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

1160 NEREIS. NERlUS.
NERA'TIUS PRISCUS, a Roman jurist, who theatre of Syracuse, from which it appears that she
lived under Trajan and Hadrian. It is said that bore the title of queen. (Raoul-Rochette, MgTrajan sometimes had the design of making Nera- amoires de Nunumismatique et d'Antiquite, p. 73, 4to.
tius his successor in place of Hadrian. (Spart. Paris, 1840.) Justin erroneously supposes her to
Hadr. 4.) He enjoyed a high reputation under be a sister of the Deidameia (or Laodameia, as he
Hadrian, and was one of his consiliarii. (Spart. calls her) who was assassinated by Milon. That
luadr. 18.) Neratius was consul, but the year is she was a daughter of the elder Pyrrhus, see Droyuncertain. The works of Neratius were fifteen sen, vol. ii. p. 275, note. [E. H. B.]
books of Regulae, three books of Responsa, and seven NEREIUS, a patronymic from Nereus, applied
books of Membranae, from which there are sixty- to his descendants, such as Phocus. (Ov. Met. vii.
four excerpts in the Digest. A fourth book of 685, xiii. 162; Virg. Aen. ix. 102). [L. S.]
Epistolae, and a treatise entitled Libri ex Plautio, NEREUS (Nrlpesis), a son of Pontus and Gaea,
are cited in the Digest (8. tit. 3. s. 5. ~ 1; 33. and husband of Doris, by whom he became the
tit. 7. s. 12. ~ 35). HI-e also wrote a book, De father of the 50 Nereides. He is described as the
lrNuptiis (Gell. iv. 4), if Neratius is the right read- wise and unerring old man of the sea, at the
ing there. It is a mistake to collect from a passage bottom of which he dwelt (Hom. II. xviii. 141,
in the Digest (39. tit. 6. s. 43), that he wrote Od. xxiv. 58; Hes. Tlzeog. 233, &c.; Apollod. i.
notes Ad Fulciniunt. Paulus wrote Ad Nera- 2. ~ 6). His empire is the Mediterranean or more
tiune, in four books, from which there are excerpts particularly the Aegean sea, whence he is somein the Digest. times called the Aegean (Apollon. Rhod. iv. 772;
When Priscus is mentioned in the Digest, Javo- Stat. Tlseb. viii. 478). He was believed, like other
lenus Priscus is meant. Neratius wrote in a clear, marine divinities, to have the power of prophesying
condensed style, and is a good authority. He is the future and of appearing to mortals in different
often cited by subsequent jurists. (Grotius, Vitae shapes, and in the story of Heracles he acts a proJssriconsult.; Zimmern, Geschichte des Rum. Rechts, minent part, justas Proteus in the story of Odysseus,
vol. i. p. 324; Puchta, Cursus, &c. vol. i. p. 444, and Glaucus in that of the Argonauts (Apollod. ii.
1st ed.) [G. L.] 5. ~ 11; Horat. Carte. i. 15). Virgil (Aen. ii.
NEREIS (N?7pe'ts), or Nerine (Virg. Eclog. vii. 418) mentions the trident as his attribute, and the
37), is a patronymic from Nereus, and applied to epithets given him by the poets refer to his old age,
his daughters (Nereides, Ns/petibE, and in Homer his kindliness, and his trustworthy knowledge of
Nvpli'bes) by Doris, who were regarded by the the future. In works of art, Nereus, like other
ancients as marine nymphs of the Mediterranean, sea-gods, is represented with pointed sea-weeds
in contra-distinction from the Naiades, or the taking the place of hair in the eyebrows, the chin,
nymphs of fresh water, and the Oceanides, or the and the breast. (Hirt, Alythol. Bilderb. p. 150,
nymphs of the great ocean (Eustath. ad Horn. p. &c.)
622). The number of the Nereides was fifty, but There is another mythical personage of the name
their names are not the same in all writers (Hom. of Nereus. (Apollod. i. 7. ~ 4). [L. S.]
1I. xviii. 39, &c.; Hes. Theog. 240, &c.; Pind. NERIO, NERIENE, or NERIENIS, wife of
Istlm. vi. 8; Apollod. i. 2. ~ 7; Ov. Mlet. ii. 10, the Roman god Mars. Very little is known'about
&c.; Virg.'Aen. v. 825; Hygin. Fab. praef.) They her, and the ancients themselves were doubtful as
are described as lovely divinities, and dwelling with to the correct form of her name, though Gelliuls
their father at the bottom of the sea, and they (xiii. 22) prefers Nerio, which is analogous with
were believed to be propitious to all sailors, and es- Anio. The name is said to be of Sabine origin,
pecially to the Argonauts (Hom. I1. xviii. 36, &c. and to be synonymous with virtus or fortitudo,
140; Apollod. i. 9. ~ 25; Apollon. Rhod. iv. 859, (Plaut. Truc. ii. 6. 24; Martian. Cap. 3; L. Lydus,
930). They were worshipped in several parts of de Alens. iv. 42.) [L. S.]
Greece, but more especially in sea-port towns, such NE'RITUS (N5prLos), a son of Pterelaus in
as Cardamyle (Paus. iii. 26. ~ 5), and on the Isth- Ithaca, from whom mount Neriton, in the west of
mus of Corinth (ii. 1. ~ 7). The epithets given them Ithaca, was believed to have derived its name.
by the poets refer partly to their beauty and partly (Hom. Od. ix. 22, xvii. 207; Eustath. ad HIIoe.
to their place of abode. They were frequently repre- p. 1815.) [L.S.]
sented in antiquity, in paintings, on gems, in re- NE'RIUS, CN., of the Papinian tribe, accused
lievoes and statues, and commonly as youthful, beau- P. Sestius of bribery in B. C. 56 (Cic. ad Q. Fr. ii.
tiful, and naked maidens, and often grouped together 3. ~ 5). This Cn. Nerius may be the same as the
with Tritons and other marine monsters, in which Nerius who was quaestor in B. C. 49, as we learn
they resemble the Bacchic routs. Sometimes, also, from some interesting coins, of which a specimen is
they appear bn gems as half maidens and half fish, annexed. The obverse represents the head of Salike mermaids, the belief in whom is quite analogous turn, with NERI Q. VRB. (i. e. quaestor urbanus), and
to the belief of the ancients in the existence of the reverse some military standards, with L. LEN(T).
the Nereides. (Hirt, Mythol. Bilderb. p. 150,tabb. c. MaR(c). cos. (i. e. L. Lentulus and C. Aaur-18, 19.) [L. S.] cellus, consuls). The head of Saturn on the coin
NEREIS (Nejpsits), daughter of Pyrrhus I., has evident reference to the temple of that deity,
king of Epeirus, was married, apparently long after the aerarium at Rome, of which the quaestors had
her father's death, to Gelon, the son of Hieron, the charge, and where likewise the standards were
king of Syracuse, by whom she became the kept, to which fact the reverse alludes (comp. Diet.
mother of Hieronymus. It appears that she out- of Ast. s. v. Aerariumn). The names of the consuls
lived her niece Deidameia, and was thus the last prove'both that the coin was struck in B. C. 49,
surviving descendant of the royal house of the and that Nerius belonged to their party; and it is
Aeacidae. (Paus. vi. 12. ~ 3; Polyb. vii. 4. ~ 5; not improbable that the head of Saturn was emJustin. xxviii. 3. ~ 4; Vales. ad Diod. Ecrc. p. ployed as an emblem in allusion to the treasury
568.) Her name is found in an inscription cn the having been broken open by Caesar, and with a