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

VATTA. VAT1NIUS. 1233
obtained possession of Phaselis in Pamphylia, as 2. P. SERVIIIUS VA.TIA TSAURICUS, the son
well as other places of less importance, in his of the preceding, made Cato his model in younger
march through the country; and he then penetrated life, and was reckoned by Cicero among the boni
into Cilicia, where he took the strong fortress of or the supporters of the aristocratical party. (Cic.
Corycus on the coast. Having thus subdued the ad Att. ii. 1. ~ 10, ad Q. Fr. ii. 3. ~ 2.) In B. C.
strongholds of the pirates on the coast, he resolved 54 he was praetor, when he opposed C. Pomptinus
to carry his arms against the robber-tribes in the in his endeavour to obtain a triumph. [PoMPinterior of the country, and for this purpose crossed TIN JS.] On the breaking out of the civil war he
Mount Taurus, which was the first time that a deserted the aristocratical party, and in the followRoman army had passed these mountains. His ing year (B. c. 48) was chosen consul along with
arms were chiefly directed against the Isauri, and Julius Caesar. I-e was left behind at Rome, while
he laid siege to their capital, Isaura, of which he Caesar crossed over to Greece to prosecute the
obtained possession by diverting the course of a war against Pompey, and ill the course of this year
rivecr, and thus depriving the inhabitants of water, he put down with a strong arm the revolutionary
who were in consequence compelled to surrender. attempts of the praetor M. Caelius Rufus, a history
This was reckoned his most brilliant success: his of which is given elsewhere [Vol. III. p. 672, b.].
army gave him the title of Imperator, and he ob- In B.c. 46 he governed the province of Asia as
tained the surname of Isauricus. After giving proconsul, during which time Cicero wrote to him
Cilicia and the surrounding country the organiza- several letters (ad Famr. xiii. 66-72). After the
tion of a Roman province, he sailed home and death of Caesar in B.C. 44, he supported Cicero
entered Rome in triumph in B. c. 74. His triumph and the rest of the aristocratical party, in opposiwas a brilliant one. The people flocked to see tion to Antonius, and took a leading part in the
the formidable Nicon, and the other leaders of the debates in the senate during the war at Mutina.
pirates, who walked in the procession, and also (Dion Cass. xli. 43, xlii. 17, 23; Appian, B. C. ii.
the rich booty which he had obtained in the cap. 48; Caes. B. C. iii. 21; Cic. ad Fcar. xii. 2, P/ii.
tured cities and which he conscientiously deposited vii. 8, ix. 6, xi. 8, xii. 2, 7, xiv. 3, 4.) But he
in the public treasury, without appropriating any soon changed sides again, though the particulars
portion to himself, after the fashion of most pro- are not recorded: it was probably when Octavian,
consuls. But brilliant as his success had been, it who was betrothed to his daughter Servilia (Suet.
was not complete; the pirates were only repressed Octav. 62), deserted the cause of the senate, which
for a time, and their ravages soon became more lie had never seriously espoused. Servilius became
formidable than ever. (Liv. Epit. 90, 93; Oros. reconciled to Antonius, probably through the inv. 23; Flor. iii. 6; Eutrop. vi. 3; Strab. xiv. fluence of Octavian: accordingly his name did not
pp. 667, 671; Frontin. Strat. iii. 7. ~ 1; Cic. Verr. appear in the proscription lists, and he is called
i. 21, iii. 90, v. 26, 30, de Leg. Agr. i. 2, ii. 19; in the letters to Brutus which go under the name
Val. Max. viii. 5. ~ 6; comp. Drumann, Geschichlte of Cicero, "' homo furiosus et insolens." On the
Roms, vol. iv. pp. 396, 397.) formation of the triumvirate in B. C. 43, Octavian
Servilius, after his return, was regarded as one broke his engagement with Servilia in order to
of the leading members of-the senate, and is fre- marry Claudia, the daughter of Fulvia, the wife
quently mentioned in the orations and letters of of Antonius; and it was probably as a compensation
Cicero in terms of great respect. In B. C. 70 he was for this injury that Servilius was promised the
one of the judices at the trial of Verres; in B.C. 66 consulship in B. C. 41 with L. Antonius as his colhe supported the rogation of Manilius for conferring league. He was at Rome in B. C. 41, when L. Anupon Pompey the command of the war against the tonius took possession of the city in the war against
pirates; in B. C. 63 he was a candidate for the Octavian, usually called the Perusinian. Servilius
dignity of pontifex maximus, but was defeated does not appear to have espoused the cause of his
by Julius Caesar, who had served under him in colleague, but owing to his want of energy he ofthe war against the pirates; in the same year he fered no opposition to him. (Pseudo-Cic. ad Brut.
assisted Cicero in the suppression of the Catili- ii. 2; Dion Cass. xlviii. 4, 13; Suet. Tib. 5.)
narian conspiracy, and spoke in the senate in VATICA'NUS, an agnomen of T. Romilius
favour of inflicting the last penalty of the law upon Rocus, consul B. C. 455, and a member of the first
the conspirators; in B. c. 57 he joined the other decemvirate [ROMILIUS], and also of P. Sextius
nobles in procuring Cicero's recall from banishment; Capitolinns, consul B. C. 452, and likewise a memin B. C. 56 he opposed the restoration of Ptolemy ber of the first decemvirate. [CArITOLINUS,
to his kingdom; and in B. C. 55 he was censor p. 606, a.]
with M. Valerius Messala Niger. The other oc- VATI'NIUS. 1. P. VATINIUS, the grandcasions on which his name occurs do not require father of the celebrated tribune [No. 2], was said
notice. He took no part in the civil wars, pro- to have informed the senate in B. c. 168, that as
bably on account of his advanced age, and died inll he was returning one night from the praefectura of
B. C. 44, the same year as Caesar. By the Leges Reate to Rome he was met by two youths on
Annales, which were strictly enforced by Sulla, white horses (the Dioscuri), who announced that
Servilius must have been at the least 43 years of king Perseus was taken on that day. The tale
age at his consulship, B. C. 79, and must therefore went on to say that Vatinius was first thrown into
have been about 80 at the time of his death. The prison for such rash words, but that, when the
respect in which he was held by his contempo- news came from Aemilius Paulus that the king had
raries is shown by a striking tale, which is related really fallen into his hands on the day named by
by Valerius Maximus and Dion Cassius. (Cic. Vatinius, the senate bestowed upon the latter a
[err. i. 21, pro Leg. Man. 23, ad Att. xii. 21, de grant of land anId exemption from military service.
Prov. Cons. 1, post Red. ad Quir. 7, post Red. in (Cic. de Nat. Deor. ii. 2, iii. 5.)
Sen. 10, ad Faso. i. i, xvi. 23, Philipp ii. 5; 2. P. VATINIUS, grandson of the preceding,
Val. Max. viii. 5. ~ 6; Dion Cass. xlv. 16.) played a leading part in the party strifes of the
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