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

LEPIDUS. LEPIDUS. 765
avoiding an immediate outbreak except by inducing he retired to his Formian villa to watch the prothe two consuls to swear that they would not take gress of events. Here he was in almost daily inup arms against one another. To this they both. tercourse with Cicero, from whose letters we learn
consented, and Lepidus the more willingly, as the that Lepidus was resolved not to cross the sea with
oath, according to his interpretation, only bound Pompey, but to yield to Caesar if the latter was
him during his consulship, and he had now time to likely to be victorious. He eventually returned to
collect resources for the coming contest. These Rome in March. (Sall. Cat. 18; Cic. in Cat. i. 6,
the senate itself supplied him with. They had in pro Sull. 4; Dion Cass. xxxvi. 25; Ascon. in
the previous year voted Italy and Further Gaul as Cornel. p. 66, ed. Orelli; Cic. ad Att. vii. 12, 23,
the consular provinces, and the latter had fallen to viii. 1, 6, 9, 15, ix. 1.)
Lepidus. Anxious now to remove him from Italy, 16. L. AEMILIUS M. F. Q. N. PAULLUS, was a
the senate ordered him to repair to his province, son of No. 13, and a brother of M. Lepidus, the
under the pretence of threatening. dangers, and triumvir. (Vell. Pat. ii. 67.) His surname Paullus
furnished him with money and supplies. Lepidus instead of Lepidus has led many to suppose that
left the city; but instead of repairing to his pro- he was only an adopted brother of the triumvir
vince he stopped in Etruria and collected an army. but Drumann has shown that Paullus was own
The senate thereupon ordered him to return to the brother of the triumvir. (Drumann's Rom, vol. i.
city in order to hold the comitia for the election of p. 5.) The surname of Paullus was probably given
the consuls; but he would not trust himself in him by his father in honour of the celebrated
their hands. This year seems to have passed Aemilius Paullus, the conqueror of Macedonia,
away without any decisive measures on either side. which he might do with the less scruple, as Paullus
At the beginning of the following year, however, appears to have left no descendants bearing his.
B. C. 77, Lepidus was declared a public enemy by name. Lepidus might therefore naturally desire
the senate. Without waiting for the forces of M. that this family should be, as it were, again revived
Brutus, who had espoused his cause and commanded by one of his sons; and to show the more honour
in Cisalpine Gaul, Lepidus marched straight against to the name, he gave it to his eldest son; for that
Rome. Here Pompey and Catulus were prepared L. Paullus was older than his brother the triumvir
to receive him; and in the battle which was fought appears almost certain from the respective dates at
under the walls of the city, in the Campus Martius, which they attained the offices of the state. Some
Lepidus was easily defeated and obliged to take to writers have supposed that the triumvir must have
flight. While Pompey marched against Brutus in been the elder from his bearing the praenomen of
Cisalpine Gaul, whom he overcame and put to his father; but since Lucius was the praenomen of
death [BRUTus, NO. 20], Catulus followed Lepi- the conqueror of Macedonia, we can easily underdus into Etruria. Finding it impossible to hold stand why the father should depart on this occasion
his ground in Italy, Lepidus sailed with the re- from the usual Roman practice of giving his own
mainder of his forces to Sardinia; but repulsed'even praenomen to his eldest son.
in this island by the propraetor, he died shortly Since Aemilius Paullus undoubtedly belonged
afterwards of chagrin and sorrow, which is'said to to the family of the Lepidi, and not to that of the
have been increased by the discovery of the infi- Paulli, he is inserted in this place and not under
delity of his wife. The aristocratical party used PAULLUS.
their victory with great moderation, probably from Aemilius Paullus did not follow the example of
fear of driving their opponents to join Sertorius his father, but commenced his public career by
in Spain. (Sall. Hist. lib. 1, and Fragm. p. 190, warmly supporting the aristocratical party. His
in Gerlach's ed. min.; Appian, B. C. i. 105, 107; first public act was the accusation of Catiline in
Plut. Sull. 34, 38, Pomp. 15, 16; Liv. Epit. 90; B. C. 63, according to the Lex Plautia'de vi, an act
Flor. iii. 23; Oros. v. 22; Eutrop. vi. 5; Tac. which Cicero praised as one of great service to the
Ann. iii. 27; Suet. Caes. 3, 5;. Cic. in Cat. iii. 10; state, and on account of which Paullus incurred
Plin. H. N. vii. 36, 54; Drumann's Rom, vol. iv. the hatred of the popular party. He must then have
pp. 339-346.) been quite a young man, for he was not quaestor
14. MAM. AEMILIUS MAM. F. M. N. LEPIDUS till three years afterwards; and it was during his
LVIANUS, who appears to have been a grandson of quaestorship in Macedonia, in B. c. 59, under the
No. 8, but only an adopted son, as his surname propraetor C. Octavius, that he was accused by
Livianus shows, was consul, B. c. 77, with D. Junius L. Vettius as one of the persons privy to the preBrutus. He belonged to the aristocratical party, and tended conspiracy against the life of Pompey. He
is mentioned as one of the influential persons who is mentioned in B. c. 57 as exerting himself to obprevailed upon Sulla to spare the life of the young tain the recall of Cicero from banishment.
Julius Caesar. He failed in obtaining the consul- In his aedileship, B.c. 55, Paullus restored one
ship at his first attempt, because he was supposed, of the ancient basilicae in the middle of the forum,
though very rich, to have declined the office of and likewise commenced a new one of extraordiaedile in order to avoid the expences attending it. nary size and splendour. (Cic. ad Att. iv. 16.)
(Suet. Caes. 1; Cic. Brut. 47, de 0E.: ii. 17; Respecting these basilicae, which have given rise
Obsequ. 119; Val. Max. vii. 7. ~ 6.) to considerable dispute, a few remarks are made
15. M'. AEMILIUS MAM. F. M. N. LEPIDus, below, where a coin is given representing one of
probably likewise a son of No. 8, was consul, B. C. them.
66, with L. Volcatius Tullus, the same year in In B. C. 53, Paullus obtained the praetorship,
which Cicero was praetor. He is mentioned several but not until the month of July, in consequence of
times by Cicero, but never attained much political the disturbances at Rome, which prevented the
importance. In B. C. 65, he.is spoken of as one elections taking place till that month. He was
of the witnesses against C. Cornelius, whom Cicero chosen consul for the year B. c. 50, along with M.
defended. He belonged to the aristocratical party, Claudius Marcellus, as one of the most determined
but on the breaking out of the civil war in B. c. 49, enemies of Caesar. But he grievously disappointed