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

1234 VATTNIUS. VATINIUS.
last days of the republic. Cicero, in his oration of Vatinius in the speech which has come down
against Vatinius, which has come down to us, to us. Nevertheless, he carefully avoids saying a
describes him as one of the greatest scamps and word against Caesar, of whom Vatinius had been
villains that ever lived; and without believing all only the instrument. The elections at Rome this
that Cicero says against him, it appears pretty year were attended with the most serious riots.
certain that he was, like most other public men The aristocracy strained every nerve to prevent the
of his age, possessed of little or no principle, and election of Pompey and Crassus to the consulship;
ready to sell his services to the highest bidder. and so great were the tumults that it was not till
His personal appearance was unprepossessing; his the beginning of the following year (B. c. 55) that
face and neck were covered with swellings, to the elections took place, and Pompey and Crassus
which Cicero alludes more than once,'calling him were declared consuls. [Vol. III. p. 486, a.] Not
the struma civitatis. (Cic. pro Sest. 65; comp. succeeding in securing the consulship for their own
Plut. Cic. 9;" struma Vatinii," ad Att. ii. 9; party, the aristocracy brought forward M. Cato as
" fuit strumosa facie et maculoso corpore," Schol. a candidate for the praetorship; but Pompey and
Bob. pro Sest. p. 310, ed. Orelli.) Vatinius comr Crassus, aware that the election of so formidable
menced public life as quaestor in B. C. 63. According an opponent to so high a dignity would prove a
to Cicero he owed his election simply to the in- serious obstacle to their projects, used all their influence of one of the consuls of the preceding year, fluence to secure the praetorship for Vatinius. To
and was returned last on the list. Cicero, who make the matter more certain, they obtained a
was consul, sent him to Puteoli to prevent the decree of the senate, in virtue of which those who
gold and silver from being carried away from that might be elected praetors were to enter on their
place; but his extortions were so oppressive that office forthwith, without letting the time fixed by
the inhabitants were obliged to complain of his law intervene, during which the magistrates elect
conduct to the consul. After his quaestorship he might be prosecuted for bribery. Having thus
went to Spain as legatus of C. Cosconius, the pro- removed one obstacle, they employed their money
consul, where, according to Cicero, he was again most freely, and by bribery as well as by force
guilty of robbery and extortion. In B. C. 59 he defeated Cato and carried the election of Vatinius.
was tribune of the plebs and sold his services to (Plut. Cat. 42, Pomp. 52.) During his year of
Caesar, who was then consul along with Bibulus. office (B. C. 55) Vatinius was safe from prosecuHe took an active part in all the measures which tion; but in the following year (B. c. 54) he was
were brought forward in this year, many of which accused of bribery by C. Licinius Calvus. It aphe proposed himself. [CAESAR, p. 543.] Cicero pears, though the matter is involved in some obaccuses him of setting the auspices at defiance, of scurity, that Licinius had accused Vatinius twice
offering violence to the consul Bibulus, of filling before, once in B. C. 58 of TMis, on account of his
the forum with soldiers, and of crushing the veto proceedings in his tribunate (comp. Cic. in Fatin.
of his colleagues in the tribunate by force of arms; 14, with the Schol. Bob. in Vatin. p. 323, ed.
all of which accusations we can readily believe, Orelli), and again in B. C. 56, about the same time
as he was the most active partizan of Caesar among that Cicero also attacked him. (Comp. Cic. in
the magistrates of the year. It was Vatinius who Vatin. 4, with the Schol. Bob. p. 316; Cic. ad
proposed the bill to the people, by which Caesar Q. Fr. i. 2. ~ 4.) The most celebrated prosecution
received the provinces of Cisalpine Gaul and I1- of Licinius, however, was in B. C. 54, and the
lyricum for five years, to which the senate after- speech which he delivered on this occasion is menwards added the province of Transalpine Gaul. tioned in terms of the highest praise by Quintilian
It was during his tribunate that Vatinius brought and others. His oratory produced such a powerful
forward the iuformer L. Vettius, who accused many impression upon all who heard it, that Vatinius
of the most distinguished men in the state, and started up in the middle of the speech, and interamong others Cicero, of a plot against the life of rupted him with the exclamation, " I ask you,
Pompey. [VETTIUS.] judges, if I am to be condemned because the acI. n return for these services Vatinius was ap- cuser is eloquent." (Senec. Controv. iii. 19.) On
pointed by Caesar one of his legates, but he did this occasion, to the surprise of all his friends,
not remain long in Gaul, as he was for the present Cicero, who had only two years before attacked
intent upon gaining the higher honours of the state. Vatinius in such unmeasured terms, came forward
Notwithstanding the patronage of Caesar, he was to defend him. The protection of the triunlvirs,
unsuccessful in his first application for the praetor- rather than the eloquence of his advocate, secured
ship, and he did not even obtain the votes of his the acquittal of Vatinius. Cicero's conduct in deown tribe, the Sergia, which had never previously fending Vatinius is not difficult to explain, and he
failed to vote in ftvour of their own tribesman. has himself given an elaborate justification of himIn B. C. 56 he appeared as a witness against Milo self in an interesting letter to Lentulus Spinther,
and Sestius, two of Cicero's friends, who had taken the proconsul of Cilicia, who had written to ask him
a leading part ill obtaining his recal from banish- his reasons for defending Vatinius (ad Fam. i. 9).
ment. Cicero had long had a grudge against The plain fact was, that Cicero had offended
Vatinius, because he had induced Vettius to accuse Caesar by his former attack upon Vatinins, and
him of being privy to the plot against Pompey's that, fearing to be again handed over by the trilife; and his resentment was now increased by umvirs to the vengeance of Clodius, he now, in
the testimony Vatinius had given against Milo opposition to his conscience and sense of duty, asand Sestius. The trial of Milo occurred earlier in serted what he knew to be false in order to secure
the year than that of Sestius. Cicero took no no- the powerful protection of Caesar and Pompey.
tice of the conduct of Vatinius in the former case, (Respecting the accusations of Vatinius by Licin us
but when he came forward against Sextius also, Calvus, see Meyer, Orator. Romnan. Fragm. p. 4 74,
on whose acquittal Cicero had set his heart, the foll., 2nd ed.)
orator made a vehement attack upon the character From this, time Vatinius and Cicero appear on