Chapter M (41)

=Velleius Paterculus=, a Roman historian, descended from an equestrian
family of Campania. He was at first a military tribune in the Roman
armies, and for nine years served under Tiberius in the various
expeditions which he undertook in Gaul and Germany. Velleius wrote an
epitome of the history of Greece, and of Rome, and of other nations
of the most remote antiquity, but of this authentic composition there
remain only fragments of the history of Greece and Rome from the
conquest of Perseus, by Paulus, to the 17th year of the reign of
Tiberius, in two books. It is a judicious account of celebrated men
and illustrious cities; the historian is happy in his descriptions,
and accurate in his dates; his pictures are true, and his narrations
lively and interesting. The whole is candid and impartial, but only
till the reign of the Cæsars, when the writer began to be influenced
by the presence of the emperor, or the power of his favourites.
Paterculus is deservedly censured for his invectives against
Cicero and Pompey, and his encomiums on the cruel Tiberius, and the
unfortunate Sejanus. Some suppose that he was involved in the ruin
of this disappointed courtier, whom he had extolled as a pattern of
virtue and morality. The best editions of Paterculus are those of
Ruhnkenius, 8vo, 2 vols., Leiden, 1779; of Barbou, Paris, 12mo, 1777;
and of Burman, 8vo, Leiden, 1719.――――Caius, the grandfather of the
historian of that name, was one of the friends of Livia. He killed
himself when old and unable to accompany Livia in her flight.

=Velocasses=, the people of _Vexin_, in Normandy. _Cæsar_, _Gallic War_,
bk. 2, ch. 4.

=Venāfrum=, a town of Campania near Arpinum, abounding in olive trees.
It became a Roman colony. It had been founded by Diomedes. _Horace_,
bk. 2, ode 6, li. 16.――_Martial_, bk. 13, ltr. 98.――_Juvenal_,
satire 5, li. 86.――_Strabo_, bk. 5.――_Pliny_, bk. 3, ch. 5.

=Venedi=, a people of Germany, near the mouth of the Vistula, or gulf
of Dantzic. _Tacitus_, _Germania_, ch. 46.――_Pliny_, bk. 4, ch. 13.

=Veneli=, a people of Gallia Celtica.

=Venĕti=, a people of Italy in Cisalpine Gaul, near the mouth of the Po.
They were descended from a nation of Paphlagonia, who settled there
under Antenor some time after the Trojan war. The Venetians, who have
been long a powerful and commercial nation, were originally very poor,
whence a writer in the age of the Roman emperors said, they had no
other fence against the waves of the sea but hurdles, no food but
fish, no wealth besides their fishing-boats, and no merchandise but
salt. _Strabo_, bk. 4, &c.――_Livy_, bk. 1, ch. 1.――_Mela_, bk. 1,
ch. 2; bk. 2, ch. 4.――_Cæsar_, _Gallic War_, bk. 3, ch. 8.――_Lucan_,
bk. 4, li. 134.――_Silius Italicus_, bk. 8, li. 605.――――A nation of
Gaul, at the south of Armorica, on the western coast, powerful by sea.
Their chief city is now called _Vannes_. _Cæsar_, bk. 3, _Gallic War_,
ch. 8.

=Venĕtia=, a part of Gaul, on the mouths of the Po. _See:_ Veneti.

=Venetus Paulus=, a centurion who conspired against Nero with Piso,
&c. _Tacitus_, _Annals_, bk. 15, ch. 50.――――A lake through which the
Rhine passes, now _Bodensee_ or _Constance_. _Mela_, bk. 3, ch. 2.

=Vĕnīlia=, a nymph, sister to Amata, and mother of Turnus by Daunus.
Amphitrite the sea goddess is also called Venilia. _Virgil_, _Æneid_,
bk. 10, li. 76.――_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 14, li. 334.――_Varro_,
_de Lingua Latina_, bk. 4, ch. 10.

=Vennones=, a people of the Rhæetian Alps.

=Venonius=, an historian mentioned by _Cicero_, _Letters to Atticus_,
bk. 12, ltr. 3, &c.

=Venta Belgarum=, a town of Britain, now _Winchester_.――――Silurum, a
town of Britain, now _Caerwent_, in Monmouthshire.――――Icenorum, now
_Norwich_.

=Venti.= The ancients, and especially the Athenians, paid particular
attention to the winds, and offered them sacrifices as to deities,
intent upon the destruction of mankind, by continually causing storms,
tempests, and earthquakes. The winds were represented in different
attitudes and forms. The four principal winds were _Eurus_, the
south-east, who is represented as a young man flying with great
impetuosity, and often appearing in a playsome and wanton humour.
_Auster_, the south wind, appeared generally as an old man with
grey hair, a gloomy countenance, a head covered with clouds, a sable
vesture, and dusky wings. He is the dispenser of rain, and of all
heavy showers. _Zephyrus_ is represented as the mildest of all the
winds. He is young and gentle, and his lap is filled with vernal
flowers. He married Flora the goddess, with whom he enjoyed the most
perfect felicity. _Boreas_, or the north wind, appears always rough
and shivering. He is the father of rain, snow, hail, and tempests,
and is always represented as surrounded with impenetrable clouds.
Those of inferior note were _Solanus_, whose name is seldom mentioned.
He appeared as a young man holding fruit in his lap, such as peaches,
oranges, &c. _Africus_, or south-west, is represented with black
wings, and a melancholy countenance. _Corus_, or north-west, drives
clouds of snow before him, and _Aquilo_, the north-east, is equally
dreadful in appearance. The winds, according to some mythologists,
were confined in a large cave, of which Æolus had the management;
and without this necessary precaution, they would have overturned
the earth, and reduced everything to its original chaos. _Virgil_,
_Æneid_, bk. 1, li. 57, &c.

=Ventĭdius Bassus=, a native of Picenum, born of an obscure family.
When Asculum was taken, he was carried before the triumphant chariot
of Pompeius Strabo, hanging on his mother’s breast. A bold, aspiring
soul, aided by the patronage of the family of Cæsar, raised him from
the mean occupation of a chairman and muleteer to dignity in the
state. He displayed valour in the Roman armies, and gradually arose
to the offices of tribune, pretor, high priest, and consul. He made
war against the Parthians, and conquered them in three great battles,
B.C. 39. He was the first Roman ever honoured with a triumph over
Parthia. He died greatly lamented by all the Roman people, and was
buried at the public expense. _Plutarch_, _Antonius_.――_Juvenal_,
satire 7, li. 199.――――Cumanus, governor of Palestine, &c. _Tacitus_,
_Annals_, bk. 13, ch. 54.――――Two brothers in the age of Pompey, who
favoured Carbo’s interest, &c. _Plutarch._

=Venŭleius=, a writer in the age of the emperor Alexander.――――A friend
of Verres. _Cicero_, _Against Verres_, bk. 3, ch. 42.

