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

962 MARSUS.. MARSyAS.
as the father of the.Roman people, having begotten Cicuta, a -few lines of which have been preserved
the founders of Rome by Rhea Silvia, a priestess of by the scholiast Philargyrius (ad Virg. Eel. iii.
Vesta. The rites of the worship. of Mars all point 90). Besides these'epigrams and the epitaph on
to victory, in proof of which we need only direct Tibullus, which has been already mentioned, and
attention to the dances in armour of the Salii, the which will be found in most of the editions of
dedication of the place. of warlike exercises and Tibullus, Marsus also wrote epic poetry, as appears
games to Mars (campus Martius), and that war from the fact that Ovid (Ex Pont. iv. 16. 5) classes
itself is frequently designated by the name of Mars. him with the epic poet Rabirius, and that Martial
But being the father of the Romans, Mars was also (iv. 28) mentions a poem of Marsus called Amathe protector of the most honourable pursuit, i.e. zonis. Marsus likewise wrote some erotic elegies,
agriculture, and hence he was invoked to be pro- which probably bore the title of Mlelaenis (comp.
pitions to the household of the rustic- Roman (Cato, Mart. vii. 29), and a collection of fables, the ninth
De Re Rust. 141); and under the name of Silvanus, book of which is cited by the grammarian Charihe was worshipped to take care of the cattle (ibid. sius.
83). The warlike Mars was called Gradivus, as the All that is known of Domitius Marsus is colrustic god was called Silvanus; while, in his rela- lected and elucidated at great length by Weichert
tion to the state, he bore the name of Quirinus. in his treatise De Domitio Marso Poeta, Grimmae,
These are the three principal aspects under which 1828, republished in his Poetarum Latin. Reliquiae,
the god* appears; and in reference to the second, pp. 241-269, Lips. 1830.
it may be remarked that females were excluded MARSUS, OCTA'VIUS, whom Cicero calls
from his worship, and that accordingly he presided "sceleratus homo atque egens," was legate of Dolamore particularly over those occupations of country bella in B. c. 43, by whom he was sent into Syria
life which belonged to the male sex. (Cato, De Re with one legion. He was soon after followed by
Rust. 83; Schol. ad Juvenal. vi. 446.) But not- Dolabella, and was present with the latter at Laowithstanding this, Mars was conceived not only diceia, when the town was betrayed into the hands
accompanied.by female divinities, but one of them, of C. Cassius Longinus. He followed the example
Nerio, or Neriene, is even described as his wife. of his general and put an end to his own life. Ap(Gellius, xiii. 22; Plaut. Truo. ii. 6. 34; L. Lydus, pian calls him simply Marsus, but Dion Cassius
De Mens. iv. 42.) Marcus Octavius, for which, however, we ought
Mars. was further looked upon as a god with undoubtedly to read Marsus Octavius. (Cic. Phil.
prophetic.powers; and in the neighbourhood of xi. 2, with the note of Garatoni; Appian, B. C. iv.
Reate there had been a very ancient oracle of the 62; Dion Cass. xlvii. 30.)
god (Dionys. i. 41), in which the future was re- MARSUS, VI'BIUS, whom Tacitus calls (Ann.
vealed through a woodpecker (picus), which was vi. 47) " vetustis honoribus studiisque illustris," is
sacred to him, and was for this reason surnamed first mentioned in A. D. 19 as one of the most likely
Martius. The wolf also was sacred to Mars, and persons to obtain the government of Syria, but he
these animals, together with the horse, were his gave way to Cn. Sentius. In the same year he
favourite sacrifices. Numerous temples were dedi- was sent to summon Piso to Rome to stand his
cated to him at Rome, the most important of which trial. His name occurs again in A. D. 26, in the
was that outside the Porta Capena, on the Appian debates of the senate; and just before the death
road (Liv. x. 23, vi. 5, xli. 13; Serv. ad Aen. i. of Tiberius (A. D. 37) he narrowly escaped death,
296), and that of Mars Ultor, which was built by being accused as one of the accomplices of AlbaAugustus, in the forum. (Dion Cass. xlvi. 24; cilla.. In A. D. 47 we find him governor of Syria.
Sueton. Aug. 29; Vitruv. i. 7; comp. Hartung, (Tac. Ann. ii. 74, 79, iv. 56, vi. 47, 48, xi. 10.)
Die Relig. der Ront. vol. ii. p. 155, &c.) [L. S.] The name of C. Vibius Marsus, proconsul, appears
MARSUS, DOMI'TIUS, a Roman poet of the on several coins of Utica in Africa, struck in the
Angustan age, of whose life no particulars have reign of Tiberius: they.probably relate to the same
come down to: us. We may, however, conclude person as the one mentioned above; and as he was
from his surname, Marsus, that he or his ancestors disappointed in obtaining the province of Syria in
belonged to the Marsian nation, and were adopted the reign of Tiberius, he may have been appointed
by the noble house of the Domitii. He survived to that of Africa. (Eckhel, vol. iv. pp. 147, 148.)
Tibullus, who died B. c. 18, and on whom he wrote MA'RSYAS'(Mapo-as), a mythological pera beautiful epitaph, which is still extant: his works sonage, connected with the earliest period of Greek
were therefore probably written, about the same music. He is variously called the son of Hyagnis,
time that Horace was in his greatest glory, al- or of Oeagrus, or of Olympus. Some make him a
though he is not mentioned by the latter poet. satyr, others a peasant. All agree in placing him
The year in which Marsus died is uncertain: in Phrygia. The folIoAing is the outline of his
whether he was alive at the time of Ovid's banish- story, according to the mythographers. Athena
ment (A. D. 9) we do not know, but he appears to having, while playing the flute, seen the reflection
have been dead when Ovid wrote his elegies in of herself in water, and observed the distortion of
exile. (Ex Pont. iv. 16.) her features, threw away the instrument in disgust.
Marsus wrote poems of various kinds, but his It was picked up by Marsyas, who no sooner
epigrams were the most celebrated of his produc- began to blow through it than the flute, having
tions. Hence he is frequently mentioned by Mar- once been inspired by the breath of a goddess,
tial, who speaks of him in terms of the highest emitted of its own accord the most beautiful
admiration, and from whose incidental notices we strains. Elated by his success, Marsyas was rash
learn that the epigrams of Marsus were distin- enough to challenge Apollo to a musical contest,
guished for their licentiousness and wit, and also the conditions of which were that the victor should
for the severity of their satire. (Mart. ii. 71, 77, do what he pleased with the vanquished. The
v. 5, vii. 99.) It was in consequence of their last Muses, or, according to others, the Nysaeans, were
characteristic that one of the books was entitled the umpires. Apollo played upon the cithara, and