrracchium. Cæsar, bk. 3, Civil War.
Felix Marcus Antonius, a freedman of Claudius Cæsar, made governor of Judæa, Samaria, and Palestine. He is called by Suetonius the husband of three queens, as he married the two Drusillæ, one granddaughter of Antony and Cleopatra, and the other a Jewish princess, sister of Agrippa. The name of his third wife is unknown. Suetonius, Divus Claudius, ch. 18.—Tacitus, Annals, bk. 12, ch. 14.
Feltria, a town of Italy at the north of Venice.
Fenestella, a Roman historian in the age of Augustus. He died at Cumæ.——One of the gates at Rome. Ovid, Fasti, bk. 6, li. 578.
Fenni, or Finni, the inhabitants of Finningia, or Eningia, now considered as Finland. Tacitus, Germania, ch. 46.—Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 13.
Ferālia, a festival in honour of the dead, observed at Rome the 17th or 21st of February. It continued for 11 days, during which time presents were carried to the graves of the deceased, marriages were forbidden, and the temples of the gods were shut. It was universally believed that the manes of their departed friends came and hovered over their graves, and feasted upon the provisions that the hand of piety and affection had procured for them. Their punishments in the infernal regions were also suspended, and during that time they enjoyed rest and liberty.
Ferentīnum, a town of the Hernici at the east of Rome. The inhabitants were called Ferentinates, or Ferentini. Silius Italicus, bk. 8, li. 394.—Livy, bk. 1, ch. 50; bk. 9, chs. 43 & 44.
Ferentum, or Forentum, a town of Apulia, now Forenza. Horace, bk. 3, ode 4, li. 15.—Livy, bk. 9, chs. 16 & 20.
Fĕrētrius, a surname of Jupiter, a ferendo, because he had assisted the Romans, or a feriendo, because he had conquered their enemies under Romulus. He had a temple at Rome built by Romulus, where the spoils called opima were always carried. Only two generals obtained these celebrated spoils after the age of Romulus. Livy, bk. 1, ch. 10.—Plutarch, Romulus.—Cornelius Nepos, Atticus, ch. 20.
Feriæ Latīnæ, festivals at Rome instituted by Tarquin the Proud. The principal magistrates of 47 towns in Latium usually assembled on a mount near Rome, where they, together with the Roman magistrates, offered a bull to Jupiter Latialis, of which they carried home some part after the immolation, after they had sworn mutual friendship and alliance. It continued but one day originally, but in process of time four days were dedicated to its celebration. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, bk. 4, ch. 49.—Cicero, ltr. 6.—Livy, bk. 21, &c. The feriæ among the Romans were certain days set apart to celebrate festivals, and during that time it was unlawful for any person to work. They were either public or private. The public were of four different kinds. The feriæ stativæ were certain immovable days always marked in the calendar, and observed by the whole city with much festivity and public rejoicing. The feriæ conceptivæ were movable feasts, and the day appointed for the celebration was always previously fixed by the magistrates or priests. Among these were the feriæ Latinæ, which were first established by Tarquin, and observed by the consuls regularly before they set out for the provinces; the Compitalia, &c. The feriæ imperativæ were appointed only by the command of the consul, dictator, or pretor, as a public rejoicing for some important victory gained over the enemies of Rome. The feriæ Nundinæ were regular days in which the people of the country and neighbouring towns assembled together and exposed their respective commodities to sale. They were called Nundinæ, because kept every ninth day. The feriæ privatæ were observed only in families, in commemoration of birthdays, marriages, funerals, and the like. The days on which the feriæ were observed were called by the Romans festi dies, because dedicated to mirth, relaxation, and festivity.
Fērōnia, a goddess at Rome, who presided over the woods and groves. The name is derived a ferendo, because she gave assistance to her votaries, or perhaps from the town Feronia, near mount Soracte, where she had a temple. It was usual to make a yearly sacrifice to her, and to wash the face and hands in the waters of the sacred fountain, which flowed near her temple. It is said that those who were filled with the spirit of this goddess could walk barefooted over burning coals without receiving any injury from the flames. The goddess had a temple and a grove about three miles from Anxur, and also another in the district of Capena. Livy, bk. 33, ch. 26.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 7, lis. 697 & 800.—Varro, de Lingua Latina, bk. 4, ch. 10.—Silius Italicus, bk. 13.—Strabo, bk. 5.—Horace, bk. 1, satire 5, li. 24.
