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

MATERNUS. MATHO'971
seems to have escaped punishmnent by the favour of must be the same person with the icdTpvos aoDomitian; and from this time became one of the 4n(,rTs, who, we are informed by Dion Cassius
informers and great favourites of the tyrant. (Tac. (lxvii. 12), was put to death by Domitian on
Agric. 45; Plin. Ep. vii. 33, comp. iii. 4, vi. 29; account of his too great freedom of speech (7ratrlJuv. i 34.) -czdv). A German scholar has recently endeavoured
MASSATHES, a Numidian chief in alliance to prove that the Octavia found among the tragedies
with the Carthaginians, killed by Masinissa at the of Seneca, but generally considered as spurious,
battle of Zama. (Appian, Pun. 44.) [E. H. B.] belongs to Maternus. (See " Octavia Praetextata
MASSI'VA. 1. A Numidian, grandson. of Curiatio Materno Vindicata," ed. Fr. Ritter, 8vo.
Gala, king of the Massylians, and nephew of Bonn, 1843.) [W. R.]
Masinissa, whom he accompanied while yet a MATERNUS FIRMICUS. [FIRMIcUs.l
mere boy into Spain. At the battle of Baecula MATHO (MdOws), an African who served as a
(s. c. 209), on which occasion he had for the first mercenary soldierin the army of the Carthaginians
time been allowed to bear arms, he was taken in Sicily during the first Punic war. In the
prisoner; but Scipio, on learning who he was, mutiny which broke out among the mercenaries
treated him with the utmost distinction, and sent after their return to Africa, B. c. 241, he took so
him back without ransom to his uncle. This. prominent a part, that he became apprehensive of
generous conduct of the Roman general is said to being singled out for punishment, in case the
have had a great share in gaining over Masinissa mutineers should be induced to disband themselves.
to the Roman alliance. (Liv. xxvii. 19, xxviii. Hence when Gisco was at length sent to the camp
35; Val. Max. v. 1. ~ 7.) at Tunis, with full powers to satisfy their demands,
2. Son of Gulussa, and grandson of Masinissa. Matho united with Spendius, a Campanian deHaving taken part with Adherbal in his disputes serter, who was influenced by similar motives, in
with Jugurtha, he fled to Rome after the capture persuading the soldiers to reject the proffered
of Cirta and death of Adherbal (B. c. 112). When terms. These two leaders quickly obtained so
Jugurtha himself came to Rome in B. c. 108, Mas- much influence with the mixed multitude of
siva was induced by the unfavourable disposition which the army consisted, that the troops would
of the senate towards that monarch, and by the listen to no one else, and Matho and Spendius
instigations of the consul Sp. Albinus, to put in his were soon after formally appointed generals. Their
own claim to the kingdom of Numidia. Jugurtha, first object was now to render the breach with
alarmed at his pretensions, determined to rid him- Carthage irreparable, for which purpose they inself of his rival, and, through the agency of his duced the soldiery to seize on Gisco and the other
minister Bomilcar, succeeded in effecting the as- Carthaginian deputies, and throw them into prison;
sassination of Massiva. (Sail. Jug. 35; Liv. Epit. after which they proceeded to declare open war
lxiv.; Florus, iii. 2.) [E. H. B.] against Carthage, and Matho sent messengers to
MASSU'RIUS SABI'NUS. [SABINUS.] the African subjects of that state, calling upon
MASTA'NABAL or MANA'STABAL (the them to assert their independence. The latter
former appears to be the more correct form of the were easily induced to avail themselves of an opname, see Gesenius, Ling. Phoen. Monumn. p. 409), portunity of throwing off a yoke which they had
the youngest of the three legitimate sons of Masi- long felt to be galling and oppressive, and almost
nissa, between whom the kingdom of Numidia universally took up arms, thus at once imparting a
was divided by Scipio after the death of the aged national character to the rebellion. The two cities
king (B. c. 148). Mastanabal was distinguished of Utica and Hippo alone refused to join in the
for his fondness for literature and his love of revolt, and these were in consequence immediately
justice, on which account Scipio assigned him the besieged by the insurgents. Matho and Spendius
administration of the judicial affairs of the king- now found themselves at the head of an army of
dom. (Appian, Pun. 106; Zonar. ix. 27; Liv. 70,000 Africans, in addition to the mercenary
Epit. 1.) We know nothing more of him, except troops originally assembled; and having the comthat he died before his brother Micipsa, and that mand of the open country, they were abundantly
he left two sons, JUGURTHA and GAUDA. (Sall. supplied with provisions, while they held Carthage
Jug. 5, 65.) [E. H. B.] itself effectually blockaded on the land side. Hanno,
MASTOR (MdarrOp), two mythical personages, who was at first appointed to take the command
one the father of Lycophron in Cythera (Hom. II. against them, proved no match for troops which
xv. 430), and the other the father of Hilitherses in had been trained up in Sicily under Hamilcar
Ithaca. (Od. ii. 158, 253, xxiv. 451.) [L. S.] Barca: the rebels even surprised his camp, and
MATER DEUM. [RHEA.] obtained possession of all his baggage. The great
MATERNIA'NUS, FLA'VIUS, commander Barca himself now took the field, forced the passage
of the city guards in the reign of Caracalla, was of the Bagrada, and restored the communications
either put to death or treated with great indignity of the city with the open country. Hereupon the
by Macrinus, A. D. 217. (Dion Cass. lxxviii. 4, 7, two leaders separated, and while Spendius under15; Herodian. iv. 12.) took to oppose Hamilcar in the field Matho conMATER'NUS, CURIA'TIUS, one of the tinued to press the siege of Hippo. But the
speakers in the "Dialogus de Causis Corruptae successes of Hamilcar, and still more the favourable
Eloquentiae.'" From that piece we learn (cc. 2, 3, impression produced by the clemency with which
11, 13) that, abandoning rhetorical studies, he had he treated those prisoners who had fallen into his
devoted himself with success to the composition of hands, began once more to alarm the chiefs of the
tragedies, that four of these were entitled Medea, insurgents,'lest the fidelity of their adherents
Thyestes, Domitius, Cato, and that he had given should be shaken. They in consequence determined
offence to the ruling powers by the sentiments to render pardon impossible, by involving them all
which he had expressed in the last named. From in still deeper guilt; and Spendius and Matho
this circumstance we are led to conclude that he united with a Gaul named Autaritus in urging the