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

SARUS. SASERNA. 7 3
granted him the privilege of living three gene- the Gothic king of the house of the Balti, whose
rations. (Herod. i. 173; Apollod. iii. 1. ~ 2; hereditary enemy he was. When Alaric approached
Pans. vii. 3. ~ 4; Strab. xii. p. 573; comp. Mi- Ravenna with hostile intentions, the reckless Sarus
LETUS, ATYMNIUS.) sallied out with a body of only three hundred
2. A son of Zeus by Laodameia, or according warriors, cut many of the enemy to pieces, and,
to others of Evander by Deidameia, and a brother on his return within the walls of the capital, had
of Clarus and Themon. (Hom. II. vi. 199; Apol- Alaric proclaimed, by a herald. as a traitor to the
lod. iii. 1. ~ 1; Diod. v. 79; Virg. Aen. x. 125.) emperor and the Roman nation. Infuriated at
He was a Lycian prince, and a grandson of No. 1. this public insult, Alaric marched upon Rome. and
In the Trojan war he was an ally of the Trojans, took revenge by sacking it ill 410. Sarus left the
and distinguished himself by his valour. (Hom. service of Honorits soon afterwards, and joined
II. ii. 876, v. 479, &c., 629, &c., xii. 292, &c., the usurper Jovinus in Gaul. Ataulphus followed
397, xvi. 550, &c., xvii. 152, &c.; comp. Phi- him thither, still meditating revenge, and having
lostr. IHer. 14; Ov. Met. xiii. 255.) I-e was been informed that Sarus scoured the country with
slain at Troy by Patroclus. (I1. xvi. 480, &c.) only a few followers, surprised him with a superior
Apollo, by the command of Zeus, cleaned Sar- body, and slew him after an heroic resistance.
pedon's body from blood and dust, anointed it (Zosim. v. p. 337, &c. ed. Oxon. 1679; Olymwith ambrosia, and wrapped it up in an ambrosian piodor. apud Photium, p. 177; Philostorg. xii. 3.
garment. Sleep and Death then carried it illto Fragm.; Sozom. ix. 4.) [W. P.]
Lycia, to be honourably buried. (n/. xvi. 667, &c.; SASERNA. 1, 2. The name of two writers,
comp. Virg. Aen. i. 100.) Eustathius (ad Hornm. father and son, on agriculture, who lived in the
p. 894) gives the following tradition to account for time between Cato and Varro. (Plin. II. N. xvii,
Sarpedon being king of the Lycians, since Glaucus, 21. s. 35. ~ 22; Varr. R. R. i. 2. ~ 22, i. 16.
being the son of Hippolochus, and grandson of ~ 5, i. 18. ~ 2; Columrn. i. ]. ~ 12.)
Bellerophontes, ought to have been king: when 3, 4. C. SASERNA and P. SASERNA, the name
the two brothers Isandrus and Hippolochus were of two brothers who served under Julius Caesar in
disputing about the government, it was proposed the African war, B. c. 46, and one of whom is
that they should shoot through a ring placed on mentioned by Cicero as a fiiend of Antonius and
the breast of a child, and Laodameia, the sister of Octavianus after the death of Caesar. (Hirt. B.
the two rivals, gave up her own son Sarpedon for Afr. 9, 10, 57; Cic. Philipp. xiii. 13, ad Att. xv.
this purpose, who was thereupon honoured by his 2. ~ 3.)
uncles with the kingdom, to show their gratitude The gentile name of the preceding Sasernae is
to their sister for her generosity. This Sarpedon not mentioned, but they probably belonged to the
is sometimes confounded with No. 1, as in Eurip. Hostilia gens, since we find on coins the name of
RIses. 29, comp. Eustath. ad Hom. pp. 369, 636, /5. L. HOSTILIUS SASERNA. Eckhel conjectures
&c. There was a sanctuary of Sarpedon (pro- that this L. Hostilius Saserna is the same as the
bably the one we are here speaking of) at C. Saserna previously mentioned, overlooking the
X;anthus in Lycia. (Appian, B. C. iv. 78.) passage of Hirtius (B. Af'. 57), in which his
3. A son of Poseidon, and a brother of Poltys praenomen Caius occurs. The following are the
in Thrace, was slain by Heracles. (Apollod. ii. 5. most important coins belonging to L. Hostilius
~ 9.) [L. S.] Saserna. On the obverse of the first is the head
SARPEDOINIA (Sap7r83tJvLa), a surname of of Pallor, and on the reverse a standing figure of
Artemis, derived from cape Sarpedon in Cilicia, Diana in a foreign dress, holding in the right
where she had a temple with an oracle. (Strab. xiv,
p. 676.) The masculine Sarpedonius occurs as
a surname of Apollo in Cilicia. (Zosim. i. / l
57. 66)' S.S as
SARRA, SALO'NIUS. [SALoNIUS, No. 3.]
SARUS (2dupos), a Gothic commander in the )18 "i
Roman army, in the time of Arcadius and Hono.
rius. He enjoyed great popularity among the
soldiers on account of his bodily strength and his
undaunted courage, and in higher quarters he was
esteemed as a general of skill and determination,
whose assistance in time of danger was considered
to be of great moment. During several years Sarus
stood in close connection with Stilicho, but rose
against him when the latter wavered in the hour
of danger preceding his fall in A. D. 408. Sarus
along with other generals was so indignant against
Stilicho for his timid conduct, that he resolved
upon taking him dead or alive. He therefore,
with a body of Goths, surprised the camp of
Stilicho, routed his Hunnic warriors, and, pene- /
trating to the camp of the commander, would have z ~-
seized or killed him, but for his timely flight.
Stilicho fled to Ravenna, and there perished in the
manner related in his life. Sarus was henceforth m
a favourite at the court of Ravenna, was made
magister militurn, and consequently caused great
jealousy to Alaric and Ataulphus or Adolphus, CONS OF L. HOSTILSUS SASERNA.