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

948 SUSARION. SYAGER.
to the command of the Mithridatic war, Sura was the first who so regulated this species of
quitted Boeotia, and returned to his commander in amusement, as to lay the foundation of Comedy,
Macedonia. (Appian, Mithr. 29; Plut. Sull. 11.) properly so called. The time at which this imSURA, P. CORNE'LIUS LE'NTULUS. portant step was taken can be determined within
[LENTULUS, No. 18.] pretty close limits. The Megaric comedy appears
SURA, L. LICI'NIUS, was three times consul to have flourished, in its full developement, about
under Trajan, first suffectus in A.D. 98, in which 01. 45 or 46, B. C. 600 and onwards; and it was
year Trajan succeeded to the empire, and twice introduced by Susarion into Attica between 01.
ordinary consul in A. D. 102 and 107. He was 50and 54,B.C. 580-564. (Plut. Sol. 10; Martn,
one of the most intimate friends of Trajan, and by Par. Ep. 39; Meineke, Hist. Crit. Corn. Graec.
his strong recommendation of the latter to Nerva, pp. 19, 20.)
had a great share in gaining for him the empire. The Megaric comedy appears to have consisted
He likewise employed his influence with Trajan chiefly in coarse and bitter personal jests, and
to gain for Hadrian more of the emperor's favour, broad buffoonery, and this character it retained
and he may be said thus to have placed two em- long after its offspring, the Attic comedy, had beperors on the throne. Trajan continued to cherish come more refined. (Meineke, pp. 20-24.) That
an undiminished regard for Sura as long as he the comedy of Susarion partook of a like rudeness
lived. He frequently employed Sura to write his and buffoonery might reasonably be supposed, even
orations; and on the death of the latter he honoured if it were not expressly asserted by ancient writers
him with a public funeral, and erected baths to (Anon. de Corn. p. xxxii.; Diomed. Gramniat. iii.
perpetuate his memory. Dion Cassius relates that p. 486); but there can be no doubt that, in his
Sura was sent as ambassador to Decebhalus in the hands, a great and decided advance was made in
Dacian war. Two of Pliny's letters are addressed the character of the composition, which now in
to him. (Dion Cass. lxviii. 9, 15; Aurel. Vict. fact, for the first time, deserved that name. One
Caes. 13. ~ 8, EJpit. 13. ~ 6; Spartian. Hadr. 2, 3; change, which he introduced, is alone sufficient to
Julian, Caes. p. 846, Syvlb.; Plin. Ep. iv. 30, vii. mark the difference between an unregulated exer27.) cise of wit and an orderly composition; he was the
SURA, PALFU'RIUS. [PALFURIUS.] first who adopted the metrical form of language for
SURDI'NIUS GALLUS. [GALLUS.] comedy (T IS iA-sApouv Kcoacp8as a&pXrEybss EYE'veo,
SURDI'NUS. 1. A person spoken of in the Schol. Dion. Thrac. p. 748; Tzetzes, ap. Cramer.
consulship of Mam. Aemilius Lepidus, B. C. 77. Anecd. vol. iii. p. 336; Schol. Hermog. ap. Reisk.
(Val. Max. vii. 7. ~ 6.) Orat. Graec. vol. viii. p. 959; Bentley, Phal.) It
2. A rhetorician and a contemporary of the elder is not, however, to be inferred that the comedies
Seneca, elegantly translated some Greek plays into of Susarion were written; Bentley has shown that
the Latin language. (Senec. Suas. 8, Controv. 20, the contrary is probably true. They were brought
21.) forward solely through the medium of the chorus,
SURDI'NUS, L. NAE'VIUS, a triumvir of which Susarion, doubtless, subjected to certain
the mint under Augustus, whose name occurs on rules. (Marm. Par. vv. 54, 55, as restored by
coins, of which a specimen is annexed. The head Bbckh, Corp. Inscr. vol. ii. p. 301.) It seems
of Augustus is on the obverse. most probable that his plays were not acted upon
waggons. (Meineke, p. 25.) Of the nature of his
subjects we know nothing for certain; but it can
hardly be conceived that his comedies were made
up entirely of the mere jests which formed the
staple of the Megaric comedy; although there
could only have been a very imperfect approach to
anything like connected argument or plots, for
c= 1~, t> k> ~~ ~ Aristotle expressly tells us that Crates was the first
\~ ~ _/.~j 9 A who made ohd'ovs X /uL'Oovs. (Poh't.v. 6; CRATES.)
The improvements of Susarion, then, on the Megaric comedy, which he introduced into Attica,
may be said to have consisted in the substitution
COIN OF L V U of premeditated metrical compositions for irregular
SURE'NAS, the general of the Parthians, who extemporaneous effusions, and the regulation of the
defeated Crassus in B. C. 54. [CRassvs, p. 878.] chorus to some extent. It was long before this
SUSA'RION (2ovrapiwv), to whom the origin new species of composition took firm root in Atof the Attic Comedy is ascribed, is said to have tica; for we hear nothing more of it until eighty
been the son of Philinus, and a native of Tripo- years after the time of Susarion, where the art
discus, a village in the Megaric territory, whence revived in the hailds of Euetes, Euxenides, and
he removed into Attica, to the village of Icaria, a Myllus, at the very time when the Dorian comedy
place celebrated as a seat of the worship of Dio- was developed by Epicharmus in Sicily. (Meineke,
nysus. (Ath. ii. p. 40, b.; Schol. II. xxii. 29.) Hist. Crit. Cornm. Graec. pp. 18-26.) [P. S.]
This account agrees with the claim which the SYADRAS. [CHARTAS.]
Megarians asserted to the invention of comedy, SYAGER (:ia-ypos), a Lacedaemonian, was
and which was generally admitted. (Aristot. Poet. the deputy from his state in the embassy which the
iii. 5; Aspasius, ad A ristot. Eth. Nic. iv. 2; Diet. Greeks sent to Gelon, to ask his assistance against
of Antiq. art. Comoedia, p. 342, 2d ed.) Before Xerxes. [GELON.] Syager indignantly rejected,
the time of Susarion there was, no doubt, practised, on behalf of Sparta, the condition insisted on by
at Icaria and the other Attic villages, that extem- the tyrant, that he should have the supreme compore jesting and buffoonery which formed a marked mand of the allied armament. (Herod. vii. 153,
feature of the festivals of Dionysus; but Susarion 159.) [E. E.]