Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 2.djvu/746

Rh 732 LENTULUS. of Augustus, which proves tliat he was alive in B. c. 27, when Octavius assumed this name. 22. C. Cornelius Lentuf-us, in e. c. 199, one of the triumviri colon, dediic. (Liv. xxxii. 2.) 23. Cx. Cornelius Lentulus, consul with Mummius in B. c. 146. (Cic. ad Att. xiii. 33. § 3 ; Veil. Pat. i, 1 2. § 5, compared with the Fasti, a. u. 607.) 24. Cn. Cornelius Lentulus Clodianus (Cic. ad Att. i. 19. § 2 ; Gell. xviii. 4), a Claudius adopted into the Lentulus family — perhaps by No. 15. He was consul in b. c. 72, with L. Gellius. They brought forward several important laws ; one, that all who had been presented with the freedom of the city by Pompey (after the Sertorian war) should be Roman citizens (Cic. pro Balh. 8, 14; see Vol. I. p. 436); another, that persons absent in the provinces should not be indictable for capital offences. This was intended to protect Sthenius of Thermae in Sicily against the machinations of Verres ; and by the influence of this person it was frustrated. (Cic. in Verr. ii. 34, 39, &c,) Len- tulus also passed a law to exact payment from those who had received grants of public land from Sulla. (Sail. ap. Gell. xviii. 4.) In the war with Spar- tacus both he and his colleague were defeated — but after their consulship. (Liv. Epit. 96; Plut. Crass. 9, &c.) With the same colleague he held the censorship in B. c. 70, and ejected 64 members from the senate for infcimous life, among whom were Lentulus Sura [See No. 18] and C. Antonius, afterwards Cicero's colleague in the consulship. Yet the majority of those expelled were acquitted by the courts, and restored (Cic. pro Cluent. 42, in Verr. v. 7, pro Flacc. 19 ; Gell. v. 6 ; Val. Max. V. 9. § 1.) They held a lustrum, in which the number of citizens was returned at 450,000 (Liv. Epit. 98 ; Ascon. ad Verr. Act. i. 18 ; comp. Plut. Pomp. 22.) The same officers served as Pompey's legates against the pirates in b. c. 67, QQ ; and Len- tulus supported the Manilian law, appointing Pompey to the command against Mithridates. (Appian, Mithr. 95; Cic. pro Leg. Manil. 23.) As an orator, he concealed his want of talent by great skill and art, and by a good voice. (Cic. Brut. QQ.) 25. Cn. Cornelius Lentulus Clodianus, son of the last. In B. c. 60, he was sent with Me- tellus Creticus and L. Flaccus, to check the appre- hended inroad of the Swiss into the province of Gaul; but their services were not required. (Cic. ad Att. i. 19, 20.) 26. L. Cornelius Lentulus Crus. (Cic. ad Fam. viii. 4, init.) Who he was, and whence he derived his agnomen of Cms, is unknown. In B. c. 61, he appeared as the chief accuser of P. Clodius, for violating the mysteries of the Bona Dea {Argum. ad Cic. in Clod., de IJarusp. Jicsp. 17). In 58 he was praetor, and Cicero calculated on his aid against Clodius {ad Q. Fr. i. 2, fin.) ; and he did attempt to rouse Pompey to protect the orator, but in vain {in Pison. 31). He was not raised to the consular dignity till B. c. 50, when he obtained this post, with C. Marcellus M. f., as being a known enemy to Caesar (Caes. B. G. 8, 50) ; though in the year before, P. Dolabella had beaten bira in the contest for a place among the xv. viri (Cic. ad Fam. viii. 4). In the year of his consul- ship, B. c. 49, the storm burst. Lentulus did all he could to excite his wavering party to take arms and meet Caesar : he called Cicero cowardly ; LENTULUS. blamed him for seeking a triumph at such a time (acZ Fam. vi. 21, xvi. 11); urged war at any price, in the hope, says Caesar {B. C i. 4), of retrieving his ruined fortunes, and becoming another Sulla ; and Cicero seems to justify this accusation {ad Fam. vi. 6, ad Att. xi. 6). It was mainly at Lentulus' instigation that the violent measures passed the senate early in the year, which gave the tribunes a pretence for flying to Caesar at Ravenna (Caes. B. C. i. 5 ; Plut. Caes. 33). He himself fled from the city at the approach of Caesar ; and Cicero saw him at Formiae in January 23rd, quite dispi- rited {ad Att. vii. 12). On the 27th, at Capua, Lentulus with others agreed to accept Caesar's olfers {lb. 15). He was summoned by Cassius the tribune to return to Rome, to bring the money from the sacred treasury, but did not go {lb. 21, conip. viii. 11). Pompey had meantime collected forces in Apulia, and ordered the consuls to join hira there, leaving a garrison in Capua {ad Att. viii. 12 a — d.). While Pompey was retiring on Brundisium, Balbus the younger was sent by Caesar to per- suade Lentulus to return to Rome, with offers ot a province. The consul, instead, went with his col- league and some troops over to Illyria, though Cicero tried to detain him in Italy {ad Att. viii, 9, 15, ix. 6); and, soon after, we hear of his raising two legions for Pompey in Asia (Caes. B. C iii. 4). When both armies were encamped at Dyrrhachiiira, Balbus again attempted to si-duce the consul, boldly entering Pompey's camp ; but Lentulus asked too high a price (Veil. Pat. ii. 51 ; comp. Cic. ad Fam. X. 32) ; and probably, like others of his party, thought Caesar's cause desperate (Caes. B. C. iii. 82). After Pharsalia, he fled with Pompey ; but was refused admittance at Rhodes (Caes. B. C. iii. 102 ; Veil. Pat. ii. 53.) With some others, he determined to make for Egypt, and arrived there the day after Pompey's murder. He saw the funeral pyre on Mt. Casius, but landed, was ap- prehended by young Ptolemy's ministers, and put to death in prison. (Caes. B. C. iii. 104 ; Val. Max. i. 8. § 9 ; Oros. vi. 15 ; Plut. Pomp. 80.) Notwithstanding his prodigality and selfishness, Cicero always regarded him with some favour, in memory of the part he had taken against Clodius {Brut. 77, de Harusp. Resp. 17). 27. Serv. Cornelius Lentulus, curuleaedile in B. c. 207 ; military tribune in Spain, two years after (Liv. xxviii. 10, xxix. 2). 28. Serv. Cornelius Serv. f. Lentulus, son of the last. In B.C. 171, he went with his brother Publius and three others on an embassy to Greece (Liv. xlii. 37, 47, 49, 56). In 169, he was praetor in Sicily {Id. xliii. 15). 29. P. Cornelius Serv. f. Lentulus. [See the last.] 30. L. Cornelius Serv. f. Serv. n. Lentu- lus, son of No. 28, praetor in B. c. 140 (Frontli. de Aquaed. 7). 31. L. Lentulus, in b. c. 168 was one of three who carried home the despatches of the consul Aemilius PauUus, after the defeat of Perseus (Liv. xlv. 1). 32. Cn. Lentulus Vatia, mentioned by Cicero, B. c. 56 {ad Q. Fr. ii. 3. § 5). 33. L. Cornelius Lentulus Niger, flaraen of Mars (Cic. ad Att. xii. 7, in Vatin. 10 ; comp. Ascon. ad Cic. Scaur, sub fin.). At his dedication by the augur L. Caesar, he gave a sumptuous din- ner (Macrob. Sat. ii. 9). In B. c. 58, he stood for