A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

1062 METELLUS. METELLUS.
to restore peace and protect the citizens from arbi- little more than a servant of Pompey, and according
trary punishment. Parties were in the state of the to his bidding at one time opposed, and at another
highest exasperation: on the day on which the bill supported Cicero. (App. Mithlr. 95; Flor. iii. 6;
was to be brought forward,'Cato attempted to pre- Joseph. Ant. iv. 2. ~ 3, B. J. i. 6. ~ 2; Plut. Cat.
vent its being read, but was driven out of the Min. 20; Dion Cass. xxxvii. 38 —51, xxxix. 1-7,:
forum by force. He soon, however, returned, sup- 54; Plut. Caes. 21; the passages of Cicero in
ported by a large body of the aristocracy; and this Orelli's Onom. Tull. vol. ii. p. 107, &c.)
time the victory remained in their hands. Metellus 22. Q. CPAECIIUS, Q. F. METELLUS PIUS
was obliged to take to flight, and repaired to ScIPIo, the adopted son of Metellus Pius [No. 19].
Pompey: the senate proposed to deprive him of He was the son of P. Cornelius Scipio Nasica,
his office, and according to some accounts actually praetor B. c. 94, and Licinia, a daughter of- the
did so. orator L. Crassus, and was a grandson of P. CorneMetellus returned to Rome with Pompey, and lius Scipio Nasica, consul B. C. 111, and Caecilia, a
was raised to the praetorship in B. C. 60. In this daughter of Metellus Macedonicus. Through his
year he brought forward a law for the abolition of grandmother he was therefore descended from the
the vectigalia in Italy; and the senate, out of hatred family of the Metelli, into which he was subseto Metellus, attempted to call the law by the name quently adopted. Before his adoption he bore the
of some other person. In the following year he names of P. Cornelius Scipio Nasica, and hence his
appears not to have gone to a province, but to have name is given in various forms. Sometimes he is
remained in Rome. In B. C. 57 he was consul called P. Scipio Nasica, sometimes Q. Metellus
with P. Cornelius Lentu!lus Spinther. Cicero, Scipio, and sometimes simply Scipio or Metellus.
who had been banished in the preceding year, and His full legal name, as it appears in a senatus conwhose friends were now exerting, themselves to sultum (Cic. ad Faro. viii. 8), is the one given at
obtain his recall, was greatly alarmed at the elec- the commencement of this notice. Appian errotion of Metellus, since he was one of his bit- neously gives him the praenomen Lucius. (B. C,
terest personal enemies. But since Clodius had ii. 24.)
offended both Pompey and Caesar, and the latter Metellos is first mentioned in B. c. 63, when he
was anxious to mortify and weaken the power of is said to have come to Cicero by night, along with
the demagogue, Metellus, out of respect to them, M. Crassus and Marcellus, bringing with them
suppressed his feelings towards Cicero, and an- letters relating to the conspiracy of Catiline. In
nounced in the senate on the 1st of January, that B. C. 60 he was elected.tribune of the plebs, but
he should not oppose his recall from exile. Cicero was accused of bribery by M. Favonius, who had
wrote to him to express his gratitude (ad Fam. v. failed in his election, and was defended by Cicero.
4), and in subsequent speeches he frequently He was tribune in B.c. 59, and was one of the
praises his moderation and magnanimity. At the college of pontiffs before whom Cicero spoke resame time the friends of Cicero at Rome seem to specting his house in B. C. 57. In the latter year
have had some suspicions of Metellus; but he was he exhibited gladiatorial games in honour of his
eventually induced, very much by the influence of deceased father, Metellus Pius. In B. C. 53 Scipio
his relative, P. Servilius, to give a hearty support was a candidate for the consulship along with Plauto Cicero's friends, and in the month of September tills Hypsaeus and Milo, and was supported by the
the orator was at Rome. But almost immediately Clodian mob, since he was opposed to Milo. The
afterwards we again find Metellus on the other candidates had recourse to the most unblushing
side, and in the month of November using his bribery, and to open violence and force. The
efforts to obtain the aedileship for Clodius. most frightful scenes were daily occurring in the
In B. C. 56 Metellus administered the province streets of Rome; and these disturbances were
of Nearer Spain. Either before he left Rome or secretly fomented by Pompey, who was anxious to
soon afterwards Metellus had quarrelled with be named dictator, for the purpose of restoring
Clodius, and this enmity naturally led to a recon- order to the city, and thereby possessing the power
ciliation with Cicero, to whom he writes in appa- which might enable him to crush Caesar, of whom
rently cordial terms (ad Famn. v. 3). In the he had now become jealous. The comitia could
month of April he repaired, with many other dis- not be held for the election of consuls; and when
tinguished Roman nobles, to Caesar's winter- the murder of Clodius at the beginning of the folquarters at Luca, doubtless with the view of lowing year, B. C. 52, threw the state almost into
obtaining the prolongation of his command. On anarchy, the senate consented that Pompey should
his return to Spain he made a sudden and appa- be elected sole consul. This took place at the end
rently unjustifiable attack upon the Vaccaei, whom of February; and shortly afterwards he married
he defeated; but in the following year (B. C. 55) Cornelia, the daughter of Scipio, to whom he showed
they took the town of Clunia from him, and ad- particular favour, Hypsaeus and Scipio were both
vanced with such considerable forces that Metellus accused of bribery; but though both were equally
dared not attack them. Metellus seems to have guilty, the former only was condemned. On the
returned to Rome in the course of this year, and to 1st of August Pompey made Scipio his colleague in
have died in the same year, as his name does not the consulship; and Scipio showed his gratitude
occur again. In his testament he left Carrinas by using every effort to destroy the power of
(probably the consul of s. c. 43) the heir of all his Caesar and strengthen that of Pompey. He was
property, passing over all the Metelli and likewise all the more ready to exert himself in Pompey's
the Claudii, with whom he was so nearly connected favour, since the latter was now obliged to enter
(Val. Max. vii. 8. ~ 3.) Metellus did not adhere into a close connection with the aristocratical party,
strictly to the political principles of his family. He to which Scipio belonged, for the purpose of crushdid not support the aristocracy, like his brother; ing his rival. One of the first acts of Metellus
nor, on the other hand, can he be said to have after his appointment to the consulship was to bring
been a leader of the democracy. He was in fact forward a law restoring to the censors the powers