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

VARRO. VARRO. 1223
Drumann conjectures that he was the son of L. that while the storm was raging all around, he
Licinius Murena, consul B. C. 62, and was adopted alone appeared to have found refuge in a secure
by A. Terentius Varro; but as A. Varro is also haven. (Cic. ad Fam. ix. 6.) Upon the formation
called Murena [No. 5], he may have been own of the second triumvirate, although now upwards
son of A. Varro, as Manutius supposed. of seventy years old, his name appeared along with
7. M. TERENTIUS VARRO GIBBA, in conjunc. that of Cicero upon the list of the proscribed, but
tion with Cicero, defended Sanfeius when he was more fortunate than his friend he succeeded in
accused of vis in B. c. 52. He was a young man, making his escape, and, after having remained.for
whom Cicero had trained in oratory; and in the some time concealed (Appian, B. C. iv 471), in secivil war he passed over from Brundusium to Asia curing the protection of Octavianus. The remainder
in order to carry a letter of Cicero's to Caesar. In of his career was passed in tranquillity, and he
B. c. 46, he was quaestor of M. Brutus in Cisalpine continued to labour inhis favourite studies, although
Gaul, to whom Cicero gave him a letter of re- his magnificent library had been destroyed, a loss
commendation. He died in the course of this year to him irreparable. His death took place B. c. 28,
or the following. (Ascon. in Cic. Mil. p. 55, when he was in his eighty-ninth year (Plin. H.
Orelli; Cic. ad Fam. xiii. 10, ad Att. xiii. 48.) N. xxix. 4; Hieronym. in Euseb. Chron. Olymp.
VARRO, M. TERE'NTIUS, whose vast and 180. 1). It is to be observed that M. Terentius
varied erudition in almost every department of Varro, in consequence of his having possessed exliterature earned for him the title of the "most tensive estates in the vicinity of Reate, is styled
learned of the Romans" (Quintil. x. I. ~ 95; Reatinus by Symmachus (Ep. i.), and probably by
Cic. Acad. i. 2, 3; Augustin. de Civ. Dei, vi. 2), Sidonius Apollinaris also (Ep. iv. 32), a designawas born B.C. 116, being exactly ten years senior tion which has been very frequently adopted by
to Cicero, with whom he lived for a long period later writers in order to distinguish him from Varro
on terms of close intimacy and warm friendship. A tacinus.
(Cic. ad Fanz. ix. 1-8.) He was trained under Not only was Varro the most learned of Roman
the superintendence of L. Aelius Stilo Praeconinus, scholars, but he was likewise the most voluminous
a member of the equestrian order, a man, we are of Roman authors (homo 7rohvypacp&Taros, Cic. ad
told (Cic. Brut. 56), of high character, familiarly Att. xiv. 18). He had read so much, says St.
acquainted with the Greek and Latin writers in Augustine, that we must feel astonished that he
general, and especially deeply versed in the anti- found time to write any thing, and he wrote so
quities of his own country, some of which, such as much that we can scarcely believe that any one could
the hymns of the Salii and the Laws of the Twelve find time to read all that he composed. We have
Tables, he illustrated by commentaries. Varro, his own authority for the assertion that he had comhaving imbibed from this preceptor a taste for posed no less than four hundred and ninety books
these pursuits, which he cultivated in after life (septuaginta hebdomadas librorum, Gell. iii. 10),
with so much devotion and success, completed his several of which, however, were never published,
education by attending the lectures of Antiochus having perishedwith his library. The disappearance
(Acad. iii. 12), a philosopher of the Academy, of many more may be accounted for by the topics
with a leaning perhaps towards the Stoic school, of which they treated being such as to afford little
and then embarked in public life. We have no interest to general readers, and by the somewhat
distinct record of his regular advancement in the repulsive character of the style in which they were
service of the state, but we know that he held a couched, for the warmest admirers of Varro admit
high naval command in the wars against the that he possessed little eloquence, and was more
pirates and Mithridates (Plin. H. N. iii. 11, vii. distinguished by profundity of knowledge than by
30; Appian, Mithr. 95; Varr. R. R. ii. praef.), felicity of expression. Making every allowance
that he served as the legatus of Pompeius in for these circumstances, it must still be considered reSpain on the first outbreak of civil strife, and markable that only one of his works has descended
that, although compelled to surrender his forces to to us entire, and that of one more only have conCaesar, he remained stedfast to the cause of the siderable fragments been preserved. The remainder
senate, and passing over into Greece shared the have either totally disappeared or present merely a
fortunes of his party until their hopes were finally few disjointed scraps from which we are unable to
crushed by the battle of Pharsalia. When further form any estimate of their contents or their merits.
resistance was fruitless, he yielded himself to the I. De Re Rustica Libri III., written when the
clemency of the conqueror, by whom he was most author was eighty years old. This is unquesgraciously received, and employed in superintend- tionably the most important of all the treatises upon
ing the collection and arrangement of the great ancient agriculture now extant, being far superior
library designed for public use. (Caes. B. C. i. 38, to the more voluminous production of Columella,
ii. 17-20; Cic. ad Fam. ix. 13, de Div. i. 33; with which alone it can be compared. The one is
Suet. Jul. Caes. 34, 44.) Before, however, it was the well-digested system of an exoerienced and
known that he had secured the forgiveness and successful farmer who had seen and practised all
favour of the dictator, his villa at Casinum had been that he records, the other is the common-place
seized and plundered by Antonius, an event upon book of an industrious compiler, who had collected
which Cicero dwells with great effect in his second a great variety of information from a great variety
Philippic (cc. 40, 41), contrasting the pure and of sources, but was incapable of estimating justly
lofty pursuits which its walls were in the habit of the value or the accuracy of the particulars which
witnessing with the foul excesses and coarse de- he detailed. The work before us exhibits to a re.
bauchery of its captor. For some years after this markable extent, perhaps to excess, the methodical
period Varro remained in literary seclusion, passing arrangement, the technical divisions, and laborious
his time chiefly at his country seats near Cumae classifications in which Varro appears to have
and Tusculuni, occupied with study and composi- taken such delight. Thus, in the first book, adtion, and so indifferent to the state of public affairs dressed to his wife Fundauia, which is occupied
4I 4