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

VARUS; VARUS. 1229
and it is conjectured that he may have been the camp, when the latter marched with the Vitellian
jurist's son. It is impossible to determine what troops from Germany to Italy, and he fought at the
credit is due to the scholiast on Horace: he must decisive battle of Bedriacsml, which secured the
have found the story somewhere, or have invented empire for Vitellius. When Caecina, who had
it, Indeed he and other scholiasts do sometimes been sent to oppose the generals of Vespasian,
favour us with a commentary which tells us nothing deserted the cause of Vitellius, the latter appointed
more than the text. On this question, a note of Varus praefectus praetorio in place of P. Sabinus,
Wieland (No. 12) to his translation of the Satires who was a fiiend of the traitor Caecina. After
of Horace may be consulted. The fact of an the defeat of the Vitellian troops at Cremona, Varus
Alfenus being a native of Cremona, and of an was sent, along with Julius Priscus, at the head of
Alfenus having beena pupil of Servius, and a learned the praetorian cohorts and some other troops to
jurist, and of an Alfenus having been consul, is guard the passes of the Apennines; but on the
quite enough to enable a scholiast with the assist- approach of the Vespasian army, the soldiers of
ance of the passage in Horace to fabricate the Varus and Priscus deserted in such numbers to
whole story of Alfenus, as he has given it. the enemy, that they were obliged to abandon their
There are fifty-four excerpts in the Digest from camp and return to Rome. Varus survived the
the forty books of the Digesta of Alfenus; but it fall of his master, and also, according to the words
is conjectured that Alfenus may have acted only of Tacitus, igncviae infa miacque sirae supefyuit.
as the editor of a work of Servius. It appears from (Tac. Hist. ii. 29, 43, iii. 36, 55, 61, iv. 11.)
the fragments of Alfenus, that he was acquainted VARUS, A'RRIUS, served as praefectus of a
with the Greek language, and these fragments show cohort under Corbulo in the war against the Parthat he wrote in a pure and perspicuous style. A thians A. D. 5-1, in which he obtained the character
passage which appears in the Digest (5. tit. 1. of a brave and skilful officer. He was said to
s. 76), shows that he was not a stranger to the have calumniated Corbulo to Nero, and to have
speculations of the philosophers. According to been advanced in consequence to the rank of chief
Gellius (vi. 5), Alfenus was somewhat curious in centurion (prinmuir pilum adepto). At the death
matters of antiquity, and Gellius quotes a passage of Nero he held this rank in the seventh legion,
from the thirty-fourth book of his Digest in which which was stationed in Pannonia under the comAlfenus mentions one of the terms of a treaty be- mand of Antonius Primus, whom he cordially suptween the Romans and the Carthaginians. Alfenus ported, when the latter espoused the cause of
is often cited by the later jurists. The fragments Vespasian, and resolved to march into Italy against
in the Digest are taken from the second to the Vitellius. After Vitellius had been slain, and
seventh book of the Digest, and there are frag- Primus had obtained possession of Rome, Varus
ments from the eighth book taken from the epitome was appointed commander of the praetorian troops
by Paulus. The entire lnumber of books appears (Praef/ctus'Praetorio), and received the insignia
from the Florentine Index; the passage in Gel- of the praetorship. Upon the arrival of Mucialius quotes the thirty-fourth book; and a passage of nus shortly afterwards, who was jealous both of
Paulus (Dig. 3. tit. 5. s. 2i) cites the thirty-ninth Primus and of Varus, the latter was deprived of
book. Whether the epitome of Paullus went further the command of the praetorian troops, which was
than the eighth book or not, is uncertain. The assumed by Mucianus himself, but Varus, as a
epitome of Paulus is sometimes cited, " Libri epi- compensation, was made Praefectns Annolae.
tomarum Alfeni Digestoruin," sometimes vwith the (Tac. Ann. xiii. 9, [list. iii. 6, 16, 52, iv. 2, 4, 11,
omission of the word "Digestorum," and soume- 39, 68.)
times thus, "Libri Dig. Alfni a Paulo epitoma- VARUS, A:TIUS. I. P. ATIrS VARuvs, a
tortum." zealous partisan of Pompey in the civil war. He
The passage in Gellius (vi. 5), " Alfenus... in had already held the effice of praetor, but in what
libro Digestorum trigesimo et qularto, Conjecta- year is uncertain, and had obtained Africa as his
neorum (Conlectaneorum is perhaps the better province. (Caes. B.C. i. 31; Cic. pro Ligsar. 1.)
reading) autem secundo," &c., has given rise to On the breaking out of the civil war at the beginsome discussion. It is clear that the passage in ning of B. C. 49, he was stationed in Picenum at
the Conlectanea is attributed to Alfenus, for the the head of a considerable force. At first he took
words are " Alfenus says in the Digest and in the up his quarters at Cingulum, and afterwards at
Conlectanea;" and it is also clear that only one Auximum; but on Caesar's approach, the inhabitpassage is meant; or at most the same passage is ants of Auximum declared themselves so strongly
referred to as being in two different works. But in favour of Caesar, that Varus was obliged to
apparently only one work is meant, and therefore evacuate the town, and on his retreat was deserted
we must conclude that the Digesta, which consisted by most of his own troops. While stationed at
of forty books, contained a subdivision called the Auximum he had levied soldiers throughout PiceCollectanea. Some critics have conjectured that num, and with some of these levies he joined
the Conlectanea is the compilation of Aufidius Pompey in Apulia. When Pompey resolved to
Namusa [NAMTSA], so that the passage cited by leave Italy, Varus crossed over into Africa, and
Gellius appeared both in the original work of' took possession of the province, which was then
Alfenus, and in the copious compilation of Namusa, governed by Q. Ligarius, who was only the legate
which is made from Alfenus and other pupils of of Considius Longus. [LIGARIUS.] In conseServius. (GrotiLs, Vitae Jrurisconsult.; Puchta, quence of his having been propraetor of Africa a
Inst. i. 428; Zimmern, Gesclhichte des Romn. Privet- few years previously, Varus was well acquainted
rechts, i. 295.) [G. L.] with the country and the people, and nwas thus
VARUS. ALFE'NUS or ALFE'NIUS, per- able to raise two legions without much difficulty.
haps a descendant of the jurist, was one of the Meantime L. Aelius Tubero, who also belonged to
generals of Vitellius, in the civil war in A. D. 69. the Pompeian party, and who had been appointed
lie served under Fabius Valens as praefect of thie by the senate to succeed Considius Longus in the