=Venŭlus=, one of the Latin elders sent into Magna Græcia to demand the
assistance of Diomedes, &c. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 8, li. 9.

=Vĕnus=, one of the most celebrated deities of the ancients. She was
the goddess of beauty, the mother of love, the queen of laughter,
the mistress of the graces and of pleasures, and the patroness
of courtesans. Some mythologists speak of more than one Venus.
Plato mentions two, Venus Urania the daughter of Uranus, and Venus
Popularia the daughter of Jupiter and Dione. Cicero speaks of four, a
daughter of Cœlus and Light, one sprung from the froth of the sea, a
third, daughter of Jupiter and the Nereid Dione, and a fourth born at
Tyre, and the same as the Astarte of the Syrians. Of these, however,
the Venus sprung from the froth of the sea, after the mutilated
part of the body of Uranus had been thrown there by Saturn, is the
most known, and of her in particular ancient mythologists, as well
as painters, make mention. She arose from the sea near the island
of Cyprus, or, according to Hesiod, of Cythera, whither she was
wafted by the zephyrs, and received on the sea-shore by the seasons,
daughters of Jupiter and Themis. She was soon after carried to
heaven, where all the gods admired her beauty, and all the goddesses
became jealous of her personal charms. Jupiter attempted to gain her
affections and even wished to offer her violence, but Venus refused,
and the god, to punish her obstinacy, gave her in marriage to his
ugly and deformed son Vulcan. This marriage did not prevent the
goddess of Love from gratifying her favourite passions, and she
defiled her husband’s bed by her amours with the gods. Her intrigue
with Mars is the most celebrated. She was caught in her lover’s arms,
and exposed to the ridicule and laughter of all the gods. _See:_
Alectryon. Venus became mother of Hermione, Cupid, and Anteros by
Mars; by Mercury she had Hermaphroditus; by Bacchus, Priapus; and
by Neptune, Eryx. Her great partiality for Adonis made her abandon
the seats of Olympus [_See:_ Adonis], and her regard for Anchises
obliged her often to visit the woods and solitary retreats of mount
Ida. _See:_ Anchises, Æneas. The power of Venus over the heart was
supported and assisted by a celebrated girdle, called _zone_ by
the Greeks, and _cestus_ by the Latins. This mysterious girdle gave
beauty, grace, and elegance, when worn even by the most deformed; and
it excited love and rekindled extinguished flames. Juno herself was
indebted to this powerful ornament to gain the favours of Jupiter,
and Venus, though herself possessed of every charm, no sooner put
on her cestus, than Vulcan, unable to resist the influence of love,
forgot all the intrigues and infidelities of his wife, and fabricated
arms even for her illegitimate children. The contest of Venus for
the golden apple of Discord is well known. She gained the prize over
Pallas and Juno [_See:_ Paris, Discordia], and rewarded her impartial
judge with the hand of the fairest woman in the world. The worship of
Venus was universally established; statues and temples were erected
to her in every kingdom, and the ancients were fond of paying homage
to a divinity who presided over generation, and by whose influence
alone mankind existed. In her sacrifices and in the festivals
celebrated in her honour, too much licentiousness prevailed, and
public prostitution was often part of the ceremony. Victims were
seldom offered to her, or her altars stained with blood, though we
find Aspasia making repeated sacrifices. No pigs, however, or male
animals were deemed acceptable. The rose, the myrtle, and the apple,
were sacred to Venus; and among birds, the dove, the swan, and the
sparrow, were her favourites; and among fishes, those called the
aphya and the lycostomus. The goddess of beauty was represented among
the ancients in different forms. At Elis she appeared seated on a
goat, with one foot resting on a tortoise. At Sparta and Cythera,
she was represented armed like Minerva, and sometimes wearing chains
on her feet. In the temple of Jupiter Olympius, she was represented
by Phidias, as rising from the sea, received by love, and crowned by
the goddess of persuasion. At Cnidos her statue, made by Praxiteles,
represented her naked, with one hand hiding what modesty keeps
concealed. Her statue at Elephantis was the same, with only a naked
Cupid by her side. In Sicyon she held a poppy in one hand, and in the
other an apple, while on her head she had a crown, which terminated
in a point, to intimate the pole. She is generally represented with
her son Cupid, on a chariot drawn by doves, or at other times by
swans and sparrows. The surnames of the goddess are numerous, and
only show how well established her worship was all over the earth.
She was called _Cypria_, because particularly worshipped in the
island of Cyprus, and in that character she was often represented
with a beard, and the male parts of generation, with a sceptre in
her hand, and the body and dress of a female, whence she is called
_duplex Amathusia_ by Catullus. She received the name of _Paphia_,
because worshipped at Paphos, where she had a temple with an altar,
on which rain never fell, though exposed in the open air. Some
of the ancients called her _Apostrophia_ or _Epistrophia_, as
also Venus _Urania_, and Venus _Pandemos_. The first of these she
received as presiding over wantonness and incestuous enjoyments;
the second because she patronized pure love, and chaste and moderate
gratifications; and the third because she favoured the propensities
of the vulgar, and was fond of sensual pleasures. The Cnidians raised
her temples under the name of Venus _Acræa_, of _Doris_, and of
_Euploea_. In her temple under the name of Euploea, at Cnidos, was
the most celebrated of her statues, being the most perfect piece of
Praxiteles. It was made with white marble, and appeared so engaging,
and so much like life, that, according to some historians, a youth
of the place introduced himself in the night into her temple, and
attempted to gratify his passions on the lifeless image. Venus was
also surnamed _Cytheræa_, because she was the chief deity of Cythera;
_Exopolis_, because her statue was without the city of Athens;
_Phallommeda_, from her affection for the phallus; _Philommedis_,
because the queen of laughter; _Telessigama_, because she presided
over marriage; _Caliada_, _Colotis_, or _Colias_, because worshipped
on a promontory of the same name in Attica; _Area_, because armed
like Mars; _Verticordia_, because she could turn the hearts of women
to cultivate chastity; _Apaturia_, because she deceived; _Calva_,
because she was represented bald; _Ericyna_, because worshipped at
Eryx; _Etaira_, because the patroness of courtesans; _Acidalia_,
because of a fountain of Orchomenos: _Basilea_, because the queen of
love; _Myrtea_, because the myrtle was sacred to her; _Libertina_,
from her inclinations to gratify lust; _Mechanitis_, in allusion
to the many artifices practised in love, &c., &c. As goddess of
the sea, because born in the bosom of the waters, Venus was called
_Pontia_, _Marina_, _Limnesia_, _Epipontia_, _Pelagia_, _Saligenia_,
_Pontogenia_, _Aligena_, _Thalassia_, &c., and as rising from the sea,
the name of _Anadyomene_ is applied to her, and rendered immortal by
the celebrated painting of Apelles, which represented her as issuing
from the bosom of the waves, and wringing her tresses on her shoulder.
_See:_ Anadyomene. _Cicero_ _de Natura Deorum_, bk. 2, ch. 27;
bk. 3, ch. 23.――_Orpheus_, Hymn 54.――_Hesiod_, _Theogony_.――_Sappho._
――_Homer_, _Hymn to Aphrodite_, &c.――_Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 5, li.
800, &c.――_Ovid_, _Heroides_, poems 15, 16, 19, &c.; _Metamorphoses_,
bk. 4, fable 5, &c.――_Diodorus_, bks. 1 & 5.――_Hyginus_, fables 94,
271.――_Pausanias_, bk. 2, ch. 1; bk. 4, ch. 30; bk. 5, ch. 18.
――_Martial_, bk. 6, ltr. 13.――_Euripides_, _Helen_, _Iphigeneia
in Taurus_.――_Plutarch_, _Amatorius_.――_Ælian_, _Varia Historia_,
bk. 12, ch. 1.――_Athenæus_, bk. 12, &c.――_Catullus._――_Lactantius_,
_de Falsa Religione_.――_Quintus Calaber [Smyrnæus]_, bk. 11.
――_Lucian_, _Dialogi_, &c.――_Strabo_, bk. 14.――_Tacitus_, _Annals_,
bk. 3, &c.――_Valerius Maximus_, bk. 8, ch. 11.――_Pliny_, bk. 36.
――_Horace_, bk. 3, ode 26; bk. 4, ode 11, &c.――――A planet called
by the Greeks Phosphorus, and by the Latins Lucifer, when it rises
before the sun, but when it follows it, Hesperus or Vesper. _Cicero_,
_de Natura Deorum_, bk. 2, ch. 20; _Somnium Scipionis_.

