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

750 SCIPIO. SCIPIO.
severe and energetic measures, he laid siege to evening he went home accompanied by the senate
Numantia, which was defended by its inhabitants and a great number of the allies, and then retired
with the same courage and perseverance which has quietly to his sleeping-room with the intention of
pre-eminently distinguished the Spaniards in all composing a speech for the following day. In the
ages in defence of their walled towns. It was not following morning Rome was thrown into contill they had suffered the most dreadful extremities sternation by the news that Scipio was found dead
of famine that they surrendered the place in the in his room. The most contradictory rumours were
following year, B. c. 133. Fifty of the principal circulated respecting his death, but it was the
inhabitants were selected to adorn Scipio's triumph, general opinion that he was murdered. Some
the rest were sold as slaves, and the town was thought that he died a natural death, and others
levelled to the ground. He now received the that he put an end to his own life, despairing of
surname of Numantinus in addition to that of Afri- being able to carry his proposal through the assemcanus. While Scipio was employed in the reduction bly on the following day; but the fact, which is
of Numantia, Rome was convulsed by the dis- admitted by all writers, that there was no inquiry
turbances consequent upon the measures proposed into the cause of his death, corroborates the poby Tib. Gracchus in his tribunate, and which ended pular opinion that lie was murdered. Suspicion
in the murder of the latter. Although Scipio was fell upon various persons; his wife Sempronia
married to Sempronia, the sister of the fallen and her mother Cornelia were suspected by
tribune, he had no sympathy with his reforms, some; Carbo, Fulvius, and C. Gracchus by others
and no sorrow for his fate; and upon receiving (Appian, B. C.' i. 19, 20; Vell. Pat. ii. 4. Plut.
intelligence of his death at Numantia, he is said C. Gracch. 10; Schol. Bob. in Mil. p. 283, ed.
to have exclaimed in the verse of Homer. (Od. Orelli). Of all these Papirius Carbo was most
i. 47): — generally believed to have been guilty, and is ex" So perish all who do the like again." pressly mentioned as the murderer by Cicero. (Cic.
de Or. ii. 40, ad Fame. ix. 21. ~ 3, ad Q. Fr. ii.
Upon his return to Rome in B. C. 132, he did not 3. ~ 3.)
disguise his sentiments, and when asked in the The character of Scipio is thus described by
assembly of the tribes by C. Papirius Carbo, Niebuhr:- -" Scipio is one of those characters who
the tribune, who entered upon his office at the have a great reputation in history, which, however,
end of this year, what he thought of the death in my opinion, is not altogether well deserved.
of Tib. Gracchus, he boldly replied that he was He was, it is true, a very eminent general, and
justly slain (jure caesum). The people, who had a great man; he did many a just and praiseprobably expected a different answer from their worthy thing; but he made a show of his great
favourite general and from the brother-in-law of qualities, and Polybius, his friend and instructor in
their martyred defender, loudly expressed their military matters, who in other respects loves him
disapprobation; whereupon Scipio, with true aris- very much, shows in his narrative quite clearly
tocratic contempt for the mob, exclaimed " Taceant that the virtues of Scipio were ostentatious. Things
quibus Italia noverca est." (Val. Max. vi. 2. ~ 3; which every other good and honest man does
Aurel. Vict. de Vir. 111. 58; Plut. Tib. Gracch. quietly, Scipio boasts of, because they are not
21; Cic. Lael. 25.) The people did not forget common among his own countrymen. What disthis insult, and from this time Scipio lost much of tinguishes him is an unflinching political character:
his influence over them. Still there was a prestige he belonged to those who wished by all means to
attaching to his name which the people could not maintain the state of things such as it actually
divest themselves of, and it was mainly owing to was. Every thing which existed had in his eyes
his influence and authority that the aristocratical an indisputable right to exist, and he never asked
party were able to defeat the bill of the tribune whether it was right or wrong in its origin, or how
Carbo, by which the same persons were to be detrimental its injustice was to the republic itself."
allowed to be elected tribunes as often as the (Lectures on Roman History, vol. i. p. 293, ed.
people pleased (Liv. Epit. 59; Cic. Lael. 25). Schmitz.) Some deductions, however, should be
Scipio was now regarded as the acknowledged made from this estimate of his political character.
leader of the aristocracy, and the latter resolved to It is true that after his return from Numantia, he
avail themselves of his powerful aid to prevent the opposed with the utmost energy the measures of
agrarian law of Tib. Gracchus from being carried the popular party; but previous to that time he
into effect. The socii had become already alarmed had recognised the necessity of some concessions
at the prospect of losing some of their lands, and to the popular feeling, and had incurred the serious
Scipio skilfully availed himself of the circumstance displeasure of his own party by supporting in
to propose in the senate, in B. c. 129, that all dis- B. C. 139 the Lex Tabellaria of the tribune
putes respecting the lands of the allies should be L. Cassius Longinus (Cic. Brut. 25, de Leg. iii.
taken out of the hands of the commissioners, 16). Some even went so far as to class him among
who were appointed under the agrarian law of the men of the people (Cic. A cad. ii. 5). With
Tib. Gracchus, and that the decision respecting respect to the literary attainments of Scipio, there
them should be committed to other persons. This was but one opinion in antiquity. He was better
would have been, in effect, equivalent to an abro- acquainted with Greek literature and philosophy
gation of the law; and accordingly Fulvius Flaccus, than any of his contemporaries, unless it were his
Papirius Carbo and C. Gracchus, the three com- friend Laelius. He spoke his own language with
missioners, offered the most vehement opposition purity and elegance (omlniunm aetatis suae purissime
to his proposal. In the forum he was accused by locutum, Gell. ii. 20), of which we have a striking
Carbo with the bitterest invectives as the enemy confirmation in the report, whether true or false,
of the people, and upon his again expressing his of his having assisted Terence in the composition
approval-of the death of Tib. Gracchus, the people of his comedies. He was one of the most disshouted out "Down with the tyrant." In the tinguished orators of his day (Cic. Brut. 21, de