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

MAXIMUS. MAXIMUS. 999
vol. of Tillemont, Hist. des Empereurs. (Procop. siderable insight into the ecclesiastical ceremonies,Bell. Vand. i. 4, 5; Sidon. Apollin. Ep. i. 9, and usages of the period to which they belong, and
ii. 13; Panegyr. Aviti, v. 359, &c., 442, &c.; containing many curious indications of the state of
Prosper, Victor, Idatius, Marcellinus, Chronica; manners.
Evagr. ii. 7; Jornand. De Reb. Goth. p. 127, ed. In the complete and sumptuous edition superinLindenbrog.) [W. P.] tended by Bruno Brunus, published by the PropaMA'XIMUS PLANU'DES. [PLANUDES.] ganda at Rome (fol. 1784), under the especial
MA/XIMUS, QUINTI'LIUS, the brother of patronage of Pope Pins the Sixth, and enriched
Quintilius Condianus, of whom an account is given with annotations by Victor Amadeus, king of Sarunder CONDIANUS. dinia, the various pieces are ranked under three
MA'XIMUS, RUTItLIUS, a Roman-jurist of heads.
uncertain age. He is only known from the Flo- I. Homiliae. II. Sermones. III. Tractatus.
rentine Index and a single excerpt in the Digest The HJomiliae and the Sermones, the distinction
(30. s. 125), as the author of a treatise in a single between which is in the present case by no means
book, Ad Legem Falcidiam, which was enacted obvious or even intelligible, amounting in, all to
B. C. 40. [G. L.] 233, are divided each into three classes, De TenmMAIXIMUS, SANQUI'NIUS, is first men- pore,'De Sanctis, De Diversis; the discourses De
tioned towards the latter end of the reign of Tibe- Tempore relating to the moveable feasts, those De
rius, A. D. 32, when he is spoken of as a person of Sanctis to the lives, works, and miracles of saints,
consular rank. (Tac. Ann. vi. 4.) We learn from confessors, and martyrs; those De Diversis to misDion Cassius (lix. 13) and the Fasti that he was cellaneous topics.
consul A. D. 39, in the reign of Caligula, but from' The Tractatus, in No. 6, are I. II. III. De.the passage of Tacitus quoted above, he must have Baptismno. IV. Contra Paganos. V. Contra Jubeen consul previously, though his first consulship daeos. VI. Etpositiones de Capitulis Evangeliorerm.
does not occur in the Fasti. He also held the Besides the above, we find in an appendix thirtyoffice of praefectus urbi in the reign of Caligula. one Sermones, three Honiliae, and two Epistolae,
(Dion Cass. 1. c.) In the reign of Claudius he had all of doubtful authenticity; and it is, moreover,
the command in Lower Germany, and died in the proved that a vast number of sermons and homilies
province, A. D. 47. (Tac. Ann. xi. 18.) He seems have been lost.
to have been a different person from Sanquinius, Sermons by Maximus were first printed at
the accuser of Arruntius. (Tac. Ann. vi. 7.) Spires, by Peter Drach, fol. 1482, in the IfondilaMA'XIMUS SCAURUS. [ScAuRUS.] rium Doctorunt, originally compiled, it is said, by
MA'XIMUS, SULPI'CIUS GALBA. [GAL- Paulus Diaconus, at the command of Charlemagne.
BA, No. 1.] Seventy-four of his homilies were published in a
MA'XIMUS TAURINENSIS, so called be- separate form by Joannes Gymnicus at Cologne,
cause he was bishop-of Turin, flourished about the 8vo. 1535. The number was gradually increased
middle of the fifth century. He subscribed in by the-Benedictines in their editions of Augustin
A. D. 451 the synodic epistle of Eusebius, bishop and Ambrose, by Mabillon (Museum Italicunz,
of Milan, to Leo the Great; and from the circum- 1687), by Muratori (Anecdot. vol. iv. 1713), by
stance that in the acts of the council of Rome, held Martene and Durand (Collectio amplissima, &c.,
in A. D. 465, by Hilarius, the successor of Leo, the 1733-1741), and by Galland (Bibliotlh. Patrum,
signature of Maximus immediately follows that of vol. ix. &c.), who, however, merely collected and
the chief pontiff, taking precedence of the metropo- arranged the contributions of preceding scholars;
titans of Milan and Embrun, we may conclude but all editions must give way to that of Brunus
that he was the oldest prelate present. It has been mentioned above. (Schiinemann, Bibliothl. Patrum
inferred from different passages in his works that Lat. vol. ii. ~ 25 Galland, Bibl. Paitr. Proleg. ad
he was born about the close of the fourth century, vol. ix. c. ix.; and Brunus, in the life of Maximus,
at Vercelli, that he was educated in that city, that prefixed to his edition.) [W. R.]
he there discharged the first duties of the sacred MA'XIMUS TYRANNUS, Roman emperor,
office, and that he lived to a great age; but it is was raised to the supreme power, in A. D. 408, by
impossible to speak with certainty upon these Gerontius when this general rebelled in Spain
points. against Constantine. Olympiodorus says that
Gennadius, who is followed by Trithemius, states Maximus was the son of Gerontius, but it seems
that Maximus composed a great number of tracts more probable that he was only an officer in the
and homilies upon various subjects, several of army and his tool, and in the latter quality he bewhich he specifies. Many of these have been pre- haved during the short time he bore the imperial
served in independent MSS., while the Lectionaria title. When immediately after his revolt Geronof the principal monasteries and cathedrals in Eu- tius marched into Gaul, Maximus remained at
rope, investigated with assiduity from the days of Tarragona, but could not prevent the Alans, SueCharlemagne down to our own times, have yielded vians, Vandals, and other barbarians from invading
so many more which may with confidence be Spain in 409. After the defeat of Gerontius at
ascribed to this bishop of Turin, that he must be Arles, and his death, in 411, Maximus was comregarded as the most voluminous compiler of dis- pelled to yield to the victorious Constantine, who
courses in the Latin church. Little can be said in forced him to renounce the imperial title, but
praise of the quality of these productions, most of granted him life and liberty on account of his inwhich were probably delivered extemporaneously. capacity for important affairs. Maximus retired
They are so weak and so destitute of grace, elo-. among the barbarians and lived an obscure life in
quence, and learning, that we wonder that they. a corner of Spain. As Orosius speaks of him as a
should ever have been thought worthy of preserva- living person, he was consequently alive in 417,
tion at all. The only merit they possess is purely the year in which thatwriter composed his work.
antiquarian, affording.as they do incidentally con- Prosper states that in 419 (418?) he. rebelled and:
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