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

824 SILIUS. SILIUS,
pelled him to divorce his wife Junia Silana, and made to the men of genius whom his native province had
him consul designatus in A. D. 48. At length her produced. On the other hand, although there is
effrontery reached so mad a pitch, that she married no doubt that the allies in the Social War gave the
him with all the forms and ceremonies of a legal name of Italica to Corfinium, because they intended
marriage, during the absence of her stupid husband to make it the metropolis of their league, there is
at Ostia. The latter would no doubt have remained no reason to believe that it retained this title after
ignorant of the whole affair, had not his freedman the conclusion of the struggle. There is also a
Narcissus resolved upon the destruction both of Silius grammatical objection of some weight; for accordand Messalina. By means of two favourite concu- ing both to analogy and to the authority of inscripbines of Claudius, Narcissus acquainted the emperor tions, the local adjective derived from Italica near
with the outrage that had been committed against Hispalis would not be Italicus, but Italicensis. (See
him. Silius was put to death and many others with also Gell. xvi. 13.) This however in itself would
him. (Tac. Ann. xi. 5, 12, 26-35; Dion Cass. not be conclusive. (Hispanus, Hispanensis.)
lx. 31; Suet. Claud. 26; Juv. x. 331, &c.) [MEs- It has been erroneously inferred from a line in
SAL1NA, P. 1054, a.] Martial (viii. 66),
SI'LIUS BASSUS. [BAssUS.] " Felix purpura tertiusque consul,"
C. SYILIUS ITA'LICUS, the most voluminous
among the Roman writers of heroic verse, was that Silius had been thrice consul, but the words
born about A. D. 25. From his early years he imply merely that there had been three consuls in
devoted himself to oratory and poetry, taking the family —Silius himself, his son, to celebrate
Cicero as his model in the former, and Virgil in whose accession to office the epigram was written,
the latter. He acquired great reputation as a and a third person, perhaps that C. Silius who was
pleader at the bar, and acted for some time as a consul A.D. 13 (Sueton. Octav. ]01), and who
member of that body of judicial umpires who were may have been the father of the poet: but this is
known as the Centumvirs. His life, in so far as a mere conjecture. Our authorities for this biowe can trace it, presents a course of unbroken graphy are sundry epigrams in Martial (especially
prosperity. He was elevated to the consulship in vii. 62, viii. 66, xi. 51), and an epistle of the
A. n. 68, the year in which Nero perished; he was younger Pliny (iii. 7, or iii. 5, ed. Titze). See
admitted to familiar intercourse with Vitellius, and also Tacit. Hist. iii. 65.
subsequently discharged the duties of proconsul of The great work of Silius Italicus was an heroic
Asia with high renown. After enjoying for a poem in seventeen books, entitled Punica, which
lengthened period the dignities of political and has descended to us entire. It contains a narrative
literary fame without incurring the envy which is of the events of the second Punic War, from the
for the most part the lot of distinguished statesmen capture of Saguntum to the triumph of Scipio
and authors, he determined to retire from the busy Africanus, together with various episodes relating
world, and to pass his old age among his numerous to the more remarkable achievements in the first
villas, which were abundantly furnished with contest with Carthage, and to the exploits of
books and works of art. His two favourite re- champions in still earlier ages, such as Scaevola,
sidences were a mansion near Puteoli, formerly the Camrnillus, and the three hundred Fabii. Just as
Academy of Cicero, and the house in the vicinity Virgil did not think that he degraded the majesty
of Naples once occupied by Virgil; and so en- of the epic by making it a vehicle for flattering thle
amoured did he become of seclusion, that upon the Julian line, so his imitator has interwoven with
accession of Trajan he refused to repair to Rome, his verses a panegyric upon the Flavian dynasty.
and pay homage to the new prince. In these The materials are derived almost entirely from
happy retreats he passed his time in tranquillity Livy and Polybius. With regard to the merits of
until he had completed his 75th year, when, in the piece, those few persons who have perused it
consequence of the pain caused by an incurable from beginning to end will scarcely think the critubercle (insanabilis clavus) of somekind, he starved ticism too severe which pronounces it to be the
himself to death; and it was remarked that as he least attractive poem within the range of classical
was the last consul nominated by Nero, so he sur- antiquity; and this judgment is by no means invived all those who had held that office in the compatible with the praises awarded by Cellarius.
same reign. The only stain upon his character We may freely admit that many passages may be
arises from the imputation that he pandered to the adduced which throw light upon the historical
cruelties of the tyrant, by acting as a voluntary events of that remarkable epoch, upon the origin,
accuser; but if this charge was true, his guilt was fortunes, and geographical position of different nain a great measure expiated by the blamelessness tions in Italy, Sicily, Spain, and Africa, and upon
of his subsequent career. He had two sons, one various points connected with mythology and anof whom died when young; the other attained to cient usages. But these are not the commendations
the consulship before his father's death. we bestow on a great poet; the information which,
Much discussion has taken place with regard to after all, might be compressed within a very limited
the import of the word Italicus, which no one has compass is certainly not destitute of value, but it
as yet explained in a satisfactory manner. Accord- is conveyed through the medium of the coldest,
ing to the opinion most generally adopted, it was heaviest, and most lifeless composition that ever
derived from the place of his birth which is ima- was misnamed an heroic poem. Notwithstanding
gined to have been either Italica near Hispalis in the eulogistic apostrophe of Martial (Sili, lastaliBaetica, or Corfinium, in the country of the Pe- dum decus sororum), dictated perhaps by personal
ligni. Neither of these suppositions will bear in- friendship, or more probably by the desire of
vestigation. It is extremely improbable that he fawning upon one who possessed so much power at
was a Spaniard, for Martial, who repeatedly cele- court, the merits of Silius seem to have been fairly
brates his praises, nowhere claims him as a coun- appreciated by his contemporaries, as we perceive
tryman, although he frecluently alludes with pride from the words of Pliny " Scri6bebat carstinaa znsori