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

946 SULPICIUS. SULPICIUS.
the popular party. The causes of this sudden Cicero was born B. c. 106. The name Lemonia is
change are not expressly stated by the ancient the ablative case, and indicates the tribe to which
writers; but we are told that he was overwhelmed Servius belonged. (Cic. Philipp. ix. 7.) According to
with debt; and there call be little doubt that he Cicero, the father of Servius was of the equestrian
was bought by Marius, and that the latter pro- order. (Cic.pro Mur. 7.) Servius first devoted himmised him great wealth as soon as he obtained the self to oratory, and he studied his art with Cicero in
command of the war against Mithridates. The his youth, and also at Rhodus B. c. 78, for he accomhistory of the rogations which Sulpicius brought panied Cicero there (Brut. 41). It is said that he
forward in favour of Marius and his party, and was induced to study law by a reproof of Q.
against Sulla, is fully related in the lives of those Mucius Scaevola, the pontifex, whose opinion Serpersons. [MARIvs, p. 957; SULLA, p. 936.] It is vius had asked on a legal question, and as the pononly necessary to state here, that when the law tifex saw that Servius did not understand his
was passed which conferred upon Marius the cor- answer, he said that " it was disgraceful for a
mand of the Mithridatic war, Sulla, who was then patrician and a noble, and one who pleaded causes,
at Nola, marched upon Rome at the head of his to be ignorant of the law with which he had to be
army. Marius and Sulpicius had no means of engaged." (Dig. 1. tit. 2. s. 2. ~ 43.) Henceforth
resisting him, and were obliged to fly from the jurisprudence became his study, in which he surcity. They were both declared public enemies by passed his teachers, L. Balbus and Aquillius Gallus,
the senate, at the command of Sulla, along with and obtained a reputation in no respect inferior to
ten others of their party. that of the pontifex who reproved him. As an
Marius succeeded in making his escape to orator he had hardly a superior, unless it were
Africa, but Sulpicius was discovered in a villa, and Cicero himself
put to death. The slave who betrayed him was Servius was successively quaestor of the district
rewarded with his freedom, and then hurled down or provincia of Ostia, in B. c. 74 (Cic. pro Mluar.
from the Tarpeian rock. (Appian, B. C. i. 58, 60; 8); aedilis curulis, B. c. 69; and during his praePlut. Sull. ] 0; Cic. de Orat. iii. 3, Brut. 63; Liv. torship, B. C. 65, he had the quaestio peculatus (pro
Epit. 77; Vell. Pat. ii. 18.) Mur. 20). In his first candidateship for the conAlthough Sulpicius was such a distinguished sulship, B. c. 63, Servius was rejected, and Servius
orator, he left no orations behind him. Cicero and Cato joined in prosecuting L. Murena, who was
says that he had often heard Sulpicius declare that elected. Murena was defended by Cicero, Horhe was not accustomed, and was unable, to write. tensius, and M. Crassus (Oratio pro Murena). In
It is true there were some speeches extant under B. C. 52, as interrex, he named Pompeius Magnus
his name, but they were written after his death by sole consul. In B. c. 51, he was elected consul
P. Canutius. (Cic. Brut. 56.) [CANUTIUS.] Sul- with M. Claudius Marcellus; and on this occasion
picius is one of the speakers in Cicero's dialogue, Cato was an unsuccessful candidate. (Plut. Cato,
De Oratore. (Ahrens, Die Drei Volkstribunen, 49.) There is no mention of any decided part
Tib. Gracchus, IMI. Drusus, und P. Sulpicius, Leipzig, that Servius took in the war between Caesar and
1836; Meyer, Oratorusn Ronanosrum Fragmenta, Pompeius, but he appears to have been a partizan
pp. 343-347, 2d ed.; Drumann, Geschiclste Roms, of Caesar, who, after the battle of Pharsalia, made
vol. ii. pp. 435, 436.) him proconsul of Achaea, B. C. 46 or 45; and Sulpi3. P. SULPICIUS RUFUS, probably a son or cius held this office at the time when Cicero addressed
grandson of No. 2, was one of Caesar's legates in to him a letter, which is still extant (ad Feaz. iv.
Gaul. He also served under Caesar as one of his 3). Marcellus, the former colleague of Servius in
legates in the campaign in Spain against Afranius the consulship, was murdered at Peiraeeus during
and Petreius, in B. C. 49; and in the following the government of Servius, who buried him in the
year, B. C. 48, he was rewarded for his services by gymnasium of the Academia, where a marble mothe praetorship. In the latter year he commanded nument to his memory was raised. The death of
Caesar's fleet at Vibo, when it was attacked by Marcellus is told in a letter of Servius to Cicero.
C. Cassius. Cicero addresses him in B. c. 45 as In B. C. 43 he was sent by the senate, with L.
imperator. It appears that he was at that time in Philippus and L. Calpurnius Piso, on a mission to
Illyricum, along with Vatinius. (Caes. B. G. iv. 22. M. Antoninls, who was besieging Decimus Brutus,
B. C. i. 74, iii. ] 01; Cic. ad Fram. xiii. 77.) in Mutina. Servius, who was in bad health, died
4. SER. SULPICIUS LEMONIA RUFUS, the cele- in the camp of Antonius. Cicero, in the senate,
brated jurist. See below. pronounced a panegyric on his distinguished friend,
5. SER. SULPICsUS RUFUS, the son of No. 4. and on his motion a public funeral was decreed,
was one of the subscriptores of his father's accusa- and a bronze statue was erected to the memory of
tion against Murena in B. C. 63. (Cic. pro Mur. Servius, and appropriately placed in front of the
26, 27.) On the breaking out of the civil war, in rostra. The statue was still there when PompoB. C. 49, he joined his father in espousing Caesar's nius wrote. (Cic. Philipp. ix. 7; Pomponius, Dig.
side, and is frequently mentioned at that time in 1. tit. 2. s. 2. ~ 43.)
Cicero's correspondence. He survived his father, Servius had a wife named Postumia, and he left
who died in B. C. 43. (Cic. ad Att. ix. 18, 19, x. 14, a son, Servius.
ad Fain. iv. 2, Phili pp. ix. 5.) Our chief information about Servius is derived
6. SsLePIcIvs RUFUS, who was ludi procurator, from Cicero, who attributes his great superiority as
that is, the person who had the charge of the a lawyer to his study of philosophy, not that phipublic games, was slain by the emperor Claudius losophy itself made him a distinguished lawyer,
because he was privy to the marriage of Silius and but the discipline, to which his mind had been
Messalina. (Tac. Ann. xi. 35.) subjected, developed and sharpened his natural
SER. SULPI'CIUS LEMO'NIA RUFUS, talents. In a passage in his Brutus (c. 41) Cicero
the son of Quintus, was a contemporary and friend has, in few words and in a masterly manner, shown
of Cicero, and of about the same age (Cic. Brut. 40): in what the excellence of Servius consisted. His