Fescennia (iorum, or ium), a town of Etruria, now Galese, where the Fescennine verses were first invented. These verses, the name of which conveys an idea of vulgar obscenity, were a sort of rustic dialogue spoken extempore, in which the actors exposed before their audience the failings and vices of their adversaries, and by satirical humour and merriment endeavoured to raise the laughter of the company. They were often repeated at nuptials, and many lascivious expressions were used for the general diversion, as also at harvest home, when gestures were made adapted to the sense of the unpolished verses that were used. They were proscribed by Augustus as of immoral tendency. Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 5.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 7, li. 695.—Horace, bk. 2, ltr. 1, li. 145.
Fesŭlæ, or Fæsulæ, a town of Etruria, where Sylla settled a colony. Cicero, Against Catiline, bk. 3, ch. 6.
Festus, a friend of Domitian, who killed himself in an illness. Martial, bk. 1, ltr. 79.——Porcius, a proconsul who succeeded Felix as governor of Judæa, under Claudius.
Fibrēnus, a river of Italy, falling into the Liris through Cicero’s farm at Arpinum. Silius Italicus, bk. 8, li. 400.—Cicero, De Legibus, bk. 2, ch. 1.
Ficana, a town of Latium, at the south of Rome, near the Tiber. Livy, bk. 1, ch. 33.
Ficaria, a small island on the east of Sardinia, now Serpentera. Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 7.
Ficulea, or Ficulnea, a town of Latium beyond mount Sacer, at the north of Rome. Cicero had a villa there, and the road that led to the town was called Ficulnensis, afterwards Nomentana Via. Cicero, bk. 12, Letters to Atticus, ltr. 34.—Livy, bk. 1, ch. 38; bk. 3, ch. 52.
Fidēna, an inland town of Latium, whose inhabitants are called Fidenates. The place was conquered by the Romans B.C. 435. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 6, li. 773.—Juvenal, satire 1, li. 44.—Livy, bk. 1, chs. 14, 15 & 27; bk. 2, ch. 19; bk. 4, chs. 17 & 21.
Fidentia, a town of Gaul on the south of the Po, between Placentia and Parma. Velleius Paterculus, bk. 2, ch. 28.—Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 15.—Cicero, De Inventione, bk. 2, ch. 54.
Fides, the goddess of faith, oaths, and honesty, worshipped by the Romans. Numa was the first who paid her divine honours.
Fĭdĭcŭlæ, a place of Italy. Valerius Maximus, bk. 7, ch. 6.
Fidius Dius, a divinity by whom the Romans generally swore. He was also called Sancus, or Sanctus, and Semipater, and he was solemnly addressed in prayers the 5th of June, which was yearly consecrated to his service. Some suppose him to be Hercules. Ovid, Fasti, bk. 6, li. 213.—Varro, de Lingua Latina, bk. 4, ch. 10.—Dionysius of Halicarnassus, bks. 2 & 9.
Fimbria, a Roman officer who besieged Mithridates in Pritaine, and failed in his attempts to take him prisoner. He was deserted by his troops for his cruelty, upon which he killed himself. Plutarch, Lucullus.
Firmum, now Fermo, a town of Picenum on the Adriatic, the port of which was called Castellum Firmanum. Cicero, bk. 8, Letters to Atticus, ltr. 12.—Pliny, bk. 7, ch. 8.—Velleius, bk. 1, ch. 14.
Marcus Firmius, a powerful native of Seleucia, who proclaimed himself emperor, and was at last conquered by Aurelian.
Fiscellus, a part of the Apennine mountains in Umbria, where the Nar rises. Silius Italicus, bk. 8, li. 518.—Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 12.
Flacilla Antonia, a Roman matron in Nero’s age, &c. Tacitus, Annals, bk. 14, ch. 7.
