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

FLACCUS. FLACCUS. 153
the sternest measures for the extirpation of and M. Avianus. (Cic. ad Fain. xiii. 35, 79.)
idolatry. Both father and sons seem to have been engaged
The Editio Princeps, as we have remarked above, in the farming of the public taxes. In iB. c. 52,
was printed at Strasburg in 1562; that of Wower, Cicero recommended Caius, the son, to T.'Titius,
8vo, Hamburg, 1603, was long held in high eSti- one of Pompey's legates, who had the management
mation, but the best and most recent is that of of the corn-market, in accordance with the law
Miinter, 8vo, Havniae, 1826. See also the vo- which had conferred the superintendence of it upon
luame of the Dutch Variorum Classics in 8vo, which Pompey (ad Fam. xiii. 75), and, in B. c. 47, Cicero
contains Minucius Felix, Lug. Bat. 1709, and the recommends both sons to A. Allienus, the proconBibl.'atr. of Galland, vol. v. p. 23. [W. R.] sul of Sicily (ad Fam. xiii. 79).
FI'RMIUS CATUS. [CATUS.] FLACCUS, CALPU'RNIUS, a rhetorician
M. FIRMUS, one of the "minusculi tyranni" who was living in the reign of Hadrian, and
Mho sprung up during the reign of Aurelian. Ac- whose fifty-one declamations frequently accompany
cording to Vopiscus, he was a native of'Seleuceia, those of Quintilian. They were first published
the friend and ally of Zenobia, and appears to have by Pithoeus, Lutet. 1580. 8vo.; and subsequently
followed the profession of a merchant, carrying on have been edited with Quintilian by Gronovius,
a most extensive and lucrative trade. When Ze- Schulting, Almeloveen, &c. Pliny (Ep. v. 2.)
nobia took up arms against the Romans, Firmus, writes to Flaccus, who, in some editions, is called
in order to make a diversion in her favour, seized Calpurnius Flaccus. [W. B. D.]
upon Alexandria; but the rebellion was promptly FLACCUS, FU'LVIUS. 1. M. FULVIUS,
crushed by the vigour and good fortune of the Q. F. M. N. FL.CCUS, was consul with App. Clauemperor. The Augustan historian has chronicled a dius Caudex, in B. c. 264, the year in which the
number of particulars with regard to the personal first Punic war broke out. In his consulship the
appearance, bodily strength, athletic and convivial first gladiatorial games were exhibited at Rome, in
exploits, wealth and' magnificence of this petty the forum boarium. (Vell. Pat. i. 12; Gell. xvii.
usurper, some of which are curious in an anti- 21; Val. Max. ii. 4. ~ 7; Eutrop. ii. 10; Oros.
quarian point of view. We are expressly told that iv. 7, who erroneously calls the colleague of App.
he issued a coinage, and a medal is contained in the Claudius Caudex, Q. Fabius.)
Pembroke collection bearing the legend 2. Q. FULVIUS M. F. Q. N. FLACCUS, a son of
ATT. M. cIPMIO0 ETrC No. 1, was consul in B. C. 237. He and his colwhich some writers suppose to belong to him. league, L. Cornelius Lentulus, fought against the
(Vopisc. Firms.; Eckhel, vol. vii. p. 496.) [W. R.] Ligurians in Italy, and triumphed over them. In
FIRMUS, PLO'TIUS, a contemporary and B. c. 224 he was consul a second time. The war
faithful friend of the emperor Otho. He had risen in the north of Italy was still going on, and Flaccus
from the station of a common soldier to the offices and his colleague were the first Roman generals that
of praepositus vigilibus and praejfctus praetorii. led their armies across the river Po. The Gauls
During an insurrection of the soldiers he exerted and Insubrians were reduced to submission in that
himself in suppressing the revolt, by addressing campaign. In B. c. 215, after having been twice
each maniple separately, and causing large sums of consul, Q. Fulvius Flaccus obtained the city praemoney to be distributed among them. During the torship, a circumstance which Livy thinks worth
last struggle of Otho, Plotius Firmus implored being recorded. The year before his praetorship,
him not to abandon his faithful army; and exhorted 216, he had been elected pontifex in the place of
him to resume his courage. (Tac. Hist. i. 46, 82. Q. Aelius Paetus, who had fallen in the battle of
ii. 46, 49.) [L. S.] Cannae. In his praetorship the senate placed
F-l STUS, P. CURIA'TIUS, with the agnomen twenty-four ships at his command, to protect the
TRIGE'MINUS, consul B. C. 453, in which year coast in the neighbourhood of the city, and soon
the city was visited with a great pestilence (Liv. after the senate decreed that he should raise 5000
iii. 32; Fasti Capit.); and one of the first de- foot and 400 horse, and cause this legion to be
cemvirate in B. C. 451. (Liv. iii. 33; Dionys. x. carried to Sardinia as soon as possible, and that
54.) he should appoint whomsoever he pleased as its
FLACCINA'TOR, M. FO'SLIUS. 1. One of commander, until Q. Mucius, who was severely ill,
the consular tribunes in B. C. 433, in which year; recovered. Flaccus accordingly appointed T. Mannotwithstanding the opposition of the plebeian tri- lius Torquatus commander of the legion. In B. C.
bunes, the consular tribunes were all patricians. 214 he was the only one among his colleagues that
(Liv. iv. 25; Diod. xii. 58, where he is called was re-elected to the praetorship, and a senatus
Falinius.) consultum ordained, that he, extra ordinem, should
2. Master of the equites to the dictator C. Mae- have the city for his province, and that he should
nius, for the first time in B. C. 320, according to have the command there during the absence of the
the Fasti, but according to Livy in B. C. 3-12 (ix. consuls. In B. C. 213 he was appointed magister
26). Both the dictator and Flaccinator resigned equitum to the dictator, C. Claudius Centho, and
on being accused of illegal association against the the year after was raised to the consulship for the
republic; and both were tried before the consuls third time, together with App. Claudius Pulcher.
and honorably acquitted. Flaccinator was consul In this year he was also a candidate for the office
in B.C. 318 (Liv. ix. 20), and master of the equites, of pontifex maximus, which, however, he did not
according to the Fasti, a second time to C. Mae- obtain. During his third consulship Campania was
nius B. C. 314, but according to Livy (ix. 28) to his province; and he accordingly went thither with
the dictator C. Poetelius. The cause and cir- his army, took up his position at Beneventum, and
cumstances of his trial will be better understood thence made an unexpected attack upon the camp
by referring to MAENIUS. [W. B. D.] of Hanno in the neighbourhood. After some very
FLACCUS, C. AVIA'NUS, was an intimate extraordinary but unsuccessful attempts to take
friend of Cicero's, anid had two sons, C. Avianus, the camp, which was pitched upon an almost inaclu