=Venus Pyrenæa=, a town of Spain near the borders of Gaul.

=Venŭsia=, or =Venŭsium=, a town of Apulia, where Horace was born. Part
of the Roman army fled thither after the defeat at Cannæ. The town,
though in ruins, contains still many pieces of antiquity, especially
a marble bust preserved in the great square, and said falsely to be
an original representation of Horace. Venusia was on the confines of
Lucania, whence the poet said _Lucanus an Apulus anceps_, and it was
founded by Diomedes, who called it Venusia or Aphrodisia, after Venus,
whose divinity he wished to appease. _Strabo_, bks. 5 & 6.――_Horace_,
bk. 2, satire 1, li. 35.――_Livy_, bk. 22, ch. 54.――_Pliny_, bk. 3,
ch. 11.

=Veragri=, a people between the Alps and the Allobroges. _Livy_, bk. 21,
ch. 38.――_Cæsar_, _Gallic War_, bk. 3, ch. 1.

=Verania=, the wife of Piso Licinianus, whom Galba adopted.

=Veranius=, a governor of Britain under Nero. He succeeded Didius
Gallus. _Tacitus_, _Annals_, bk. 14.

=Verbānus lacus=, now _Majora_, a lake of Italy, from which the Ticinus
flows. It is in the modern duchy of Milan, and extends 50 miles in
length from south to north, and five or six in breadth. _Strabo_,
bk. 4.

=Verbigenus=, a village in the country of the Celtæ.

=Verbinum=, a town in the north of Gaul.

=Vercellæ=, a town on the borders of Insubria, where Marius defeated
the Cimbri. _Pliny_, bk. 3, ch. 17.――_Cicero_, _Letters to his
Friends_, bk. 11, ltr. 19.――_Silius Italicus_, bk. 8, li. 598.

=Vercingetŏrix=, a chief of the Gauls, in the time of Cæsar. He was
conquered and led in triumph, &c. _Cæsar_, _Gallic War_, bk. 7, ch. 4.
――_Florus_, bk. 3, ch. 10.

=Veresis=, a small river of Latium falling into the Anio.

=Vergasillaunus=, one of the generals and friends of Vercingetorix.
_Cæsar_, _Gallic War_.

=Vergæ=, a town of the Brutii. _Livy_, bk. 30, ch. 19.

=Vergellus=, a small river near Cannæ, falling into the Aufidus, over
which Annibal made a bridge with the slaughtered bodies of the Romans.
_Florus_, bk. 2, ch. 6.――_Valerius Maximus_, bk. 9, ch. 11.

=Vergilia=, the wife of Coriolanus, &c.

=Vergilia=, a town of Spain, supposed to be Murcia.

=Vergiliæ=, seven stars, called also _Pleiades_. When they set, the
ancients began to sow their corn. They received their name from the
spring, _quia vere oriantur_. _Propertius_, bk. 1, poem 8, li. 18.
――_Cicero_, _de Natura Deorum_, bk. 2, ch. 44.

=Verginius=, one of the officers of the Roman troops in Germany, who
refused the absolute power which his soldiers offered to him.
_Tacitus_, _Histories_, bk. 1, ch. 8.――――A rhetorician in the age of
Nero, banished on account of his great fame. _Tacitus_, _Annals_, bk.
15, ch. 71.

=Vergium=, a town of Spain.

=Vergobretus=, one of the chiefs of the Ædui, in the age of Cæsar, &c.
_Cæsar_, _Gallic War_, bk. 1, ch. 16.

=Verĭtas= (_truth_), was not only personified by the ancients, but
also made a deity, and called the daughter of Saturn and the mother
of Virtue. She was represented like a young virgin, dressed in white
apparel, with all the marks of youthful diffidence and modesty.
Democritus used to say that she hid herself at the bottom of a well,
to intimate the difficulty with which she is found.

=Verodoctius=, one of the Helvetii. _Cæsar_, _Gallic War_, bk. 1, ch. 7.

=Veromandui=, a people of Gaul, the modern Vermandois. The capital is
now St. Quintin. _Cæsar_, _Gallic War_, bk. 2.

=Vērōna=, a town of Venetia, on the Athesis, in Italy, founded, as
some suppose, by Brennus the leader of the Gauls. Cornelius Nepos,
Catullus, and Pliny the elder were born there. It was adorned with a
circus and an amphitheatre by the Roman emperors, which still exist,
and it still preserves its ancient name. _Pliny_, bk. 9, ch. 22.
――_Strabo_, bk. 5.――_Ovid_, _Amores_, bk. 3, poem 15, li. 7.

