Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 2.djvu/910

Rh 8.% MAENIUS. sign of Maelius was to obiam the consuhhip for himself, and to compel the patricians to divide it be- tween the two orders. None of the alleged accom- plices of Maelius was punished ; but Ahala was brought to trial, and only escaped condemnation by a voluntary exile. [Ahala, No. 2.] (Liv. iv. ]3_16. Zonar. vii. 20; Dionys. Exc. Vat. in Mai, Nov. Collect, ii. p. 466 ; Cic. de Senect. 16, in Cat. i. 1, rfe Hep. ii. 27, Philipp. ii. 44, pro Mil. 17, pro Dom. 38 ; Val. Max. vi. 3. § 1 ; Niebuhr, Hist, of Rome ^ vol. ii. p. 418, &c.) 2. Sp. Maelius, tribune of the plebs b. c. 436, brought in a bill for confiscating the property of Ahala, but it failed. (Liv. iv. 21.) Livy makes no other mention of the punishment of Ahala ; but it is stated on other authorities, as is mentioned above, that Ahala was brought to trial, and only escaped condemnation by a voluntary exile. (Val. Max. V. 3. § 2 ; comp. Cic. de Rep. i. 3, pro Dom. 32.) 3. Q. Maelius, tribune of the plebs b. c. 320, maintained, with his colleague, Ti. Numicius or L. Livius, that the peace made with the Samnites at the Caudine Forks ought to be faithfully kept. They had been present at the battle, and they are mentioned among the other officers who were sur- rendered to the Samnites, when the Romans re- solved not to adhere to the agreement. (Liv. ix. 8 ; Cic. de Of. iii. 30.) As to the question how- tribunes of the plebs could have been with the army on that occasion, see Niebuhr, Hist, of Rome, vol. iii. p. 220. MAEMACTES (MaifidKTris), i. e. the stormj-, a surname of Zeus, from which the name of the Attic month Maemacterion was derived. In that month the Maemacteria was celebrated at Athens. (Plut. de Tr. coMk 9.) [L. S.J MAENA'LIUS or MAENA'LIDES (Mati/ci- Afos), a surname of Pan, derived from mount Maenalus in Arcadia, which was sacred to the god. (Pans. viii. 26^ § 2, 36. § 5 ; Ov. Fad. iv. 650.) [L. S.] MAE'NALUS (MaiVaXos), the name of two mythical personages, the one a son of Lycaon, aixi founder of the Arcadian town of Maenalus (Paus. viii. 3. § 1 ), and the other the father of Atalanta. (Apollod. iii. 9, fin.) [L. S.] MAE'NIA GENS, (on coins and inscriptions frequently written Mainia,) plebeian, produced several distinguished champions of the rights of the plebeian order. The first and only member of it who obtained the consulship, was C. Maenius (cos. B. c. 338). In ancient writers no cognomen is mentioned in this gens, but it appears from coins that some members bore the surname of Aniiaticus [see Maenius, Nos. 6 and 8 J. MAE'NIUS. I. Maenius, or according to some manuscripts Maevius, was the proposer of the law by which an addition was made to the Circensian games of the day, called instauratitius (Macrob. SaL i. 11). We learn from Livy (ii. 36) that this happened in b. c. 489, and we may therefore sup- pose that Maenius was tribune of the plebs in that year. 2. C. Maenius, tribune of the plebs B. c. 483, attempted to prevent the consuls from levying troops till they carried into effect a division of the ager publicus among the plebs ; but this opposition was rendered of no effect, by the consuls with- drawing from the city and holding the levy outside the walls, at a mile beyond the gates, where the MAENIUS. protecting power of the tribunes ceased. All who refused to obey the summons of the consuls were punished (Dionys. viii. 87). The manuscripts of Dionysius have C. Manius, for which Lupus sul> stituted Manilius, and Gelenius Maenius ; but the latter is no doubt the correct conjecture. (Nie- buhr, Ms^. of Rome, vol. ii. p. 185, n. 410.) 3. M. Maenius, tribune of the plebs b. c. 41 0, was the proposer of an agrarian law, and attempted, like his predecessor [No. 2], to prevent the consuls from levying troops, till this law was passed and carried into execution. But as the consuls were supported b}' the nine colleagues of Maenius, they were able to enforce the levy. So great was the popularity of Maenius, that the senate resolved that consuls should be elected for the following year, and not consular tribunes, because, if the latter had been elected, Maenius would have been sure to have been one of the number. (Liv. iv. 53.) 4. P. Maenius, is mentioned by Livy as con- sular tribune in B. c. 400, and again in b. c. 396 (Liv. v. 12, 18). The name, however, is written variously in the manuscripts. Alschefski, the latest editor of Livy, reads P. Manlius in the former of these years, but retains P. Maenius in the latter. In the Fasti Capitolini the name Maenius does not occur in either of these years, but instead of it we have P. Manlius Vulso, in B. c. 400, and Q. Manlius Vulso, in B. c. 396. The names in Diodorus (xiv. 47, 90) differ again ; and it seems to be impossible to reconcile the conflicting state- ments. In any case Livy is in error in designating Maelius and his colleagues as patricians. 5. M. Maenius. occurs in the old editions of Livy (vi. 19) as trioune of the plebs in b. c. 384, where, however, Alschefski, in accordance with the best MSS., now reads M. Menenius. In the same way, in another passage (vii. 16), we ought to read L. Menenius^ instead of L. Maenius, as tribune of the plebs in B. c. 357. 6. C. Maenius P. f. P. n., consul, in B. c. 338, with L. Furius Camillus. [Camillus, No. 4.] The two consuls completed the subjugation of Latium ; they were both rewarded with a triumph ; and equestrian statues, then a rare dis- tinction, were erected to their honour in the forum. Maenius defeated, on the river Astura, the Latin army, which had advanced to the relief of Antium, and the rostra of some of the ships of the Antiates were applied to omament the suggestus or stage in the forum from which the orators addressed the people. In consequence of this victory, Maenius seems to have obtained the surname of Antiaticus, which, we know from coins, was borne by his descendants. [See below. No. 8.] The sUitue of Maenius was placed upon a column, which is spoken of by later writers under the name of Columna Macnia, and which appears to have stood near the end of the forum, on the Capitoline. (Liv. viii. 13 ; Flor. i. 1 1 ; Plin. //. N. xxxiv. 5. s. 11, vii. 60 ; Cic. pro Sest. 58 ; Becker, Handbuch der Romisch. Alterth. vol. i. p. 322 ; Osann, De Co- lumna Maenia, Giessen, 1844.) In B. c. 320 Maenius was appointed dictator, in order to investigate the plots and conspiracies which many of the Roman nobles were suspected to have formed, in conjunction with the leading men of Capua, which revolted in the following year. Maenius named M. Foslius Flaccinator as the magister equitum, and both magistrates con- ducted the inquiry with great vigour, and brought