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

MONUNIUS. MORSIMUS. 1113
MONTA'NUS, ATTICI'NUS, legatus in Tra- Prolog. xxiv), is only another corruption of the
jan's reign to Lustricus Bruttianus (Mart. iv. 22), same name, perhaps that of an ancestor of the
was accused by him of various misdemeanours, and preceding. (See Droysen, Hellenisnz. vol. ii. p.
of destroying the evidence which had been collected 17].) [E. H. B.]
to prove them. Montanus brought *against his MO'NYCHUS, a centaur who is mentioned by
accuser a counter-charge of malversation in his pro- Ovid (Alet. xii. 499) and Valerius Flaccus (i.
vince. But it completely failed, and Trajan, who 145). [L. S.]
presided in person at the trial, condemned Mon- MOPSUS (M'4os). 1. A son of Ampyx or
tanus to banishment. (Plin. Ep. vi. 22.) [W.B.D.] Ampycus by the nymph Chloris; and, because he
MONTA'NUS, CU'RTIUS, was accused by was a seer, he is also called a son of Apollo by
Eprius Marcellus in A. D. 67 of libelling Nero. Himantis. (Hes. Scut. Herc. 181; Val. Flac. i.
The charge was disproved, but Montanus was ex- 384; Stat. Theb. iii. 521; comp. Orph. Arg. 127.)
iled. At his father's petition, however, he was He was one of the Lapithae of Oechalia or Titaeron
shortly afterwards recalled, on condition of abstain- (Thessaly), and one of the Calydonian hunters.
ing from all public employments. In A. D. 71 He is also mentioned among the combatants at the
Montanus was present in the senate, and, on Do- wedding of Peirithous, and was a famous prophet
mitian's moving the restoration of Galba's titles among the Argonauts. He was represented on
and statues, he proposed that the decree against the chest of Cypselus. (Pind. Pytkl. iv. 336;
Piso also should be rescinded. At the same time Apollon. Rhod. i. 65; Hygin. Fab. 14; Ov. Met.
Montanus vehemently attacked the notorious de- viii. 316, xii. 456; Paus. v. 17. ~ 4; Strab. ix.
lator, Aquilius Regulus. (Tac. Ann. xvi. 28, 29, p. 443.) He is said to have died in Libya by the
33, Hist. iv. 40, 42, 43.) If the same person bite of a snake, and to have been buried there by
with the Curtius Montanus satirised by Juvenal the Argonauts. He was afterwards worshipped as
(iv. 107, 131, xi. 34), Montanus in later life sul- an oracular hero. (Apollon. Rhod. i. 80, iv.
lied the fair reputation he enjoyed in youth. (Tac. 1518, &c.; Tzetz. ad Lye. 881.)
A4zn. xvi. 28.) For Juvenal (11. cc.) describes him 2. A son of Apollo (or according to Paus. vii. 3.
as a corpulent epicure, a parasite of Domitian, and ~ 2, of Rhacius) and Manto, the daughter of Teirea hacknied declaimer. Plinythe Younger addressed sias. He was believed to be the founder of Mallos
two letters to Curtius Montanus (vii. 29, viii. in Asia Minor, where his oracle existed as late as
6.) [W. B. D.] the time of Strabo (xiv. p. 675; comp. Plut. de
MONTA'NUS, JU'LIUS, a versifier of some Def. Orac. 45; Conon, Narrat. 6). [L. S.]
repute in the reign of Tiberius, and one of the MORCUS (MOptcos), an Illyrian, who, in B c.
emperor's private friends. He is cited by Seneca 168, was sent by Gentius, king of the Illyrians, to
the rhetorician (Contr. 16), and by Seneca the receive the hostages and the money which Perseus,
philosopher (Ep. 122). (Ovid. Ep. ex LPont. iv. king of Macedonia, had engaged to give him as the
16. 11.) [W. B. D.] conditions of his aid against Rome. [GENTIUS.]
MONTA'NUS, JU'LIUS, was of senatorian Morcus proceeded from the court of Perseus to
rank, but had borne no office when unluckily meet- Rhodes, where he was lodged in the Prytaneium,
ing Nero on one of his drunken nocturnal frolics, he and persuaded the Rhodians to declare themselves
defended himself and beat the emperor. The neutral for the remainder of the war between
assault might have been overlooked, but Montanus Macedon, Illyricum, and Rome. (Polyb. xxix. 2.
recognised his assailant, and begged forgiveness. ~ 9, 5 ~ 1; Liv. xliv, 23.) [W. B. D.]
Nero then compelled Montanus to commit suicide, MO'RIUS (Mo'pios), that is, the protector of
that he might not afterwards boast of the encounter. the sacred olive trees, occurs as a surname of Zeus.
(Tac. Ann. xiii. 25; comp. Dion Cass. lxi. 9; Suet. (Soph. Oed. Col. 705; comp. Liddell and Scott,
Ner. 26.) [W. B. D.] Gr. Lex. s. v. Mopta.) [L. S.]
MONTA'NUS, SP. TARPEIUS CAPITO- MORMO (Moppoe), a female spectre, with
LI'NUS. [CAPITOLINUS, p. 606.] which the Greeks used to frighten little children.
MONTA'NUS, VOTIEINUS, was an orator (Aristoph. Acharn. 582, Pay, 474.) Mormo was
and declaimer in the reign of Tiberius. From his one of the same class of bugbears as Empusa and
propensity to refine upon thought and diction, Lamia. [L. S.]
he was named the "Ovid" of the rhetorical schools. MORMO'LYCEorMORMOLYCEION(MopSeneca the rhetorician describes the eloquence of ltoxAtca, Mopuo.vKfceov), the same phantom or bugMontanus (Contr. Prooem. iv., excerpt. ix. 5), and bear as Mormo, anld also used for the same purpose.
cites him (Contr. 18, 20, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 31, (Philostr. Vit. Apollon. iv. 25; Menandr. Reliq.
32). Montanus was convicted on a charge of p. 145, ed. Meineke; Aristoph. Thesm. 417;
majestas, and died an exile in the Balearic islands Strab. i. p. 19; Stob. Eclog. p. 1010.) [L. S.]
A. D. 25. (Tac. Ann. iv. 42; Euseb. Chron. a. MORPHEUS (Mopopeds), the son of Sleep, and
778.) [W. B. D] the god of dreams. The name signifies the fashioner
MONU'NIUS (Movovsrlos), a chief of the Illy- or moulder, because he shaped or formed the dreams
rian tribe of the Dardanians, whose daughter which appeared to the sleeper. (Ov. Met. xi. 635;
Etuta was married to the Illyrian king Gentius. Hirt, iIlythol. Bilderb. p. 199.) [L. S.]
(Liv. xliv. 30; Athen. x. p. 440, a.).The name MORPIHO (Mopeqdo), or the -fair shaped, occurs
is corruptly written in our editions of Livy Honu- as a surname of Aphrodite at Sparta. She was
nius; in those of Athenaeus, Menunius: the true represented in a sitting posture, with her head
orthography is learnt only from his coins, from covered, and her feet fettered. (Paus. iii. 15. ~ 8;
which also it appears that he was master of the Lycoph. 449.) [L. S.]
important Greek city of Dyrrhachium. (Eckhel, MO'RSIMUS (Mdpaueuos), a tragic poet, the
vol. ii. p. 157.) Probably MONIUS, which appears son of Philocles [PHILOCLES], and father of Astyat an earlier period as the name of an Illyrian damas. He is attacked and ridiculed more than
phence at war with Ptolemy Ceraunus (Trog. Pomp. once by Aristophanes, who classes with villains of