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

11] 06 THRASEA. THRASEA.
and they had found money in his possession. he sought a wife of congenial principles. I-He mar(Plut. Lys. 19.) The date and circumstances of ried Arria, the daughter of the heroic Arria, who
this, however, are very doubtful. (See Thirlwall's showed her husband Caecina how to die [ARRIA]
Greece, vol. iv. App. iv.) [E. E.] and his wife was worthy of her mother and her
THORISMOND or TORISMOND, king of the husband. At a later period he gave his own
Visigoths, A.D. 451-452. l-le succeeded his fither daughter in marriage to Helvidius Priscus, who
Theodoric I., who fell at the battle of Chitlons, in trod closely in the footsteps of his father-in-larw.
which Attila was defeated. Thorismond was also Thus he was strengthened in his pursuit of high
present at this battle, and distinguished himself and noble objects by his domestic connections as
greatly- by his personal courage. Anxious to revenge well as, by the friends with whom he constantly
the death of his father, and to follow up the advan- associated.
tages the Roman and Gothic army had already The first time that the name of Thrasea is mengained, Thorismlond proposed an attack upon the tioned in connection with public affairs, is in A. D.
king of the Huns in his camp; but A'tius, the Roman 57, when he had already acquired considerable regeneral, fearing that the extirpation of the Huns putation. In that year he gave the nlost active
would make the Visigoths the masters of the Ro- support to the Cilicians, in their accusation of their
man dominions, dissuaded Thorismond from his pur- late governor Cossutianus Capito, who, in consepose, by representing to him the danger of absence quence, gave up his intention of defending himself,
from his capital at the commencement of his reign, and was condemned, and who thus became one of
since he had ambitious brothers who might seize both Thrasea's bitterest enemies. (Comnp. Tac. Ann. xiii.
his treasures and his crown. These arguments 33, with xvi. 21, sub fin.) In the following year
easily persuaded the yonthful monarch to return to (A. D. 58) Thrasea spoke in the senate on a matter
Toulouse. In the following year (A. D. 452), if trifling in itself, but which is recorded by the hiswe may believe Jornandes, he defeated Attila, torian (An. xiii. 49) on accountofthe censurewhich
who had attacked the Alani after his return from Thrasea received in consequence from the friends of
Rome; but Gregory of Tours speaks simply of the the court. Shortly after this, in March, A. D. 59,
conquest of the Alani by Thlorismond, without Thrasea acted iii a manner far more offensive to
making any mention of Attila. At the close of the emperor. In this year the tyrant bad killed
the same year Thorismond was murdered by his his mother Agrippina, to whom he owed the throne,
brothers Theodoric and Frederic, the former of and sent a letter to the senate, informing them that
whom succeeded him on the throne. (Jornandes, she had conspired against his life, and had received
de Reb. Get. 41-43; Idatiis, Cl/ron.; Greg. Tur. the punishment that was her due. The obsequious
ii. 7; Sidon. Apoll. Ep. vii. 12; Tillemont, LIis- senators forthwith proceeded to vote to the matritoire des Egnpercurs, vol. vi.) cide all kinds of honours. This was more than the
THO'RIUS BALBUS. [BAIvsu.] noble spirit of Thrasea could endure. He had been
P. THRA'SEA PAETUS*, one of those dis- accustomed to give his assent in silence or with a
tinguished Romans in the reign of Nero who were few words to the former acts of adulation displayed
disgusted with the tyranny and corruption of the by the senate towards their imperial master; but
times in which they -lived, and endeavoured to now, as soon as he had heard the emperor's letter,
carry into practice the severer virtues of the Stoic he rose from his seat and quitted the house without
philosophy. He was a native of Patavium (Padta), waiting till it came to his turn to give his opinion.
and was probably born soon after the death of Nero took no public notice of the conduct of Thrasea
Augustus. Nothing is related of his early years, at the time, but he did not forget it, and only waited
and we only know that he was of a noble family, for a convenient opportunity to gratify his revenge.
and inherited considerable wealth from his ancestors. In A. D. 62 Thrasea gave another instance of
In his youth he devoted himself with ardour to courage in the senate. The praetor Antistius had
the study of the Stoic philosophy, and he appears been accused of writing libellous verses against
at an early period of his life to have made the Nero, and the consul elect, to please the emperor,
younger Cato his model, of whose life he wrote an had proposed that the offender should be put to
account. (Plut. Cat. Min. 25, 37.) At what period death. Thrasea, on the contrary, maintained that
he settled at Rome, is uncertain, but there he this punishment was too severe, and proposed in its
became acquainted with the best spirits of his age. place confiscation of property alld banishment to an
His house and gardens were the place in which the island. The freedom of Thrasea broke the spell of
lovers of liberty and virtue were accustomed to slavery. The majority of the senate voted in
assemble, and he himself became the counsellor and favour of his proposition; and although Nero exfriend of them all, and was regarded by them with pressed his displeasure at the sentence, Thrasea
the utmost veneration and love. In his marriage would not yield, and the senate followed his noble
example. In the course of the same year Thrasea
* The gentile name of Thrasea is not mentioned spoke in the senate on occasion of the trial of
by any ancient writer, and has given rise to some Claudius Timarchus, of Crete, with great applause,
dispute. Lipsius (ad Tac. Asin. xvi. 21) suspected denouncing some of the causes of the evils of the
that it might be Valerius, because we find in an in- provincial administration, and pointing out their
scription, a L. Valerius Messalla Thrasea, who was remedy.
consul in A. D. 196, but we have no evidence that In A. D. 63 Thrasea received a public expression
this person was a descendant of Thrasea Paetus, of Nero's hatred. At the beginning of that year
and the name of Thrasea occurs in other gentes. It the senate went in a body to Antislm, to congrahas been conjectured, with more probability, by tulate Nero upon his wife Poppaea having recently
Haase (in Ersch and Gruber's Encyklopicldie, art. given birth to a daughter; but Thrasea alone was
Piitzs), that Fannius was the gentile name of our forbidden to enter the imperial presence, an intiThrasea, since his daughter was called Fannia, and mation of his approaching fate which he received
not Arria, like her mother and grandmother. with his usual calmness, for he had often been ac