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

212 PERTINAX. PETILLIA.
up a host of enemies by openly announcing his Pertinax made his apologetic harangue, that Laetus
designs before his power was firmly consolidated, took advantage of this commotion to put to death
thus exciting the bitter hatred of the retainers of a great multitude of the soldiers as if by the orders
the court and of the praetorians. So early as the of Pertinax; that this circumstance filled the
5th of January, the troops looking back with regret praetorians with rage and terror, and led to the
on the ease and licence they had enjoyed under catastrophe.) [W. R.]
Commodus, and looking forward with disgust and PESCE'NNIUS, a friend of Cicero's in his
apprehension to the threatened rigour of their new exile. (Cic. ad Fanm. xiv. 4.)
ruler, endeavoured, with the connivance, says Dion PESCE'NNIUS FESTUS. [FESTUS.]
(lxxiii. 8), of Laetus to force the supreme power PESCE'NNIUS NIGER. [NIGER.]
upon a senator of high birth, Triarius Maternus PESSINU'NTIA (IIEo-owvovsrta or rlEa-o'.
Lascivius by name. Escaping with difficulty from eovsrfs), a surname of Cybele, which she derived
their hands, he hastened to apprise Pertinax of his from the town of Pessinus, in Galatia. (Cic. De
danger, who, influenced by fear, promised to con- Ilarusp. Resp. 13; Liv. xxix. 10; Strab. xii.
firm all the promises made to the army by his p. 567; Herodian, i. 11.) [L. S.]
predecessor, and thus for a time appeased their PE'TEOS (HeretsS), a son of Orneus, and father
wrath. Soon after, during his temporary absence of Menestheus, was expelled from Athens by
from Rome, another conspiracy was organised in Aegeus, and is said to have gone to Phocis, where
favour of Falco [FALCO], perhaps without the he founded the town of Stiris. (Hom. II. ii. 552,
consent of the latter, but this also was suppressed, iv. 338; Apollod. iii. 10. ~ 8; Pans. ii. 25. ~ 5,
and many soldiers were put to death upon the x. 35. ~ 5; Plut. Thes. 32.) [L. S.]
testimony of a slave. At length Laetus, by whose PE'TICUS, C. SULPI'CIUS, a distinguished
instrumentality Pertinax had been chosen emperor, patrician in the times immediately following the
resenting some rebuke, openly joined the ranks enactment of the Licinian laws. He was censor
of the disaffected. By his contrivance two hundred B. C. 366, the year in which a plebeian consul was
of the praetorians marched in a body to the palace first elected; and two years afterwards, B. c. 364,
and forced their way into the interior. Pertinax, he was consul with C. Licinius Calvus Stolo, the
instead of endeavouring to resist or to escape, proposer of the celebrated Licinian laws. In this
which would have been easy, thought to overawe year a fearful pestilence visited the city, which
the rebels by appearing in person, and imagined occasioned the establishment of ludi scenici for the
that he could persuade them by argument to forego first time. In B. c. 362 he served as legate in the
their purpose. He therefore came forth and com- army of the plebeian consul, L. Genucius, and after
menced a solemn address in justification of his the fall of the latter in battle, he repulsed the
policyl. At first the men shrunk back with shame, Hernici in an attack which they made upon the
cast down their eyes and sheathed their swords, Roman camp. In the following year, B. c. 361,
but one ferocious barbarian, a Tungrian, rushing Peticus was consul a second time with his former
forwards transfixed the royal orator with his colleague Licinius: both consuls marched against
weapon, upon which the rest, animated with like the Hernici and took the city of Ferentinum, and
fury, despatched him with many wounds, and Peticus obtained the honour of a triumph on his
cutting off his head stuck it in triumph upon a return to Rome. IIn B. C. 358, Peticus was apspear. Eclectus the chamberlain alone stood man- pointed dictator in consequence of the Gauls having
fully by his master to the last, wounded many of penetrated through the Praenestine territory as far
the assailants, and was himself murdered upon the as Pedum. The dictator established himself in a
spot. The rest of the attendants took to flight at fortified camp, but in consequence of the murmurs
the beginning of the affray and escaped in all of the soldiers, who were impatient at this inacdirections. tivity, he at length led them to battle against the
Such was the end of Pertinax on the 28th of Gauls, whom he eventually conquered, but not
March, A. D. 193, in the 67th year of his age, after without difficulty. He obtained a triumph in
a reign of two months and twenty-seven days. consequence of this victory, and dedicated in the
He was a man of venerable aspect, with long beard Capitol a considerable quantity of gold, which was
and curling locks, of commanding figure, although part of the spoils. In B. C. 355 he was one of the
somewhat corpulent and troubled with lameness. interreges for holding the elections, and in the
He expressed himself without difficulty, and was same year was elected consul a third time with a
mild and winning in his address, but was believed patrician colleague, M. Valerius Poplicola, in vioto be deficient in sincerity and genuine warmth of lation of the Licinian law. In B. c. 353 he was
heart. (Dion Cass. lxxi. 3-19, lxxii. 4-9,'lxxiii. consul a fourth time with the same colleague as in
1-10; Herodian. ii. 1. ~ 6-12, ii. 2. ~ 17, his last consulship. In B. C. 351 he was interrex,
9. ~ 12; Aur. Vict. Epit. xviii. Dion Cassius and in the same year obtained the consulship for
says nothing of the attempt to place Maternus the fifth time with T. Quinctius Pennus Capitoupon the throne. He speaks of the conspiracy of linus. (Liv. vii. 2, 7, 9, 12-15, 17-19, 22.)
Falco as the first; states that upon this occasion PETI'LLIA or PETI'LIA GENS, plebeian.
This name is frequently confounded with that of
Poetelius, as for instance by Glandorp in his Ozom asticon. The Petiliii are first mentioned at the
beginning of the second century B. C., and the first
ioft an 4 r 4., R member of the gens, who obtained the consulship,
was Q. Petillius Spurinus, B. C. 176. Under the
republic the only cognomens of the Petillii are
those of CAPlTOLINUS and SPURINUS: a few
persons, who are mentioned without a surname,
COIN OF PERTINA X are given below. On coins Capitolinus is the only