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

202 PERPERNA. PERPERNA.
netes, that is, Club-bearer, and- was a robber at B. c. 129. (Liv. Edpit. 59; Justin. xxxvi. 4; Veil.
Epidaurus, who slew the travellers he met with an Pat. ii. 4; Flor. ii. 20; Oros. v. 10.) [ARIs
iron club. Theseus at last slew him and took his TONICUS, No. 2.] It was the above-mentioned
club for his own use. (Apollod. iii. 16. ~ 1; Plut. Perperna who granted the right of asylum to the
Thes. 8; Paus ii. 1. ~ 4; Ov. IlIet. vii. 437.) temple of Diana in the town of Hierocaesareia ill
2. A soil of Copreus of Mycenae, was slain at Lydia. (Tac. Annl. iii. 62.)
Troy by Hector. (Horn. I. xv. 638.) 3. M. PERPERNA, son of No. 2, consul B. c. 92
3. A Trojan, who was slain by Teucer. (Hom. with C. Claudius Pulcher, and censor B. c. 86 with
/I. xiv. 515.) [L. S.] L. Marcius Philippus. Perperna is mentioned by
PERO (li7pw'). 1. The mother of the river- the ancient writers as an extraordinary instance of
god Asopus by Poseidon. (Apollod. iii. 12. ~ 6.) longevity. He attained the great age of ninety2. A daughter of Neleus and Chloris, was eight years, and died in B. c. 49, the year inwhich
married to Bias, and celebrated for her beauty. the civil war broke out between Caesar and Pom(Hom. Od. xi. 286; Apollod. i. 9. ~ 9; Paus. pey. He outlived all the senators who belonged
x. 31. ~ 2.) [L. S.] to that body in his consulship, and at the time of
PEROLLA. [CALAVIUS.] his death there were only seven persons surviving,
PERPERNA, or PERPENNA, the name of a whom he had enrolled in the senate during his ceiiRoman gens. We may infer from the termination sorship. (Plin. H. NA vii. 48; Val. Max. viii. 13.
of the word, that the Perpernae were of Etruscan ~ 4; Dion Cass. xli. 14; the last writer gives
origin, like the CAECINAE and SPURINNAE. The the details a little differently.) Perperna took no
Perpernae are first mentioned in the latter half of the prominent part in the agitated times in which lie
second century B. C., and the first member of the lived. In the Social or Marsic war, B. C. 90, lie
gens, who obtained the consulship, was M. Per- was one of the legates, who served under the
perna in B.c. 130. There is considerable doubt consul P. Rutilius Lupus. (Appian, B. C. i. 40.)
as to the orthography of the name, since both It was probably the same M. Perperna who was
Perperna and Pepenna occur in the best manu- judex in the case of C. Aculeo (Cic. de Orat. ii.
scripts; but as we find Perperna in the Fasti 65), and also in that of Q. Roscius, for whom
Capitolini, this appears to be the preferable form. Cicero pleaded (pro Rose. Cow. 1, 8). In B. C.
(Comp. Graevius and Garaton. ad Cic. pro Rose. 54, M. Perperna is mentioned as one of the conCors. 1; Duker, ad Flor. ii. 20; Drakenborch, ad sulars who bore testimony on behalf of M. Scaurus
Liv. xliv. 27.) There are no coins now extant to at the trial of the latter. (Ascon. itn Scaur. p. 28,
determine the question of the orthography, al- ed. Orelli.) The censorship of Perperna is menthough in the time of Fronto there were coins tioned by Cicero (Verr. i. 55), and Cornelius Nepos
bearing this naime. (Fronto, p. 249, ed. Rom.) speaks of him (Cat. I ) as ceiisorius.
1. M. PERPERNA, was sent as an ambassador 4. IM. PERPERNA VENTO, son of No. 3, joined
in B. C. 160 with L. Petillitis to the Illyrian king the Marian party in the civil war, and was raised
Gentiuis, who threw them into prison, where they to the praetorship (Perperna praeto.ius, Vell. Pat.
remained till the conquest of Gentins shortly after ii. 30), though in what year is uncertain. After
by the praetor Anicius. Perperna was thereupon Sulla had completely conquered the Marian party
sent to Rome by Anicius to convey the news of in Italy in B. C. 82, Perperna fled to Sicily with
the victory. (Liv. xliv. 27, 32; Appian, Mac. some troops; but upon the arrival of Pompey
xvi. 1.) shortly afterwards, who had been sent thither by
2. M. PERPERNA, consul ill B. C. 130, is said Sulla, Perperna evacuated the island. On the
to have been a consul before he was a citizen; for death of Sulla in B. C. 78, Perperna joined the
Valerius Maximus relates (iii. 3. ~ 5), that the consul M. Aemilius Lepidus in his attempt to
father of this Perperna was condemned under the overthrow the new aristocratical constitution, and
Papia lex after the death of his son, because he retired with him to Sardinia on the failure of this
had falsely usurped the rights of a Roman citizen.* attempt. Lepidus died in Sardinia in the following
M. Perperna was praetor in B.C. 135, in which year, B. c. 77, and Perperna with the remains of
year he had the conduct of the war against the his army crossed over to Spain, where the amiable
slaves in Sicily, and in consequence of the ad- disposition and brilliant genius of Sertorius had
vantages which he obtained over them received the gained the love of the inhabitants of the country,
honour of an ovation on his return to Rome. (Flor. and had for some time defied all the efforts of Q.
iii. 19; Fasti Capit.) He was consul in B. C. Metellus Pius, who had been sent against him
130 with C. Claudius Pulcher Lentulus, and was with a large army by the ruling party at Rome.
sent into Asia against Aristonicus, who had de- Perperna, however, was not disposed to place himfeated one of the consuls of the previous year, self under the command of Sertorius. He had
P. Licinius Crassus. Perperna, however, soon brought with him considerable forces and large
brought the war to a close. He defeated Aristoni- treasures; he was proud of his noble family, being
cus in the first engagement, and followed up his both the son and grandson of a consul; and
victory by laying siege to Stratoniceia, whither although his abilities were mean, he thought that
Aristonicus had fled. The town was compelled by the chief command ought to devolve upon him, and
famine to surrender, and the king accordingly fell therefore resolved to carry on the war on his own
into the consul's hands. Perperna did not how- account against Metellus. But his troops, who well
ever live to enjoy the triumph, which he would knew on which commander they could place most
undoubtedly have obtained, but died in the neigh- reliance, compelled him to join Sertorius, as soon as
bourhoood of Pergamum on his return to Rome in they heard that Pompey was crossing the Alps in
order to prosecute the war in conjunction with Metellus. For the next five years Perperna served
i As to this Papia lex, the date of which has under Sertorius, and was more thani once defeated.
given rise to some dispute, see PAPIUS. [For details, see SERTORIUS.] But although