Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 3.djvu/1230

Rh 1218 VALERIUS. VALE'RIUS, artists. 1. Of Ostia. The ar- chitect of the covered theatre erected at Rome for the games of Libo. (Plin. H. N. xxxvi. 15. s. 24.) Pliny does not say which Libo he refers to ; but it is likely to have been L. Scribonius Libo, who in his curule aedileship, with his colleague C. Atilius Serranus, first celebrated the Megalesia as ludi sceuici, B.C. 193. [Libo, Scribonius, No. 3]. 2. M. Valerius M. f. Artema, an archi- tect, who is mentioned in an extant inscription. (Sillig, Cat. Artif. Append, s. v. Artema; R. Rochette, I^Ure a M. Schom, p. 422, 2d. ed.) 3. D. Valerius L. f., described as Vascula- rius, that is, a maker of bronze vases, in two in- scriptions found at Tusculum, of which place he was a native or a citizen, for in one of the inscrip- tions he is styled Tusculan. (Muratori, Thes. vol, i. p. xii. 12, p. xiv, 6 ; R. Rochette, I. c.) 4. C. Valerius Anemestione C. I us, is the foMn in which a Cordovan inscription gives the name of an artist in metal, who made the em- bossed vessels called anaglypta. He is styled in the inscription Caelntor Anaglytarius, but there can be no doubt that the last word is an error for Anaglyj)tarius. (Muratori, Thes. vol. ii. p. cmlxxxi. 9 ; R. Rochette, I. c.) [P. S.] VALE'RIUS AEDITUUS. In the ninth chapter of the nineteenth book of the Noctes At- ticae a certain rhetorician Julianus, when challenged to point out anything in the Latin language worthy of being compared with the graceful effusions of Anacreon, and other bards of that class among the Greeks, quotes two short epigrams by Valerius Aedituus, who is simply described as " veteris poetae," one by Porcius Licinius, and one by Quintus Catulus. Upon these collectively A. Gel- lius pronounces " mundius, venustius, limatias, pres- 8ius, Graecumve Latinumve nihil quidquam reperiri puto." They unquestionably merit high commend- ation, but are so evidently derived from some Greek source, that they could scarcely be adduced with fairness as specimens of the Roman lyric muse. Judging from the language and versification we may assign them to a period about b. c. 100. (Gell. xix. 9 ; Anthol. Lat. iii. 242, 243, ed. Burmann, or Nos. 27, 28, ed. Meyer.) [W. R.] VALE'RIUS A'NTIAS. [Antias.] VALE'RIUS ASIA'TICUS. 1. P. Vale- rius AsiATicus, consul suffectus under Caligula, but in what year is uncertain, and a second time consul under Claudius in a. d. 46 with M. Junius Silanus. Valerius v/as a friend of Caligula, but, having received a gross insult from him, rejoiced at his death. When the praetorian troops, after the assassination of the emperor, were seeking for the murderer in order to wreak their vengeance on him, Valerius stood up in a conspicuous place and exclaimed ** Would that I had killed him," by which act of courage the soldiers were so as- tonished that they returned quietly to their quar- ters. Valerius was very wealthy and this proved his ruin. The empress Messalina coveted his splendid gardens, which were the same as Lucul- lus had origmally laid out, and which Valerius had made still more magnificent. She also suspected him of being one of the paramours of the beautiful Poppaea Sabina, the mother of Nero's wife, whom she both feared and detested ; and she therefoi^e resolved to crush Valerius and Poppaea at the same time. She employed Suillius to ac- VALERIUS. cuse him, and also instructed Sosibius, who was then a slave or a freedman in the palace, to caution Claudius against the power and wealth of Vale- rius. This was in A. n. 47, the year following his second consulship. Valerius had in the preceding year voluntarily resigned his consulship after hold- ing it for a short time, in order to avoid the envy of which he was the subject. Suillius accused him of the part he had taken in Caligula's death, and of an intention of setting out to the German armies with a view of aspiring to the empire, since he was born at Vienna (Vienne) in Gaul and had many connections in that part of the Ro- man world. The weak and credulous emperor was easily persuaded. Valerius was apprehended at Baiae. The senate was not summoned, but he was brought into the emperor's chamber, where Suillius laid various crimes to his charge. Vale- rius defended himself with spirit, and the emperor would have acquitted him had it not been for Messalina, who got Vitellius, then consul for the third time, to persuade the emperor to sentence him to death. He was allowed the choice of his death, and died by opening his veins. (Dion Cass. lix. 30 ; Joseph, xix. 1 ; Sen. de Const. Sap. 18 ; Tac. Ann. xi. I — 3, xiii. 43 ; Dion Cass. Ix. 27,29,31.) 2. P. Valerius Asiaticus, the legatus of the province of Gallia Belgica at the death of Nero, espoused the cause of Vitellius at the beginning of A. D, 69, and soon afterwards married the daughter of Vitellius. On the fall of Vitellius he hastened to make his peace with the generals of Vespasian, and as consul designatus spoke in the senate in favour of their proposals. He was allowed in con- sequence to enjoy the consulship as suffectus in the following year, a. d. 70. (Tac. Hist. i. 59, iv. 4,6.) 3. Valerius Asiaticus, consul under Hadrian A. D. 125 withTitius Aquilinus (Fasti). VALE'RIUS BASSIA'NUS, slain by Corn- modus, (Lamprid. Commod. 7.) M. VALE'RIUS BRA'DUA, consul under Commodus A. d. 191 with Pedo Apronianus (Fasti). C. VALE'RIUS CABURNUS. [Procillus.] VALE'RIUS CATITO, banished by Agrip- pina, was after her death recalled from exile by Nero. (Tac. Ann. xiv. 12.) VALE'RIUS CATULI'NUS, was sent by Ju- lianus to succeed Septimius Severus in the govern- ment of lUyricum, when the latter assumed the imperial title. Valerius was afterwards killed by Septimius. (Spartian, Julian, 5, Sever. 13.) VALE'RIUS CATO. [Cato.] VALE'RIUS CATULLUS. [Catullus.] VALE'RIUS CONSTANTI'NUS. [Con- STANTINUS I.] VALE RIUS CONSTA'NTIUS. [Constan- TIUS.] VALE'RIUS DIOCLETIA'NUS. [Diocxe- TIANUS.] VALE'RIUS DIODO'RUS. [Diodorus, literary. No. 2.] VALE'RIUS EUTYCHIA'NUS COMA- ZON. [COMAZON.] VALE'RIUS FABIA'NUS. [Fabianus.] VALE'RIUS FESTUS. [Festus.] VALERIUS GRATUS. [Gratus.J M. VALE'RIUS HOMULLUS, consul under Antoninus Pius A. d. 152 with M. Acilius Glabrio.