Sulga, now Sorgue, a small river of Gaul, falling into the Rhone. Strabo, bk. 4.
Sulla. See: [Sylla].
Sulmo, now Sulmona, an ancient town of the Peligni, at the distance of about 90 miles from Rome, founded by Solymus, one of the followers of Æneas. Ovid was born there. Ovid, passim.—Silius Italicus, bk. 8, li. 511.—Strabo, bk. 5.——A Latin chief killed in the night by Nisus, as he was going with his companions to destroy Euryalus. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 9, li. 412.
Sulpitia, a daughter of Paterculus, who married Fulvius Flaccus. She was so famous for her chastity, that she consecrated a temple to [♦]Venus Verticordia, a goddess who was implored to turn the hearts of the Roman women to virtue. Pliny, bk. 7, ch. 35.——A poetess in the age of Domitian, against whom she wrote a poem, because he had banished the philosophers from Rome. This composition is still extant. She had also written a poem on conjugal affection, commended by Martial, ltr. 35, now lost.——A daughter of Servius Sulpitius, mentioned in the fourth book of elegies, falsely attributed to Tibullus.
[♦] ‘Venis’ replaced with ‘Venus’
Sulpitia lex, militaris, by Caius Sulpicius the tribune, A.U.C. 665, invested Marius with the full power of the war against Mithridates, of which Sylla was to be deprived.——Another, de senatu, by Servius Sulpicius the tribune, A.U.C. 665. It required that no senator should owe more than 2000 drachmæ.——Another, de civitate, by Publius Sulpitius the tribune, A.U.C. 665. It ordered that the new citizens who composed the eight tribes lately created, should be divided among the 35 old tribes, as a greater honour.——Another, called also Sempronia, de religione, by Publius Sulpicius Saverrio and Publius Sempronius Sophus, consuls, A.U.C. 449. It forbade any person to consecrate a temple or altar without the permission of the senate and the majority of the tribunes.——Another, to empower the Romans to make war against Philip of Macedonia.
Sulpitius, or Sulpicius, an illustrious family at Rome, of whom the most celebrated are:—Peticus, a man chosen dictator against the Gauls. His troops mutinied when he first took the field, but soon after he engaged the enemy and totally defeated them. Livy, bk. 7.——Saverrio, a consul who gained a victory over the Æqui. Livy, bk. 9, ch. 45.——Caius Paterculus, a consul sent against the Carthaginians. He conquered Sardinia and Corsica, and obtained a complete victory over the enemy’s fleet. He was honoured with a triumph at his return to Rome. Livy, bk. 17.——Spurius, one of the three commissioners whom the Romans sent to collect the best laws which could be found in the different cities and republics of Greece. Livy, bk. 3, ch. 10.——One of the first consuls who received intelligence that a conspiracy was formed in Rome to restore the Tarquins to power, &c.——A priest who died of the plague in the first ages of the republic at Rome.——Publius Galba, a Roman consul who signalized himself greatly during the war which his countrymen waged against the Achæans and the Macedonians.——Severus, a writer. See: [Severus].——Publius, one of the associates of Marius, well known for his intrigues and cruelty. He made some laws in favour of the allies of Rome, and he kept about 3000 young men in continual pay, whom he called his anti-senatorial band, and with these he had often the impertinence to attack the consul in the popular assemblies. He became at last so seditious, that he was proscribed by Sylla’s adherents, and immediately murdered. His head was fixed on a pole in the rostrum, where he had often made many seditious speeches in the capacity of tribune. Livy, bk. 77.——A Roman consul who fought against Pyrrhus and defeated him.——Caius Longus, a Roman consul, who defeated the Samnites and killed 30,000 of their men. He obtained a triumph for this celebrated victory. He was afterwards made dictator to conduct a war against the Etrurians.——Rufus, a lieutenant of Cæsar in Gaul.——One of Messalina’s favourites, put to death by Claudius.——Publius Quirinus, a consul in the age of Augustus.——Camerinus, a proconsul of Africa, under Nero, accused of cruelty, &c. Tacitus, bk. 13, Annals, ch. 52.——Gallus, a celebrated astrologer in the age of Paulus. He accompanied the consul in his expedition against Perseus, and told the Roman army that the night before the day on which they were to give the enemy battle there would be an eclipse of the moon. This explanation encouraged the soldiers, which, on the contrary, would have intimidated them, if not previously acquainted with the causes of it. Sulpitius was universally respected, and he was honoured a few years after with the consulship. Livy, bk. 44, ch. 37.—Pliny, bk. 2, ch. 12.——Apollinaris, a grammarian in the age of the emperor Marcus Aurelius. He left some letters and a few grammatical observations now lost. Cicero.—Livy.—Plutarch.—Polybius.—Florus.—Eutropius.
Summānus, a surname of Pluto, as prince of the dead, summus manium. He had a temple at Rome, erected during the wars with Pyrrhus, and the Romans believed that the thunderbolts of Jupiter were in his power during the night. Cicero, De Divinatione.—Ovid, Fasti, bk. 6, li. 731.
Sunici, a people of Germany on the shores of the Rhine. Tacitus, Histories, bk. 4, ch. 66.
Sunides, a soothsayer in the army of Eumenes. Polyænus, bk. 4.