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

FABIA GENS. FABIANUS. 131
considered as one of those inventions by which a on the obverse the two-faced head of Janus, and
defeated party endeavours to console itself, namely, on the reverse the prow of a ship: the latter exby tracing the conqueror's actions to base and ignsoblemotives. [L. S.]
FA'BIA GEN&S one of the most ancient patri-.
cian gentes at Rome, whick traced its origin to
Hercules and the Arcadian Evander. (OQv. Fast.
ii. 237, ex Pont. iii. 3. 99; Juv. viii. 14; PHai
Fab. Max. 1; Paul. Diac. s. v. Favii, ed. Muiller.)
The name is said to have originally been Fodii or
* Fovii, which was believed to have been derived
from the fact of the first who bore it having invented the method of catching wolves by means
of ditches (foveae), whereas, according to Pliny,
(H. N. xviii. 3), the name was derived fromaba, hibits on the obverse a female head, and on the
a bean, a vegetable which the Fabii were said to
have first cultivated. The question as to whether
the Fabii were a Latin or a Sabine gens, is a disputed point. Niebuhr and, after him, Gittling' L
(Gesce. der RMm. Staatsv. pp. 109, 194,) look upon
them as Sabines. But the reason adduced does e _I /
not seem satisfactory; and there is a legend in \
which their name occurs, which refers to a time
when the Sabines were not yet incorporated in the
Roman state. This legend, it is true, is related reverse Victory in a biga; the letters EX A. PV.
only by the pseudo-Aurelius Victor (de Orig. Gent. denote Ex Argento Publico. (Eckhel, vol. v. p.
BRom. 22); but it is alluded to also by Plutarch 209, &c.)
(Romul. 22) and Valerius Maximus (ii. 2. ~ 9). FABIA'NUS, PAPI'RIUS, a Roman rhetoWVhen Romulus and Remus, it is said, after the rician and philosopher in the time of Tiberius and
death of Amulius, offered up sacrifices in the Lu- Caligula. He was the pupil of Arellius Fuscus
percal, and afterwards celebrated a festival, which and of Blandus in rhetoric, and of Sextius in
became the origin of the Lupercalia, the two philosophy: and although much the younger of
heroes divided their band of shepherds into two the two, he instructed Albutius Silas in eloquence.
parts, and each gave to his followers a special name: (Senec. Controv. ii. prooem. pp. 134-6, iii. p. 204,
Romulus called his the Quinctilii, and Remus his ed. Bipont.) The rhetorical style of Fabianus is
the Fabii. (Comp, Ov. Fast. ii. 361, &c., 375, described by the elder Seneca (Controv.-iii. pro&c.) This tradition seems to suggest, that the em.), and he is frequently cited in the third
Fabii and Quinctilii in the earliest times had the book of Controversiae, and in the Suasoriae. His
superintendence of the sacra at the Lupercalia, and early model in rhetoric was his instructor Arellius
hence the two colleges of the Luperci retained Fuscus; but he afterwards adopted a less ornate
these names even in much later times, although the form of eloquence, though he never attained to perprivilege had ceased to be confined to those two spicuity and simplicity. Fabianus soon, however,
gentes. (Cic.'Phil. ii. 34, xiii. 15, pro Cael. 26; quitted rhetoric for philosophy; and the younger
Propert. iv. 26; Plut. Caes. 61.) It was from the Seneca places his philosophical works next to those
Fabia gens that one of the Roman tribes derived of Cicero, Asinius Pollio, and Livy the historian.
its name, as the Claudia, in later times, was named (Senec. Epist. 100.) The philosophical style of
after the Claudia gens. The Fabii do not act a Fabianus is described in this letter of Seneca's,
prominent part in history till after the establish- and in some points his description corresponds
ment of the commonwealth; and three brothers with that of the elder Seneca. (Controv. ii. probelonging to the gens are said to have been invested oem.) Both the Senecas seem to have known, and
with seven successive consulships, from B. C. 485 certainly greatly esteemed Fabianus. (Cf. Conto 479. The house derived its greatest lustre from trov.' iii. prooem. with Epist. 11.) Fabianus
the patriotic courage and tragic - fate of the 306 was the author of a work entitled [Rerum?] CiviFabii in the battle on the Cremera, B.C. 477. lium; and his philosophical writings exceeded
[VIBULANUS, K. FABIus, No. 3.] But the Fabii Cicero's in number. (Senec. Epist. 100.) He had
were not distinguished as warriors alone: several also paid great attention to physical science, and
members of. the gens act an important part also in is called by Pliny (H. N. xxxvi. 15, s. 24) rerumn
the history of Roman literature and of the arts. naturae peritissimus. From Seneca (Natur. Quaest.
The name occurs as late as the second century after iii. 27), he appears to have written on -Physics;
the Christian aera. The family-names of this gens and his works entitled De Animalibus and Causaunder the republic are:-AMBusTus, BUT.oO, rumn Naturalium Libri are frequently referred to by
DORso, LABEO, LICINUS, MAXIMUS (with the Pliny (H. N. generally in his Elenchos or sumagnomens Aemilianus, Allobrogicus, Eburnus, Gur- mary of materials, i. ii. vii. ix. xi. xii. xiii. xiv.
ges, Rullianus, Servilianus, Verrucosus), PICTOR, xv. xvii. xxiii. xxviii. xxxvi., and specially, but
and VIBULANUS. The other cognomens, which without mention of the particular work of Fado not belong to the gens, are given below. [L.S.] bianus, ii. 47. ~ 121; ii. 102. ~ 223, ix, 8. ~ 25,
The only cognomens that occur on.coins are xii. 4. ~ 20, xv. 1. ~ 4, xxiii. 11. ~ 62, xxviii. 5.
Hispaniensis [see Vol. I. p. 180, a.], Labeo, Max- ~ 54). [W. B. D.]
imus, and Pictor. The two coins represented below FABIA'NUS, VALE'RIUS, a Roman of rank
have no cognomen upon them, and it is doubtful sufficient to aspire to the honours of the state, was
to whom they are to be referred. The former has convicted before the senate in A. D. 62, of conspiring
IS 2