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

POTITUS. PRAETEXTATUS. 515
enactment of the celebrated Valeriae et JHoratiae in the Capitoline Fasti, as L. F. L. N., and conseLeyes, which secured the liberties of the plebs, and quently a son of No. 4, was consular tribune six
gave them additional power in the state. 1. The times, namely, in B. C. 386, 384, 380, 377, 370,
first law is said to have made a plebiscitum binding and 367. (Liv. vi. 6, 18, 27, 32, 36, 42.)
on the whole people, but Niebuhr supposes that 6. C. VALERIUS POT1TUS, a son of No. 3, judgthe sanction of the senate and the confirmation of ing from his praenomen, was consular tribune, B.C.
the curiae were necessary to give a plebiscitum the 370. (Liv. vi. 36.)
full force of a lex. [Comp. PHILO, p. 298, a.] 7. C. VALERIUS POTITUS FLACCUS, probably
2. The second law enacted that whoever should son or grandson of No. 6, was consul B. c. 331,
procure the election of a magistrate without appeal with M. Claudius Marcellus. Livy says, that in
should be outlawed, and might be killed by any some annals Valerius appeared with the cognomen
one with impunity. 3. The third law declared of Potitus, and in others with that of Flaccus (Liv.
that, whoever harmed the tribunes of the plebs, viii. 18). Orosius, who mentions Valerius (iii.
the aediles, the judices, or the decemvirs, should 10), calls him simply Valerius Flaccus, without
be outlawed and accursed. It is doubtful who are the cognomen of Potitus. It is probable that he
meant by the judices and decemvirs: various conjec- was the first of the family who assumed the surtures have been made on the point by modern writers name of Flaccus, and that his descendants dropped
(Niebuhr, Hist. of Rome, vol. ii. p. 368; Arnold, the name of Potitus. If this supposition is correct,
Hist. of Rome, vol. i. p. 319). After the enact- the Flacci, who became afterwards a distinguished
ment of these laws, the consuls proceeded to march family of the Valeria gens, would be sprung from
against the foreign enemies of the state. The this Valerius Potitus. [FLACCUS, VALERIUS.]
people flocked to the standards of the popular con- 8. L. VALERIUS POTITUS, probably a brother
suls, and fought with enthusiasm under their orders. of No. 7, was magister equitum in B. C. 331, to the
They accordingly met with great success; Valerius dictator Cn. Quintilius Varus. (Liv. viii. 1 8.)
defeated the Aequi and the Volsci, Horatius the 9. M. VALERIUS MAXIMUS POTITUS, consull
Sabines, and both armies returned to Rome covered B. C. 286. [MAXIMvs, VALERIUS, No. 6.]
with glory. The senate, however, refused to grant POTO'NE. [PERICTIONE.]
a triumph to these traitors to their order; where- PRACHIAS, artist. [PRAXIAS.]
upon the centuries conferred upon them this honour PRAECI'LIUS, the name of a father and a
by their supreme authority, regardless of the oppo- son, whom Cicero recommended to Caesar in B. C.
sition of the senate. (Liv. iii. 39-41, 49-55, 61 45. (Cic. ad Fans. xiii.)
-64; Dionys. xi. 4, &c. 45, &c.; Cic. de Rep. ii. PRAECONI'NUS, L. VALE'RIUS, a legatus
31, Brut. 14; Niebuhr, Hist. of Rome, vol. ii. pp. who was defeated and killed by the Aquitani a
345-376.) In B. C. 446 Valerius was chosen by year before Caesar's legatus, P. Crassus, made war
the centuries one of the quaestores parricidii (Tac. upon this people, B. C. 56 (Caesar, B. G. iii. 20).
Ann. xi. 22; respecting the statement in Tacitus, This defeat of Praeconinus is not mentioned by
see Dict. of Antiq. s. v. Quaestor). any other writer, and we know nothing of him or
3. C. VALERIUS POTITUS VOLUSUS, described of the history of the war.
in the Capitoline Fasti as L. F. VOLU.SI N., was PRAENESTI'NA, a surname of the Roman
consular tribune B. C. 415 (Liv. iv. 49), and consul Fortuna, who had a temple and oracle at Praeneste.
with M'. Aemilius Mamercinus, B. C. 410. In his (Ov. Fast. vi. 62; Suet. Domit. 15; comp. FORconsulship he distinguished himself by his opposition TUNA.) [L. S.]
to the agrarian law of the tribune M. Maenius; and PRAESENS, BRU'TTIUS, to whom one of
he recovered the Arx Carventana, which had been Pliny's letters is addressed (Ep. vii. 3.), was protaken by the Volsci, in consequence of which he bably the father of the following Praesens.
entered the city in an ovation. He was consular PRAESENS, BRU'TTIUS, the father of
tribune a second time in B. C. 407, and a third time Crispina, wife of the emperor Commodus. He is
in B. C. 404. (Liv. iv. 57, 61.) generally supposed to be the C. Bruttius Praesens
4. L. VALERIUS POTITUS, described in the Ca- who appears in the Fasti as consul for A. D. 153, and
pitoline Fasti as L. F. P. N., consular tribune five again for A. D. 180. There is also a C. Bruttius
times, namely in B. C. 414, 406, 403, 401, 398 Praesens marked as having been consul for the
(Liv. iv. 49, 58, v. 1, 10, 14). He-was also twice second time in A. D. 139, and another as consul in
consul; first in B.C. 393, with P. Cornelius Malu- A. D. 217. (Capitolin. M. A4urel. 27; Lamprid.
ginensis Cossus, in which year both consuls had Comrnod. 12; Censorin. 21.) [W. R.]
to resign, through some fault in the auspices (vitio PRAETEXTA'TUS, C. ASI'NIUS, consul
facti), and L. Lucretius Flavus Tricipitinus and A. D. 242, with C. Vettius Atticus. (Fasti; CaSer. Sulpicius Camerinus were chosen in their pitol. Gord. 26.)
stead; and a second time in the following year, PRAETEXTATUS, ATEIUS. [ATEIUS.]
B. C. 392, with M. Manlius, in which year both PRAETEXTA'TUS, SULPI'CIUS. 1. Q.
the consuls celebrated the great games, which had SmrLPICIUS PRAETEXTATUS consular tribune, B. C.
been vowed by the dictator M. Furius, and also 434. There was considerable difference in the
carried on war against the Aequi. In consequence annalists respecting the supreme magistrates for
of their success in this war, Valerius obtained the this year; we learn from Livy that Valerius Antias
honour of a triumph, and Manlius of an ovation and Q. Tubero made Q. Sulpicius one of the consuls
(Liv. v. 31; Dionys. i. 74). In the same year for the year. (Liv. iv. 23; Diod. xii. 53.)
Valerius was the third interrex appointed for hold- 2. SER. SULPICIUS PRAETEXTATUS, four times
ing the comitia (Liv. v. 31), and in B.C. 390, the consular tribune, namely in B. C. 377, 376, 370,
year in which Rome was taken by the Gauls, he was 368. He married the elder daughter of M. Fabius
magister equitum to the dictator M. Furius Camillus. Ambustus; and it is said that the younger daugh(Liv. v. 48.) ter of Fabius, who was married to Licinius Stolo,
5. P. VALERITJS POTITUS PuBLICOLA,described urged on her husband to procure the consulship for
LL 2