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

892 MAECENAS. MAECENAS.
have been present to take it down, or that Mae- praefectus alone, with those of the supreme political
cenas himself should have afterwards published it. power. This is shown by the word.cunclis, and
Yet Suetonius, in his life of Augustus (28), confirms by the mention of Italy as well as Rome; to which
the account of Dion Cassius so far as that some latter only the praefectura related. In like manner
such consultation took place; and the tenor of the Dion Cassius (liv. 19), when relating how Maespeech perfectly agrees with the known character cenas was finally superseded (B. c. 16) by Taurus,
and sentiments of Maecenas. If, therefore, we the praefectus, as vicegerent, during the absence of
should be disposed to regard the part here attributed Augustus, expressly mentions that the jurisdiction
by Dion Cassius to Agrippa and Maecenas as some- of Taurus was extended over the whole of Italy
thing more than a mere fiction of the historian, for (T' tEv o'Urv.Tr Tatp2 tCsefa'rss ahAh1s'l'athe purpose of stating the most popular arguments A n'as O51KE6iV 4ir1lpT4aS). When Agrippa, indeed,
that might be advanced against, or in favour of, could remain at Rome, he seems to have had the
the establishment of the empire, the most probable preference, as on the occasion of Augustus's expesolution is that the substance of the speech was dition into Sicily in B. c. 21. (Dion Cass. liv. 6.)
extant in the Roman archives in the shape of a But when Agrippa accompanied the emperor, as in
state paper or minute, drawn up by Maecenas. his Spanish campaign in B. c. 27, it is hardly to be
However that may be, the document is certainly a doubted that Maecenas'exercised the functions of
very able one, and should be carefully consulted by Augustus at Rome. The 8th and 29th odes of the
all who are studying the history of Rome during third book of Horace, which, although we cannot
its transition from a republic to an empire. The fix their precise dates, were evidently written after
regulations proposed for the consolidation of the the civil wars, contain allusions to the political
monarchical power are admirably adapted to their cares of Maecenas. Some of the expressions in them
purpose; whether they were indispensable, or cal- have been too literally interpreted. In both urbs
culated to secure the happiness of the Roman is used in a sufficiently common sense for'esqpubpeople, depends upon the truth or falsehood of the lica; and though in the latter the word civitatemn
former part of the speech, in which it is contended is taken by the scholiast to allude to the office of
that the republic could no longer exist without con- praefectus, yet the phrase quis deceat status points
stant danger of civil wars and dismemberment. to infinitely higher functions than those of a mere
The description of power exercised by Maecenas police magistrate. It may be observed, too, that
during the absence of Caesar should not be con- both odes refer to the foreign affairs of the empire.
founded with the praefectura urbis. It was not It must be confessed, however, that we have no
till after the civil wars that the latter office was means of determining with certainty on what occaestablished as a distinct and substantive one; and, sions, and for how long, after the establishment of
according to Dion Cassius (lii. 21), by the advice the empire, Maecenas continued to exercise his
of Maecenas himself. This is confirmed by Tacitus political power; though, as before remarked, we
(Ann. vi. 11), and by Suetonius (Aug. 37), who know that he had ceased to enjoy it in B. c. 16.
reckons it among the nova offcia. The praefectus That he retained the confidence of Augustus till at
urbis was a mere police magistrate, whose jurisdic- least B. C. 21 may be inferred from the fact that
tion was confined to Rome and the adjacent country, about that time he advised him to marry his
within a radius of 750 stadia; but Maecenas had daughter Julia to Agrippa, on the ground that he
the charge of political as well as municipal affairs, had made the latter so rich and powerful, that it
and his administration embraced the whole of was dangerous to allow him to live unless he adItaly. Thus we are told by Seneca (Ep. 114) vanced him still further. (Dion Cass. liv. 6.) The
that he was invested with judicial power (in tribu- fact to which we have before alluded of Agrippa
nali, in rostris, in omnni publico coetu); and also that being entrusted in that year with the administrahe gave the watch-word (signum ab eo petebatur); tion, and not Maecenas, affords no ground for cona function of the very highest authority, and after- cluding that any breach had yet been made in the
wards exercised by the emperors themselves. friendship of the emperor and Maecenas. Agrippa,
It is the more necessary to attend to this dis- being more nearly connected with Augustus, would
tinction, because the neglect of it has given rise to of course obtain the preference; and such an act
the notion that Maecenas was never entrusted with of self-renunciation was quite in the character of
the supreme administration after the close of the Maecenas, and might have even formed part of his
civil wars. -The office of praefectus urbis was a advice respecting the conduct to be observed toregular and continuous one; and we learn from wards Agrippa. Between B. c. 21'and 16, howTacitus that it was first filled by Messalla Cor- ever, we have direct evidence that a coolness, to
vinus, who held it but a few days; then by Stati- say the least, had sprung up between the emperor
lius Taurus, who, it is plain from Dion (liv. 19), and his faithful minister. This estrangement, for
must have enjoyed it for upwards of ten years at it cannot be called actual disgrace, is borne out by
least; and next by Piso, who, Tacitus tells us, the silence of historians respecting the latter years
was praefectus for the space of twenty years. (Ann. of Maecenas's life, as well as by the express testivi. 11.) But there is nothing in all this to show mony of Tacitus, who tells us (Ann. iii. 30) that
that Maecenas might not have been Caesar's vice- during this period he enjoyed only the appearance,
gerent whilst Taurus filled the subordinate office of and not the reality, of his sovereign's friendship.
praefectus. Nor are we to infer from the expres- The cause of this rupture is enveloped in doubt.
sion, "bellis civilibus" in the passage of Tacitus Seneca (Ep. 19) drops a mysterious hint about
(A ugustus bellis civilibus Cilnium Maecenatem cunctis Maecenas having taken in his sails too late; whilst
apud Ronmam atque Italiam praeposuit, Ann. vi. 1 1), Dion Cassius (liv. 19) positively attributes it to an
that the political functions of Maecenas absolutely intrigue carried on by Augustus with Terentia,
ceased with the civil wars. His meaning rather Maecenas's wife. It is certain that such a conseems to be that, during that period Maecenas com- nection existed; and the historian just cited menbilued the duties which afterwards belonged to the tions a report that Augustus's motive for going into