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

PRIJDENTIUS. PRUDENTIUS. /h57
Eg;ypt, and is now in the Museum at Turin. The military appointment at court, which placed him
inscription is:- in a station next to that of the prince, and that as
rIPCoTTTOC TEXNH he advanced in years, he became deeply sensible
EPrACTHPIAPXOT of the emptiness of worldly honour, and earnest in
his devotion to the exercises of religion. Of his
that is, " the work of Protys, the chief of the career after A. D. 405, or of the epoch of his death,
artists' workshop." (R. Rochette, Lettre a M. we know nothing, for the praises of Stilicho, who
JSctorn, pp. 394, 395.) [P. S.] suffered the penalty of his treason in 413, indicate
PRO'XENUS (HIpAoevos). 1. A native of that the piece in which they appear (C. Syzm. ii.)
Boeotia (according to Diod. xiv. 19, of Thebes). must have been published before that date, but
He was a disciple of Gorgias, and a friend of can lead to no inference with regard to the decease
Xenophon. Being connected by the ties of hospi- of the author.
tality with the younger Cyrus, the latter engaged The above notices are expressed with so much
him in his service. He came to Sardes at the brevity, and in terms so indefinite, that a wide
head of 1500 heavy armed, and 500 light armed field has been thrown open to critics for the exersoldiers. (Xen. Anab. i. 1. ~ 11, 2. ~ 3.) It was cise of ingenious learning in expanding and interat his invitation that Xenophon was induced to preting them. Every thing, however, beyond
enter the service of Cyrus (iii. 1. ~~ 4, 8). He what we have stated, rests upon conjecture. We
was one of the four ill-fated generals whom Clear- may, indeed, safely conclude that Prudentius was
chus persuaded to accompany him to Tissaphernes. a Spaniard (see especially Pesisteph. vi. 146); but
He was seized with the rest, and taken to the the assertions with regard to the place of his birth,
king of Persia, and afterwards put to-death (ii. 5. rest upon no sure foundation; for although he
~ 31, &c. 6. ~ 1). Xenophon speaks of him as a speaks of the inhabitants of Saragossa (Peristepli.
man whose ambition was under the influence of iv. 1. comp. 97.) as " nosier populus," he uses
strict probity, and who was especially anxious to elsewhere the self-same phrase with regard to
secure the affections of his soldiers, so that while Rome (C. Symro. i. 192, comp. 36), and applies
the well-disposed readily obeyed him, he failed to the same epithet to Calahorra (Peristeph. i. 116,
inspire the rest with a wholesome fear of his au- iv. 31), and to Tarragona (Peristeph; vi. 143). In
thority (ii. 6. ~ 17, &c.). He was 30 years of age like manner the attempts to ascertain the towns in
at the time of his death (a. c. 401). For other which he discharged his judicial functions, and to
occasions on which he is mentioned by Xenophon, determine the nature of the dignity to which he was
see Anab. i. 5. ~ 14, ii. 1. ~ 10, v. 3. ~ 5. (Comp. eventually elevated, have proved entirely abortive.
Diog. La'rt. ii. 49.) With regard to the latter, Gennadius concludes that
2. A brother of Hermocrates of Syracuse. (Xen. he was what was called a Palatinus miles, i. e. an!,ellen. i. 3. ~ 13.) officer of the household (Cod. Theod. 6. tit. 37),
3. One of the Tegeates, who was selected to and certainly it is highly improbable that he ever
join in founding Megalopolis. (Pans. viii. 27. ~ 2; was employed in active service; others imagine
Xen. -lellen. vi. 5. ~ 6.) [C. P. M.] that he was consul, or praefect of the city - or or
PRO'XENUS (riprevos), literary. 1. Two the praetorium-or that he was raised to the rank
persons of this name, one of Posidonia, and the of patrician - opinions unsupported by even planother of Sybaris, are mentioned among the followers sible arguments, and therefore not worth confutillg.
of Pythagoras by Iamblichus (Vit. Pyth. cap. ult.). The extant poems of Prudentius, of which we
2. A person mentioned in Aristotle's will. (Diog. now proceed to give a list, are composed in a great
Laert. v. 15.) From the directions given regard- variety of metres, and these we shall describe as
irlg his likeness, it is probable that he enjoyed the we go along.
Intimate friendship of the philosopher. [W.M.G.] I. Praefatio, containing, as we have already
PRO'XIMUS, STA'TIUS, a tribune of the remarked, an autobiography and a catalogue of the
Draetorian cohorts, joined the conspiracy of Piso author's works. It extends to forty-five verses, and
against Nero. He was pardoned by the emperor, is composed in a stanza which would be termed
but put an end to his own life, through the foolish technically Tricolon Tristropshon, the first line being
vanity of obtaining renown by dying when he a Choriambic Dimeter, the second a Choriambic
might have lived. (Tac. Ann. xv. 50, 71.) Trimeter, the third a Choriambic Tetrameter, all
PRUDE'NTIUS, AURE'LIUS CLEMENS. acatalectic, and all formed upon the Horatian
Our acquaintance with the personal history of model.
Prudentius, whom Bentley has designated as "the II. Cathemerinon (i. e. KacOm/spivnv TiPrcv) Liber.
Horace and Virgil of the Christians," is derived A series of twelve hymns proper to be repeated or
exclusively from a short autobiography in verse, sung by the devout Christian; the first six at
written when the poet was fifty-seven years old, particular periods during each day; the remainder,
and serving as an introduction to his works, of with one exception, adapted to special occasions:which it contains a, catalogue. From this we 1. Ad Gallicantum, 100 lines, Iambic Dim. Acat.
gather that he was born during the reign of Con- 2. JHysznas 11/atutinus, 112 lines, same metre as
stantius II. and Constans, in the consulship of Phi. the preceding. 3. Hymnus ante cibum, 205 lines,
lippus and Salia, A. D. 348; that after acquiring, Pure Dactylic Trim. Hypercat. 4. Hymnus post
when a boy, the rudiments of liberal education, he cibum, 102 lines, Phalaecian Hendecasyllabic. 5.
fiequented, as a youth, the schools of the rheto- Hymnus ad incensume lucernae, 164 lines, Choriamticians, indulging freely in dissipated pleasures; bic Trim. Acat. 6. IHymnus ante somnumo, 152
that having attained to manhood, he practised as lines, Iambic Dim. Cat. 7. fymnnus jejrna ntiuzn,
a forensic pleader;that he subsequently discharged 220 lines, Iambic Trim. Acat. 8. HPymlnus post
the duties of a civil and criminal judge in two jejunizmn, 90 lines, Sapphic Stanza. 9. tflynsaus
important cities; that he received from the emr- onri hora, 114 lines, Trochaic Tetram. Cat. 10.
peror (Th'eodosius, probably, or I-onorius), a high Hry,lrzus inz exseqoziis d(efictolsrull, 172 lines, Ana,