Flaccus, a consul who marched against Sylla, and was assassinated by Fimbria. Plutarch.——A poet. See: [Valerius].——A governor of Egypt, who died A.D. 39.——Verrius, a grammarian, tutor to the two grandsons of Augustus, and supposed author of the Capitoline marbles.——A name of Horace. See: [Horatius].
Ælia Flacilla, the mother of Arcadius and Honorius, was daughter of Antonius, a prefect of Gaul.
Flāmĭnia lex, agraria, by Caius Flaminius the tribune, A.U.C. 525. It required that the lands of Picenum, from which the Gauls Senones had been expelled, should be divided among the Roman people.
Flaminia via, a celebrated road which led from Rome to Ariminum and Aquileia. It received its name from Flaminius, who built it, and was killed at the battle of Thrasymenus against Annibal.——A gate of Rome opening to the same road, now del popolo.
Caius Flāmĭnius, a Roman consul of a turbulent disposition, who was drawn into a battle near the lake of Thrasymenus, by the artifice of Annibal. He was killed in the engagement, with an immense number of Romans, B.C. 217. The conqueror wished to give a burial to his body, but it was not found in the heaps of slain. While tribune of the people he proposed an agrarian law against the advice of his friends, of the senate, and of his own father. Cicero, de Inventione, bk. 2, ch. 17.—Livy, bk. 22, ch. 3, &c.—Polybius.—Florus, bk. 2, ch. 6.—Valerius Maximus, bk. 1, ch. 6.
Titus Quinctius Flāmĭnius, or Flaminīnus, a celebrated Roman raised to the consulship, A.U.C. 556. He was trained in the art of war against Annibal, and he showed himself capable in every respect to discharge with honour the great office with which he was entrusted. He was sent at the head of the Roman troops against Philip king of Macedonia, and in his expedition he met with uncommon success. The Greeks gradually declared themselves his firmest supporters, and he totally defeated Philip on the confines of Epirus, and made all Locris, Phocis, and Thessaly tributary to the Roman power. He granted peace to the conquered monarch, and proclaimed all Greece free and independent at the Isthmian games. This celebrated action procured the name of patrons of Greece to the Romans, and insensibly paved their way to universal dominion. Flaminius behaved among them with the greatest policy, and by his ready compliance with their national customs and prejudices he gained uncommon popularity, and received the name of father and deliverer of Greece. He was afterwards sent ambassador to king Prusias, who had given refuge to Annibal, and there his prudence and artifice hastened out of the world a man who had long been the terror of the Romans. Flaminius was found dead in his bed, after a life spent in the greatest glory, in which he had imitated with success the virtues of his model Scipio. Plutarch, Parallel Lives.—Florus.——Lucius, the brother of the preceding, signalized himself in the wars of Greece. He was expelled from the senate for killing a Gaul, by Cato, his brother’s colleague in the censorship, an action which was highly resented by Titus. Plutarch, Flaminius.——Calp. Flamma, a tribune, who at the head of 300 men saved the Roman army in Sicily, B.C. 258, by engaging the Carthaginians and cutting them to pieces.
Flanaticus sinus, a bay of the Flanates, in Liburnia on the Adriatic, now the gulf of Carnero. Pliny, bk. 3, chs. 19 & 21.
Flāvia lex, agraria, by Lucius Flavius, A.U.C. 693, for the distribution of a certain quantity of lands among Pompey’s soldiers and the commons.
Flāviānum, a town of Etruria, on the Tiber, called also Flavinium. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 7, li. 696.—Silius Italicus, bk. 8, li. 492.
Flāvinia, a town of Latium, which assisted Turnus against Æneas. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 7, li. 696.
Flavius, a senator who conspired with Piso against Nero, &c. Tacitus.——A tribune of the people deposed by Julius Cæsar.——A Roman who informed Gracchus of the violent measures of the senate against him.——A brother of Vespasian, &c.——A tribune who wounded one of Annibal’s elephants in an engagement.——A schoolmaster at Rome in the age of Horace. Bk. 1, satire 6, li. 72.——One of the names of the emperor Domitian. Juvenal, satire 4, li. 37.
