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

5(;0 PRUSJIAS. PRUSIAS.
thie surrender of Hannibal, the king basely gave impending contest, and await the result with a
his consent, and the Carthaginian general only view to make his peace with whichever party
escaped falling into the hands of his enemies by a should prove victorious. (Liv. xlii. 12, 29; Appian,
voluntary death. (Polyb. xxiii. 18, xxiv. 1; Liv. iait/hr. 2.) In B. C. 169, however, he ventured to
xxxix. 51; Justin, xxxii. 4; Plut. Flamin. 20; send an embassy to Rome, to interpose his good
Corn. Nep. Hann. 10-12; App. Syr. 11; Eutrop. offices in favour of Perseus, and endeavour to preiv. 5; Oros. iv. 20; Strab. xii. p. 563.) vail upon the senate to grant him a peace upon
This is the last circumstance which call be re- favourable terms. His intervention, however, was
ferred with certainty to the elder Prusias: the haughtily rejected, and fortune having the next
period of his death, and of the accession of his son, year decided in favour of the Romans, Prusias
is not mentioned by any ancient writer, but Mr. sought to avert any offence he might have given
Clinton regards the Prusias mentioned in the by. this ill-judged step, by the most abject and
treaty of B. C. 179, between Eumenes and Phar- sordid flatteries. He received the Roman deputies
naces, as the second king of this name: and this who were sent to his court, in the garb which was
supposition, though not admitting of proof, appears characteristic of an emancipated slave, and styled
at least a very probable one. (Clinton, F. H. vol. ii. himself the freedman of the Roman people: and
p. 417.) In this case we must place his death the following year, B. c. 167, he himself repaired
between 183 and 179 B.C. It was apparently to Rome, where he sought to conciliate the favour
during the latter part of his reign thai Prusias, of the senate by similar acts of slavish adulation.
who had already made himself master of Cierus, By this meanness he disarmed the resentment of
Tieios, and other dependencies of Heracleia, laid the Romans, and obtained a renewal of the league
siege to that city itself; but while pressing the between him and the republic, accompanied even
attack with vigour, he himself received a severe with an extension of territory. (Polyb. xxx. 16;
wound from a stone, which not only compelled Liv. xlv. 44; Diod. xxxi. Exc. Vat. p. 83, Exc.
him for a time to abandon the enterprise, but left Legat. p. 565; Appian. Mithr. 2; Eutrop. iv. 8;
him with a lameness for the remainder of his life. Zonar. ix. 24.)
On this account he is sometimes distinguished by From this time we find Prusias repeatedly sending
the epithet of the Lame (o X oX6.s) (Memnon. embassies to Rome to prefer complaints against Euc. 27, ed. Orell.) menes, which, however, led to no results (Polyb.
Prusias appears to have been a monarch of vi- xxxi. 6, 9, xxxii. 3, 5), until, at length, in a. c.
gour and ability, and raised his kingdom of Bithy- 156, after the death of Eumenes, the disputes benia to a much higher pitch of power and pros- tween his successor Attalus and the Bithynian
perity than it had previously attained. Like many king broke out into open hostilities. In these
of his contemporary princes, he sought distinction Prusias was at first successful, defeated Attalus
by the foundation or new settlement of cities, in a great battle, and compelled him to take refuge
among the most conspicuous of which were Cius in Pergamus, to which he laid siege, but without
and Myrleia on the Propontis, which he repeopled effect. Meanwhile, Attalus had sent to Rome to
and restored after their ruin by Philip, bestowing complain of the aggression of the Bithynian king,
on the one his own name, while he called the other and an embassy was sent by the senate, to order
after his wife, Apameia. In addition to this, he Prusias to desist: but he treated this command
gave the name of Prusias also to the small city of with contempt, and attacking Attalus a second
Cierus, which he had wrested from the Heraclei- time, again drove him within the walls of Pergaans. (Strab. xii. p. 563; Steph. Byz. s. v. Hpoo-a mus. But the following year the arms of Attalus
and'A7rdl.aeta, Memnon. c. 41,47.) The foundation were more successful, and a fresh embassy from
of Prusa, at the foot of Mount Olympus, is also the senate at length compelled Prusias to make
ascribed to him by some authors. (Plin. v. 43. See peace, B. c. 154. (Polyb. xxxii. 25, 26, xxxiii. i,
on this point Droysen, Hellenism. vol. ii. p. 655.) 10, 11; Appian. Mithr. 3; Diod. xxxi. Exc. Vales.
Before the close of his reign, however, his power p. 589.) Meanwhile, the Bithynian monarch had
received a severe blow by the loss of the Helle- alienated the minds of his subjects by his vices
spontine Phrygia, which he was compelled to cede and cruelties, and his son Nicomedes had become
to the kings of Pergamus; probabiy by the treaty the object of the popular favour and admiration.
which terminated the war already alluded to. This aroused the jealousy and suspicion of the old
(Strab. 1. c.) [E. H. B.] king, who, in order to remove his son from the
PRU'SIAS II. (Ilpouvfas), king of Bithynia, eyes of his countrymen, sent him to Rome: and
was the son and successor of the preceding. No subsequently, as his apprehensions still increased,
mention is found in any extant author of the pe- gave secret instructions to his ambassador Menas
riod of his accession, and we only know that it to remove the young prince by assassination. Memust have been subsequent to B. c. 183, as Strabo nas, however, finding how high Nicomedes stood in
distinctly tells us (xii. p. 563), that the Prusias the favour of the Roman senate, attached himself
who received Hannibal at his court, was the son to the cause of the prince, and united with Androof Zielas. In B. c. 179, we find the name of nicus the ambassador of Attalus in an attempt to
Prusias associated with Eumenes in the treaty establish Nicomedes on the throne of Bithynia.
concluded by that monarch with Pharnaces, king Prusias was unable to make head against the disof Pontus (Polyb. xxvi. 6), and this is supposed affection of his own subjects, supported by the
by Clinton to be the younger Prusias. It is cer- arms of Attalus, and after an ineffectual appeal to
tain, at least, that he was already on the throne the intervention of the Romans, who secretly fitbefore the breaking out of the war between the voured Nicomedes, shut himself up within the
Romans and Perseus, B. C. 171. Prusias had walls of Nicomedia. The gates were, however,
previously sued for and obtained in marriage a opened by the inhabitants, and Prusias himselh
sister of the Macedonian king, but notwithstanding was slain in a temple, to which he had fled for
this alliance he determined to keep aloof from the refuge. His death took place in B. c. 149. (Ap