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

1276 VITRUVIUS. VITRUVIUIS.
Galeria Fundana. He was in his fifty-seventh erected by Vitruvins Cerdo exhibits an arrangeyear according to Tacitus, in his fifty-fifth according ment which is strongly condemned by Vitruvius
to Dion. He reigned a year all but ten or twelve Pollio, namely, the placing of dentils under modays, reckoning from the time of his proclamation, dillions. This arrangement belongs to the period
and a little more than eight months from the death when the Roman architects had given themselves
of Otho. His brother Lucius was put to death; up to that tendency, of which Vitruvius complains,
and his infant son in the following year by order of to neglect altogether the more minute precepts of
Mucianus. Vespasian provided the daughter of the Greeks. It is seen in the triumphal arches of
Vitellius with an honourable marriage. The period Titus, Nerva, and Constantine, in the portico of
between the death of Nero and the accession of Nerva, and in the baths of Diocletian. The inVespasian was a period of anarchy, in which the scription also refutes the opinion which has been
several successors of Nero play only a subordinate thrown out, evidently as a mere guess, that Vitrupart; and the events of this period can only be vius Cerdo was the freedman of Vitruvius Pollio,
treated properly in an historical work, not in bio- for then, of course, we should have had M. L. ingraphical articles. stead of L. L.
(Tacit. Hist. ii. iii.; Suetonius, Vitellius; Dion 2. M. VITRUVIUS POLLIO. There is scarcely
Cass. lxv.; Tillemont, Histoire des Emnpereurs, i.) an ancient writer of equal eminence, of whom so
[G. L.] little is recorded, as of the author of that treatise
on Architecture, without which the remains of
ancient buildings would have been extremely difficult to understand, and which still forms a most
important text-book of the science. Beyond the
I r;.a of! j~! k~ t ~;2, M ibare mention of his name by Pliny, in one of those
lists of his authorities, which many critics believe
not to be genuine, and one reference to him by
Frontinus (de Aquaed. ~ 25), and passing allusions
to him by Servius and Sidonius Apollinaris, all
the information we possess respecting him is conVITE'LLIUS ECLO'GIUS or EULO'- tained in scattered passages of his own work.
GIUS. [ECLOGIUS.] Respecting his birth-place, we have no informVITE'LLIUS SATURNI'NUS. [SATUR- ation. The statement of some writers, that he
NINUS.] was a native of Verona, arises from the mistake of
VI'TIA, the mother of Fufius Geminus, was identifying him with Vitruvius Cerdo. Bernarput to death by Tiberius in A. D. 32, because she dinus Baldus, in his valuable Life of Vitruvius,
had lamented the execution of her son, who had prefixed to the Bipont edition, suggests the probeen consul in A. D. 29. (Tac. Ann. vi. 10, comp. bability of his having been a native of Fundi or
v. 1.) Formiae, on account of several inscriptions being
VITRA'SIUS PO'LLIO. [POLLIO.] found at those places, relating to the Vitruvia
VITRU'VIUS SECUNDUS. [SECUNDUS.] gens, and to individuals of it with the praenomen
VITRU'V1US VACCUS. [VAcvs.] Marcus. See VACCUS, VITRITVIUS.
VITRU'VIUS, architects. 1. L. VITRUVIUS We learn from Vitruvius himself that his paL. L. CERDO ARCHITECTUS is an inscription twice rents gave him a liberal education, both of a
repeated on the arch of the Gavii at Verona. (Gru- general and of a professional character. (Lib. vi.
ter, p. clxxxvi.; Orelli, lnscr. Lat. Sel. No. 4145.) Praef.) He tells, however, that he pursued his
The genuineness of these inscriptions, which has studies chiefly with a view to his profession, and
been questioned, is successfully defended by Maffei only followed other branches of knowledge so far
( Iron. llust. pt. ii. p. 20, pt. iii. p. 90, Art. as they might appear to be useful for that object.
Crit. Lapid. p. 197). There is no precise indica- On this ground he apologizes, and not without
tion of the time at which Vitruvius Cerdo lived; cause, for his style of composition, inasmuch as he
but it is most probable that he was much sub- had not trained himself in literature, so as to besequent to the celebrated writer on architecture, come a first-rate philosopher or orator or grammaVitruvius Pollio. We mention hint, however, rian, "sed ut Architectus his literis imbutus, haec
first, in order to dispose at once of the question nisus sunm scribere." In the digressions, into which
as to the identity of these two architects, which he is led by his plan of ascending to the first prinwas raised by Andreas Alciatus, who attempted ciples of each part of his subject, he shows a fair
to support his belief in their identity by general knowledge of the various schools of Greek
changing Pollio, which is the name of Vi- philosophy. In the theoretical part of physical
truvius in all the MSS., into Pellio, which he science he is weak; but this was a general defect
explained, not as a cognomen, but as a designa- of the ancient philosophers. Baldus shows reason
tion, synonymous with Cerdo. It really seems for supposing that, in his views of natural philoalmost superfluous to refute an opinion which rests sophy, Vitruvius was a follower of Epicurus. That
on such an argument alone; but, to remove all he was well acquainted with the literature both of
doubt, it may suffice to remark, firstly, that the Greece and Rome, is evident from his references
praenomina, as well as the cognomina, of the to the numerous Greek authors, and to the few
two artists are different, the one being Lucius, and Romans, who had written upon architecture, and
the other Maurcus, by the unanimous consent of also to the great writers of both nations in the
the MSS.; secondly, that, whereas Vitruvius Cerdo different departments of general literature.
was a freedman, as we learn from the inscription So much respecting his education. Of his sta(L. L.= Lucii Libertus), Vitruvits Pollio was a tion in life he says but little. That it was respeeman of free birth and liberal education, as we are table may be inferred from his education, and from
informed by himself; and, thirdly, that the arch other circumstances referred to in his works; but