Flevus, the right branch of the Rhine, which formed a large lake on its falling into the sea called Flevo, now Zuider-Zee. It was afterwards called Helium, now Ulie, when its breadth became more contracted, and a fort erected there obtained the name of Flevum Frisiorum. Tacitus, Annals, bk. 2, ch. 6; bk. 4, li. 72.—Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 15.—Mela, bk. 3, ch. 2.
Flōra, the goddess of flowers and gardens among the Romans, the same as the Chloris of the Greeks. Some suppose that she was originally a common courtesan, who left to the Romans the immense riches which she had acquired by prostitution and lasciviousness, in remembrance of which a yearly festival was instituted in her honour. She was worshipped even among the Sabines, long before the foundation of Rome, and likewise among the Phoceans, who built Marseilles long before the existence of the capital of Italy. Tatius was the first who raised her a temple in the city of Rome. It is said that she married Zephyrus, and that she received from him the privilege of presiding over flowers, and of enjoying perpetual youth. See: [Floralia]. She was represented as crowned with flowers, and holding in her hand the horn of plenty. Ovid, Fasti, bk. 5, li. 195, &c. Varro, de Re Rustica, bk. 1.—Lactantius, bk. 1, ch. 20.——A celebrated courtesan passionately loved by Pompey the Great. She was so beautiful, that when the temple of Castor and Pollux at Rome was adorned with paintings, her picture was drawn and placed amongst the rest.——Another courtesan, &c. Juvenal, satire 2, li. 49.
Florālia, games in honour of Flora at Rome. They were instituted about the age of Romulus, but they were not celebrated with regularity and proper attention till the year [♦]A.U.C. 580. They were observed yearly, and exhibited a scene of the most unbounded licentiousness. It is reported that Cato wished once to be present at the celebration, and that when he saw that the deference for his presence interrupted the feast, he retired, not choosing to be the spectator of the prostitution of naked women in a public theatre. This behaviour so captivated the degenerate Romans, that the venerable senator was treated with the most uncommon applause as he retired. Valerius Maximus, bk. 2, ch. 10.—Varro, de Lingua Latina, bk. 1.—Paterculus, ch. 1.—Pliny, bk. 18, ch. 29.
[♦] ‘U.C.’ replaced with ‘A.U.C.’
Flōrentia, a town of Italy on the Arnus, now Florence, the capital of Tuscany. Tacitus, Annals, bk. 1, ch. 79.—Florus, bk. 3, ch. 21.—Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 5.
Floriānus, a man who wore the imperial purple at Rome only for two months, A.D. 276.
Flōrus Lucius Annæus Julius, a Latin historian of the same family which produced Seneca and Lucan, A.D. 116. He wrote an abridgment of Roman annals in four books, composed in a florid and poetical style, and rather a panegyric on many of the great actions of the Romans than a faithful and correct recital of their history. He also wrote poetry, and entered the lists against the emperor Adrian, who satirically reproached him with frequenting taverns and places of dissipation. The best editions of Florus are Duker’s, 2 vols., 8vo, Leiden, 1722 & 1744; and that of J. Frid. Fischer, 8vo, Lipscomb, 1760.——Julius, a friend of Horace, who accompanied Claudius Nero in his military expeditions. The poet has addressed two epistles to him.
Fluōnia, a surname of Juno Lucina, who under that appellation was invoked by the Roman matrons to stop excessive discharges of blood. Festus, Lexicon of Festus.
Folia, a woman of Ariminum, famous for her knowledge of poisonous herbs and for her petulance. Horace, epode 5, li. 42.
Fons solis, a fountain in the province of Cyrene, cool at mid-day, and warm at the rising and setting of the sun. Herodotus, bk. 4, ch. 181.
Fontānus, a poet mentioned by Ovid, ex Ponto, bk. 4, poem 16.
Fontēia, a vestal virgin. Cicero.
Fontēius Capito, an intimate friend of Horace. Bk. 1, satire 5, li. 32.——A Roman who raised commotions in Germany after the death of Nero. Tacitus, Histories, bk. 1, ch. 7.——A man who conducted Cleopatra into Syria by order of Antony. Plutarch, Antonius.
