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

VOPISCUS. UPIS. 128:3
(lib. 1) mentions Marcianus, in place of which it is ancient Roman praenomens, it was afterwards used
proposed to read Maecianus, but Marcus does not as a cognomen.
speak of him as a jurist. Vulcatius (Avid. Cass. VOPISCUS, FLA'VIUS,Syracusius, one of the
c. 7) says that Maecianus was entrusted with the six " Scriptores Historiae Augustae" [see CAPIgovernment of Alexandria, and that he was killed TOLINUS], probably the latest, since he refers diby the army for having joined Cassius in his usur- fectly to three, Trebellius Pollio, Julius Capitopation, A. D. 175. linus, and Aelius Lampridius, the last being very
Maecianus wrote sixteen books on Fideicommissa, probably the same with Spartianus [LAMPRIDIUS;
and fourteen books on Judicia Publica. A Liber SPARTIANUS]. Vulcatius Gallicanus, the sixth,
Quaestionum is also mentioned (Dig. 29. tit. 2. is alike unknown and insignificant. The name of
s. 86), but it may have been a part of the work on Vopiscus is prefixed to the biographies of, 1. AuFideicommissa. He also wrote that Legem Rho- relianus: 2. Tacitus; 3. Florianus; 4. Probus;
diam, from which there is a single excerpt in the 5. The four tyrants, Firmus, Saturninus, Proculus
Digest (14. tit. 2. s. 9) in Greek, from which we and Bonosus; 6. Carus; 7. Numerianus; 8. Camay conclude that this was a collection of the Rho- rinus; at this point he stops, declaring that Diodian laws relating to maritime affairs, and Mae- cletian, and those who follow, demand a more
cianus may have accompanied the collection with elevated style of composition. Although we oba commentary. This work is not mentioned in serve the same want of judgment in selecting,
the Florentine Index. arranging, and combining his materials, which chaThere are forty-four excerpts from Maecianns rasterises the other authors of this collection, yet
in the Digest. He is cited by Cervidius Scaevola, he appears to have exercised considerable industry
Papinian, Ulpian and Paulus. A treatise, De Asse in consulting the Greek writers who had preceded
et Ponderibus, is attributed to Volusius Maecianus, him in the same department, in availing himself of
but there is some doubt about the authorship. It the treasures of the Ulpian and other public libraries,
is printed in Graevius, Antiq. Roman. xi., and at and in examining the public records of different
Paris, 1565, 8vo. There is a dissertation by Wun- branches of the administration, and the private
derlich, De L. Volusio Maeciano; and a recent papers of various distinguished individuals, especiedition of Maecianus de Asse, and of Balbus by ally the journals and commentaries of the emperor
E. BUcking, Bonn, 1831, 12mo. [G. L.] Aurelianus. Considerable authority and interest
VOLU'SIUS PRO'CULUS. [PRocUvLv.] are communicated to his narrative by the insertion
VOLU'SIUS SATURNI'NUS. [SATUR- of original letters written by Hadrianus, Valerianus,
NIN US.] Claudius, Aurelianus, Zenobia, Tacitus, Probus,
VOLUSUS or VOLESUS, the reputed an- Carus, and other public characters, together with
cestor of the Valeria gens, who is said to have quotations from acts of the senate, and orations delisettled at Rome with Titus Tatius [VALERIA vered on great occasions. From the epithet SyraGENS]. cusius we conclude that Vopiscus was by birth a
The name afterwards became a cognomen in Sicilian: he informs us that he undertook the task
the Valeria gens. Thus we read of M. VALE- of writing the life of Aurelianus, at the suggestion
RIvs VoLvsvs, the brother of Publicola, who was and by the request of Junius Tiberianus, prefect
consul B. C. 505, the fifth year of the republic, of the city (about A.D. 291), who placed at his
with P. Postumius Tubertus. He fought, together disposal a variety of important documents, and we
with his colleague, against the Sabines, and ob- find that the life of Carinus was written after the
tained a triumph on account of his victory over elevation of Constantius Chlorus to the rank of
them. He fell at the battle of the Lake Regillus, Caesar, that is, later than A. D. 292. For editions,
B. c. 498 or 496 (Liv. ii. 16, 20; Dionys. v. 37; translations, &c. see CAPITOLINUS. [W. R.]
Plut. Public. 20). We also read of another VOPISCUS, JU'LIUS CAESAR. [CAESAR,
brother of Publicola, n ho bore the same cognomen, No. 10.]
namely, M'. VALERIUS VOLUSUS MAXIMUS, who VOPISCUS, P. MANI'LIUS, consul under
was dictator in B. C. 494, and to whom the family Trajan, A. D. 114 with Q. Ninnius Hasta. (Fasti.)
of the Valerii Maximi traced their origin. [MAX- VOPISCUS, MA'NLIUS, a friend of the poet
IMUS, p. 1001, a.] It may be, however, that a Statius. (Silv. i. 3.)
mistake has been made in the Annals, and that VOPISCUS, L. POMPEIU S or POPPAEUS,
Manius, the dictator, was the same person as was consul suffectus with T. Virginius Rufus, A. D.
Marcus, the consul: his praenomen would have 69. (Tac. Hist. i. 77.)
been changed, because it was stated in some of the VORANUS, a thief mentioned by Horace, is
Annals that the consul fell at the battle of the said by the scholiast to have been a freedman of
Lake Regillus. Volusus likewise occurs as a Q. Lutatius Catulus. (Hor. Sat. i. 8. 39.)
praenomen of one of the Valerii Potiti. [Po- VOTIE'NUS MONTANUS. [MONTANUS.]
TITUS, No. 3.] At a later period the name was UPIS. (O67ris.) 1. A surname of Artemis, as
revived in the Valeria gens, and was borne as an the goddess assisting women in child-birth. (Calagnomen by L. Valerius Messalla, who was consul lim. Hymn. in Dian. 240.)
A. D. 5. [MESSALLA, No. 11.] 2. The name of a mythical being said to have
VOLUX, the son of Bocchus, king of Maure- reared Artemis (Schol. ad Callirn. 1. c.), and who is
tania. (Sall. Jug. 101, 105, 107.) [BoccHvs.] mentioned by Virgil as one of the nymphs in her
VONONES, the name of two kings of Parthia. train. (Aen. xi. 532.) The masculine Upis is
[ARSACES XVIII., XXII.] mentioned by Cicero (De Nat. Deer. iii. 23), as the
VOPISCUS, a Roman praenomen, signified a father of Artemis.
twin-child, who was born safe, while the other 3. A Hyperborean maiden, who together with
twin died before birth. (Plin. H. N. vii. 8. s. 10; Arge carried an offering, which had been vowed
Solin, I.; Val. Max. Epit. De Nosninurn Ratione, for the birth of Apollo and Artemis, to Eileithyia,
pp. 878, 879, ed. Torrenius.) Like many other at Delos. (Herod. iv. 35.)
4N2