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

732 SCAEVOLA. SCAEVOLA.
into a fire which was already lighted for a sacrifice, consul in B. c. 175, with Aemilius Lepidus II
and held it there without flinching. The king, Publius had the Ligures for his province (Liv.
who was amazed at his firmness, ordered him to xli. 19). He fought a battle with some tribes
be removed from the altar, and bade him go away, which had ravaged Luna and Pisae, gained a vicfree and uninjured. To make some return to the tory, and was honoured with a triumph, which is
king for his generous behaviour, Mucius told him recorded in a fragment of the Capitoline marbles,
that there were three hundred of the first youths where he is named [P. Mu] Q. F. P. N. (Clinton,
of Rome who had agreed with one another to kill the Fasti, B. c. 175.)
king, that the lot fell on him to make the first 5. P. MucIus SCAEVOLA, was probably the son
attempt, and that the rest would do the same when of P. Mucius Scaevola LNo. 3]. Publius Mucius,
their turn came. Manilius, and Brutus, are called by Pomponius (Dig.
Mucius received the name of Scaevola, or left- 1. tit. 2. s. 2. ~ 9) the founders of the Jus Civile.
handed, from the circumstance of the loss of his Publius was tribunus plebis, B. c. 141, in which
right hand. Porsenna being alarmed for his life, year he brought L. Hostilius Tubulus to trial for
which he could not secure against so many des- mal-administration as praetor (Rein, Criminalperate men, made proposals of peace to the recht der Rlmer, p. 602): he was praetor urbanus in
Romans, and evacuated the territory. The patri- B.c. 136. In B. c. 133, Publius was consul with
cians or the senate, for it is impossible to say which L. Calpurnius Piso Frugi, the year in which
body Livy means (ii. 13, comp. ii. 12), gave Tib. Gracchus lost his life. In B.C. 131, he
Mucius a tract of land beyond the Tiber, which succeeded his brother Mucianus [MTJCIANUs] as
was thenceforward called Mucia Prata. Such is Pontifex Maximus. Plutarch (Tib. Gracchus,
the substance of Livy's story. Dionysius tells it c. 9) says, that Tib. Gracchus consulted P. Scaewith tedious prolixity, as usual; but he omits all vola about the provisions of his Agrarian Law.
mention of the king's threat to burn Mucius, When Tiberius was a candidate for a second triand of Mucius burning his right hand. (See buneship, and the opposite faction had resolved to
Niebuhr's Remarks on the story of C. Mucius put him down, Scipio Nasica in the senate "enScaevola, Lectures, "Earliest Times to the First treated the consul (Mucius) to protect the state,
Punic War," 1848; and Niebuhr, Roman Hist. and put down the tyrant. The consul, however,
vol. i., " The War with Porsenna." answered mildly, that he would not be the first to
The Mucius of this story is called a patrician; use violence, and that he would not take any citiand the Mucii of the historical period were ple- zen's life without a regular trial: if, however, he
beians. This is urged as an objection to assuming said, the people should come to an illegal vote at
the descent of the historical Mucii from the Mu- the instigation of Tiberius, or from compulsion, he
cius of B.C. 509. But independent of this minor would not respect any such decision." The coldifficulty, we do not concern ourselves about the league of Mucius was absent in Sicily, where he
descent of the illustrious Mucii of the later Repub- was conducting the war against the slaves. After
lic from the half-fabulous man with the left hand the death of Tib. Gracchus, Scaevola is said to
who assisted at its birth. have approved of the conduct of Scipio Nasica,
According to Varro (de Ling. Lat. vi. 5) the who was the chief mover in the affray ill which
surname of the Mucii (scaevola) signified an amu- Tiberius lost his life (Cic. pro Cnl. Plancio, c. 36);
let. The word scaevola is a diminutive. (See and even to have declared his approbation by
Facciol. Lex. s. v. Scaeva.) movingo or drawing up various Senatusconsulta
The following appear to be the only Mucii of (Cic. pro Dom. c. 34). Scaevola must have lived
whom any thing worth knowing is recorded. till after the death of C. Gracchus, B. c. 121,
2. Q. MUCIUS SCAEVOLA, the son of Publius, for he gave his opinion that as the res dotales of
was praetor in B. C. 215, in the consulship of Licinia, the wife of C. Gracchus, had been lost in
C. Posttminus Albinus III. and T. Sempronius the disturbance caused by her husband, they ought
Gracchus: he had Sardinia for his province (Liv. to be made good to her. (Dig. 24. tit. 3. s. 66.)
xxiii. 24, 30), where he fell sick (c. 34, 40). Cicero (de Or. ii. 12) states that from the earHis command in Sardinia was prolonged for the liest period of Roman history to the time of P.
two following years (Liv. xxiv. 9, 44), and again Mucius Pontifex Maximus, it was the custom for
for another year (Liv. xxv. 3): nothing is recorded the Pontifex Maximus to put in writing on a
of his operations. This appears to be the Mucius tablet all the events of each year, and to expose it
who is mentioned by Pomponius (Dig. 1. tit. 2. at his house for public inspection: these, he says,
s. 2. ~ 37), if Mucius is the right reading there are now called the Annales Maximi. Mucius was
(comp. Liv. xxi. 18; Gellius, x. 27; Florus, ii. 6). distinguished for his knowledge of the Jils PonlifiQuintus was decemvir sacrorum, and died in B. C. ciunz; and he was also famed for his skill in play209. (Liv. xxvii. 8.) ing at ball, as well as at the game called Duodecim
3. Q. MUCIUS SCAEVOLA, probably the son of Scripta. (Cic. de Or. i. 50; see Scripture, FaccioNo. 2, was praetor in B. c. 179, and had Sicily lati, Lex.) The passage of Cicero shows that
for his province (Liv. xl. 44). He was consul in Valerius Maximus (viii. 8, 2) means P. Muciris
a. c. 174, with Sp. Postumius Albinus for his col- Scaevola, the Pontifex Maximus, when he is
league. Scaevola accompanied the consul P. Lici- speaking of the relaxations of Scaevola from his
nins Crassus, as tribunus militum, in B. c. 171, severe labours. Quintilian (Inst. Or. xi. 2) in
when the consul went against Perseus, king of speaking of the same thing, gives an anecdote of
Macedonia. (Liv. xlii. 49, and 67.) the strong memory of Scaevola.
4. P. MUCIUS SCAEVOLA, the son of Quintus, He expressed (Cic. Brut. c. 28) hrmself well
was elected a praetor, with his brother Quintus, but rather diffuseiy. His fame as a lawyer is reB. C. 179. (Liv. xl. 44). Publius had the urbana corded by Cicero in several passages (de Or. i.
provincia, and the quaestio de veneficiis in the 56); and Cicero twice quotes his words (Top. c.
city, and within ten miles of the city. He was 4, 6). The latter of the tsvo passages in the