Formiæ, a maritime town of Campania at the south-east of Caieta. It was anciently the abode of the Læstrygones, and it became known for its excellent wines, and was called Mamurrarum urbs, from a family of consequence and opulence who lived there. Livy, bk. 8, ch. 14; bk. 38, ch. 36.—Horace, bk. 1, ode 20, li. 11; bk. 3, ode 17; bk. 1, satire 5, li. 37.—Pliny, bk. 36, ch. 6.
Formiānum, a villa of Cicero near Formiæ, near which the orator was assassinated. Cicero, Letters to his Friends, bk. 11, ltr. 27; bk. 16, ltr. 10.—Tacitus, Annals, bk. 16, ch. 10.
Formio, now Risano, a river of Istria, the ancient boundary of Italy eastward, afterwards extended to the Arsia. Pliny, bk. 3, chs. 18 & 19.
Fornax, a goddess at Rome, who presided over the baking of bread. Her festivals, called Fornacalia, were first instituted by Numa. Ovid, Fasti, bk. 2, li. 525.
Foro Appii, a people of Italy, whose capital was called Forum Appii. Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 5.
Fortūna, a powerful deity among the ancients, daughter of Oceanus according to Homer, or one of the Parcæ according to Pindar. She was the goddess of fortune, and from her hand were derived riches and poverty, pleasures and misfortunes, blessings and pains. She was worshipped in different parts of Greece, and in Achaia her statue held the horn of plenty in one hand, and had a winged Cupid at its feet. In Bœotia she had a statue which represented her as holding Plutus the god of riches in her arms, to intimate that fortune is the source whence wealth and honours flow. Bupalus was the first who made a statue of Fortune for the people of Smyrna, and he represented her with the polar star upon her head, and the horn of plenty in her hand. The Romans paid particular attention to the goddess of Fortune, and had no less than eight different temples erected to her honour in their city. Tullus Hostilius was the first who built her a temple, and from that circumstance it is easily known when her worship was first introduced among the Romans. Her most famous temple in Italy was at Antium, in Latium, where presents and offerings were regularly sent from every part of the country. Fortune has been called Pherepolis the protectress of cities, and Acrea from the temple of Corinth on an eminence, ἀκρος. She was called Prænestine at Præneste in Italy, where she had also a temple. Besides, she was worshipped among the Romans under different names, such as Female fortune, Virile fortune, Equestrian, Evil, Peaceful, Virgin, &c. On the 1st of April, which was consecrated to Venus among the Romans, the Italian widows and marriageable virgins assembled in the temple of Virile fortune, and after burning incense and stripping themselves of their garments, they entreated the goddess to hide from the eyes of their husbands whatever defects there might be on their bodies. The goddess of fortune is represented on ancient monuments with a horn of plenty, and sometimes two in her hands. She is blindfolded, and generally holds a wheel in her hands as an emblem of her inconstancy. Sometimes she appears with wings, and treads upon the prow of a ship, and holds a rudder in her hands. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, bk. 4.—Ovid, Fasti, bk. 6, li. 569.—Plutarch, de Fortuna Romanorum & Caius Marcius Coriolanus.—Cicero, de Divinatione, bk. 2.—Livy, bk. 10.—Augustine, City of God, bk. 4.—Florus, bk. 1.—Valerius Maximus, bk. 1, ch. 5.—Lucan, bk. 2, &c.
Fortūnātæ insulæ, islands at the west of Mauritania in the Atlantic sea. They are supposed to be the Canary isles of the moderns, thought to be only two in number, at a little distance one from the other, and 10,000 stadia from the shores of Libya. They were represented as the seats of the blessed, where the souls of the virtuous were placed after death. The air was wholesome and temperate, and the earth produced an immense number of various fruits without the labours of men. When they had been described to Sertorius in the most enchanting colours, that celebrated general expressed a wish to retire thither, and to remove himself from the noise of the world, and the dangers of war. Strabo, bk. 1.—Plutarch, Sertorius.—Horace, bk. 4, ode 8, li. 27; epode 16.—Pliny, bk. 6, chs. 31 & 32.
