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

PRUSIAS. PRUSIAS. 5r59
quoted at the beginning of this article is quite PRUISIAS I. (Ipovtlas), king of Bithynia,
incomprehensible. If he intended simply to affirm was the son of Zielas, whom he succeeded on the
that Prudentius stands first among Christian ver- throne, and grandson of NICOMEnDES I. The date
sifiers, we may perhaps, though not without hesi- of his accession is unknown, but it appears that it
tation, acquiesce in the decision, but the expression preceded the death of Antiochus Hierax, and may
seems to imply high positive praise; and to this it therefore be placed at least as early as B. c. 228.
is impossible to subscribe. His Latinity is not (Trog. Pomp. Prol. xxvii.; Clinton, F. H. vol.
formed, like that of Juvencus and Victorinus, upon iii. pp. 413, 41 4; Niebuhr, Kl. Schrift. p. 287.)
the best ancient models, but is confessedly impure, The first event of his reign, which is recorded to us,
abounding both in words altogether barbarous, and is a war with the Byzantines, in which we find
in classical words employed in a barbarous sense, him engaging in B. c. 220, in conjunction with the
with here and there obsolete forms from Lucretius Rhodians. The latter were at first supported by
and the comedians, affectedly interspersed; he is Attalus, king of Pergamus, as well as by Achaeus,
totally ignorant or regardless of the common laws who had lately assumed the sovereignty of Asia
of prosody; the very nature of his theme in the Minor, and they endeavoured also to set up
Apotheosis and Hamartigenia, which are in fact Tiboetes, the uncle of Prusias, as a competitor for
treatises on the most abstruse questions of dog- the throne of Bithynia. Their efforts were, howmatic and controversial theology, presents a com- ever, unsuccessful: Prusias conquered all the posplete barrier to creative efforts or to a play of sessions of the Byzantines in Asia, while the
fancy; and those effusions which afforded more Thracians pressed them closely on the European
latitude for a display of poetical talent are in no side, and they were soon compelled to submit to a
way remarkable. The hymns are not, as they peace on disadvantageous terms. (Polyb. iv. 47ought to be, songs of praise and prayer and 52.) Shortly after this, in B. c. 217, Prusias is
thanksgiving, but are didactic essays, loaded with mentioned among the princes who sent costly premoral precepts and doctrinal subtleties, while the sents to the Rhodians after the great calamity they
sufferings of the martyrs, which form the subject had suffered by an earthquake: and the following
of the Peristephanon, are for the most part detailed year (216) he obtained great distinction by defeatwith heavy spiritless prolixity. His powers appear ing and cutting to pieces a formidable army of
to greater advantage in the books against Symma- Gauls, who had been invited into Asia by Attainus,
chus than in any other portion of his works, and and had become the terror of the adjoining counthe dirge "' In Exsequiis defunctorum" (Cathem. tries. (Id. v. 90, 111.) On the breaking out of
x.) is perhaps the best specnimen of his lyric style. the war between the Romans and Philip, king of
The earliest edition of Prudentius bearing a Macedon, Prusias lent his assistance to the latter;
date is that printed at Deventer in 1472, and and besides supplying him with an auxiliary squathis is generally accounted the Princeps. By far dron of ships, rendered him a more important serthe most complete and splendid is that of Faus- vice by invading the territories of his own neightinus Arevalus, 2 vols. 4to. Rom. 1788 and 1789, bour and rival Attalus, whom he thus recalled
but for all ordinary purposes that of Obbarius from Greece to the defence of his own kingdom,
(8vo. Tubing. 1845), whose Prolegomena embrace B. c. 207. (Liv. xxvii. 30, xxviii. 7.) The name
a large amount of information condensed into a of the Bithynian monarch was, in consequence,
small compass, will be found satisfactory. The included in the treaty of peace between Philip and
edition of Weitzius (8vo. Hann. 1613) contains a the Romans in B. c. 2b5 (Liv. xxix. 12), and we
complete collection of the earlier commentaries, subsequently find the two kings uniting their
and those of Chamillard, 4to. Paris, 1687 (in forces to besiege Cius in Bithynia, which, after it
usum Delph.), of Cellarius, 8vo. Hal. 1703, 1739, had fallen into their hands, was sacked by order
and of Teolius (2 vols. 4to. Parm. 1788), are of Philip, the inhabitants sold as slaves, and the
considered valuable. These poems will be found city itself given up to Prusias. (Polyb. xv. 21,
also in the Bibliotheca Patruml Max. fol. Lug. xvii. 5; Liv. xxxii. 34; Strab. xii. p. 563.)
Bat. 1677, vol. v. p. 990, and in the collections of It does not appear that the latter, though he
Fabricius and Maittaire. (Gennad. de Viris Ill. was connected by marriage with the Macedonian
13; J. P. Ludwig, Disscrt. de Vita A. Pruadentii, king, took any part in the decisive struggle of
Viteb. 4to. 1642; J. Le Clerque, Vie de IPrudence, Philip with the Roman power (B. c. 200-196):
Amst. 1689; H. Middeldorpf, Comment. de Pru- but in B. c. 190, when Antiochus was, in his turn,
decntio et T'/leoloyia Prudentiana, pt. i. 4to. Vratisl. preparing to contend with the republic, he made
1823, pt. ii. 4to. Vratisl. 1827.) [W. R.] repeated attempts to obtain the alliance of Prusias,
PRU'SIAS (Ilpovoitas). 1. From a passage of who was at first disposed to listen to his overtures,
Strabo (xii. p. 564) it would appear that there was but yielded to the arguments of the two Scipios,
a Prusias, king of Bithynia, as early as the time and concluded ain alliance with Rome, though he
of Croesus, who was the founder of the city of appears to have, in fact, taken no part il the war
Prusa, at the foot of Mount Olympus, but the that followed. (Polyb. xxi. 9; Liv. xxxvii. 25;
reading, though confirmed by Stephanus Byzan- Appian. Syr. 23.) After the termination of that
tinus (s. v. Hlpoevia) is probably corrupt. (bee war, however, Prusias became involved. in hostiGroskurd, ad Strab. 1. c.; Forbiger, Hand. d. ait. lities with Eumenes, king of Pergamus, by which
Geogr. p. 386; Droysen, Hellenism. vol. ii. p. 655.) he gave umbrage to the Romans, and he soon
2. A son of Prusias II., surnamed Movo'ouvs, after greatly increased this offence by affording a
because all the teeth in his upper jaw were united shelter to their implacable enemy, the fugitive
into one solid mass. He probably died early, as Hannibal. The exiled general rendered important
nothing more is known of him. (Liv. Epit. 1.; services to the king in his contest with Eumenes,
Val. Max. i. 8. ext. 12; Plin. H. N. vii. 16; but, notwithstanding these obligations, Prusias was
Tzetz. Chil. iii. 953, has confounded hini with his unwilling to brave the anger of Rome, and when
vlimer.) [E. II. B.] Flamininus was deputed by the senate to demand