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

1220 VARENUS. VARIUS.
which were in reality the property of Scipio, and attempt to murder Cn.Varenus. He was defended
hence Valgius has been ranked amona the writers by Cicero in a speech which is lost, but was conof comedy, although there is no proof that Actaeon demned. (Quintil. x. 13. ~ 28, vii. 1. ~ 9, ix. 2. ~
was a play of any kind. 56; Cic. Fraom. vol. iv. p. 443, Orelli; Drumann,
10. Quintilian tells us (iii. 1. ~ 18, comp. iii. 5. Geschiclhte Rom2.s, vol. v. pp. 244, 245.)
~ 17, v. 10. ~ 4) that the precepts of the Greek 2. A centurion in Caesar's army distinguished
rhetorician Apollodorus who gave instructions at himself, along with T. Pulfio, by a daring act of
Apollonia to Augustus (Suet. Octav. 89) may best bravery, when the camp of Q. Cicero was bebe learned from his disciples, of whom the most sieged by the Nervii in B. C. 54. (Caes. B. G.
diligent in translating them into Latin " fuit C. v. 45.)
Valgius Graece Atticus." He adds that the only VA'RGU LA, a friend of C. Julius Caesar Strabo,
genuine production of Valgius upon this subject was noted as a wit. (Cic. de Orat. ii. 60.)
was entitled Ars edita ad Matium, that others had VARGUNTEIUS. 1. L. VARGUNTEIUS, a
indeed been ascribed to him, but that he had not senator and one of Catiline's conspirators, underacknowledged them in his letter to Domitius. took, in conjunction with C. Cornelius, to murder
11. Gellius (xii. 3) speaks of " Valgius Rufus " Cicero in B. C. 63, but their plan was frustrated by
and Charisius (p. 84, ed. Putsch.) of "Valgits " information conveyed to Cicero through Fulvia.
as the author of some grammatical investigations He was afterwards brought to trial, but could find
called Res per epistolam quaesitae. They extended no one to defend him, not even Hortensius, who
to two books at least, and probably were something had defended him on a former occasion when he
of the same kind as the Epistolicae Quaestiones of was accused of bribery. (Sall. Cat. 17, 28, 47,
Varro (Gell. xiv. 7). pro Sull. 2.)
12. Festus (s. v. secus) and Charisius (p. 116, 2. VARGUNTEIUS, legatus of Crassus, in the
ed. Putsch.) refer to Valgius on matters connected Parthian war, in which he perished, n. c. 54.
with grammar. (Plut. Crass. 28.)
13. Diomedes (p. 382, ed. Putsch.) gives two 3. Q. VARGUNTEIUS, a Roman grammarian,
words from " Valgius de Tralatione." who used to lecture on the Annals of Ennius.
14. Finally, Seneca says (Ep. xli. ~ 1) that (Suet. de Ill. Gram. 2.)
" Valgius " applied the epithet unicus to mount 4. M. VARGUNTEIUS, is mentioned on coins, a
Aetna, and Charisius (p. 79, ed. Putsch.) gives an specimen of which is annexed. The obverse
example from " Valgius " of lacte as a nominative. represents the head of Pallas with al. VARG., the
It is perfectly manifest that the evidence con- reverse Jupiter in a quadriga with ROMA below.
tained in the above paragraphs is far from being (Eckhel, vol. v. p. 335.)
sufficient to enable us to decide anything with certainty regarding the person or persons named.
%We may fairly surmise that the Valgius of (1) is / W
the same with the Valgius of (2) and perhaps of
(3) and (4) also. Beyond this we cannot advance E
without losing ourselves in a haze of dim conjecture.
The assertion of Broukhusius (ad Tibull. iv. 1. 80)
that there were two distinguished writers in the
Augustan age both named Valgius Rufus, but distinguished from each other by difference of praenomen, namely, C. Valsoius Rufus, the consular and
prose writer, and T. Va!gius Rufus, the poet, is VARI'LIA, APPULEIA. [APPULEIUS,
altogether destitute of any firm foundation, for no No. 9.]
authority whatsoever can be adduced for the ex- VARI'NIUS GLABER. [GLABER.]
istence of a T. Jalgius Rufus. M. VARISI'DIUS, a Roman eques, a friend
(All the matters connected with this inquiry are of L. Munatius Plancus and of Cicero (Plancus, ap.
very fully discussed by Weichert, in his Poetarum Cic. ad Fam. x. 7, 12.)
Lat. Reliquiae (8vo. Lips. 1830, p. 20,3-240), VA'RIUS. 1. Q. VARIus HYBRIDA, tribune
who in p. 233,:foll. has collected a few mutilated of the plebs, B. C. 90, was a native of Sucro in
fragments bearing the name of Valgius.) [W. R.] Spain, and received the surname of Hybrida, beVA'LLIUS SYRIACUS. [SYRIaCUS.] cause his mother was a Spanish woman. He is
VA'NGIO. [VANNIUS.] called by Cicero vastus homo atque foedus, but
VA'NNIUS, a chief of the Quadi, was made nevertheless obtained considerable power in the
king of the Suevi by Germanicus in A. D. 19; but state by his eloquence. In his tribuneship he
after holding the power for thirty years he was proposed a lex de majestate, in order to punish all
driven out of his kingdom in the reign of Claudius, those who had assisted or advised the Socii to
A. D. 50, by Vibillius the king of the Hermunduri, take up arms against the Roman people. He
and his own nephews Vangio and Sido, the sons of brought forward this law at the instigation of the
his sister. Vannius received from Claudius a set- equites, who made common cause with the people
tlement in Pannonia, and his kingdom was divided against the reforms of Drusus; and as they posbetween Vangio and Sido. (Tac. Ann. ii. 63, xii. sessed the judicia at this time, they hoped by
29, 30; Vannicnum regnuaml, Plin. II. N. iv. 25.) banishing the most distinguished senators to get
VARANES, the name of six Persian kings of the whole power of the state into their hands.
the dynasty of the Sassanidae. [SASSANIDAE, The senators used all their influence to prevent
p. 715.] the proposition from passing into a law. The
L. VARE'NUS. 1. Was accused, probably other tribunes put their veto upon it, but the
about B. C. 80 or 79 under the Cornelia law de equites with drawn swords compelled them to
Sicariis, of the murder of C. Varenus, and of an give way, and the law was carried. The equites