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

M' ARCELLUS. MARCELLUS. 933
Caesar's feet to'implore the pardon of his kinusman, presented by Curio. It does not appear that Ma.iand his example was followed by the whole body cellus took any prominent part ini the debates that
of the assembly. Caesar yielded to this demon.- ensued, and the violent'proceedings which led to
stration' of opinion, and Marcellus was declared to the flight of the tribunes and the actual breaking
be forgiven, and restored to all his former honours. out of the war; but neither do we learn that he
Cicero wrote to announce to him this favourable attempted to check the intemperate zeal of his colresult, in a letter: now lost; but the answer of league, and the other leaders of the war party. He
Marcellus is preserved, and is marked by a singular appears indeed, so far as we can judge, to have
coldness, which would lead us to the conclusion been a man of small abilities, who was put forward
that his indifference in this matter was real, and as a tool by the more violent partisans of Pompey.
not assumed. He, however, set out immediately On the breaking out of the war he accompanied his
on his return; but having touched at the Peiraeeus, colleague, Lentulus, in his hasty flight from Rome,
where he had an interview with his former col- took part in the subsequent proceedings at Capua,
league, Sulpicius, then proconsul in Greece, he was and eventually crossed over to Dyrrhachium with
assassinated immediately afterwards by one of his a part of the army of Pompey. In the following
own attendants, P. Magius Chilo. There'seems year (B. C. 48) we find him mentioned as comno doubt that the deed was prompted by private manding a part of Pompey's fleet (Caes. B. C. iii.
resentment, though suspected at the time to have 5); but this is the last we hear of him, and it
been committed at the instigation of Caesar. Sul- therefore seems probable, as suggested by Drupicius paid him all due funeral honours, and caused mann, that he perished in the civil war. (Dion
him to be buried in the Academy, where a monu- Cass. xli. 1-3; Caes. B. C. i. 1-5, 14, 25;
ment was erected to him by the Athenians, at the Appian, B. C. ii. 33, 37-39; Plut. Caes. 35,
public expense. (Cic. ad Faim. iv. 4, 7-1I, 12, Pomp. 62; Cic. ad Att. vii. 18, 20, 21, ix. l.)
vi. 6, ad Alt. xiii. 10-22, pro M. Mcarcello, Cicero certainly alludes to him some years afterpassim, Brut. 71.) wards as then dead. (Phil. xiii. 1-4.)
Marcellus had been, as' already observed, a friend 13. C. CLAUDIUS, M. F. M. N. MARCELLUS,
of Cicero's from his earliest youth; their views on uncle of the two preceding, and father of the consul
political affairs had generally coincided, and they in B. C. 50. He is called by the Pseudo-Asconius
continued to act in concert until the breaking out (ad Fertr. p. 206) great-grandson (pronlepos) of the
of the civil war. Hence we cannot wonder at the conqueror of Syracuse [No. 4]; but as has been
very high praises bestowed by the latter upon the pointed out by Wesse]ing and Drumann, this is
wisdom and prudence of Marcellus, of whom he impossible on chronological grounds, and he must
speaks on several occasions in terms which would have been a grandson of No. 8, and therefore
lead us to suppose him a perfect model of a philoso- eabnepos of No. 4. He was praetor apparently in
phic statesman. Caelius, on the contrary, calls B. c. 80, and afterwards succeeded M. Aemilius
him slow'and inefficient; but while his conduct in Lepidus in the government of Sicily. He found
his consulship was certainly not such as to give us that province in a state of great- distress and cona high'opinion of his political sagacity or prudence, fusion from the exactions and oppressions of his
it- would rather seem to have deserved censure for predecessor; but by the mildness and justice of
defects the very opposite of these. Of his merits his administration, he restored it to such a flourishas an orator, we are wholly incompetent to judge, ing state, that Cicero tells us he was looked upon
but they are said to have been of a high order, and by the Sicilians as the second saviour of their
inferior to few except Cicero himself. (Cic. Brat. country. Statues were erected to him in almost
71. All' the passages in Cicero relating to M. Mar- every city of the island; and the festival of the
cellus will be found collected or referred to by Orelli, Marcellea already instituted in honour of his proOnomasticon Tullian. pp. 157, 158. See also Dru- genitor [see No. 4] was now renewed in his favour.
mann, GeschL. Roes, vol. ii. p. 393, &c., and Passow' Throughout the speeches against Verres, Cicero
in Zimmermann's Zeitscesrift jur Alterthlenzswis- dwells frequently upon the administration of Marsenschaft,'1835.) cellus, as affording the most striking contrast to
12. C. CLAUDIUS, M. F. M. N. MARCELLUS, a that of the accused. By a singular accident, Marbrother of the preceding, of whom very little is cellus himself was present on that occasion, as one
known previous to his election in B. C. 50, to be con- of the judges of Verres. (Cic. Velir. ii. 3, 21, iii.
sul forthe ensuing year'(49), a distinction which he 16, 91, iv. 40, 42, &c., Die'. in Caecil. 4.) He
obtained, it is said, in consequence of his declared held the office of augur, in which Cicero was one
enmity to Caesar. (Caes. B. G.' viii. 50.) He is of his colleagues, and is cited by him as one of
constantly confounded with his cousin, C. Mar- those who regarded the whole science of augury as
cellus [No. 14] who was consul in the year 50 with a merely political institution. (Cic. de Divin. ii.
L. A;emilius Paullus, a confusion little to be won- 35, de Leg. ii. 13.) He lived to see his son elected
dered at: indeed it is sometimes impossible to' de- consul for the year B. C. 50; and on that occasion
termine which of the two is meant. Matters were. Cicero wrote him a letter of congratulation (ad
fast:approaching to a crisis when he and his col- Farn. xv. 8), expressed in the most friendly terms.
league, L. Cornelius Lentulus, entered upon their Elsewhere also the latter dwells in the strongest
office. While yet only consuls elect, they had lent manner upon the respect and affection with which
their countenance to the violent and illegal act of he had always regarded Marcellus (pro Sull. 6).
the consul C. Marcellus in investing Pompey with -'14. C. CLAUDiTS, C. F. M. N. MA5RCELLUS,
the command of the army without authority from son of the preceding, and first cousin of M. Marthe senate (Dion Cass. xl. 66); and on the very first cellus [No. 11], whom he succeeded in the consulday of their consulship (1 Jan. B. C. 49) they ship, B;c. 50. He enjoyed the friendship of
brought under the consideration of the senate the Cicero from an early age, and attached himself to
measures to' be -taken' in regard to Caesar, who was the party of Pomipey in the state, notwithstanding
then at Ravenna, and from whom letters had been his connection with Caesar by his marriage with
3o 3