=Verōnes=, a people of Hispania Tarraconensis. _Silius Italicus_, bk. 3,
li. 578.

=Verrecīnum=, a town in the country of the Volsci. _Livy_, bk. 4, ch. 1,
&c.――_Valerius Maximus_, bk. 6, ch. 5.

=Caius Verres=, a Roman who governed the province of Sicily as pretor.
The oppression and rapine of which he was guilty, while in office, so
offended the Sicilians, that they brought an accusation against him
before the Roman senate. Cicero undertook the cause of the Sicilians,
and pronounced those celebrated orations which are still extant.
Verres was defended by Hortensius, but as he despaired of the success
of his defence, he left Rome without waiting for his sentence, and
lived in great affluence in one of the provinces. He was at last
killed by the soldiers of Antony the triumvir, about 26 years after
his voluntary exile from the capital. _Cicero_, _Against Verres_.
――_Pliny_, bk. 34, ch. 2.――_Lactantius_, bk. 2, ch. 4.

=Verritus=, a general of the Frisii in the age of Nero, &c. _Tacitus_,
_Annals_, bk. 13, ch. 54.

=Verrius Flaccus=, a freedman and grammarian famous for his powers
in instructing. He was appointed over the grandchildren of Augustus,
and also distinguished himself by his writings. _Aulus Gellius_,
bk. 4, ch. 5.――_Suetonius_, _Lives of the Grammarians_.――――A Latin
critic, B.C. 4, whose works have been edited with Dacier’s and
Clerk’s notes, 4to, Amsterdam, 1699.

=Verrūgo=, a town in the country of the Volsci. _Livy_, bk. 4, ch. 1.

=Vertico=, one of the Nervii who deserted to Cæsar’s army, &c. _Cæsar_,
_Gallic War_, bk. 6, ch. 45.

=Verticordia=, one of the surnames of Venus, the same as the
_Apostrophia_ of the Greeks, because her assistance was implored to
turn the hearts of the Roman matrons, and teach them to follow virtue
and modesty. _Valerius Maximus_, bk. 8.

=Vertiscus=, one of the Rhemi, who commanded a troop of horse in
Cæsar’s army. _Cæsar_, _Gallic War_, bk. 8, ch. 12.

=Vertumnus=, a deity among the Romans, who presided over the spring and
over orchards. He endeavoured to gain the affections of the goddess
Pomona; and to effect this, he assumed the shape and dress of a
fisherman, of a soldier, a peasant, a reaper, &c., but all to no
purpose, till, under the form of an old woman, he prevailed upon
his mistress and married her. He is generally represented as a young
man crowned with flowers, covered up to the waist, and holding in
his right hand fruit, and a crown of plenty in his left. _Ovid_,
_Metamorphoses_, bk. 14, li. 642, &c.――_Propertius_, bk. 4, poem 2,
li. 2.――_Horace_, bk. 2, satire 7, li. 14.

=Verulæ=, a town of the Hernici. _Livy_, bk. 9, ch. 42.

=Verulānus=, a lieutenant under Corbulo, who drove away Tiridates from
Media, &c. _Tacitus_, _Annals_, bk. 14, ch. 26.

=Verus Lucius Ceionius Commodus=, a Roman emperor, son of Ælius and
Domitia Lucilla. He was adopted in the 7th year of his age by Marcus
Aurelius, at the request of Adrian, and he married Lucilia the
daughter of his adopted father, who also took him as his colleague on
the throne. He was sent by Marcus Aurelius to oppose the barbarians
in the east. His arms were attended with success, and he obtained
a victory over the Parthians. He was honoured with a triumph at his
return home, and soon after he marched with his imperial colleague
against the Marcomanni in Germany. He died in this expedition of
an apoplexy, in the 39th year of his age, after a reign of eight
years and some months. His body was brought back to Rome, and buried
by Marcus Aurelius with great pomp and solemnity. Verus has been
greatly censured for his debaucheries, which appeared more enormous
and disgusting, when compared with the temperance, meekness, and
popularity of Aurelius. The example of his father did not influence
him, and he often retired from the frugal and moderate repast of
Aurelius, to the profuse banquets of his own palace, where the night
was spent in riot and debauchery, with the meanest of the populace,
with stage-dancers, buffoons, and lascivious courtesans. At one
entertainment alone, where there were no more than 12 guests, the
emperor spent no less than six millions of sesterces, or about
32,200_l._ sterling. But it is to be observed, that whatever was most
scarce and costly was there; the guests never drank twice out of the
same cup; and whatever vessels they had touched, they received as a
present from the emperor when they left the palace. In his Parthian
expedition, Verus did not check his vicious propensities; for four
years he left the care of the war to his officers, while he retired
to the voluptuous retreats of Daphne, and the luxurious banquets
of Antioch. His fondness for a horse has been faithfully recorded.
The animal had a statue of gold, he was fed with almonds and raisins
by the hand of the emperor, he was clad in purple, and kept in the
most splendid of the halls of the palace, and when dead, the emperor,
to express his sorrow, raised him a magnificent monument on mount
Vatican. Some have suspected Marcus Aurelius of despatching Verus
to rid the world of his debaucheries and guilty actions, but this
seems to be the report of malevolence.――――Lucius Annæus, a son of the
emperor Aurelius, who died in Palestine.――――The father of the emperor
Verus. He was adopted by the emperor Adrian, but like his son he
disgraced himself by his debaucheries and extravagance. He died
before Adrian.

=Vesbius=, or =Vesubius.= _See:_ Vesuvius.

=Vescia=, a town of Campania. _Livy_, bk. 8, ch. 11.

=Vescianum=, a country house of Cicero in Campania, between Capua and
Nola. _Cicero_ bk. 15, _Letters to Atticus_, ltr. 2.

=Flaccus Vescularius=, a Roman knight intimate with Tiberius, &c.
_Tacitus_, _Annals_.

♦=Vesontio=, a town of Gaul, now _Besancon_. _Cæsar_, _Gallic War_,
♠bk. 1, ch. 38.

♦ ‘Vesentio’ replaced with ‘Vesontio’

♠ Book reference omitted in text.

=Vesentium=, a town of Tuscany.

=Veseris=, a place or river near mount Vesuvius. _Livy_, bk. 8, ch. 8.
――_Cicero_, _De Officiis_, bk. 3, ch. 31.

=Vesēvius= and =Vesēvus.= _See:_ Vesuvius.

=Vesidia=, a town of Tuscany.

=Vesonna=, a town of Gaul, now _Perigueux_.