Fŏrŭli, a town of the Sabines, built on a stony place. Strabo, bk. 5.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 7, li. 714.
Forum appii, a town of Latium on the Appia Via. Cicero, bk. 1, Letters to Atticus, ltr. 10.—Horace, bk. 1, satire 3, li. 3.——Augustum, a place at Rome. Ovid, Fasti, bk. 5, li. 552.——Allieni, a town of Italy, now Ferrara. Tacitus, Histories, bk. 3, ch. 6.——Aurelia, a town of Etruria, now Montalto. Cicero, Against Catiline, bk. 1, ch. 9.——Claudii, another in Etruria, now Oriolo.——Cornelii, another, now Imola, in the Pope’s dominions. Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 16.—Cicero, Letters to his Friends, bk. 12, ltr. 5.——Domitii, a town of Gaul, now Frontignan, in Languedoc.——Voconii, a town of Gaul, now Gonsaron, between Antibes and Marseilles. Cicero, Letters to his Friends, bk. 10, ltr. 17.——Lepidi, a town of ancient Gaul, south of the Po.——Popilii, another at the south of Ravenna, on the Adriatic.——Flaminii, a town of Umbria, now San Giavane. Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 14.——Gallorum, a town of Gaul Togata, now Castel Franco, in the Bolognese. Cicero, Letters to his Friends, bk. 10, ltr. 30.——Also a town of Venice called Forojuliensis urbs, now Friuli. Cicero, Letters to his Friends, bk. 12, ltr. 26.——Julium, a town of Gaul Narbonensis, now Frejus, in Provence. Cicero, Letters to his Friends, bk. 10, ltr. 17.—Strabo, bk. 4.——Lebnorum, a town of Insubria. Polybius.——Sempronii, a town of Umbria, &c. Many other places bore the name of Forum wherever there was a public market, or rather where the pretor held his court of justice (forum vel conventus), and thence they were called sometimes conventus as well as fora, into which provinces were generally divided under the administration of a separate governor. Cicero, Against Verres, bk. 2, ch. 20; bk. 4, ch. 48; bk. 5, ch. 11; Against Vatinius, ch. 5; Letters to his Friends, bk. 3, ltrs. 6 & 8; Letters to Atticus, bk. 5, ltr. 21.
Fosi, a people of Germany near the Elbe, considered as the Saxons of Ptolemy. Tacitus, Germania, ch. 36.
Fossa, the straits of Bonifacio between Corsica and Sardinia, called also Taphros. Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 6.——Drusi, or Drusiana, a canal eight miles in length, opened by Drusus from the Rhine to the Issel, below the separation of the Waal. Suetonius, Claudius, ch. 1.—Tacitus, Histories, bk. 5, ch. 23.——Mariana, a canal cut by Marius from the Rhone to Marseilles during the Cimbrian war, and now called Galejon. Sometimes the word is used in the plural, Fossæ, as if more than one canal had been formed by Marius. Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 4.—Strabo, bk. 4.—Mela, bk. 2, ch. 5.
Fossæ Philistinæ, one of the mouths of the Po. Tacitus, Histories, bk. 3, ch. 9.
Franci, a people of Germany and Gaul, whose country was called Francia. Claudian.
Fraus, a divinity worshipped among the Romans, daughter of Orcus and Night. She presided over treachery, &c.
Frĕgella, a famous town of the Volsci, in Italy, on the Liris, destroyed for revolting from the Romans, Silius Italicus, bk. 5, li. 452.—Livy, bk. 8, ch. 22; bk. 27, ch. 10, &c.—Cicero, Letters to his Friends, bk. 13, ltr. 76.
Fregēnæ, a town of Etruria. Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 5.
Frentāni, a people of Italy, near Apulia, who received their name from the river Frento, now Fortore, which runs through the eastern part of their country, and falls into the Adriatic opposite the islands of Diomede. Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 11.—Livy, bk. 9, ch. 45.—Silius Italicus, bk. 8, li. 520.
Fretum (the sea), is sometimes applied by eminence to the Sicilian sea, or the straits of Messina. Cæsar, Civil War, bk. 1, ch. 29.—Florus, bk. 1, ch. 26.—Cicero, bk. 2, Letters to Atticus, ltr. 1.
