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

1250 VETTIUS. VETTI US.
less than ten months, and to resign all his preten- of a L. Vettio juldice.) I-e was an unprincipled
sions in favour of Constantius, by whom he was fellow, who was ready to sell his services to ally
treated with great kindness, and permitted to re- one who would pay him well. He again appears
tire to Prusa, in Bithynia, where he passed the in B. c. 59 as an informer. In that year he acremaining six years of his life in contented tran- cused Curio, Cicero, L. Lucullus, and many other
quillity, practising the virtues of the Christian distinguished men, of having formed a conspiracy
faith which he professed. It is tolerably clear, as to assassinate Pompey. Dion Cassius, who alfar as we can pretend to draw any conclusion from ways thinks the worst about every man, asserts
the confused and contradictory accounts transmitted (xxxviii. 9) as a positive fact that Vettius had
to us regarding the above transactions, that the been purchased by Cicero and L. Lucullus to
extraordinary conduct of Vetranio must be ascribed murder Caesar and Pompey; but this statement is
to natural indecision or to the vacillating imbecility in opposition to all other authorities, and deserves
of old age, rather than to a system of complicated no credence. It seems almost certain that the
treachery altogether foreign to his character, which conspiracy was a sheer invention for the purpose
is painted in very favourable colours by almost all of injuring Cicero, Curio, and others; but there is
the historians of this epoch, except Aurelius Victor more difficulty in determining who were the inwho describes him as little better than a mis- ventors of it. Cicero regarded it as the work of
cllievous idiot. [CONSTANS; MAGNENTIUS; CON- Caesar, who remained in the background while
STANTIUS.] (Julian. Orat. i. ii.; Themist. Orat. its success was uncertain, and who used the tri.
iii. iv.; Amm. Marc. xv. 1. ~ 2, xxi. 8. ~ I; Aurel. bune Vatinius as his instrument. At a later peVict. de Caes. 41, 42, Epit. 41; Eutrop. x. 6; riod, when Cicero had returned from exile, and
Zosim. ii. 43, 44; Zonar. xiii. 7; Chron. Alexandr.; feared to provoke the triumvir, he threw the whole
Chron. Idat.; Socrat. H. E. ii. 28; Sozomen. H. E. blame upon Vatinius. However this may be, the
iv. 3; Philostorg. H. E. iii. 22.) [W. R.] history of the affair is briefly as follows. Vettius
was said to have insinuated himself into the
friendship of Curio, and then to have informed
/~0 ~/tlS\-S+) / >@i him that he intended, along with his slaves, to
s, kill Pompey, hoping to elicit from Curio an ape i t Ad QJ-I @1kW \ \lproval, if not a promise, of co-operation in the
e,'og Qt~ plot. Curio, however, did not fall into the snare,
but disclosed what he had heard to his father.
jY g The latter informed Pompey. Vettius, therefore,
was apprehended and brought before the senate,
where he stated that Curio was at the head of a
COIN OF VETRANIO. conspiracy which had been formed against PomVE'TTIA or VE'CTIA GENS, plebeian, is pey's life, in which some of the most distinguished
not mentioned till the latter end of the republic, young men of the state had a share; among
but obtained considerable eminence under the others, L. Aemilius Paulus, M. Brutus, and L.
empire, where its name frequently appears in the Lentulus. The senate ordered him to be cast into
consular Fasti. In many editions and some MSS. prison. On the following day Vatinius brought
of the ancient writers, the name occurs in the form him before the assembly of the people, that he
of JTectius; but Vettists is the true orthography, as might confirm what he had already said before
we see from coins. We find coins of the Vettii the senate; but he now contradicted himself, and
of the republican period, bearing the cognomen his evidence became much more suspicious than it
Judex Salbinus, a specimen of which is given had been on the previous day. Some names
under JUDEX. which he mentioned in the senate, he now passed
VETTIE'NUS, or VECTIE'NUS, a friend of over entirely, but he added many others of still
Cicero and Atticus, was a money-lender. (Cic. greater celebrity, such as Lucullus and L. Doad Att. x. 5, 11, 13, 15, xii. 3, xv. 13.) mitius Ahenobarbus. He did not mention Cicero
VE'TTIUS, or VE'CTIUIS. 1. P. VETTITiS, by name, but he said that an eloquent consular,
quaestor of C. Verres in Sicily, is spoken of by who lived near the consul Caesar, had said to him
Cicero as an honourable man. (Cic. Verr. v. 44.) that the state needed a Servilius Ahala, or a
2. T. VETTIUS, praetor B. C. 59, presided at the Brutus. He was sent back to prison, and on
trial of L. Flaccus, whom Cicero defended. (Cic. the following morning was found strangled in his
pro Flacc. 34.) cell. It was given out that he had committed
3. VETTIUS, one of the lovers of Clodia, gave suicide; but the marks of violence were visible
her some copper coins instead of silver, and was on his body, and Cicero at a later time charged
in consequence shamefully treated by two other Vatinius with the murder. Suetonius says (Caes.
lovers of Clodia. (Cic. pro Cael. 30; Plut. Cic. 20) that Vettius was poisoned, but this is in oppo29.) sition to the direct statement of Cicero, who must
4. VETTIUS, of whom Cicero purchased a house. have known the manner of his death, and could
(Cic. ad Att. iv. 5. ~ 2.) have had no reason for giving a false account on
5. SEX. VETTITuS, a friend of Atticus, and a this point at least. (Dion. Cass. xxxvii. 41; Suet.
coheres of Cicero. (Cic. ad Att. xiii. 12.) Caes. 17; Cic. ad Att. ii. 24, pro Sest. 63, in
6. L. VETTIUS, a Roman eques, was in the VYatin. 10, 11, with the Schol. Bob. pp. 308, 320,
pay of Cicero in B. C. 63, to whom he gave some ed. Orelli; Dion Cass. xxxviii. 9; Suet. Caes. 20;
valuable information respecting the Catilinarian Appian, B. C. ii. 12; Plut. Lucull. 42; Drumann,
conspiracy. Hence he is called by Cicero noster Geschichte Romns, vol. ii. p. 233, foll.) The coin
index. Among others he accused Caesar of being of the Vettia gens, with the surname of Judex
privy to the conspiracy. (Comp. Suet. Caes. 17, upon it, has nothing to do with this Vettius.
where we ought to read a L. Vettio indice instead [JuvEx.]