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

BLOSIUS.
cannot always be determined. The ecclesiastical
constitutions are derived from the common canonical collections. This compilation, as the numerous
extant manuscripts prove, became very popular
among ecclesiastics. The preface to the Syntagma
Alphahbeticum of Blastares contains some historical
particulars, mingled with many errors, concerning
the canon and imperial law. As an example of,the errors, it may be stated that the formation of
Justinian's Digest and Code is attributed to
Hadrian. In most MSS. a small collection of
minor works, probably due to Blastares, is appended to the Syntagma. As to unpublished
works of Blastares in MS., see Fabric. Bibl. Grace.
xii. p. 205. A portion of the Syntagma (part of
B and F), which was probably found copied in a
detached form, is printed in Leunclav. Jur. GraecoRom. vol. i. lib. viii.; but the only complete edition
of the work is that which is given by Beveridge
in his Synodicon, vol. ii. part. 2. The "matrimonial
questions" of Blastares, printed in Leunclav. Jur.
Graeco-Ronm., are often enumerated as a distinct
work from the Syntagma, but in reality they come
under the head rdc,uos. At the end of the Pere
Goar's edition of Codinus is a treatise, written in
popular verses (Tircherucol oriXos), concerning
the offices of the Palace of Constantinople, by
Matthaeus, monk, S-'Tyfs, and physician. The
author may possibly be no other than Blastares.
(Biener, Gesch. der Nov. pp. 218-222; Walter,
Kirchlenrecht. ~ 79.) [J. T. G.]
BLEMMIDAS. [NICEPHORUS BLEMMIDAS.]
BLEPAEUS (B\a7raos), a rich banker at
Athens in the time of Demosthenes, who was also
mentioned in one of the comedies of Alexis. (Dem.
c. Meid. p. 583. 17, c. Boeot. de Dot. p. 1023. 19;
Athen. vi. p. 241, b.)
BLESA'MIUS, a Galatian, a friend and
minister of Deiotarus, by whom he was sent as
ambassador to Rome, where he was when Cicero
defended his master, B.c. 45. (Cic. pro Deiot. 12,
14, 15.) Blesamius was also in Rome in the following year, 44. (Cic. ad Att. xvi. 3.)
BLITOR (BXirwp), satrap of Mesopotamia, was
deprived of his satrapy by Antigonus in B. c. 316,
because he had allowed Seleucus to escape from
Babylon to Egypt in that year. (Appian, Syr.
53.)
BLO'SIUS or BLO'SSIUS, the name of a
noble family in Campania.
1. F. MARIUS BLOSIUs, was Campanian praetor
when Capua revolted from the Romans and joined
Hannibal in B. c. 216. (Liv. xxiii. 7.)
2. BLOSII, two brothers in Capua, were the
ringleaders in an attempted revolt of Capua from
the Romans in B. c. 210; but the design was discovered, and the Blosii and their associates put to
death. (Liv. xxvii. 3.)
3. C. BLosIus, of Cumae, a hospes of Scaevola's
family, was an intimate friend of Ti. Gracchus,
whom he is said to have urged on to bring forward
his agrarian law. After the death of Ti. Gracchus
he was accused before the consuls in B. c. 132, on
account of his participation in the schemes of
Gracchus, and fearing the issue he fled to Aristonicus, king of Pergamus, who was then at war
with the Romans. When Aristonicus was conquered shortly afterwards, Blosius put an end to
his own life for fear of falling into the hands of the
Romans. Blosius had paid conidderable attention
to the study of philosophy, and was a disciple of

BOADICEA. 493
Antipater of Tarsus. (Cic. de Asmic. 11, de Leg.
Agr. ii. 34; Val. Max. iv. 7. ~ 1; Plut. Ti
Gracchl. 8, 17, 20.)
BOADICE'A (some MSS. of Tacitus have Boudicea, Boodicia or Voadica, and Dion Cassius calls
her Bovvsovitca), was the wife of Prasutagus, king
of the Iceni, a tribe inhabiting the eastern coast
of Britain. Her husband, who died about A. D.
60 or 61, made his two daughters and the emperor
Nero the heirs of his private property, hoping
thereby to protect his kingdom and his family
from the oppression and the rapacity of the Romans stationed in Britain. But these expectations
were not realized; for Boadicea, who succeeded
him, saw her kingdom and her house robbed and
plundered by the Roman soldiers, as if they had
been in a country conquered by force of arms.
The queen herself was maltreated even with blows,
and Romans ravished her two daughters. The
most distinguished among the Iceni were deprived
of their property, and the relatives of the late king
treated as slaves. These outrages were committed by Roman soldiers and veterans under the
connivance of their officers, who not only took no
measures to stop their proceedings, but Catns Decianus was the most notorious of all by his extortion and avarice. At last, in A. D 62, Boadicea, a
woman of manly spirit and undaunted courage,
was roused to revenge. She induced the Iceni to
take up arms against their oppressors, and also
prevailed upon the Trinobantes and other neighbouring tribes to join them. While the legate
Paulinus Suetonius was absent on an expedition
to the island of Mona, Camalodunum, a recently
established colony of veterans, was attacked by
the Britons. The colony solicited the aid of Catus
Decianus, who however was unable to send them
more than 200 men, and these had not even regular
arms. Camalodunum was taken and destroyed by
fire, and the soldiers, who took refuge in a temple
which formed the arx of the place, were besieged
for two days, and then made prisoners. Petilius
Cerealis, the legate of the ninth legion, who was
advancing to relieve Camalodunum, was met by
the Britons, and, after the loss of his infantry,
escaped with the cavalry to his fortified camp.
Catus Decianus, who in reality bore all the guilt,
made his escape to Gaul; but Suetonius Paulinus,
who had been informed of what was going on, had
returned by this time, and forced his way through
thei midst of the enemies as far as the colony of
Londiniusim. As soon as he had left it, it was
taken by the Britons, and the municipium of Verulamium soon after experienced the same fate: in
these places nearly 70,000 Romans and Roman
allies were slain with cruel tortures. Suetonius
saw that a battle could no longer be deferred. His
forces consisted of only about 10,000 men, while
those of the Britons under Boadicea are said to
have amounted to 230,000. On the day of tlle
battle, the queen rode in a chariot with her two
daughters before her, and commanded her army in
person. She harangued her soldiers, reminded
them of the wrongs inflicted upon Britain by the
Romans, and roused their courage against the common enemy. But the Britons were conquered by
the greater military skill and the favourable position of the Romans. About 80,000 Britons are
said to have fallen on that day, and the Romans
to have lost no more than 400. Boadicea would
not survive this irreparable loss, and put an end to