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

FAVORINUS. FAVORINUS. 139
joined him and the Optimates, when they went Favorinus, it would be arbitrary to make any such
over to Greece. In B. C. 48, we find him engaged alteration, and we must acquiesce in what we
in Macedonia, under Metellus Scipio, and during learn from Gellius. As for the lex Licinia here
the latter's absence in Thessaly, Favonius, who spoken of, Macrobius (ii. 13), in enumerating the
was left behind on the river Haliacmon with eight sumptuary laws, mentions one which was carried
cohorts, was taken by surprise by Domitius Cal- by P. Licinius Crassus Dives, and which is, in all
vinus, and was saved only by the speedy return probability, the one which was supported by Favoof Metellus Scipio. Up to the last moment Fa- rinus. The exact year in which this law was provonius would not hear of any reconciliation. mulgated is uncertain; some assign it to the cenAfter the unfortunate issue of the battle of Phar- sorship of Licinius Crassus, B. c. 89, others to his
salus, Favonius, however, acted as a faithful friend consulship in B. c. 97, and others, again, to'his
towards Pompey: he accompanied him in his flight, tribuneship, B. c. 1 10, or his praetorship, B. c. 104.
and shewed him the greatest kindness and attention. The poet Lucilius is known to have mentioned this
After the death of Pompey, he returned to Italy, law in his Satires; and as that poet died in B. C.
and was pardoned by J. Caesar, in whose supre- 103, it is at any rate clear that the law must have
macy he acquiesced, having gained the conviction been carried previous to the consulship of Licinius
that monarchy was better than civil war. For Crassus, i. e. previous to B. C. 97. (H. Meyer,
this reason the conspirators against the life of F'ragm. Orat. Rom. p. 207, &c., 2d edit.) [L. S.]
Caesar did not attempt to draw him into their FAVORI'NUS. (,agowpivos.) 1. A philosopher
plot; but after the murder was accomplished, he and sophist of the time of the emperor Hadrian.
openly joined the conspirators, and went with them He was a native of Arles, in the south of Gaul,
to the Capitol. When Brutus and Cassius were and is said to have been born an Hermaphrodite
obliged to leave Rome, he followed them, and was or an eunuch. (Philostr. Vit. Sopl. i. 8. ~ 1; Luaccordingly outlawed in B. c. 43, by the lex Pedia, cian, Eunuch. 7; Gell. ii. 22.) On one occasion,
as their accomplice. He was, however, a trouble- however, a Roman of rank brought a charge of
some and importunate ally to the republicans, and adultery against him. He appears to have visited
in 42, when he presumed to influence Brutus and Rome and Greece at an early age, and he acCassius at their meeting at Sardis, Brutus thrust quired an intimate acquaintance of the Greek and
the intruder out of the house. In the battle of Latin languages and literature. These attainments
Philippi Favonius was taken prisoner, and on being combined with great philosophical knowledge,
led in chains before the conquerors, he respectfully very extensive learning, and considerable oratorical
saluted Antony, but indulged in bitter invectives power, raised him to high distinctions both at
against Octavianus, for having ordered several re- Rome and in Greece. For a time he enjoyed the
publicans to be put to death. The consequence friendship and favour of the emperor Hadrian, but
was, as he might have expected, that he met on one occasion he offended the emperor in a diswith the same fate. pute with him, and fell into disgrace, whereupon
M. Favonius was not a man of strong character or the Athenians, to please the emperor, destroyed
principle: his sternness of manner and of conduct the bronze statue which they had previously
was mere affectation and imitation of Cato, in erected to Favorinus. He used to boast of three
which he went so far as to receive and deserve the things: that being a eunuch he had been charged
nickname of the ape of Cato. The motives for his with adultery, that although a native of Gaul
actions, in all cases where we can trace them, he spoke and wrote Greek, and that he conwere passion, personal animosity, and a desire to tinued to live although he had offended the emplease Cato, the consideration of the public good peror. (Philostr. 1. c.; Dion Cass. lxix. 3; Spartian.
having no share in them. His only honourable Hadr. 16.) Favorinus was connected by intimate
action is the conduct he showed towards Pompey friendship with Demetrius of Alexandria, Demetrius
after his defeat. He and L. Postumius are admi- the Cynic, Cornelius Fronto, and especially with
rably characterised by the Pseudo-Sallust (ad Plutarch, who dedicated to him his treatise on the
Caes. 2. p. 275, ed Gerlach) as quasi magnae navis principle of cold (rEpl To6 7rpJo0ov Tvxpov), and
supervacua onera. He seems to have had some among whose lost works we have mention of a
talent as an orator, at least we know from Cicero letter on friendship, addressed to Favorinus. Hethat he spoke in public on several occasions, but no rodes Atticus, who was likewise on intimate terms
specimen of his oratory has come down to us. with him, looked up to him with great esteem,
(Cic. ad Atlt. i. 14, ii.1, 4, vii. 1, 15. xv. 11, ad and Favorinus bequeathed to him his library and
Qut. Fi-. ii. 3, 1, ad Fam. viii. 9, 11, pro Mil. 9, his house at Rome. Favorinus for some time re16; Val. Max. vi. 2. ~ 7; Plut. Cat. Min. 32, 46, sided in Asia Minor; and as he was highly hoPomp. 60, 67, Brut. 12, 34, Caes. 41; Dion Cass. noured by the Ephesians, he excited the envy and
xxxviii. 7, xxxix. 14, 34, &c. xl. 45, xlvi. 48, xlvii. hostility of Polemon, then the most famous sophist
49; Caes. B. C. iii. 36; Vell. Pat. ii. 53; Appian, at Smyrna. The two sophists attacked each other
B. C. ii. 119, &c.; Suet. Octav. 13.) [L. S.] in their declamations with great bitterness and
FAVO'NIUTS EULO'GIUS. [EvLOGIUS.] animosity. The oratory of Favorinus was of a
FAVORI'NUS, a Latin orator, of whom lively, and in his earlier years of a very passionate
nothing is known, except that Gellius (xv. 8) has kind. He was very fond of displaying his learning
preserved a fragment of one of his orations in sup- in his speeches, and was always particularly anxport of a lex Licinia de suztu minuendo. The ques- ious to please his audience. His extensive knowtion as to who this Favorinus, and what this ledge is further attested by his numerous works,
Licinian law was, deserves some attention. A Ro- and the variety of subjects on which he wrote.
man orator of the name of Favorinus is altogether None of his works, however, has come down to
unknown, and hence critics have proposed to us, unless we suppose with Emperius, the late
change the name in Gellius into Fannius, Auguri- editor of Dion Chrysostomus (in a dissertation de
nus, or Favonius; but as all the MSS. agree in Oratione 6Corinthiaca falso Dioni Cl]ys. adscripta,