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

178 FLORUS. FLORUS.
Epit. xvii.; Zonar. viii. 11; Polyb. i. 24; Oros. 1, preferable to his government; and the banditti who
24; Fast. Triumph.) [W. B. D.] infested Judaea purchased impunity by sharing
FLORUS, L. AQUI'LLIUS, a triumvir of the their booty with the procurator. Josephus (Antiq.
mint under Augustus, whose name occurs on xviii. 1, ~ 6, xx. I I, ~ 1, B. J. -ii. 14), whom
several coins, which are figured below. The ob- Tacitus confirms (Hist. v. 10), expressly attributes
verse of the first represents the head of Augustus, the last war of the Jews with Rome to Florus, and
says that he purposely kindled the rebellion in.'l.......-i~o6~% order to cover the enormities of his government.
~: X MAt Caesareia, where in A. D. 65-66, in the second
a' g o i X year of Florus' administration, the insurrection
St is Xbroke out, the Jewish citizens bribed him with
eight talents, to secure them ingress into their own
/~:~ asynagogue. Florus took the money, and immediately quitted Caesareia, abandoning the Jews to
and the reverse a flower. The second and third the insults and fury of the Greek population. Jewrefer to the conquest of Armenia and the recovery ish deputies sent from Caesareia to Sebaste, to
of the Roman standards from the Parthians in B. C. claim their purchased protection, were thrown into
20. The obverse of the second has on it a helmeted prison by Florus. He abstained from nothing which
head of a female, and the reverse Armenia as a even the worst of his predecessors had respected. At
suppliant, kneeling down with outstretched hands, one time he demanded 17 talents from the templewith the legend CAESA.R DIvi F. ARME. CAPT. treasury in "Caesar's name;" and twice within
a few days he excited a tumult, and ordered
a massacre at Jerusalem, in which 3600 persons
perished, merely to afford him, amidst the confusion, an opportunity of plundering the Temple.
The attempt failed, but on this occasion he publicly scourged and impaled Roman citizens of
equestrian rank, but Jewish birth, although Beredi~ D"~ I~ % ~~ nice, of the Asmonaean race, and sister of Agrippa
II. [BERENICE, 2; AGRIPPA HERODES, 2], stood
The obverse of the third has a head of the sun, and barefooted and in mourning beside his tribunal,
the reverse a Parthian on his knees, presenting a supplicating for her countrymen. At the feast of
standard, with the legend CAESAR AVGVSTVS the Passover, April, A. D. 65, three millions of
SIGN. RECE. The obverse of the fourth coin is Jews petitioned Cestius Gallus [GALLUS], the
proconsul of Syria, against the tyranny of Festus.
But the only redress they obtained was a faint
promise of milder treatment, while Florus stood at
the proconsul's side, deriding the suppliants, and
on his departure ostentatiously escorted him from
4wo (A l, Jerusalem to Antioch. Hatred to Florus, rather
~ A ~~~ than to Rome, rendered all Agrippa's efforts in
A. D. 66, to prevent the rebellion of the Jews ineffectual, and, after it broke out, all parties reprethe same as the second; the reverse, from the sentedis doubtelephants, seems to refer to the same conquests in ful whether Florus perished in the insurrection or
the East. (Eckhel, vol. v. pp. 142, 143, vol. vi. escaped. His death'is recorded by Suetonins
) (Vespas. 4; Oros. vii. 9), but not implied by
Josephus ( Vita, 6). (Tacit., Joseph. 11. cc., and
Antiq. xiv. 9, ~ 2, xx. 9, ~ 5, B. J. ii. 15, ~ 1,
ib. 16, ~ 1; Sulpic. Sev. Sacr. Hist. ii. 42; Euse-:Gl m~bius, Cleronicon. LXVI.) He is sometimes called
aa 4 imti8 Festus and Cestius Florus. [W. B. D.]
FLORUS, JU'LIUS, addressed by Horace in
two epistles (i. 3, ii. 2), was, as we learn from the
poet, attached to the. suite of Claudius Tiberius
FLORUS, DOMIITIUS, who had been ejected Nero, when that prince was despatched by Augusfrom the senate through the influence of Plautianus,, tus to place Tigranes upon the throne of Armenia.
was restored in the reign of Macrinus, and created He was, moreover, according to Porphyrion, the
tribune of the people. (Dion Cass. lxxviii. 22.) author of satires, or rather, it would seem, the
FLORUS, GE'SSIUS, a native of Clazomenae, editor of extracts from the satirical works of Ensucceeded Albinus as procurator of Judaea, A. D. nius, Lucilius, and Varro. It is not improbable
ii4-65. He owed his appointment to the influ- that he is the Florus, mentioned as a pupil of
ence of his wife Cleopatra with the empress Pop- M. Porcius Latro by Seneca (Controv. iv. 25), who
paea. The government of Albinus had been op- quotes a passage from one of his pieces, apparently
pressive, but the conduct of Florus caused the Jews a declamation, entitled Flamininus. We may
to regard it with comparative regret. Without perhaps identify both with the Julius Florus whom
pity or shame, equally crafty and cruel, Florus was Quintilian (x. 3. ~ 13) places in the foremost rank
a systematic plunderer of his province. No gains among the orators of Gaul, since he eventually
were too petty, no extortion was too enormous for practised his profession in that country (quoniam
him. His ravages extended to whole districts, as ibi demum eam (sc. eloquentiam) exercuit), and it
well as to particular cities and persons: exile was is not impossible that all three are one and the