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

VESTA. VETRANI0. 1249'Gracchus into the Tiber and thus to have obtained might enter it. (Ov. Fast. vi. 227, &c.; Fest. p. 344,
the surname of Vespillo. (Aurel. Vict. de VFir. Il1. ed. MUller.) The day on which this took place
64; respecting the Vespillones, see Diet. of Antiq. was a dies nefastezs, the first half of which was
-p. 559, a, 2d ed.) thought to be so inauspicious, that the priestess of
2. Q. LUCRETIUS VESPILLO, an orator and a Juno was not allowed to comb her hair, to cut her
jurist, was proscribed by Sulla and put to death. nails, or to approach her husband, while the second
(Cic. Brut. 48; Appian, B. C. iv. 44.) half was very favourable to contracting a marriage
3. Q. LUCRETIUS VESPILLO, the son of No. 2, or entering upon other important undertakings.
served in the Pompeian fleet in B. c. 48. He was A few days before that solemnity, on the 9th of
proscribed by the triumvirs ill B. C. 43, out more June, the Vestalia was celebrated in honour of the
-fortunate than his father, was concealed by his goddess, on which occasion none but women walked
wife Thuria in his own house at Rome, till his to the temple, and that with bare feet. On one of
friends obtained his pardon. In B. C. 20, he was these occasions an altar had been dedicated to Juone of the deputation which the senate sent to piter Pistor. (Ov. Fast. vi. 3. 50; conip. Hartung,
Augustus at Athens to request the latter to assume Die Relig. der RMmz. vol. ii. p. 111, &c.) [L. S.]
the consulship for the following year, but he de- VE'STIA O'PPIA. [OPPieL, No. 2.]
clined the honour, and appointed Vespillo, who was VESTI'LIUS, SEX., a man of praetorian rank,
accordingly consul with C. Sentius Saturninus in put to death, A. D. 32. (Tac. Ann. vi. 9.)
B. C. 19. (Caes. B.C. iii. 7; Appian, B. C. iv. 44; VESTI'NUS A'TTICUS. [ATTICUS.]
Val. Max. vi. 7. ~ 2; Dion Cass. liv. 10.) VESTI'NUS, JU'LIUS, a sophist, made an
VESTA, one of the great Roman divinities, abridgment of the lexicon of Pamphilus [PAuIidentical with the Greek Hestia both in name and PHILUS, No. 4], and a selection of words from
import. She. was the goddess of the hearth, and Demosthenes, Thucydides, Isaeus, Isocrates and
therefore inseparably connected with the Penates, others. (Suidas, s. v. Ovna0rZvos.) The name of
for Aeneas was believed to have brought the eternal Julius Vestinus ought to be substituted for that of
fire of Vesta from Troy, along with the images of Julius Justinus, which is prefixed as the name of
the Penates; and the praetors, consuls, and dicta- one of the lexicographers to the work of Suidas.
tors, before entering upon their official functions, C. VESTO'RIUS, of Puteoli, a money-lender,
sacrificed not only to the Penates, but also to Vesta with whom Cicero had large dealings, and who
at Lavinium. (Virg. Aen. ii. 296, &c., x. 259, v. was also a friend of Atticus. (Cic. ad Att. iv. 6,
744; Macrob. Sat. iii. 4.) In the ancient Roman 14, 16, vi. 2, v. 2, ad Att. xiv. 9, 12, 14, etalibi.)
house, the hearth was the central part, and around VESTRI'TIUS SPURINNA. [SPURINNA.]
it all the inmates daily assembled for their corn- P. VE'STRIUS. a Roman eques and a Porm
mon meal (coena, KOI7v), and every meal thus peian, was taken prisoner in Africa in B. C. 46,
taken was a fresh bond of union and affection and pardoned by Caesar. (Hirt. B. Aft. 64.)
among the members of a family, and at the same VETI'LIUS. 1. C. or M. VETILIUS, praetor
time an act of worship of Vesta combined with a B. C. 147, was defeated in Spain by Viriathus,
sacrifice to her and the Penates. (Ov. Fast. vi. taken prisoner and put to death. For an account
305; Virg. Georg. iv. 384; Serv. ad Aen. i. 734.) of his defeat, and the authorities, see VIRIATHIuS.
Every dwelling house therefore was, in some sense, 2. VETILIUS, a leno, was refused by Q. Mea temple of Vesta (August. De Civ. Dei, iv. 11), tellus, the praetor, the borolioss possessio in accordbut a public sanctuary united all the citizens of the ance with the will of Juventius, on account of his
state into one large family. This sanctuary stood infamous mode of life. (Val. Max. vii. 7. ~ 7.)
in the Forum, between the Capitoline and Pala- 3. P. VmTILIUS, a relation of Sex. Aebutius,
tine hills, and not far from the temple of the and a witness in the case of Caecina. (Cic. pro
Penates. (Dionys. ii. 65.) That temple was round Caecin. 9.)
with a vaulted roof, like the impluvium of private VETRA'NIO, an officer far advanced in years,
houses, so that there is no reason to regard that who had long served with high reputation, and who
form as an imitation of the vault of heaven (Ov. was much and generally beloved on account of his
Fast. vi. 269, &c., 282; Plut. Nanz. 11.) The god- simple manners and amiable temper, commanded
dess was not represented in her temple by a statue, the legions in Illyria and Pannonia, at the period
but the eternal fire burning on the hearth or altar (A. D. 350), when Constans was treacherously dewas her living symbol, and was kept up and at- stroyed, and his throne seized by Magnentius.
tended to by the Vestals, her virgin priestesses. As The first impulse of the veteran induced him to
each house, and the city itself, so also the country write a letter to Constantius promising firm allehad its own Vesta, and the latter was worshipped giance, and urging him to advance with all speed
at Lavinium, the metropolis of the Latins, where that he might in person chastise the usurper.
she was worshipped and received the regular sa- Soon afterwards, however, he was prevailed upon
crifices at the hands of the highest magistrates. by the solicitations of his troops, and by the
The goddess herself was regarded as chaste and pressing representations of the notorious Constantina
pure like her symbol, the fire, and the Vestals, [CONSTANTINA], eldest sister of Constantine the
who kept up the sacred fire, were likewise pure Great, himself to assume the purple at Sirmium,
maidens. Respecting their duties and obligations, about the beginning of March, A. D. 350. Being
see Diet. of Ant. s. v. Vestales. As regards her now courted by both of the contending parties, he
worship, it is stated, that every year, on the Ist of concluded a treaty with Constantius whom he
March her sacred fire, and the laurel tree which soon abandoned; he next entered into close allishaded her hearth, were renewed (Macrob. Sat. ance with Magnentius, and finally, as detailed in
i. 12; Ov. Fast. iii. 143), and that on the 15th a former article [CoNSTANTIUS], was constrained
of June her temple was cleaned and purified. The by dextrous management at the famous conferdirt was carried into an angiportus behind the ence held on the 25th December near Sardica to
temple, which was locked by a gate that no one abdicate the power which he had exercised for
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