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

PISO. PISO. 375
orators. He did not, however, prosecute oratory find the letters NVMA), because the Calpurnia
long, partly on account of ill-health, and partly gens claimed descent from Calpus, the son of
because his irritable temper would not submit to Numa [CALPURNIA GENS]; the reverse reprethe rude encounters of the forum. He belonged sents the prow of a ship with the legend MAGN.
to the Peripatetic school in philosophy, in which he (P)RO. COS., i.e. (Ponmpeius) Mignus poroconszl.
received instructions from Staseas. (Cic. Brut. 67, (Eckhel, vol. v. p. 160.)
90, de Or. i. 22, de Nat. Deor. i. 7; Ascon. 1. c.) 22. CN. CALFURNIUS CN. F. CN. N. PISO,
19. M. Piso, perhaps the son of No. 18, was consul B. C. 23, was, in all probability, the son of
praetor, B. C. 44, when he was praised by Cicero No. 21. He belonged to the high aristocratical
on account of his opposition to Antony. (Phil. party, and was naturally of a proud and imperious
iii. 10.) temper. He fought against Caesar in Africa, in
20. CN. CALPURNIUS PISO, was a young noble B. c. 46, and after the death of the dictator, joined
who had dissipated his fortune by his extravagance Brutus and Cassius. He was subsequently parand profligacy, and being a man of a most daring doned, and returned to Rome; but he disdained
and unscrupulous character, attempted to improve to ask Augustus for any of the honours of the
his circumstances by a revolution in the state. He state, and was, without solicitation, raised to the
therefore formed with Catiline, in B. c. 66, a con- consulship in B. c. 23. (Tac. Ann. ii. 43, Bell.
spiracy to murder the new consuls when they en- Afr. 18.) This Cn. Piso appears to be the same
tered upon their office on the 1st of January in as the Cn. Piso spoken of by Valerius Maximus
the following year. The history of this conspiracy, (vi. 2. ~ 4).
and the manner in which it failed, are related 23. CN. CALPURNIUS CN. F. CN. N. PISO, son of
elsewhere. [CATILINA, p. 629, b.] Although no No. 22, inherited all the pride and haughtiness of
doubt was entertained of the existence of the con- his father. He was consul B. c. 7, with Tiberius,
spiracy, still there were not sufficient proofs to the future emperor, and was sent by Augustus as
convict the parties, and they were not therefore legate into Spain, where he made himself hated
brought to trial. It had been arranged by the by his cruelty and avarice. Tiberius after his acconspirators, that after the murder of the consuls, cession was chiefly jealous of Germanicus, his
Piso was to be despatched, with an army, to seize brother's son, whom he had adopted, and who was
the Spains; and the senate, in order to get rid of idolized both by the soldiery and the people. Acthis dangerous agitator, now sent him into Nearer cordingly, when the eastern provinces were asSpain as quaestor, but with the rank and title of signed to Germanicus in A. D. 18, Tiberius chose
propraetor. By his removal the senate hoped to Piso as a fit instrument to thwart the plans and
weaken his faction at Rome, and they gave him check the power of Germanicus, and therefore conan opportunity of acquiring, by the plunder of the ferred upon him the command of Syria. It was
province, the money of which he was so much in believed that the emperor had given him secret inneed. His exactions, however, in the province structions to that effect; and his wife Plancina,
soon made him so hateful to the inhabitants, that who was as proud and haughty as her husband,
he was murdered by them. Some persons, how- was urged on by Livia, the mother of the emperor,
ever, supposed that he was murdered at the insti- to vie with and annoy Agrippina. Piso and Plancina
gationof Pompey, who had possessed great influ- fulfilled their mission most completely; the former
ence in the country ever since the conquest of opposed all the wishes and measures of Germanicus,
Sertorius. Crassus had been in favour of sending and the latter heaped every kind of insult upon
Piso to Spain, that he might, by Piso's means, Agrippina. Germanicus, on his return from Egypt,
persecute the friends of his great enemy and rival, in A. D. 19, found that all his orders had been negPompey; and it was therefore thought that the lected or disobeyed. Hence arose vehement alterlatter had revenged himself, by making away with cations between him and Piso; and when the
the new governor. (Dion Cass. xxxvi. 27; Sall. former fell ill in the autumn of this year, he beCat. 18, 19; Cic. pro Sull. 24, pro Mur. 38; lieved that he had been poisoned by Piso and
Ascon. in Cornel. p. 66, in Tog. Cand. pp. 83, 94.) Plancina. Before his death he had ordered Piso
21. CN. CALPURNIUS PISO, legatus and pro- to quit Syria, and had appointed Cn. Sentius as
quaestor of Pompey in the war against the pirates, his successor. Piso now made an attempt to recommanded a division of the fleet at the Helles- cover his province, but the Roman soldiers refused
pont, B. C. 67. He afterwards followed Pompey to obey him, and Sentius drove him out of the
in the Mithridatic war, and was present at the country. Relying on the protection of Tiberius
surrender of Jerusalem in 63. (Appian, Mithr. 95, Piso now went to Rome (A. D. 20); but he was
who erroneously calls him Publius; Joseph. Ant. received by the people with marks of the utmost
xiv. 4. ~ 2.) The following coin commemorates dislike and horror. Whether Piso had poisoned
the connection of Piso with the war against the Germanicus cannot now be determined; Tacitus
pirates. The obverse contains the legend CN. PISO. candidly admits that there were no proofs of his
PRO. Q., with the head of Numa (on which we having done so; but the popular belief in his guilt
was so strong that Tiberius could not refuse an investigation into the matter, which was conducted
by the senate. As it proceeded the emperor
seemed to have made up his mind to sacrifice his
MAC a tool to the general indignation; but before the investigation came to an end, Piso was found one
morning in his room with his throat cut, and his
sword lying by his side. It was generally supposed that, despairing of the emperor's protection,
he had put an end to his own life: but others beCOIN OF CN. PISO, PROQUAESTOR, B. C. 67. lieved that Tiberius dreaded his revealing his
B B 4