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

MAHARBAIL. -MAIA. 905
in a speech at. once prudent and manly. (Polyb. vice he was recalled in haste to rejoin his comxxxvi. 3.) He is termed by Polybius the Bruttian mander before the combat on the Ticinus. (Id. xxi.
(d Bpe'rL70o), from whence Reiske inferred him to -45.) After the victory of Thrasymene (B. c. 217),
be the same with the lieutenant of Hannibal -he was sent with a strong force of cavalry and
(No. 7), but this, as Schweighaeuser has observed, Spanish infantry to pursue a body of 6000 Romans
is impossible, on chronological grounds. That who had escaped from the battle and occupied a'author suggests that he may be the son of the one strong position in one of the neighbouring villages.'just alluded to, and may have derived his surname Finding themselves'surrounded, they were induced
from the services of his father in Bruttium. (Schw. to lay down their arms, on receiving from Maharad Polyb. cI.. and Index Historicus, p. 365.) bal a promise of safety. Hannibal refused to ratify
14. A Carthaginian of uncertain date, who wrote the capitulation, alleging that Maharbal had exa work upon agriculture in the Punic language, ceeded his powers; but he dismissed, without
which is frequently mentioned by Roman authors ransom, all those men who belonged to the Italian
in terms of the highest commendation. He is even allies, and only' retained' the Roman citizens as
styled by Columella the father of agriculture- prisoners of war. (Polyb. iii. 84, 85; Liv. xxii.
susticationis parens (De R. R. i. 1. ~ 13). Nothing 6, 7; Appian, Annib. 10.) Shortly after Maharis known of the period at which he flourished, or bal had an opportunity of striking a fresh blow by'of the events of his life, except that he was a man- intercepting the praetor C. Centinius, who was on
-of distinction in his native country, and had held his march to join Flaminius with a detachment of,important military commands. (Colum'. xii. 4. 4000 men, the whole of which were either cut to
~ 2; Plin. H.. N. xviii. 5.)' Heeren's conjecture pieces or fell into the hands of the Carthaginians.'that he was the same as No. 1, is wholly without (Polyb. iii. 86; Liv. xxii. 8; Appian, Annib. 11.)
foundation: the name of Mago was evidently too He is again mentioned as sent with the Numidian
common at Carthage to afford any reasonable cavalry to ravage the rich Falernian plains; and
ground for identifying him with any of the persons in the following year he commanded, according to
known to us from history. His work was a vo- Iivy, the right wing of the Carthaginian army at
luminous one, extending to twenty-eight books, the battle of Cannae. Appian, on the contrary,
and comprising all branches of the subject. So assigns him on that occasion the command of the
great was its reputation even at Rome, that after reserve of cavalry, and Polybius does not mention
the destruction of Carthage, when the libraries his name at all. But, whatever post he held, it is
which had fallen into the hands of the Romans certain that he did good service on that eventful
were distributed among the princes of Africa, an day; and it was he that, immediately after the
exception was made in favour of the work of Mago, victory, urged Hannibal to push on at once with'and it was ordered by the senate that it should be his cavalry upon Rome itself, promising him that if
translated into Latiin by competent persons, at the he did so, within five days he should sup in the
head of whom was D. Silanus. (Plin. H. N. xviii. Capitol. On the refusal of his commander, Ma5; Colum. i. 1. ~ 13.) It was subsequently trans- harbal is said to have observed, that Hannibal
lated into Greek, though with some abridgment knew indeed how to gain victories, but not how to
and alteration, by Cassius Dionysius of Utica, and use them; a sentiment which has been confirmed
an epitome of it in the same language, brought into by some of the best judges in the art of war. (Liv.'the compass of six books, was drawn up by Dio- xxii. 13, 46, 51; Appian, Annib. 20, 21; Florus,
phanes of Bithynia, and dedicated to king Deio- ii. 5; Zonar. ix. 1; Cato ap. Gell. x. 24; Plutarus. (Varro, de R. R. i. 1. ~ 10; Colum. i. tarch, Fab. 17, erroneously assigns this advice to a
1. ~ 10.) His precepts on agricultural matters Carthaginian of the name of Barca.) Except an
are continually cited by the Roman writers on incidental notice of his presence at the siege of
those subjects, Varro, Columella, and Palladius, as Casilinum (Liv. xxiii. 18), Maharbal from this
well as by Pliny: his work is also alluded to by period disappears from history. A person of that
Cicero (De Orat. i. 58) in terms that imply its name is mentioned by Frontinus (Strateg. ii. 5. ~
high reputation as the standard authority upon the 12) as employed by the Carthaginians against.subject on which it treated. It is said to have some African tribes that had rebelled, but whether
opened with the very sound piece of advice that if this be the same as the subject of the present artia man meant to settle in the country, he should cle, or to what period the event there related is
begin by selling his town house. (Colum. i. 1. ~ referable, we have no means of judging. [E.H.B.]
18; Plin. H. i. xviii. 7.) All the passages in MAIA (Maha or Maida), a daughter of Atlas
Roman authors in which the work of Mago is and Pleione (whence she is called Atlantis and
cited or referred to are collected by Heeren. Pleias), was the eldest of the Pleiades, and in a
(Ideen, vol. iv. p. 5'27, &c.) [E. H. B.] grotto of mount Cyllene in Arcadia she became by
MAGUS (Mdayos), one of the followers of Simus Zeus the mother of Hermes. Arcas, the son of
in the merry and licentious songs, the poets of Zeus by Callisto, was given to her to be reared.
which were called 1AapqSol. [LysIs.] [P. S.] (Hom. Od. xiv. 435, Hymn. in 1Iferc. 3; Hes.
MAHARBAL (Madpgas), son of Himilco, and Tlheog. 938; Apollod. iii. 10. ~ 2, 8. ~ 2; Tzetz.
one of the most distinguished Carthaginian officers ad Lycoph. 219; Horat. Carm. i. 10. 1, 2. 42,
in the Second Punic War. He is first mentioned &c.)'as commanding the besieging force at the siege of Maia is also the name of a divinity worshipped
Saguntum, during the absence of Hannibal, when at Rome, who was also called Majesta. She is
he carried on his operations and pressed the siege mentioned in connection with Vulcan, and was
with so much vigour that neither party, says Livy, regarded by some as the wife of that god, though
felt the absence of the general-in-chief. (Liv. xxi. it seems for no other reason but because a priest of
12.) We next find him detached with a body of Vulcan offered a sacrifice to her on the first of May,
cavalry to ravage the plains near the Po, soon after while in the popular superstition of later times she
the arrival of Hannibal in Italy, but from this ser- was identified with Maia,' the daughter of Atlas.