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

SCA URUS. SCAURUS. 737
frequent acquittals would show. There was a made of white marble, the middle one of glass, and
gravity and-earnestness in his character which com- the highest of gilt wood. Between the pillars
manded their respect; and he carefully concealed there were three thousand statues, besides paintings
from public view his vices, especially his avarice and other ornaments. The combats of wild beasts
and acts of rapine. Sallust characterizes him as were equally astonishing. A hundred and fifty
" homo nobilis, impiger, factiosus, avidus potentiae, panthers were exhibited in the circus, and five crohonoris, divitiarum; ceterum vitia sua callide oc- codiles and a hippopotamus were seen for the first
cultans" (Jug. 15). Some deductions ought, time at Rome. But Scaurus purchased the favollr
perhaps, to be made from this estimate of his cha- of the people in these shows rather too dearly. So
racter, in consequence of the well-known hatred costly were they that they not only absorbed all
of the historian to the aristocracy; but when it is the property which his father had left him, and the
recollected that Scaurus was a poor man when he treasures which he had accumulated in the East,
commenced public life, it is evident that the but compelled him to borrow money of the usurers
immense wealth which he left to his son could not in order to defray the expenses.
have been acquired by honest means; and the In B. C. 56 Scaurus was praetor, during which
bribes which he received from Jugurtha, may fairly year he presided in the court in which P. Sestius
be regarded as only a specimen of the way in was accused, who was defended by Cicero. In
which his property was obtained. The speeches the following year he governed the province of Sarof Scaurus were impressive and weighty, but were dinia, which he plundered without mercy, as he
deficient in imagination and fire. "They were wanted money both to pay his debts and to purmore adapted," says Cicero (Brut. 29), " for the chase the consulship. On his return to Rome in
senate than the courts." Cicero accordingly classes a. c. 54, he became a candidate for the consulship;
him among the Stoic orators. Scaurus also wrote but before the consular elections took place, his
a work in three books on his own life, which is competitors, at the beginning of July, got P. Vasometimes referred to by the grammarians, but lerius Triarius and three others to accuse him of
which no one was accustomed to read in the time repetundae in Sardinia, thus hoping to get rid of a
of Cicero. (Aurel. Vict. de Ill. Vir. 72; Val. Max. formidable opponent. His guilt was certain; there
iv. 4. ~ 11; Sall. Jug. 15, 25, 28, 29, 40; Plut. were numerous witnesses against him; and M.
Quaest. Rom. c. 50; Ascon. in Scaur. pp. 21, 22; Cato, who presided as praeter, was not to be corCic. Brut. 29, 30, 35, de Orat. i. 49, pro iIur. rupted, and was favourable to Triarius. Still
l7, and the other passages quoted in Orelli's Scaurus did not despair. iIes was defended by
Ononzasticosn Tullianum; Meyer, Orator. Rosman. Cicero and Ilortensius, as well as by four other
Fr'agr. pp. 253-261, 2nd ed.; Krause, Vitae et orators. Many of the most distinguished men at
Frg'ym. Hist. Roman. pp. 223-227.) Rome, and among them nine persons of consular
3. M. AEMILIUS SCAURUS, the eldest son of rank, pleaded on his behalf; while the tears of Scanuthe preceding, and stepson of the dictator Sulla, rus himself, and his appeals to the splendour of his
whom his mother Caecilia married after the death aedileship, produced a powerful effect upon the
of his father, as has been already remarked. In judices. Thus, notwithstanding his guilt, he was
the third Mithridatic war he served under Pompey acquitted on the 2nd of September, almost unanias quaestor. The latter sent to him to Damascus mously. Soon afterwards, and in the course of the
with an army, and from thence he marched into same year, he was again accused by Triarius, on a
Judaea, to settle the disputes between the brothers charge of ambitus (Cic. ad Att. iv. 16. ~~ 7, 8, iv.
Hyrcanus and Aristobulus. Both of them offered 17. ~ 2, ad Q. Fr. iii. 2. ~ 3 ). Drumann says that
him large sums of money; but he decided for he was condemned in this year, and went into
Aristobulus, probably because he bid the highest, exile. But this appears to be a mistake; for
B. c. 64. After driving Hyrcanus out of Judaea, although it is evident from the preceding passages
Scaurus returned to Damascus. Upon Pompey's in Cicero's letters, that Scaurus was accused of
arrival at this city in the following year, an accu- ambitus in B. c. 54, it is equally clear from the
sation was brought against Scaurus of having been testimony of Appian (B. C. ii. 24), that he was
bribed by Aristobulus; but though Pompey re- condemned in the third consulship of Pompey,
versed his decision, and placed Hyrcanus upon the B. c. 52. Hence it is probable that Scaurus was
throne, he took no notice of the charges, and left acquitted in B. c. 54, and accused again in B. c. 52,
Scaurus in the command of Syria with two legions. under Pompey's new law against ambitus. From
Scaurus remained in Syria till B. c. 59, when he this time the name of Scaurus does not occur again.
was succeeded by L. Marcius Philippus. During He married Mucia, who had been previously the
his government of Syria he made a predatory wife of Pompey [MUicIA, No. 2], and by her he
incursion into Arabia Petraea, but withdrew on had one son [No. 5]. (Joseph. Ant. xiv. 3-5,
the payment of 300 talents by Aretas, the king of B. J. i. 7; Appian, Sgr. 51; Cic. pro Sest. 54, de
the country. Off. ii. 16; Plin. H. V. xxxvi. 2, xxxvi. 15. s. 24,
On his return to Rome lie became a candidate et alibi; Val. Max. ii. 4. ~ 6; Cic. ad Q. Fr. ii.
for the curule aedileship, which he held in B. c. 58, 15. ~ 4, ii. 16. ~ 3, iii. i. ~~ 4, 5, iii. 2. ~ 3, ad
the year in which P. Clodius was tribune. The Att. iv. 15. ~~ 7, 9, iv. 16. ~~ 7, 8, iv..17. ~ 2, de
extraordinary splendour with which he celebrated Of i. 39; Ascon. Agayum. in Scanur.; and the
the public games surpassed every thing of the kind Fragments of Cicero's Oration for Scaurus.)
that had been previously witnessed in Rome, and The following coin was struck in the curule
it is by them that his name has been chiefly handed aedileship of Scatrus and his colleague, P. Plautius
down to posterity. The temporary theatre which Hypsaeus. The subject of the obverse relates to
he built accommodated 80,000 spectators, and was Hypsaeus, and that of the reverse to Scaurus. The
adorned in the most magnificent manner. Three former represents Jupiter in a quadriga, with P.
hundred and sixty pillars decorated the stage, iYprsAFvs. BO. CVR. C. cVPSAE. COS. PREIVmE.
arranged in three stories, of which the lowest was CAPTV.; the latter part of the legend referring to
VOL. 1II. 3 B