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

972 MATHO: MATHO.
soldiers to the execution of Gisco and all the other " Nam quis iniquae
Carthaginian captives. Not only was this san- Tam patiens urbis, tam ferreus, ut teneat se,
guinary resolution carried out, with circumstances Causidici nova quum veniat lectica Mathonis,
of the utmost barbarity, but the rebels refused to Plena ipso?"
give up the dead bodies, and even threatened to (Juv. i. 30, &c., comp. vii. 129, Matho deficit,
treat in like manner any Carthaginian heralds who which refers to his refusing to pay his debts, not to
should for the future be sent to them. These his being poor, as Ruperti interprets it; xi. 34,
atrocities quickly led to sanguinary measures of where he is called bucca; Martial, iv. 80, vii. 10.
retaliation on the part of the Carthaginian generals, 3, 4, viii. 42, x. 46, xi. 68.)
and the iwar was henceforth marked by a character MATHO, Q. NAE'VIUS, praetor B. c. 184,
of ferocity unparalleled in the whole course of received the province of Sardinia, and also the comancient history. mission to inquire into all cases of poisoning. He
Meanwhile, the dissensions between the Car- was engaged in this investigation for four months
thaginian generals Hamilcar and Hanno prevented before he set out- for his province, prosecuting his
their carrying on any effectual operations against inquiries in the various municipia and conciliabula
the insurgents, and the latter soon after obtained in Italy; and if we may believe Valerius Antias,
an important accession to their cause in the two he condemned two thousand persons in this time.
powerful cities of Utica and Hippo, which at length (Liv. xxxix. 32, 38, 41.)
abandoned the alliance of the Carthaginians, mur- MATHO, POMPO'NIUS. 1. M. PoMPodered the garrisons that occupied them, and opened NIUS, M'. F. M'. N. MATHO, consul B. c. 233, with
their gates to the rebels. Thus strengthened, Q. Fabius Maximus Verrucossus, carried on war
Matho and Spendius now ventured to lay siege to against the Sardinians, and obtained a triumph in
Carthage itself; but while they cut off the city consequence of his victory over them. (Zonar. viii.
from all communications on the land side, they 18, p. 401.) The reduction of the Sardinians,
were themselves threatened from without by the however, must have been incomplete, as we find
army of Hamilcar, who by means of his Numidian Matho's brother engaged against them two years
horse was now completely master of the open afterwards, with a consular army. [See below,
country, and so effectually intercepted their sup- No. 2.] In B. c. 217 he was magister equitum to
plies, that they were finally compelled to raise the the dictator, L. Veturius Philo, and was elected
siege. Not long afterwards Spendius, who had praetor for the following year, B.c. 216. There
again attempted to oppose Hamilcar in the field, seems no reason for believing that the M'. Pomwith an army of 50,000 men, was compelled by ponius Matho, praetor of this year, was a different
the superior skill and generalship of his opponent person from the consul of B. C. 233, as the Romans
to surrender, and was himself made prisoner, while were now at war with Hannibal, and were therealmost the whole of his army was put to the fore anxious to appoint to the great offices of the
sword. This catastrophe was followed by the sub- state generals who had had experience in wvar. The
mission of most of the revolted cities, and Matho, lot, however, did not give to Matho any military
with the remainder of his forces, took refuge in command, but the jurisdictio inter cives Romanos
Tunis, where he was closely besieged by Hamilcar et peregrinos. After news had been received of
on the one side and his new colleague Hannibal the fatal battle of Cannae, Matho and his colleague,
on the other. But the negligence of the latter the praetor urbanus, summoned the senate to the
soon afforded Matho an opportunity of surprising curia Hostilia to deliberate on what steps were to
his camp, which he took,. with great slaughter, be taken. (Liv. xxii. 33, 35, 55, xxiii. 20, 24.)
carrying off an immense booty, and Hannibal him- At the expiration of his office, Matho received as
self as a prisoner, whom he immediately caused to propraetor the province of Cisalpine Gaul, B. c.
be crucified, in revenge for the like cruelty inflicted 215; for Livy says (xxiv. 10), in the next year,
upon Spendius. This blow compelled Hamilcar to B. C. 214, that the province of Gaul was continued
raise the siege of Tunis, but it was the last success to him. Livy, however, not only makes no menobtained by the rebels: a reconciliation being tion of Matho's appointment in B. C. 215, but exbrought about between the two Carthaginian ge- pressly states (xxiii. 25) that in that year no army
nerals, they again took the field in concert, and was sent into Gaul on account of the want of solMatho, after several partial actions, in which he diers. We can only reconcile these statements by
was for the most part worsted, was at length driven supposing that Matho was appointed to the proto risk a general battle, and was totally defeated. vince but did not obtain any troops that year. He
The greater part of his troops fell on the field, and died in B. C. 211, at which time he was one of the
he himself was made prisoner, and carried in tri- pontifices. (Liv. xxvi. 23.)
umph to Carthage, where he was shortly after put 2. M. POMPONIUS M'. F. M. N. MATHO, broto death with every species of indignity. (Polyb. ther of the preceding, consul B. C. 231 with C. Papii. 69-88; Diod. xxv. Exc. Hoesch. pp. 509, 510, rius Maso, was also engaged in war against the
Exc. Vales. pp. 566, 567, Exe. Vat. pp. 55, 56; Sardinians, and employed dogs which he procured
Appian, Pun. 5.) [E. H. B.] from Italy to hunt out the inhabitants, who had taken
MATHO, a family name of the Naevian and refuge in woods and caves. (Zonar. viii. 18, p. 401.)
Pomponian gentes, was always pronounced with- For the same reasons which have been mentioned
out the aspirate, Mato, as we learn from the autho- above, in the case of his brother, we believe that he
rity of Cicero. (Orat. 48.) Sometimes indeed is the same as the M. Pomponius, who, Livy tells
the name was written in that way. us (xxii. 7), was praetor in B. C. 217, the second
MATHO, a pompous, blustering advocate, ridi- year of the war with Hannibal. Maso died in B. C.
culed by Juvenal and Martial.. To see such a 204, at which time he was both augur and decemman stretched out at full length in a new lectica vir sacrorum. (Liv. xxix. 38.)
for which he had probably not paid, excited the 3. MATHO, M. POMPON1uS, probably son of No.
indignation of the satirist:-. 2. plebeian aedile B. c. 206, gave, with his colleague