Frigĭdus, a river of Tuscany.
Frisii, a people of Germany near the Rhine, now the Frisons of Friesland. Tacitus, Annals, bk. 1, ch. 60; Histories, bk. 4, chs. 15 & 72; Germania, ch. 36.
Sextus Julius Frontīnus, a celebrated geometrician, who made himself known by the books which he wrote on aqueducts and stratagems dedicated to Trajan. He ordered at his death that no monument should be raised to his memory, saying memoria nostri durabit, si vitam meruimus. The best edition of Frontinus is that of Oudendorp, 8vo, Leiden, 1779.
Fronto, a preceptor of Marcus Antoninus, by whom he was greatly esteemed.——Julius, a learned Roman, who was so partial to the company of poets, that he lent them his house and gardens, which continually re-echoed the compositions of his numerous visitors. Juvenal, satire 1, li. 12.
Frŭsĭno, a small town of the Volsci on one of the branches of the Liris. Juvenal, satire 3, li. 223.—Livy, bk. 10, ch. 1.—Silius Italicus, bk. 8, li. 399.—Cicero, Letters to Atticus, bk. 11, ltrs. 4 & 13.
Fūcĭnus, a lake of Italy in the country of the Marsi, at the north of the Liris, attempted to be drained by Julius Cæsar and afterwards by Claudius, by whom 30,000 men were employed for 11 years to perforate a mountain to convey the water into the Liris, but with no permanent success. The lake, surrounded by a ridge of high mountains, is now called Celano, and is supposed to be 47 miles in circumference, and not more than 12 feet deep on an average. Pliny, bk. 36, ch. 15.—Tacitus, Annals, bk. 12, ch. 56.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 7, li. 759.
Fufĭdius, a wretched usurer, &c. Horace, bk. 1, satire 2.
Fufius Geminus, a man greatly promoted by the interest of Livia, &c. Tacitus, Annals, bk. 5, chs. 1 & 2.
Fugalia, festivals at Rome to celebrate the flight of the Tarquins.
Fulgĭnātes (singular, Fulginas), a people of Umbria, whose chief town was Fulginum, now Foligno. Silius Italicus, bk. 8, li. 462.—Pliny, bk. 1, ch. 4; bk. 3, ch. 14.
Q. Fulgīnus, a brave officer in Cæsar’s legions, &c. Cæsar, Civil War.
Fulgōra, a goddess at Rome who presided over lightning. She was addressed to save her votaries from the effects of violent storms of thunder. Augustine, City of God, bk. 6, ch. 10.
Fullinum and Fulginum, a small town of Umbria.
Fulvia lex, was proposed but rejected A.U.C. 628, by Flaccus Fulvius. It tended to make all the people of Italy citizens of Rome.
Fulvia, a bold and ambitious woman who married the tribune Clodius, and afterwards Curio, and at last Marcus Antony. She took a part in all the intrigues of her husband’s triumvirate, and showed herself cruel as well as revengeful. When Cicero’s head had been cut off by order of Antony, Fulvia ordered it to be brought to her, and with all the insolence of barbarity, she bored the orator’s tongue with her golden bodkin. Antony divorced her to marry Cleopatra, upon which she attempted to avenge her wrongs, by persuading Augustus to take up arms against her husband. When this scheme did not succeed, she raised a faction against Augustus, in which she engaged Lucius Antonius her brother-in-law, and when all her attempts proved fruitless, she retired into the east, where her husband received her with great coldness and indifference. This unkindness totally broke her heart, and she soon after died, about 40 years before the christian era. Plutarch, Cicero & Antonius.——A woman who discovered to Cicero the designs of Catiline upon his life. Plutarch, Cicero.
