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

150 FIG ULUS. FIMBRIA.
fulness (Cic. de Oft iii. 29). Numa is said tb have of the senators selected by Cicero to take down the
built a temple to Fides publica, on the Capitol depositions and examinations of the witnesses who
(Dionys. ii. 75), and another was built there in gave evidence with regard to Catiline's conspiracy,
the consulship of M. Aemilius Scaurus, B. C. 115 B. C. 63; was praetor in B. C. 59; took an active
(Cic. de Nat. Deor. ii. 23, 31; iii. 18; de Leg. part in the civil war on the side of Pompey; was
ii. 8, 11). She was represented as a matron wear- compelled in consequence by Caesar to live abroad,
ing a wreath of olive or laurel leaves, and carrying and died in exile B. C. 44. The letter of consolain her hand'corn ears, or a basket with' fruit. tion addressed to him by'Cicero (ad Fam. iv. 13),
(Rasche, Lex~ Num. ii. 1, p. 107.) [L. S.] which contains a very warm tribute to his learnFIDICULA'NIUS, FA'LCULA. [FALCULA.] ing and worth, is still extant.
FI'DIUS, an ancient form of filius, occurs in A. Gellius, who entertained the strongest adthe connection of Dius Fidius, or Medius fidius, that miration for the talents and acquirements of Fiis, me Dius (Alds) filiUs, or the son of Zeus, that gulus' says that his works were little studied, and
is, Hercules. Hence the expression medius fidius were of no practical value, in consequence of the
is equivalent to me Hercules, scil. juvet. (Cic. ad subtlety and obscurity by which they were characFam. v. 21; Plin. Epist. iv. 3.) Sometimes terised; but the quotations adduced by him (xix.
Fidius is used alone in the sense of the son of 14) as specimens scarcely bear out the charge,
Zeus, or Hercules. (Ov. Fast. vi. 213; comp. when we consider the nature of the subject. The
Varro, de L. L. v. 66; Plaut. Asin. i. 1. 8; Varro, names of the following pieces have been preserved:
ap. Non. viii. 93.) Some of the ancients connected De Sphaera Barbarica et Graecanica, De Animnafidius with fides. (Festus's. v. medius.) [L. S.] libus, De Extis; De Auguriis, De Ventis, CommenFI'GULUS, MA'RCIUS. 1. C. MARCIUSC. F. tarii Grammatici in at least twenty-four books.
Q. N. FIGvLv, consul in s.c. 162. During the co- The fragments which have survived have been
mitia for his election the leader of the centuria prae- carefully collected and illustrated by Janus Rutrogativadied, and theharuspices declared the election gersius in his Variae Lectiones, iii. 16. (Cic.
void. Tib. Sempronius Gracchus, however, the con- Tim. i., pro Sull. 14, ad Att. ii. 2, vii. 24, ad
sul who presided at the comitia, maintained their va- Fam. iv. 13; Lucan, i. 640; Suet. Octav. 94;
lidity, and Figulus departed to his province, Cisal- Dion Cass. xlv. 1; Gell. iv. 9, x. 11, xi. 11, xiii.
pine Gaul. But afterwards Gracchus wrote to the 10, 25, xix. 14; Hieron. in Chron. Euseb. 01.
senate that he had himself committed an error in clxxxiv.; Augustin, de Civ. Dei, v. 3; Brucker,
taking theauspices, and Figulusresigned the consul- Histor. Phil. vol. ii. p. 24; Burigny, Mem. de
ship. (Cic. de Nat. Deor. ii. 4, de Divin. ii. 35, ad l'Academ. Inscrip., vol. xxix. p. 190.) [W. R.]
Q. Frat. ii. 2; Val. Max. i. 1. ~ 3; Plut. Marcell. FI'MBRIA. 1. C. FLAvius FIMBRIA, a homo
5; Jul. Obseq. 74; Fast, Cap.) Figulus was novus, who, according to Cicero, rose to the highest
again consul in B. C. 156. His province was the honours in the republic through his own merit and
war with the Dalmatae in Illyricum. At first he talent. In B. C. 105 he was a candidate for the
allowed his camp to be forced by the Dalmatae, consulship, and the people gave him the preference
but afterwards, in a winter campaign, he succes- to his competitor, Q. Lutatius Catulus; and accorsively took their smaller towns, and finally their dingly, Fimbria was the colleague of C. Marius in
capital, Delminium. (Polyb. xxxii. 24; Appian, his second consulship, B. c. 104. Fimbria must
Illyr. 11; Liv. Epit. xlvii.; Florus, iv. 12.) have acquired his popularity about that time, for we
2. C. MARCsUS FIGULUS, the son of the pre- learn from Cicero (pro Plane. 21), that previously
ceding, a jurist of great reputation, was an unsuc- he had been an unsuccessful candidate for the
cessful candidate for the consulship. (Val. Max. tribuneship. XVhat province he obtained after
ix. 3. ~ 2.) his consulship is unknown, but he seems to have
3. C. MARCIUS C. F. C. N. FIGULUS, consul in been guilty of extortion during his administration,
B. C. 64. In the debate on the sentence of Cati- for M. Gratidius brought an action of repetundae
line's accomplices he declared for capital punish- against him, and was supported by the evidence of
ment (Cic. ad Att. xii. 21), and approved of Cice- M. Aemilius Scaurns; but Fimbria was neverthero's measures generally (Philipp. ii. 11.). In less acquitted. During the revolt of Saturninus,
his consulship the senate abolished several illegal in B. C. 100, Fimbria, with other consulars, took up
collegia, as prejudicial to the freedom of the co- arms to defend the public good. Cicero describes
mitia and to the public peace. (Ascon. in Pison. him as a clever jurist; as an orator he had conp. 7, ed. Orelli.) His tomb was of unusual costli- siderable power, but was bitter and vehement in
ness (Cic. de Leg. ii. 25). [W. B. D.] speaking. Cicero, in his boyhood, read the
FI'GULUS, P. NIGI'DIUS, a Pythagorean speeches of Fimbria; but they soon fell into obphilosopher of high reputation, who flourished livion, for, at a later time, Cicero says that they
about sixty years B. c. He was so celebrated on were scarcely to be found any where. (Cic. pro
account of his knowledge, that Gellius does not Plane. 5, in Verr. v. 70, Brut. 34, 45, pro Font. 7,
hesitate to pronounce him, next to Varro, the most pro Rab. perd. 7, de Off. iii. 19, de Orat. ii. 22;
learned of the Romans. Mathematical and phy- Ascon. in Cornel. p. 78; Val. Max. vii. 2. ~ 4,
sical investigations appear to have occupied a large viii. 5. ~ 2; J. Obsequ. 103, where he is erroneshare of his attention; and such was his fame as ously called L. Flaccus.)
an astrologer, that it was generally believed, in 2. C. FLAVIUS FIMBRIA, probably a son of
later times at least,.that he had predicted in the No. 1, was one of the most violent partizans of
most unambiguous terms the future greatness of Marius and Cinna during the civil war with Sulla.
Octavianus on hearing the announcement of his Cicero (pro Sext. Rose. 12) calls him a homo audabirth; and in the Eusebian Chronicle'he is styled cissimus et insanissimuns. During the funeral cere"Pythagoricus et Magus." He, moreover, pos- monies of C. Marius, in B. c. 86, C. Fimbria
sessed considerable influence in political affairs caused an attempt to be made on the life of Q.
during the last struggles of the republic; was one Mucius Scaevola, and, as the latter escaped with a