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

1256 VICTOR. VICTOR.,
insisted that some of the quaestors should be known, nor can we collect any further information
chosen from the plebeians. In B. C. 415 Fabius was concerning his life, except that it has been inferred
one of the consular tribunes, and again in B. C. 407. from certain observations in the memoir of Hadrian
(Liv. iv. 43, 49, 58; Diod. xiii. 24, xiv. 3.) (de Caes. 14) that he was a pagan. (Vict. de Caes.
7. Q. FABIUS Q. F. M. N. VIBULANUS, third 16, 20, 28, 41; Amm. Marc xxi. 10, and the
son of No. 4, was consul B. C. 423 with C. Sem- notes.)
pronius Atratinus, consular tribune for the first The following works, which present in a very
time B.C. 416 (omitted through accident by Livy, compressed form a continuous record of Roman
iv. 47), and for the second time B.c. 414. (Liv. affairs, from the fabulous ages down to the death
iv. 37, 49; Died. xiii. 9, 38.) At the beginning of the emperor Theodosius, have all been ascribed
of the following year he was interrex. (Liv. iv. 51.) to this writer, but the evidence upon which the
8. Q. FABIUS M. F. Q. N. VIBULANUS AMBUS- determination of authorship depends, is very slender,
TUS, son of No. 5, was consul B. c. 412 with C. and in all probability the third alone belongs to
Furius Pacilus. (Liv. iv. 52.) He was the last the Sex. Aurelius Victor whom we have noticed
Fabius of the name of Vibulanus. Ambustus now above.
became the name of the family. [AMBUSTUS.] 1. Origo Gentis Ronzanae, in twenty-three chap-.
VIBULE'NUS AGRIPPA. [AGRIPPA.] ters, containing the annals of the Roman race, from
L. VIBIT'LLIUS RUFUS, a senator and an Janus and Saturnus down to the era of Romulus.
intimate friend of Pompey, is mentioned on one or We here find many curious tales and traditions
two occasions by Cicero before the breaking out of derived apparently from ancient sources, and it
the civil war. He was a man of resolution and may be regarded as a valuable contribution towards
energy, and was much trusted by Pompey, who the legendary history of the city. Joannes Mcmade him Praefectus Fabrlim in the civil war. tellus, Ausonius Popma, and others, have assigned
When Caesar marched into Italy at the beginning this tract to Asconius Pedianus, influenced chiefly
of B. C. 49, Pompey sent Vibullius into Picenum by some expressions in which they conceived that
to strengthen his cause in that quarter, but he was the author spoke of Livy and Virgil as his contemunable to effect any thing, as all the towns de- poraries, but the passages in which these occur
clared in favour of Caesar, and he accordingly (xxiii. ~ 7, iii. ~ 7, vii. ~ 4), do not fairly admit
threw himself into Corfinium, which was held by of any such interpretation, while the general tone
Domitius Ahenobarbus. Vibullius was one of the of the phraseology certainly bears no resemblance
senators who fell into Caesar's hands on the sur- to that of the Augustan age. On the other hand, it
render of Corfinium, and was along with the others seems certain, from the total dissimilarity in style,
dismissed uninjured by the conquerors. A few that it cannot have proceeded from the same hand
days afterwards Pompey sent him into Spain to with the two pieces which we shall next describe;
assist Afranius and Petreius in carrying on war and for this and other reasons Arntzenius has proagainst Caesar. He was again taken prisoner by nounced it to be the production of some of the later
Caesar on the conquest of Pompey's troops in that grammarians who were desirous of prefixing a suitcountry, and was again pardoned. When Caesar able introduction to the series. The Origo was
landed in Greece in B. c. 48, he despatched him to first printed at Antwerp,'8vo. 1579, with the comPompey with offers of peace, and Vibullius made mentary of Andreas Schottus in a volume, containthe greatest haste to reach Pornpey, not from any ing also the three following:desire to favour the views of Caesar, but in order to II. De Viris illustribus Urbis Romae, in eightygive Pompey the earliest intelligence possible of the six chapters, commencing with the birth of the
arrival of his enemy in Greece. (Cic. ad. Q. F1'. twin sons of Mars and Ilia, and concluding with
iii. 1. ~ 5, ad Att. vii. 24, viii. 1, 2, 11, 15; Caes. the death of Cleopatra. The whole, or nearly the
B. C. i. 15, 23, 34, 38, iii. 10, 11.) whole of the MSS. attach the name of Plinius
VICA POTA, that is, " the Victor and Con- to this piece: by some scholars it has been given to
queror" (quae vincit et potitur), was a Roman Cornelius Nepos, by others to Aemilius Probus.
divinity of victory, whose temple was situated at The numerous mistakes with which it abounds
the foot of the hill Velia. (Liv. ii. 7; Cic. de forbid us to fix upon any one belonging to the
Leg. ii. 11.) [L. S.] brighter epochs of Roman literature. It was first
VICTOR, an abandoned man, whom it was sup- printed at Naples, by Sixtus Riesinger, about 1470,
posed that M. Antonius would recall from exile in and again by Jac. de Ripoli, at Florence, in 1478.
B. c. 44. (Cic. ad Fars. xiv. 14.) III. De Caesaribzss, in forty-two chapters, exVICTOR, SEX. AURE'LIUS, who is com- hibiting short biographies of the emperors, from
monly ranked among the Latin historians, flourished Augustus to Constantius. This, as we have stated,
in the middle of the fourth century under the may reasonably be regarded as the work of Sex.
emperor Constantius and his successors. Accord- Aurelius Victor, who was praefect of the city under
ing to his own account (de Caes. 20), that is, sup- Theodosius. It was first printed at Antwerp, 8vo.
posing the work from which we quote to be a 1579, with the commentary of Schottus.
genuine document, he was born in the country of IV. De Vita et Alloribus Imperatorlu7 RZomanorumz
very humble parents, but rose to distinction by his Ewcerpta ex libris Sex. A-relii Victoris, or as it is
zeal in the cultivation of literature. Having at- frequently styled Sex. Aurelii Victoris Epitonze de
tracted the, attention of Julian when at Sirmium, Caesaribuzs, in forty-eight chapters, commencing with
he was appointed by that prince governor of one Augustus and concllding with Theodosius. These
division of Pannonia. At a subsequent period, he lives agree for the most part almost word for word
was elevated by Theodosius to the high office of with the preceding, but variations may here and
city praefect, and there seems no good reason to there be detected, some points being lightly passed
doubt that he is the Sex. Aurelius Victor, who over, or altogether omitted, in the one collection,
was consul along with Valentinian in A. D. 373. which are dwelt upon at considerable length in the
With regard to the period of his death, nothing is other. This will be seen clearly by comparing the