=Vespaciæ=, a small village of Umbria, near Nursia. _Suetonius_,
_Vespasian_, ch. 1.

=Vespasiānus Titus Flavius=, a Roman emperor, descended from an obscure
family at Reate. He was honoured with the consulship, not so much by
the influence of the imperial courtiers, as by his own private merit,
and his public services. He accompanied Nero into Greece, but he
offended the prince by falling asleep while he repeated one of his
poetical compositions. This momentary resentment of the emperor did
not prevent Vespasian from being sent to carry on a war against the
Jews. His operations were crowned with success; many of the cities
of Palestine surrendered, and Vespasian began the siege of Jerusalem.
This was, however, achieved by the hands of his son Titus, and the
death of Vitellus and the affection of his soldiers hastened his
rise, and he was proclaimed emperor at Alexandria. The choice of
the army was approved by every province of the empire; but Vespasian
did not betray any signs of pride at so sudden and so unexpected
an exaltation, and though once employed in the mean office of a
horse-doctor, he behaved, when invested with the imperial purple,
with all the dignity and greatness which became a successor of
Augustus. In the beginning of his reign Vespasian attempted to reform
the manners of the Romans, and he took away an appointment which
he had a few days before granted to a young nobleman who approached
him to return him thanks, all smelling of perfumes and covered
with ointment, adding, “I had rather you had smelt of garlic.” He
repaired the public buildings, embellished the city, and made the
great roads more spacious and convenient. After he had reigned with
great popularity for 10 years, Vespasian died with a pain in his
bowels, A.D. 79, in the 70th year of his age. He was the first Roman
emperor that died a natural death, and he was also the first who was
succeeded by his own son on the throne. Vespasian has been admired
for his great virtues. He was clement, he gave no ear to flattery,
and for a long time refused the title of father of his country, which
was often bestowed upon the most worthless and tyrannical of the
emperors. He despised informers, and rather than punish conspirators,
he rewarded them with great liberality. When the king of Parthia
addressed him with the subscription of “Arsaces king of kings to
Flavius Vespasianus,” the emperor was no way dissatisfied with the
pride and insolence of the monarch, and answered him again in his
own words, “Flavius Vespasianus to Arsaces king of kings.” To men
of learning and merit, Vespasian was very liberal: 100,000 sesterces
were annually paid from the public treasury to the different
professors that were appointed to encourage and promote the arts and
sciences. Yet in spite of this apparent generosity, some authors have
taxed Vespasian with avarice. According to their accounts, he loaded
the provinces with new taxes, he bought commodities, that he might
sell them to a greater advantage, and even laid an impost upon urine,
which gave occasion to Titus to ridicule the meanness of his father.
Vespasian, regardless of his son’s observation, was satisfied to show
him the money that was raised from so productive a tax, asking him
at the same time whether it smelt offensive. His ministers were the
most avaricious of his subjects, and the emperor used very properly
to remark that he treated them as sponges, by wetting them when dry,
and squeezing them when they were wet. He has been accused of selling
criminals their lives, and of condemning the most opulent to make
himself master of their possessions. If, however, he was guilty of
these meaner practices, they were all under the name of one of his
concubines, who wished to enrich herself by the avarice and credulity
of the emperor. _Suetonius_, _Lives_.――_Tacitus_, _Histories_, bk. 4.

=Vesper=, or =Vespĕrus=, a name applied to the planet Venus when it was
the evening star. _Virgil._

=Vessa=, a town of Sicily.

=Vesta=, a goddess, daughter of Rhea and Saturn, sister to Ceres and
Juno. She is often confounded by the mythologists with Rhea, Ceres,
Cybele, Proserpine, Hecate, and Tellus. When considered as the
mother of the gods, she is the mother of Rhea and Saturn; and when
considered as the patroness of the vestal virgins and the goddess
of fire, she is called the daughter of Saturn and Rhea. Under this
last name she was worshipped by the Romans. Æneas was the first
who introduced her mysteries into Italy, and Numa built her a
temple where no males were permitted to go. The palladium of Troy
was supposed to be preserved within her sanctuary, and a fire was
continually kept lighted by a certain number of virgins, who had
dedicated themselves to the service of the goddess. _See:_ Vestales.
If the fire of Vesta was ever extinguished, it was supposed to
threaten the republic with some sudden calamity. The virgin by whose
negligence it had been extinguished, was severely punished, and it
was kindled again by the rays of the sun. The temple of Vesta was of
a round form, and the goddess was represented in a long, flowing robe,
with a veil on her head, holding in one hand a lamp, or a two-eared
vessel, and in the other a javelin, or sometimes a palladium. On some
medals she appears holding a drum in one hand, and a small figure
of victory in the other. _Hesiod_, _Theogony_, li. 454.――_Cicero_,
_de Legibus_, bk. 2, ch. 12.――_Apollodorus_, bk. 1, ch. 1.――_Virgil_,
_Æneid_, bk. 2, li. 296.――_Diodorus_, bk. 5.――_Ovid_, _Fasti_, bk. 6;
_Tristia_, bk. 3.――_Valerius Maximus_, bk. 1, ch. 1.――_Plutarch_,
_Numa_.――_Pausanias_, bk. 5, ch. 14.

