Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 3.djvu/540

Rh ft-28 PRISCUS. Seneca. He was accompanied in liis exile by his wife Artoria Flacilla. (Tac. Ann. xv. 71.) We learn from the Fasti that D. Novius Priscus was consul A. D. 78, in the reign of Vespasian. He was probably the same person as the one banished by Nero. PRISCUS, T. NUMPCIUS, consul b. c. 469 with A. Virginius Tricostus Caeliomontanub, fought against the Volscians with success, and took Ceno, one of their towns. (Liv. ii. 63 ; Dionys. ix. 56.) PRISCUS PANITES. [See above, Priscus, the Bvzantine wnter.] PRISCUS, PETRO'NIUS, banished byNero, A.D. 66. (Tac. ^«w. XV. 71.) PRISCUS, SERVl'LIUS. The Prisci were an ancient family of the Servilia gens, and filled the highest offices of the state during the early years of the republic. They also bore the agno- men of Structus, which is always appended to their name in the Fasti, till it was supplanted by that of Fidenas, which was first obtained by Q. Servilius Priscus Structus, who took Fidenae in his dictatorship, B. c. 435 [see below. No. 6], and which was also borne by his descendants [Nos. 7 and 8]. 1. P. Servilius Priscus Structus, consul B. c. 495 with Ap. Claudius Sabinus Regillensis. This year was memorable in the annals by the death of king Tarquin. The temple of Mercury was also dedicated in this year, and additional colonists were led to the colony of Signia, which }iad been founded by Tarquin. The consuls car- ried on war against the Volscians with success, and took the town of Suessa Pometia ; and Priscus subsequently defeated both the Sabines and Aurunci. In the struggles between the patri- cians and plebeians respecting the law of debt, Priscus was inclined to espouse the side of the latter, and published a proclamation favourable to the plebeians ; but as he was unable to assist them in opposition to his colleague and the whole body of the patricians, he incurred the enmity of both parties. (Liv. ii. 21—27 ; Dionys. vi. 23—32 ; Val. Max. ix. 3. § 6 ; Plin. H. N. xxxv. 3.) 2. Q. Servilius Priscus Structus, a brother of No. 1, was magister equitum, in B. c. 494, to the dictator, M'. Valerius Maximus. (Dionys. vi. 40.) 3. Sp. Servilius Priscus Structus, consul B. c. 476, with A. Virginius Tricostus Rutilus. In consequence of the destruction of th6 Fabii at the Cremera in the preceding year, the Etruscans had advanced up to the very walls of Rome, and taken possession of the hill Janiculus. In an attempt which Priscus made to take this hill by assault, he was repulsed with great loss, and would have sustained a total defeat, had not his colleague Virginius come to his assistance. In consequence of his rashness on this occasion, he was brought to trial by the tribunes, as soon as his year of office had expired, but was acquitted. (Liv. ii. 61, 52 ; Dionys. ix. 25, &c.) 4. Q. Servilius Priscus Structus, probably son of No. 2, was consul b. c. 468, with T. Quin- tius Capitolinus Barbatus, and again B. c. 466, with Sp. Postumius Albus Regillensis. In each year Priscus commanded the Roman armies in the wars with the neighbouring nations, but did not perform anytnmg worth recording. (Liv. iL 64, hi. 2 ; Dionys. ix. 57, 60.) PRISCUS. 5. P. Servilius Sp. f. P. n. Priscus Struc- tus, son of No. 3, was consul b. c. 463, with L. Aebutius Elva, and was carried off in his consul- ship by the great plague which raged at Rome in this year. (Liv. iii. 6, 7 ; Dionys. ix. 67, 68 ; Oros. ii. 12.) 6. Q.* Servilius P. f. Sp. n. Priscus Struc- tus Fidenas, son of No. 5, was appointed dictator B. c. 435, in consequence of the alarm excited by the invasion of the Veientes and Fidenates, who had taken advantage of the plague, which was then raging at Rome, to ravage the Roman territory, and had advanced almost up to the Colline Gate. Servilius defeated the enemy without difficulty, and pursued the Fidenates to their town, to which he proceeded to lay siege, and which he took by means of a mine. From the conquest of this town he received the surname of Fidenas, which was afterwards adopted by his children in the place of Structus. Servilius is mentioned again in b. c. 431, when he called upon the tribunes of the plebs to compel the consuls to elect a dictator, in order to carry on the war against the Volsci and Aequi. In B. c. 418 the Roman army was defeated by the Aequi and the Lavicani, in consequence of the dissensions and incompetency of the consular tri- bunes of that year. Servilius was therefore ap- pointed dictator a second time ; he carried on the war with success, defeated the Aequi, and took the point of Lavici, where the senate forthwith established a Roman colony. (Liv. iv. 21, 22, 26 45—47.) 7. Q. Servilius Q. f. P. n. (Priscus) Fide- nas, the son of No. 6, was consular tribune six times, namely in b. c. 402, 398, 395, 390, 388, 386. (Liv. V. 8, 14, 24, 36, vi. 4, 6.) He was also interrex in b. c. 397. (Liv. v. 17.) There can be no doubt that this Servilius was the son of No. 6, both from his praenomen Quintus, and his surname Fidenas, as well as from the circumstances that he is designated in the Capitoline Fasti, Q. f. P. N. A difficulty, however, arises from the state- ment of Liv3% that tlie C. Servilius, who was consular tribune in B. c. 418, was the son of the conqueror of Fidenae (Liv. iv. 45, 46) ; but this is probably a mistake, since the consular tribune of b. c. 418 is called, in the Capitoline Fasti, C. Servilius Q. f. C. N. Axilla. Besides which, if he were the son of the conqueror of Fidenae, he must have been a younger son, as his praenomen shows ; and in that case the younger son would have obtained one of the highest dignities in the state sixteen years before his elder brother. 8. Q. Servilius Q. f. Q. n. (Priscus) Fide- nas, the son of No. 7, was consular tribune three times, namely, in B. c. 382, 378, 369. (Liv. vi. 22, 31, 36.) 9. Sp. Servilius Priscus, censor b. c. 378, with Q, Cloelius Siculus (Liv. vi. 31). As this Servilius does not bear the surname of Fidenas, he probably was not a descendant of the conqueror of Fidenae. speaking of his dictatorship of B.C. 435, but Q. Servilius when he mentions his dictatorship of B. c. 418 (iv. 46), as well as when he speaks of him elsewhere (e. g. iv. 26). There can, there- fore, be no doubt that the name of Quintus is to be preferred, which we find also in the Capitoline Fasti.
 * Livy (iv. 21) calls him A. Servilius, in