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

LENTULUS LENTJLUS. 731
next year's province, where he remained: into part at Corfinium. When Caesar invested the place,
of 58. (Caes. B. C.'i 22; Cic. ad Fain, i. 9. ~ 4, and Pompey refused to come to their relief, Len&c.) tulus was allowed by the garrison to open negotiaHe returned to become candidate for the consul- tions with Caesar. The general received him
ship, when he was elected again, by Caesar's sup- favourably, dismissed him with his friends, and
port. (Caes. 1. c.) But on the very day of his took the troops into his own service. (Caes. B. C.
entering office, I Jan. B. c. 57, he moved for the i. 15-23.) Lentulus retired to Puteoli and proimmediate recall of Cicero (Cic. inPis. 15); brought bably joined Pompey in Greece not long after.
over his colleague Metellus Nepos to the same (Cic. ad Att. ix. 11, 13, 15.) He'shared in the
views; and his services were gratefully acknow- presumption of his party, for we find him disputing
ledged by Cicero. (Pro Sext. 40, 69, Brut. 77, with Metellus, Scipio, and Domitius, who had the
adAtt. iii. 22. &c.; and comp. the letters to Lentulus best right to succeed Caesar'as pontifex maximus.
himself, ad Farn. i. 1-9.) Now, therefore, not- (Caes. B. C. iii. 83.) After Pharsalia, he followed
withstanding his obligations to Caesar, he had -Pompey to Egypt, and got safe to Rhodes. (Ad
openly taken part with the aristocracy. Yet he Farn. xii. 14; comp. Caes. B. C. iii. 102.) Of his
opposed them in promoting Pompey's appointment subsequent fate we ate not informed.
to the supreme superintendence of the corn market. Lentulus Spinther owes his importance chiefly
His secret motive was to occupy Pompey, at home, to his high birth and his connection with Cicero.
and thus prevent him from being charged with the He was a common-place sort of man, of tolerable
office of restoring Ptolemy Auletes, the exiled king honesty. As an orator, he made up, by pains and
of Egypt; for then he hoped that this would fall industry, for the gifts that had been denied him by
to his share, as proconsul of Cilicia. (Cic. ad Alt. nature. (Cic. Brut. 77.)
iv. 1, ad Fam. i. 1. ~ 7; Plut. Pomp. 49. For the 21. P. CORNELIUS P. F. P. N. LENTULUS
life and fortunes of this king, see PTOLEMAEUS SPINTHER, son of the last. (Cic. ad Fam. i. 7,
AULETES). Lentulus obtained a decree in his xii. 15, ad Q. Fr. ii. 3, &c.) He assumed the
favour; and intended to depart at the close of his toga virilis in B. c. 57, and therefore was born in
consulship. But in December, a statue of Jupiter 74. In the same year he was elected in the college
on the Alban hill was struck by lightning: the of augurs, having been first received (by a sham
Sibylline books were consulted, and an oracle found adoption) into the Manlian gense; because two of
which forbade the restoration of a king of Egypt the same gens could not at once be in the college,
by armed force. Cato, who had just become aIld Faustus Sulla of the Cornelian was already a
tribune, was an enemy of Lentulus: he' availed member. (Cic. pro Se t. 69; Dion Cass. xxxix.
himself of this oracle (which had probably been 17; comp. Vaill. Cornel. No. 48-51, Eckhel, vol.
forged to use against Pompey), and ordered the v. p. 184, &c.) In 56, when Cato endeavoured to
quindecemviri to read it publicly, (Fenestella, recal his father from Cilicia, he appeared publicly
ap. ANon. 0Marcell. p. 385, ed. Lips. 1826.) The in mourning. (Cic. ad Q. Fr. ii. 3, init.) He
matter was then brought before the senate, and followed Pompey's fortunes with his father, and
gave rise to long and intricate debates. The pre- was supposed to.have gone to Alexandria after the
tensions of Pompey were supported by several murder of their chief-perhaps to intercede with
tribunes: Lentulus was backed by Hortensius Caesar. (Ad Att. xi. 13.) The dictator pardoned
and Lucullus. The high aristocratic party, led by him, and he returned to Italy. In B. C. 45 he was
Bibulus, leaned to a middle course, to send three divorced from his abandoned wife, Metella. (Hoambassadors to Egypt. Cicero was bound by rat. Serm. ii. 3. 339; Cic. ad Att. xi. 15, 23, xii.
gratitude to Lentulus; by fear of another exile to 52, xiii. 7.) Soon after we find him visiting
Pompey; and seems to have taken little active Cicero, and in close connection with M. Brutus.
part in the matter. The propositioni of Bibulus After the murder of the dictator, he openly joined
being rejected, the new consul, Marcellinus, ex- the conspirators. (Ad Att. xiii. 10, ad Fain. xii.
erted himself to procure the adjournment of the 14, 4; Plut. Caes. 67, &c.) The senate sent him
question sine die, and it rested till the year 55 as proquaestor to C. Trebonius, who held Asia as
B. c., when Gabinius got a law passed, without the proconsul for the conspirators. When the latter
authority of the senate, entrusting the coveted was slain by Dolabella, Lentulus assumed the title
office to Pompey. (See Cic. to Lentulus, ad Fam. of propraetor, and sent home a despatch containing
i., ad Q. Fr. ii. 2 and 6; Plut. Ponmp. 49; Dion an exaggerated account of his own services; and he
Cass. xxxix. 15, 16). Lentulus remained as pro- certainly was of use in supplying Cassius. with
consul in Cilicia from B. c. 56 till July, 53, though money, and harassing Dolabella. (Cic. ad Farn.
Cato proposed to recall him. We hear little of his xii. 14, 15.) When Brutus and Cassius took the
doings. He was salutted Imperator for a campaign field, he joined them, and coined money in their
in the Amanus, and Cicero warmly supported his name, with the figure and title of Libertas. (See
claims to a triumph, which, however, he did not the annexed, coin.) He served with Cassius against
obtain till B. c. 51, when Cicero was himself in
Cilicia. The orator praises his justice, but recom-..
mends him to make friends of the equites (publi- i. a-
cani). (Cic. ad Far. i. 5, &c., iii. 7, 3, pro Sext.;~f"s l?4....
69; comp. Eckhel, vol. iv. p. 360, vol. v. p. 184.):d
That Cicero's praise was deserved appears from
the fact that Lentulus was obliged to sell his villa I
at Tusculum soon after. (Ad Att. vi. 1. 20.)
In B. C. 49, when the civil wars began, Lentulus
took part against Caesar, and had the command of Rhodes; with Brutus in Lycia. (App. B. C. iv.
10 cohorts in Picenum. At the approach of the 72, 82.) After Philippi, he escaped death, for his
enemy, he fled and joined Domitius Ahenobarbus name appears with the augurs' insignia on denaries