Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 2.djvu/954

Rh 940 MARCIA GENS. curious tale are made elsewhere. [Vol. T. p. 648, b.J She continued to live with Hortensius till the death of the latter, in B. c. 50, after which she returned to Cato, who left her behind in Rome, placing his family and property under her care, when he fled from the city with the rest of the aristocratical party on Caesar's approach in B. c. 49. ^Appian, B. C. ii. 99 ; Plut. Cat. min. 25, 39, 52 ; Lucan, ii. 329, &c,) 5. The wife of Fabius Maximus, the friend of Augustus, learnt from her husband the secret visit of the emperor to his grandson Agrippa, and in- formed Livia of it, in consequence of which she became the cause of her husband's death, a. n. 13 or 14. (Tac Ann. i. 5.) We learn from Ovid {Fast, vi, 802) that she belonged to the family of the Philippi. Her name also occurs in the epistle which Ovid addressed to her husband {Ex Pont. i. 2). 6. The daughter of Cremutius Cordus, who was put to death in the reign of Tiberius, is spoken of under Cordus. [Vol. I. p. 851, b,] 7. Marcia Furnilla, the second wife of the emperor Titus, was divorced by her husband after the death of their daughter Julia. (Suet. Tit. 4.) Some commentators propose changing the name of Furnilla into Fulvia or Fulvilla, on the authority of a coin which bears the legend ^ovia '2,e€acrTi'j. But the coin is of rather doubtful authority ; and even if it be genuine it may refer to Fulvia Plautilla, the wife of Caracalla. It is very improbable that a coin should be struck in honour of a woman that had been divorced, and that the title of Augusta should be given to her. (Eckhel, vol. vii. p. 364.) MA'RCIA. 1. The mistress of Quadratus, who was slain by Commodus, became the favourite concubine of Commodus himself. From her he adopted the title of Amazonius. She was one of the most active among the conspirators, who com- passed his destruction. She subsequently became the wife of Eclectus, his chamberlain, also a con- spirator, and was eventually put to death by Julianus, along with Laetus, who also had been actively engaged in the plot. We are told appa- rently by Xiphilinus, that she was friendly to the Christians, for whom, through her influence with the emperor, she procured many advantages. (Dion Cass. Ixxii, 4, Ixxiii. 16.) [Commodus, Eclec- tus, Laetus, Quadratus.] 2. The first wife of Septimius Severus. She died before her husband became emperor ; and after his elevation he erected statues to her memory. (See authorities on Severus.) [W. R.] MA'RCIA GENS, originally patrician, after- wards plebeian likewise. We also, but not so frequently, find the name written Martins. This gens claimed to be descended from Ancus Marcius, the fourth king of Rome (Suet. Caes. 6 ; Val. Max. iv. 3. § 4 ; Ov. Fast. vi. 803) ; and hence one of its families subsequently assumed the name of Rex, and the heads of Numa Pompilius and Ancus Marcius were placed upon the coins of the gens. [See the coins imder Ce>nsorinus and Philippus.] But notwithstanding the claims to such high an- tiquity made by the Marcii, no patricians of this name, with the exception of Coriolanus, are men- tioned in the early history of the republic, and it was not till after the enactment of the Licinian laws that any member of the gens obtained the consulship. The first Marcius who reached this dignity was C. Marcius Rutilus Censorinus, in MARCIANUS. B. c. 310. The only patrician family in this gens, as is remarked above, was that of Coriolanus* the names of the plebeian families in the time of the republic are Censorinus, Crispus, Figulus, LiBo, Philippus, Ralla,Rex, Rufus, Rutilus, Septimus,Sermo, Tremulus. The only cogno- mens which occur on coins are Censorinus, Lilx), Philippus. A few persons are mentioned without any surname : they are given under Marcius. MARCIA'NUS, emperor of the East (a. d. 450 — 457), was the son of an obscure but respect- able man, who had served in the imperial armies. He was born either in Thrace or in Illyncum, about A. D. 391 ; and at an early age he entered the imperial army. Of his earlier history we are acquainted with a few trifling stories and adven- tures. His way to fortune was slow, for in 421, at the age of thirty, he was still a common soldier, or, perhaps, a non-commissioned officer. Some years afterwards he attached himself to the famous general Aspar, and subsequently to his son Arda- burius, as private secretary, obtaining, at the same time, the office of captain of the guards. During fifteen, or perhaps nineteen years, he continued in the service of those eminent men, and found ample opportunities for developing his military talents. He accompanied Aspar in his unfortunate campaign against Genseric, king of the Vandals in Africa, in 431, when he was made a prisoner of war ; but on account of his reputation, and perhaps for services which history does not record, obtained his release, and returned to Constantinople. . His history during the following nineteen years is veiled in obscurity ; and it is only from subsequent events that we are allowed to conclude that he distin- guished himself in no ordinary degree ; for the emperor, Theodosius the Younger, having died in 450, his widow, the celebrated Pulcheria, offered her hand and the imperial title to Marcian, on condition that he would not prevent her from con- tinuing the state of virginity which she had hitherto enjoyed ; and Marcian, who was then about sixty, consented to it gladly, and married the chaste empress, who was then above fifty. At that time Marcian held the rank of tribune and senator ; and he was so favourably known among the people, that his elevation to supreme power was received by them with applause and demon- strations of joy. His coronation took place on the 24th of August, 450 ; and the whole transaction, as it seems, was so little premeditated, and was settled in so short a time, that Valentinian, the emperor of Rome, was not even asked to give his consent, which he did, however, at a later period, for he stood in great want of the assistance of a man like Marcian, who, to military renown, ac- quired in the war against the Vandals and Per- sians, joined a kind disposition and accomplished diplomatic skill. Both the Eastern and the Western empire were then in great apprehension from the unbounded ambition and power of Attila, who had no sooner heard of the election of Marcian than he despatched ambassadors to him, demanding, in an imperative tone, the tribute which the younger Theodosius had engaged to pay annually to the king of the Huns, " I have iron for Attila," was the em- peror's stern answer, " but no gold." Upon this Apollonius was sent into Attila's camp to negotiate the continuance of peace, and was charged with presents for the barbarian, which he was to deliver