=Vestāles=, priestesses among the Romans, consecrated to the service of
Vesta, as their name indicates. This office was very ancient, as the
mother of Romulus was one of the vestals. Æneas is supposed to have
first chosen the vestals. Numa first appointed four, to which number
Tarquin added two. They were always chosen by the monarchs, but after
the expulsion of the Tarquins, the high priest was entrusted with
the care of them. As they were to be virgins, they were chosen young,
from the age of six to ten; and if there was not a sufficient number
that presented themselves as candidates for the office, 20 virgins
were selected, and they upon whom the lot fell were obliged to
become priestesses. Plebeians as well as patricians were permitted
to propose themselves, but it was required that they should be born
of a good family, and be without blemish or deformity, in every
part of their body. For 30 years they were to remain in the greatest
continence; the 10 first years were spent in learning the duties of
the order; the 10 following were employed in discharging them with
fidelity and sanctity, and the 10 last in instructing such as had
entered the noviciate. When the 30 years were elapsed, they were
permitted to marry, or if they still preferred celibacy, they waited
upon the rest of the vestals. As soon as a vestal was initiated,
her head was shaved, to intimate the liberty of her person, as
she was then free from the shackles of parental authority, and she
was permitted to dispose of her possessions as she pleased. The
employment of the vestals was to take care that the sacred fire of
Vesta was not extinguished, for if it ever happened, it was deemed
the prognostic of great calamities to the state; the offender was
punished for her negligence, and severely scourged by the high priest.
In such a case all was consternation at Rome, and the fire was
again kindled by glasses with the rays of the sun. Another equally
particular charge of the vestals was to keep a sacred pledge, on
which depended the very existence of Rome, which, according to some,
was the palladium of Troy, or some of the mysteries of the gods
of Samothrace. The privileges of the vestals were great; they had
the most honourable seats at public games and festivals; a lictor
with the fasces always preceded them when they walked in public;
they were carried in chariots when they pleased; and they had the
power of pardoning criminals when led to execution, if they declared
that their meeting was accidental. Their declarations in trials
were received without the formality of an oath; they were chosen
as arbiters in causes of moment and in the execution of wills, and
so great was the deference paid them by the magistrates, as well as
by the people, that the consuls themselves made way for them, and
bowed their fasces when they passed before them. To insult them was
a capital crime, and whoever attempted to violate their chastity, was
beaten to death with scourges. If any of them died while in office,
their body was buried within the walls of the city, an honour granted
to few. Such of the vestals as proved incontinent were punished
in the most rigorous manner. Numa ordered them to be stoned, but
Tarquin the elder dug a large hole under the earth, where a bed
was placed with a little bread, wine, water, and oil, and a lighted
lamp, and the guilty vestal was stripped of the habit of her order,
and compelled to descend into the subterraneous cavity, which was
immediately shut, and she was left to die through hunger. Few of
the vestals were guilty of incontinence, and for the space of 1000
years, during which the order continued established from the reign
of Numa, only 18 were punished for the violation of their vow. The
vestals were abolished by Theodosius the Great, and the fire of
Vesta extinguished. The dress of the vestals was peculiar; they
wore a white vest with purple borders, a white linen surplice called
_linteum supernum_, above which was a great purple mantle which
flowed to the ground, and which was tucked up when they offered
sacrifices. They had a close covering on their head, called _infula_,
from which hung ribands, or _vitta_. Their manner of living was
sumptuous, as they were maintained at the public expense, and though
originally satisfied with the simple diet of the Romans, their tables
soon after displayed the luxuries and the superfluities of the great
and opulent. _Livy_, 2, &c.――_Plutarch_, _Numa_, &c.――_Valerius
Maximus_, bk. 1, ch. 1.――_Cicero_, _de Natura Deorum_, bk. 3, ch. 30.
――_Florus_, bk. 1.――_Propertius_, bk. 4, poem 11.――_Tacitus_, bk. 4,
ch. 10.

=Vestālia=, festival in honour of Vesta, observed at Rome on the 9th
of June. Banquets were then prepared before the houses, and meat
was sent to the vestals to be offered to the gods; millstones were
decked with garlands, and the asses that turned them were led round
the city covered with garlands. The ladies walked in the procession
bare-footed to the temple of the goddess, and an altar was erected
to Jupiter surnamed Pistor. _Ovid_, _Fasti_, bk. 6, li. 305.

=Vestalium Mater=, a title given by the senate to Livia the mother
of Tiberius, with the permission to sit among the vestal virgins at
plays. _Tacitus_, bk. 4, _Annals_, ch. 16.

=Vestia Oppia=, a common prostitute of Capua.

=Vesticius Spurina=, an officer sent by Otho to the borders of the Po,
&c. _Tacitus._

=Vestilius Sextus=, a pretorian disgraced by Tiberius, because he was
esteemed by Drusus. He killed himself. _Tacitus_, _Annals_, bk. 4,
ch. 16.

=Vestilla=, a matron of a patrician family, who declared publicly
before the magistrates that she was a common prostitute. She was
banished to the island of Seriphos for her immodesty.

=Vestīni=, a people of Italy near the Sabines, famous for the making of
cheese. _Pliny_, bk. 3, ch. 5.――_Martial_, bk. 13, ltr. 31.――_Strabo_,
bk. 5.

=Lucius Vestīnus=, a Roman knight appointed by Vespasian to repair the
capitol, &c. _Tacitus_, _Histories_, bk. 4, ch. 53.――_Livy_, bk. 8,
ch. 29.――――A consul put to death by Nero in the time of Piso’s
conspiracy.

=Vesvius.= _See:_ Vesuvius.

=Vesŭlus=, now _Viso_, a large mountain of Liguria, near the Alps,
where the Po takes its rise. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 10, li. 708.
――_Pliny_, bk. 3, ch. 19.

=Vesŭvius=, a mountain of Campania, about six miles at the east of
Naples, celebrated for its volcano, and now called _Mount Soma_.
The ancients, particularly the writers of the Augustan age, spoke of
Vesuvius as a place covered with orchards and vineyards, of which the
middle was dry and barren. The first eruption of this volcano was in
the 79th year of the christian era under Titus. It was accompanied
by an earthquake, which overturned several cities of Campania,
particularly Pompeii and Herculaneum, and the burning ashes which it
threw up were carried not only over the neighbouring country, but as
far as the shores of Egypt, Libya, and Syria. This eruption proved
fatal to Pliny the naturalist. From that time the eruptions have
been frequent. Vesuvius continually throws up a smoke, and sometimes
ashes and flames. The perpendicular height of this mountain is 3780
feet. _Dio Cassius_, bk. 46.――_Varro_, _de Re Rustica_, bk. 1, ch. 6.
――_Livy_, bk. 23, ch. 39.――_Strabo_, bk. 5.――_Tacitus_, _Histories_,
bk. 1, ch. 2.――_Mela_, bk. 2, ch. 4.――_Pliny_, bk. 6, ltr. 16.
――_Silius Italicus_, bk. 12, li. 152, &c.――_Virgil_, _Georgics_,
bk. 2, li. 224.――_Martial_, bk. 4, ltrs. 43 & 44.

=Vetera castra=, a Roman encampment in Germany, which became a town,
now _Sanlen_, near Cleves. _Tacitus_, _Histories_, bk. 4, ch. 18;
_Annals_, bk. 1, ch. 45.

=Vettius Spurius=, a Roman senator who was made interrex at the death
of Romulus, till the election of another king. He nominated Numa, and
resigned his office. _Plutarch_, _Numa_.――――A man who accused Cæsar
of being concerned in Catiline’s conspiracy.――――Cato, one of the
officers of the allies in the Marsian war. He defeated the Romans,
and was at last betrayed and murdered.――――A Roman knight who became
enamoured of a young female at Capua, and raised a tumult among
the slaves who proclaimed him king. He was betrayed by one of his
adherents, upon which he laid violent hands upon himself.

=Vettona=, a town of Umbria. _Pliny_, bk. 3, ch. 14.

=Vettōnes=, =Vetones=, or =Vectones=, an ancient nation of Spain.
_Silius Italicus_, bk. 3, li. 378.――_Pliny_, bk. 25, ch. 8.

