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

MAXIMIANTUS. MAXIMINUS. 983
which are very numerous, and the early printed of Gauricus been extensively circulated as the reimpressions, of which two at least, if not three, mains of Cornelius Gallus, were eventually allowed
had appeared in the fifteenth century, exhibited a to retain his designation along with that of the
couplet which was altogether omitted by Gauricus, lawful owner, and Etruscus is merely an epithet
and that this couplet (iv. 25), attached by some editor.
Atque aliquis, cui caeca foret bene nota voluptas, The present division into six pieces is purely
Cantatiqus, canttemMaximianus amat, arbitrary, and originated, it would appear, with, Gauricus. In many codices the whole are written
actually furnished the name of the real author, a as one continuous poem, with the following or
name, be it remarked, prefixed to many MSS., some similar inscription, Facetumrn et perjucundumn
and to these very early editions, it became evident Poema de Amoribus Maximiani, Poetae doctissimi,
that fraud had been at work, and that Gauricus Oratoris suavissimri.
had been guilty of deliberate imposture. Some Labbe in his Bibliotleca nova Manuscriptorumn
time, however, elapsed before the most acute mentions other poems of Maximianus, which he
scholars could divest themselves of the impression distinguishes, SuperSenectute; Regnulam Metricam;
that Gallus was in some way concerned with these Carmen de airtute et Invidia, de Ira, Patientia, et
productions. Gyraldus contended that one or two Avaritia; but of these nothing is known, unless
out of the six might be genuine; Julius Caesar the first be another name for what we now possess.
Scaliger went farther, and believed that only one There is no reason to believe that the epigrams in the
was spurious, that on Aquilina; while Barthius anthology found among the exercises of the twelve
imagined that all anomalies might be explained by scholastic poets, one of whom is called Maximianus,
supposing that the sketches of Gallus had been have any connection with the individual whom we
overlaid and interpolated by a later and unskilful are now discussing. The elegies will be found
hand. By degrees these and similar positions were under their best form in the Poetae Latini-linores
found untenable, and the whole fabric was acknow- of Wernsdorf, vol. vi. pars i. p. 269, who gives a
ledged to be the workmanship of a semi-barbarous detailed catalogue of the different editions. For
epoch. This being granted, the next task was to further information consult Goldastus, Epist. dedic..
discover who Maximianus was, and when he flou- ad Ovidii Opuscula Erotica, Francf. 1610; Ber-:
rished. This investigation cannot be pushed far. nardus Moneta, in Menagianis, ed. tert., Paris, 1715,
From his own words we conclude, as noticed above, vol. i. p. 336; Souchaye, Mimoires de l'Aeadeinie
that he was by birth an Etruscan: it would appear des I2scriptions, vol. xvi.; Fontanini, Hiistoridthat he spent his youth at Rome, devoting himself Litter. Aquileiae, 4to. Rom. 1742, lib. i. c. 3;
to poetry and rhetoric, that he acquired wide- Withofius, Maximianus primaevae integr. restit.,
spread reputation as a speaker- 8vo. 1741. [W. R.]
Orator tote clams in orbe fui, MAXIMILLA, EGNA'TIA. [EGNATTA.]
MAXIMI'NUS I., Roman emperor, A.D. 235and that, when far advanced in life, he was de- 238. C. JULIUS VERUS MAXIMINUS was born in a
spatched to the East on an important mission, village on the confines of Thrace, of barbarian painvolving the peaceful relations of two kingdoms. rentage, his father Micca:being a Goth, his mother
Beyond this we can scarcely advance. Goldastus, Ababa a German, from a tribe of the Alani.
Fontanini, and Wernsdorf have, indeed, proved to Brought up as a shepherd, he attracted the attentheir own satisfaction that he is the very Maximi- tion of Septimius Severus, by his gigantic stature
anus to whom king Theodoric addressed a letter and marvellous feats of strength, was permitted to
preserved by Cassiodorus ( Variar. i. 21), and they enlist in the cavalry, was appointed one of the
have undertaken to determine the period and the guards in immediate attendance on the person of
object of the embassy. Their reasoning, however, the emperor, and soon gained the good-will of his:
is so shadowy that it completely eludes the grasp, officers and the respect of his fellow-soldiers. Under
and is in fact an elaborate attempt to create a sub- Caracalla he attained to the rank of centurion, and
stantial reality out of nothing. The most stringent was familiarly designated, from his prowess, Mile,
argument which they can find is based upon the lAntaeus, or Hercules. Being regarded with suscouplet (iii. 47), picious hatred by Macrinus, the assassin of his:
Hic mihi, magnarum scrutator maxime rerunm, patron, he retired for a while to his native province,
where he acquired some property, and maintained
Solus, Bo~ti, fers miseratus opem,
a cordial intercourse with his barbarian countrymen,
where it is assumed that the person addressed to whom he was an object of no small pride and
must be Bogthius the philosopher. admiration. Returning to Rome upon the accession
Three out of the four names placed at the head of Elagabalus, although disgusted by his profligate
of this article are probably fictitious. The MSS., folly, he accepted the appointment of tribune,
we are assured, exhibit simply Malimianus, or studiously absenting himself, however, from court
L. Maximianus. The Editio Princeps, in fol., during the whole reign. By Alexander he was rewhich, although without date, and without name ceived with great distinction, was entrusted with
of place or printer, is known by bibliographers to the important task of organising the great - host,
have been printed at Utrecht about 1473, bears collected chiefly from the East, for the invasion of
for its title Maxiniiani Philosophi atque Oratoris Germany, was eventually, if we can trust the declarissiumi Ethica suavis etpeijoconda, and a second sultory and indistinct narrative of the Augustan
edition, also very old, but without date, printed at historian, nominated general-in-chief of all the
Paris in 4to. by S. Jehannot and Petrus le Drou, armies, and hopes were held out that his son would
commences Perjucundus, juvenuln quoQue mirum in receive in marriage the sister of the emperor. But
noodum demulcenzs animos, Libellus, quem nugarums even these honours did not satisfy his ambition.
Mlaximiani immitis Alexander intitulat, &c. The Taking advantage of the bad feeling which existed
verses having for a long time after the publication among the troops, he artfully contrived to stimulate
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