Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 1.djvu/231

213 very few MSS. of this work, and the chief ones are that at Heidelberg and the one in Paris. The first edition from the Heidelberg MS. with a Latin translation, is by Xylander, Basel, 1568, 8vo. There is a good edition by Verheyk (Lugd. Bat. 1774, 8vo.) with notes by Muncker, Hemsterhuis, &c. The best is by Koch (Leipz. 1832, 8vo.), who collated the Paris MS. and added valuable notes of his own. (Mallmann, Commentatio de causis et auctoribus narrationum de mutatis formis, Leipz. 1786, p. 89, &c.; Bast, Epistola critica ad Boissonade super Antotiino Liberali Parthenio et Aristaneto, Leipz. 1809; Koch's Preface to his edition.) [L. S.]

 ANTO'NIUS, plebeian. See.

 1., Magister Equitum, 334, in the Samnite war. (Liv. viii. 17.)

 2., expelled from the senate by the censors in 307. (Val. Max. ii. 9. § 2.)

 3., was one of the officers in the fleet under the praetor L. Aemilius Regillus, in the war with Antiochus the Great, 190. (Liv. xxxvii. 32.).

 4., was sent by the consul Aemilius Paullus, with two others to Perseus, after the defeat of the latter,. 168. (Liv. xlv. 4.)

 5., tribune of the plebs, 167, opposed the bill introduced by the praetor M. Juventius Thalna for declaring war against the Rhodians. (Liv. xlv. 21, 40.)

 6. defended by M. Cato Censorius, about the middle of the second century  (Priscian, ix. p. S68, ed. Putsch.)

<section end="Antonius 6." /> <section begin="Antonius 7." />7., the father of the orator, as appears from coins. The following is a genealogical table of his descendants:

<section end="Antonius 7." /> <section begin="Antonius 8." />8., the orator, was born 143. (Cic. Brut. 43.) He was quaestor in 113, and praetor in 104, and received the province of Cilicia with the title of proconsul in order to prosecute the war against the pirates. In consequence of his successes he obtained a triumph in 102. (Plut. Pomp. 24; Fast. Triumph.) He was consul in 99 with A. Albinus [see, No. 22], and distinguished himself by resisting the attempts of Saturninus and his party, especially an agrarian law of the tribune Sex. Titius. He was censor in 97, and, while censor, was accused of bribery by M. Duronius, but was acquitted. He commanded in the Marsic war a part of the Roman army. Antonius belonged to the aristocratical party, and espoused Sulla's side in the first civil war. He was in consequence put to death by Marius and Cinna when they obtained possession of Rome in 87. He was in the city at the time, and the soldiers sent to murder him hesitated to do their errand through the moving eloquence of the orator, till their commander, P. Annius, cut off his head and carried it to Marius, who had it erected on the Rostra.

Antonius is frequently spoken of by Cicero as one of the greatest of the Roman orators. He is introduced as one of the speakers in Cicero's De Oratore, together with his celebrated contemporary L. Crassus. From the part which he takes in the dialogue, it would appear that his style of eloquence was natural and unartificial, distinguished by strength and energy rather than by finish and polish. He wrote a work de Ratione Dicendi, which is referred to by Cicero (de Orat. i. 21) and Quintilian (iii. 6. § 45), but neither it nor any of his orations has come down to us. His chief orations were, 1. A defence of himself, when accused of incest with a vestal virgin, 113. (Val. Max. iii. 7. § 9, vi. 8. § 1; Liv. Epit. 63; Ascon. ad Cic. Milon. c. 12; Oros. v. 15.) 2. A speech against Cn. Papirius Carbo, 111, who had been defeated by the Cimbri in 113. (Appul. de Mag. p. 316, ed. Oudend.) 3. An oration against Sex. Titius, tribune of the plebs, 99. (Cic. de Orat. ii. 11, pro Rabir. perd. 9.) 4. A defence of M'. Aquillius, accused of extortion in the government of Sicily, about 99. This was the most celebrated of his orations. (Cic. Brut. 62, de Off. ii. 14, pro Flacco, 39, de Orat. ii. 28, 47, in Verr. v. 1; Liv. Epit. 70.) 5. A defence<section end="Antonius 8." />