=Vetulōnia=, one of the chief cities of Etruria, whose hot waters
were famous. The Romans were said to derive the badges of their
magisterial offices from thence. _Pliny_, bk. 2, ch. 103; bk. 3,
ch. 3.――_Silius Italicus_, bk. 8, li. 484.

=Vetūria=, one of the Roman tribes, divided into two branches of the
Junii and Senii. It received its name from the _Veturian_ family,
which was originally called _Vetusian_. _Livy_, bk. 36.――――The mother
of Coriolanus. She was solicited by all the Roman matrons to go
to her son with her daughter-in-law, and entreat him not to make
war against his country. She went and prevailed over Coriolanus,
and for her services to the state, the Roman senate offered to
reward her as she pleased. She only asked to raise a temple to the
goddess of female fortune, which was done on the very spot where
she had pacified her son. _Livy_, bk. 2, ch. 40.――_Dionysius of
Halicarnassus_, bk. 7, &c.

=Veturius=, a Roman artist who made shields for Numa. _See:_ Mamurius.
――――Caius, a Roman consul, accused before the people, and fined
because he had acted with imprudence while in office.――――A Roman who
conspired against Galba. _Tacitus_, _Histories_, bk. 1, ch. 25.――――A
consul appointed one of the decemvirs.――――Another consul defeated by
the Samnites, and obliged to pass under the yoke with great ignominy.
――――A tribune of the people, &c.

=Lucius Vetus=, a Roman who proposed to open a communication between
the Mediterranean and the German ocean by means of a canal. He was
put to death by order of Nero.――――A man accused of adultery, &c.

=Ufens=, a river of Italy near Tarracina. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 7,
li. 892.――――Another river of Picenum. _Livy_, bk. 5, ch. 35.――――A
prince who assisted Turnus against Æneas. The Trojan monarch made
a vow to sacrifice his four sons to appease the manes of his friend
Pallas, in the same manner as Achilles is represented killing some
Trojan youths on the tomb of Patroclus. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 7,
li. 745; bk. 10, li. 518. He was afterwards killed by Gyas. _Virgil_,
_Æneid_, bk. 12, li. 460.

=Ufentina=, a Roman tribe first created A.U.C. 435, with the tribe
_Falerina_, in consequence of the great increase of population at
Rome. _Livy_, bk. 9, ch. 20.――_Festus._

=Via Æmylia=, a celebrated road, made by the consul Marcus Æmylius
Lepidus, A.U.C. 567. It led with the Flaminian road to Aquileia.
There was also another of the same name in Etruria, which led from
Pisæ to Dertona.――――Appia, was made by the censor Appius, and led
from Rome to Capua, and from Capua to Brundusium, to the distance
of 350 miles, which the Romans call a five days’ journey. It passed
successively through the towns and stages of Aricia, Forum Appii,
Tarracina, Fundi, Minturnæ, Sinuessa, Capua, Caudium, Beneventum,
Equotuticum, Herdonia, Canusium, Barium, Egnatia, to Brundusium.
It was called, by way of eminence, _regina viarum_, made so strong,
and the stones so well cemented together, that it remained entire
for many hundred years. Some parts of it are still to be seen in the
neighbourhood of Naples. Appius carried it only 130 miles, as far
as Capua, A.U.C. 442, and it was finished as far as Brundusium by
Augustus.――――There was also another road called Minucia or Numicia,
which led to Brundusium, but by what places is now uncertain.
――――Flaminia, was made by the censor Flaminius, A.U.C. 533. It led
from the Campus Martius to the modern town of Rimini, on the Adriatic,
through the country of the Osci and Etrurians, at the distance
of about 360 miles.――――Lata, one of the ancient streets of Rome.
――――Valeria, led from Rome to the country of the Marsi, through
the territories of the Sabines. There were, besides, many streets
and roads of inferior note, such as the Aurelia, Cassia, Campania,
Ardentina, Labicana, Domitiana, Ostiensis, Prænestina, &c., all of
which were made and constantly kept in repair at the public expense.

=Viadrus=, the classical name of the Oder, which rises in Moravia, and
falls by three mouths into the Baltic. _Ptolemy._

=Vibidia=, one of the vestal virgins in the favour of Messalina, &c.
_Tacitus_, _Annals_, bk. 11, ch. 32.

=Vibidius=, a friend of Mæcenas. _Horace_, bk. 2, satire 8, li. 22.

=Vibius=, a Roman who refused to pay any attention to Cicero when
banished, though he had received from him the most unbounded favours.
――――Siculus. _See:_ Sica.――――A proconsul of Spain, banished for
ill conduct.――――A Roman knight accused of extortion in Africa, and
banished.――――A man who poisoned himself at Capua.――――Sequester, a
Latin writer, whose treatise _de Fluminibus_, &c., is best edited by
Oberlin, 8vo, Strasbourg, 1778.

=Vibo=, a town of Lucania, anciently called _Hipponium_ and _Hippo_.
_Cicero_. _Letters to Atticus_, bk. 3, ch. 3.――_Pliny_, bk. 3, ch. 5.
――――A town of Spain,――――of the Brutii.

=Vibulēnus Agrippa=, a Roman knight accused of treason. He attempted
to poison himself, and was strangled in prison, though almost dead.
_Tacitus_, _Annals_, bk. 6, ch. 40.――――A mutinous soldier in the army
of Germanicus, &c.

=Vibullius Rufus=, a friend of Pompey, taken by Cæsar, &c. _Plutarch._
――_Cicero_, _Letters_.――――A pretor in Nero’s reign.

=Vica Pota=, a goddess at Rome, who presided over victory (à _vincere_
et _potiri_). _Livy_, bk. 2, ch. 7.

=Vicellius=, a friend of Galba, who brought him news of Nero’s death.

=Vicentia=, or =Vicetia=, a town of Cisalpine Gaul, at the north-west
of the Adriatic. _Tacitus_, _Histories_, bk. 3.

=Victor Sextus Aurelius=, a writer in the age of Constantius. He gave
the world a concise history of the Roman emperors, from the age of
Augustus to his own time, or A.D. 360. He also wrote an abridgment of
the Roman history before the age of Julius Cæsar, which is now extant,
and ascribed by different authors to Cornelius Nepos, to Tacitus,
Suetonius, Pliny, &c. Victor was greatly esteemed by the emperors,
and honoured with the consulship. The best editions of Victor are
that of Pitiscus, 8vo, Utrecht, 1696; and that of Artnzenius, 4to,
Amsterdam, 1733.