Fulvius, a Roman senator, intimate with Augustus. He disclosed the emperor’s secrets to his wife, who made it public to all the Roman matrons, for which he received so severe a reprimand from Augustus, that he and his wife hanged themselves in despair.——A friend of Caius Gracchus, who was killed in a sedition with his son. His body was thrown into the river, and his widow was forbidden to put on mourning for his death. Plutarch, Gracchus.——Flaccus Censor, a Roman who plundered a marble temple of Juno, to finish the building of one which he had erected to Fortune. He was always unhappy after this sacrilege. Livy, bk. 25, ch. 2.——Servius Nobilior, a Roman consul who went to Africa after the defeat of Regulus. After he had acquired much glory against the Carthaginians, he was shipwrecked at his return with 200 Roman ships. His grandson Marcus was sent to Spain, where he greatly signalized himself. He was afterwards rewarded with the consulship.
Fundānus, a lake near Fundi in Italy, which discharges itself into the Mediterranean. Tacitus, Histories, bk. 3, ch. 96.
Fundi, a town of Italy near Caieta, on the Appian road, at the bottom of a small deep bay called Lacus Fundanus. Horace, bk. 1, satire 5, li. 34.—Livy, bk. 8, chs. 14 & 19; bk. 38, ch. 36.—Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 5.—Cicero, De Lege Agraria contra Rullum, bk. 2, ch. 25.—Tacitus, Annals, bk. 4, ch. 59.—Strabo, bk. 5.
Fŭriæ, the three daughters of Nox and Acheron, or of Pluto and Proserpine, according to some. See: [Eumenides].
Fŭrii, a family which migrated from Medullia in Latium, and came to settle at Rome under Romulus, and was admitted among the patricians. Camillus was of this family, and it was he who first raised it to distinction. Plutarch, Camillus.
Fŭria lex, de Testamentis, by C. Furius the tribune. It forbade any person to leave as a legacy more than 1000 asses, except to the relations of the master who manumitted, with a few more exceptions. Cicero, bk. 1, Against Verres, ch. 42.—Livy, bk. 35.
Furīna, the goddess of robbers, worshipped at Rome. Some say that she is the same as the Furies. Her festivals were called Furinalia. Cicero, de Natura Deorum, bk. 3, ch. 8.—Varro, de Lingua Latina, bk. 5, ch. 3.
Furius, a military tribune with Camillus. He was sent against the Tuscans by his colleague.——A Roman slave who obtained his freedom, and applied himself with unremitted attention to cultivate a small portion of land which he had purchased. The uncommon fruits which he reaped from his labours rendered his neighbours jealous of his prosperity. He was accused before a Roman tribunal of witchcraft, but honourably acquitted.——Marcus Bibaculus, a Latin poet of Cremona, who wrote annals in Iambic verse, and was universally celebrated for the wit and humour of his expressions. It is said that Virgil imitated his poetry, and even borrowed some of his lines. Horace, however, has not failed to ridicule his verses. Quintilian, bk. 8, ch. 6, &c.—Horace, bk. 2, satire 5, li. 40.
Furnius, a man accused of adultery with Claudia Pulchra, and condemned, &c. Tacitus, Histories, bk. 4, li. 52.——A friend of Horace, who was consul, and distinguished himself by his elegant historical writings. Bk. 1, satire 10, li. 36.
Aristotle Fuscus, a friend of Horace, as conspicuous for the integrity and propriety of his manners, as for his learning and abilities. The poet addressed his 22nd Ode, bk. 1 & bk. 1, ltr. 10, to him.——Cornelius, a pretor sent by Domitian against the Daci, where he perished. Juvenal, satire 4, li. 112.
Fusia lex, de Comitiis, A.U.C. 527, forbade any business to be transacted at the public assemblies on certain days, though among the fasti.——Another, A.U.C. 690, which ordained that the votes in a public assembly should be given separately.——Caninia, another by Camillus and C. Caninius Galbus, A.U.C. 751, to check the manumission of slaves.
Fusius, a Roman orator. Cicero, bk. 2, On Oratory, ch. 22.——A Roman, killed in Gaul, while he presided there over one of the provinces. Cæsar, Gallic War, bk. 7, ch. 3.——A Roman actor, whom Horace ridicules, bk. 2, satire 3, li. 60. He intoxicated himself; and when on the stage he fell asleep whilst he personated Ilione, where he ought to have been roused and moved by the cries of a ghost; but in vain.