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

496 PONTIUS. PONTIUS.
rminor, was mentioned by Cicero in his work De deliverance, the consuls and the other commranders
Fato. (Macrob. Sat. ii. 12, or Cic. Frag. p. 235, swore, in the name of the republic, to a humiliating
ed. Orelli.) peace. The Roman state however refused to ratify
2. Detected in adultery, and dreadfully pu- the treaty, and sent back the consuls and the other
nished by the husband, P. Cernius. (Val. Max. vi. commanders to Pontius, who, however, refused to
1. ~ 13.) accept them. The name of Pontins does not occur
3. T. PONTIUS, a centurion possessing great again for nearly thirty years, but as Livy rarely
bodily strength, mentioned by Cicero (de Senect. mentions the names of the Samnite generals, it is
10), is perhaps the same as the Pontius of whom not improbable that Pontius may have commanded
Lucilius speaks (ap. Cic. de Fin. i. 3). them on many other occasions. At all events
4. PONTITJS, one of Caesar's soldiers, was taken we find him again at the head of the Saminite
prisoner by Scipio, the father-in-law of Pompey, forces in B. c. 292, in which year he defeated the
buit preferred death rather than deserting his old Roman army under the command of the consul
general. (Val. Max. iii. 8. ~ 7.) Q. Fabius Gurges. This disaster, when nothing
5. PONTIUS, one of the companions of Antony but victory was expected, so greatly exasperated
in his revels. (Cic. Phil. xiii. 2. ~ 3.) the people that Fabius would have been deprived
PO'NTIUS, a deacon of the African Church, of his imperium, had not his father, the celebrated
the tried friend and constant companion of Cyprian, Fabius Maximus, offered to serve as his legate during
drew up a narrative of the life and sufferings of the the remainder of the war. It was in the same year
martyred bishop, which is styled an excellent pro- that the decisive battle was fought, which brought
duction (egregium volumen) by Jerome. If the the war to a conclusion. The Samnites were enpiece extant under the name of Pontius, entitled tirely defeated, and Pontius was taken prisoner.
),e Vita et Passione S. Cypriani, be genuine, it In the triumph of the consul, Pontius was led in
certainly does not merit such high commendation, chains, and afterwards beheaded, an act which
since it is composed in an ambitious declamatory Niebuhr characterises as " the greatest stain in the
style, full of affectation and rhetorical ornaments. Roman annals," and for which the plea of custom
Perhaps the original work may have formed the can be offered as the only palliation. (Liv. ix. 1,
basis of what we now possess, which has probably &c., Epit. xi.; Appian, Sa7an. iv. &c.; Cic. de
been built up into its present form by the labour of Senect. 12, de Off. ii. 21; Niebuhr, Hist. of Rome,
various hands. It will be found attached to all the vol. iii. pp. 215, &c., 397, &c.)
most important editions of Cyprian, and is con- M. PO'NTIUS LAELIA'NUS, consul A. n.
tained also in the Acta Priltoru7tm llartyrumn of 163 with Pastor.
Ruinart, 4to. Paris, 1690, and fol. Amst. 1713. PO'NTIITS LIJPUS, a Roman eques, who
The Acta Pontii are preserved in the 11fiscellanea continued to plead in the courts after he hIad lost
of Baluze, 8vo. Par. 1678, vol. ii. p. 124, and in his sight. (Val. Max. viii. 7. ~ 5.)
the Acta SanclortueL under 8th March, the day PO'NTIUS NIGRI'NUS. [NIaRINUS.]
marked as his festival in the Roman Martyrologies. PO'NTIUS PAULI'NUS. [P.ULINUS, p.
(Hieron. de Viris 11l. 68; SchiJnemann, Bibl. Pa- 114.]
truzm Lat. vol. i. c. iii. ~.6.) [W. R.] PO'NTIUS PILA'TUS, was the sixth procuPO'NTIUS AUFIDIA'NUS, a Roman eques, rator of Judaea, and the successor of Valerills
killed his daughter when she had been guilty of a Gratus. He held the office for ten years in tile
breach of chastity. (Val. Max. vi. I. ~ 3.) reign of Tiberiuss, and it was during his government
PO'NTIUS COMI'NIUS. [COMINIUS.] that Christ taught, suffered, and died. By his tyranPO'NTIUS FREGELLA'NUS, was deprived nical conduct he excited an insurrection atJerusalem,
of his rank as senator, A. D. 36, as one of the and at a later period commotions in Samaria also,
agents of the notorious Albucilla in her adulteries. which were not put down without the loss of life.
(Tac. Aann. vi. 48.) The Samaritans complained of his conduct to
PO'NTIUS, HERE'NNIUS, the father of C. Vitellius, the governor of Syria, who deprived him
Pontius, was an old man living at Caudium, when of his office, and sent him to Rome to answer behis son defeated the Roman army in the neigh- fore the emperor the accusations that were brought
bourhood of that town in B.c. 321. TheSamnites against him. As Pilatus reached Rome shortly
sent to ask his advice how they should avail them- after the death of Tiberius, which took place on
selves of their extraordinary good fortune. The the 15th of March, A. D. 37, he was probably dereply which he gave is related at length by Livy posed in the preceding year A. D. 36, and would
(ix. 1, 3; comp. Appian, Sanm. iv. 3.) It would therefore have entered upon his duties as procuraappear from Cicero (de Select. 12), that there was tor in A. D. 26. Eusebius states that Pilatus put
a tradition which supposed Herennius Pontius and an end to his own life at the commencement of the
Archytas of Tarentum to have been friends; and reign of Caligula, worn out by the many misforNiebuhr supposes that Nearchus had written a tunes he had experienced. (Tac. Ann. xv. 44;
dialogue in which Archytas, the Samnite Pontius, Matthew, xxvii; Mark, xv; Luke, iii. 1, xxiii.;
and Plato, were speakers. (Hist. of Rome, vol. iii. John, xviii. xix.; Joseph. Antiq. xviii. 3. ~ 1, &c.,
note 373.) xviii. 4. ~ i, &c., B. Jud. ii. 9. ~ 2; Euseb. H. E.
C. PO'NTIUS, son of HERE'NNIUS, the ii. 7.) The early Christian writers refer frequently
general of the Samnites in B. c. 321, defeated the to an official report, made by Pilatus to the empeRoman army under the two consuls T. Veturius ror Tiberius, of the condemnation and death of
Calvinus and Sp. Postumius Albinus in one of the Christ. (Just. Mart. Apol. i. pp. 76, 84; Tertull.
mountain passes in the neighbourhood of Caudium. Apol. 5; Euseb. H. E. ii. 2; Oros. vii. 4; ChryThe survivors, wlo were completely at the mercy sost. Homil. tVIl1. i Pasch.) It is not at all improof the Sanlnites, were dismissed unhurt by Pon- bable that such a report was made; but considering,
tius. They had to surrender their arms, and to on the onehand,thefrequencyof forgeriesin the early
pass under the yoke; and as the price of their Christian Church, and on the other, that it was no