=Victōria=, one of the deities of the Romans, called by the Greeks
_Nice_, supposed to be the daughter of the giant Pallas, or of Titan
and Styx. The goddess of victory was sister to Strength and Valour,
and was one of the attendants of Jupiter. She was greatly honoured
by the Greeks, particularly at Athens. Sylla raised her a temple at
Rome, and instituted festivals in her honour. She was represented
with wings, crowned with laurel, and holding the branch of a palm
tree in her hand. A golden statue of this goddess, weighing 320
pounds, was presented to the Romans by Hiero king of Syracuse,
and deposited in the temple of Jupiter, on the Capitoline hill.
_Livy_, bk. 22.――_Varro_, _de Lingua Latina_.――_Hesiod_, _Theogony_.
――_Hyginus_, preface to fables.――_Suetonius._

=Victoriæ mons=, a place of Spain at the mouth of the Iberus. _Livy_,
bk. 24, ch. 41.

=Victōrius=, a man of Aquitain, who, A.D. 463, invented the paschal
cycle of 532 years.

=Victorīna=, a celebrated matron who placed herself at the head of the
Roman armies, and made war against the emperor Gallienus. Her son
Victorinus, and her grandson of the same name, were declared emperors,
but when they were assassinated, Victorina invested with the imperial
purple one of her favourites called Tetricus. She was some time after
poisoned, A.D. 269, and according to some by Tetricus himself.

=Victorīnus=, a christian writer, who composed a worthless epic poem
on the death of the seven children mentioned in the Maccabees, and
distinguished himself more by the active part he took in his writings
against the Arians.

=Victumviæ=, a small town of Insubria near Placentia. _Livy_, bk. 21,
ch. 45.

=Vicus longus=, a street at Rome, where an altar was raised to the
goddess Pudicitia, or the modesty of the plebeians. _Livy_, bk. 10,
ch. 23.――――Cyprius, a place on the Esquiline hill, where the Sabines
dwelt.

=Viducasses=, a people of Normandy. _Pliny_, bk. 4, ch. 18.

=Vienna=, a town of Gallia Narbonensis on the Rhone, below Lyons.
_Strabo_, bk. 1.――_Cæsar_, _Gallic War_, bk. 7, ch. 9.

=Villia lex=, _annalis_ or _annaria_, by Lucius Villius the tribune,
A.U.C. 574, defined the proper age required for exercising the office
of a magistrate, 25 years for the questorship, 27 or 28 for the
edileship or tribuneship, for the office of pretor 30, and for that
of consul 43. _Livy_, bk. 11, ch. 44.

=Villius=, a tribune of the people, author of the Villian law, and
thence called _Annalis_, a surname borne by his family. _Livy_,
bk. 11, ch. 44.――――Publius, a Roman ambassador sent to Antiochus. He
held a conference with Annibal, who was at that monarch’s court.――――A
man who disgraced himself by his criminal amours with the daughter of
Sylla. _Horace_, bk. 1, satire 2, li. 64.

=Viminālis=, one of the seven hills on which Rome was built, so called
from the number of osiers (_vimines_) which grew there. Servius
Tullius first made it part of the city. Jupiter had a temple there,
whence he was called Viminalis. _Livy_, bk. 1, ch. 44.――_Varro_, _de
Lingua Latina_, bk. 4, ch. 8.

=Vinalia=, festivals at Rome in honour of Jupiter and Venus.

♦=Vincentius=, one of the christian fathers, A.D. 434, whose works are
best edited by Baluzius, Paris, 1669.

♦ ‘Vicentius’ replaced with ‘Vincentius’

=Vincius=, a Roman knight, condemned under Nero. _Tacitus_, _Annals_,
bk. 14, ch. 40.――――An officer in Germany.

=Vindalius=, a writer in the reign of Constantius, who wrote 10 books
on agriculture.

=Vindelĭci=, an ancient people of Germany, between the heads of the
Rhine and the Danube. Their country, which was called _Vindelicia_,
forms now part of Swabia and Bavaria, and their chief town, _Augusta
Vindelicorum_, is now ♦Augsburg. _Horace_, bk. 4, ode 4, li. 18.

♦ ‘Ausburg’ replaced with ‘Augsburg’

=Vindemiātor=, a constellation that rose about the nones of March.
_Ovid_, _Fasti_, bk. 3, li. 407.――_Pliny_, bk. 18, ch. 13.

=Vindex Julius=, a governor of Gaul, who revolted against Nero, and
determined to deliver the Roman empire from his tyranny. He was
followed by a numerous army, but at last defeated by one of the
emperor’s generals. When he perceived that all was lost he laid
violent hands upon himself, 68 A.D. _Seutonius_, _Galba_.――_Tacitus_,
_Histories_, bk. 1, ch. 51.――_Pliny_, bk. 9, ltr. 19.

=Vindicius=, a slave who discovered the conspiracy which some of the
most noble of the Roman citizens had formed to restore Tarquin to
his throne. He was amply rewarded and made a citizen of Rome. _Livy_,
bk. 2, ch. 5.――_Plutarch_, _Publicola_.

=Vindili=, a nation of Germany. _Pliny_, bk. 4, ch. 14.

=Vindonissa=, now _Wendish_, a town of the Helvetii on the Aar, in the
territory of Berne. _Tacitus_, bk. 4, _Histories_, chs. 61 & 70.

=Vinicius=, a Roman consul poisoned by Messalina, &c.――――A man who
conspired against Nero, &c.

=Vinidius=, a miser mentioned by Horace, bk. 1, satire 1, li. 95. Some
manuscripts read Numidius and Umidius.

=Titus Vinius=, a commander in the pretorian guards, intimate with
Galba, of whom he became the first minister. He was honoured with
the consulship, and some time after murdered. _Tacitus_, _Histories_,
bk. 1, chs. 11, 42 & 48.――_Plutarch._――――A man who revolted from Nero.

=Vinnius Asella=, a servant of Horace, to whom ltr. 13 is addressed, as
injunctions how to deliver to Augustus some poems from his master.

=Vipsania=, a daughter of Marcus Agrippa, mother of Drusus. She was
the only one of Agrippa’s daughters who died a natural death. She
was married to Tiberius when a private man, and when she had been
repudiated, she married Asinius Gallus. _Tacitus_, _Annals_, bk. 1,
ch. 12; bk. 3, ch. 19.

=Virbius= (qui inter _viros bis_ fuit), a name given to Hippolytus,
after he had been brought back to life by Æsculapius, at the instance
of Diana, who pitied his unfortunate end. Virgil makes him son of
Hippolytus. _Æneid_, bk. 7, li. 762.――_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 15,
li. 544.――_Hyginus_, fable 251.