Cassandria, a town of the peninsula of Pallene in Macedonia, called also Potidæa. Pausanias, bk. 5, ch. 23.

Cassia lex, was enacted by Cassius Longinus, A.U.C. 649. By it no man condemned or deprived of military power was permitted to enter the senate house.——Another, enacted by Caius Cassius the pretor, to choose some of the plebeians to be admitted among the patricians.——Another. A.U.C. 616, to make the suffrages of the Roman people free and independent. It ordained that they should be received upon tablets. Cicero, de Amicitia.——Another, A.U.C. 267, to make a division of the territories taken from the Hernici, half to the Roman people and half to the Latins.——Another, enacted A.U.C. 596, to grant a consular power to Publius Anicius and Octavius on the day they triumphed over Macedonia. Livy.

Cassiodōrus, a great statesman and writer in the sixth century. He died A.D. 562, at the age of 100.—His works were edited by Chandler, 8vo, London, 1722.

Cassiŏpe and Cassiŏpea, married Cepheus king of Æthiopia, by whom she had Andromeda. She boasted herself to be fairer than the Nereides; upon which Neptune, at the request of these despised nymphs, punished the insolence of Cassiope, and sent a huge sea monster to ravage Æthiopia. The wrath of Neptune could be appeased only by exposing Andromeda, whom Cassiope tenderly loved, to the fury of this sea monster; and just as she was going to be devoured, Perseus delivered her. See: Andromeda. Cassiope was made a southern constellation, consisting of 13 stars called Cassiope. Cicero, de Natura Deorum, bk. 2, ch. 43.—Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 4.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 4, li. 738.—Hyginus, fable 64.—Propertius, bk. 1, poem 17, li. 3.—Marcus Manilius, bk. 1.——A city of Epirus near Thesprotia. Another in the island of Corcyra. Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 12.——The wife of Epaphus. Statius, Sylvæ.

Cassitĕrĭdes, islands in the western ocean, where tin was found, supposed to be the Scilly islands, the Land’s End, and Lizard Point, of the moderns. Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 22.

Cassivelaunus, a Briton invested with sovereign authority when Julius Cæsar made a descent upon Britain. Cæsar, Gallic War, bk. 5, ch. 19, &c.

Caius Cassius, a celebrated Roman, who made himself known by being first questor to Crassus in his expedition against Parthia, from which he extricated himself with uncommon address. He followed the interest of Pompey; and when Cæsar had obtained the victory in the plains of Pharsalia, Cassius was one of those who owed their life to the mercy of the conqueror. He married Junia the sister of Brutus, and with him he resolved to murder the man to whom he was indebted for his life, on account of his oppressive ambition; and before he stabbed Cæsar, he addressed himself to the statue of Pompey, who had fallen by the avarice of him whom he was going to assassinate. When the provinces were divided among Cæsar’s murderers, Cassius received Africa; and when his party had lost ground at Rome, by the superior influence of Augustus and Marcus Antony, he retired to Philippi, with his friend Brutus and their adherents. In the battle that was fought there, the wing which Cassius commanded was defeated, and his camp was plundered. In this unsuccessful moment he suddenly gave up all hopes of recovering his losses, and concluded that Brutus was conquered and ruined as well as himself. Fearful to fall into the enemy’s hands, he ordered one of his freedmen to run him through, and he perished by that very sword which had given wounds to Cæsar. His body was honoured with a magnificent funeral by his friend Brutus, who declared over him that he deserved to be called the last of the Romans. If he were brave, he was equally learned. Some of his letters are still extant among Cicero’s epistles. He was a strict follower of the doctrines of Epicurus. He was often too rash and too violent, and many of the wrong steps which Brutus took are to be ascribed to the prevailing advice of Cassius. He is allowed by Paterculus to have been a better commander than Brutus, though a less sincere friend. The day after Cæsar’s murder he dined at the house of Antony, who asked him whether he had then a dagger concealed in his bosom. “Yes,” replied he, “if you aspire to tyranny.” Seutonius, Cæsar & Augustus.—Plutarch, Brutus & Cæsar.—Paterculus, bk. 2, ch. 46.—Dio Cassius, bk. 40.——A Roman citizen who condemned his son to death, on pretence of his raising commotions in the state. Valerius Maximus, bk. 5, ch. 8.——A tribune of the people, who made many laws tending to diminish the influence of the Roman nobility. He was competitor with Cicero for the consulship.——One of Pompey’s officers, who, during the civil wars, revolted to Cæsar with 10 ships.——A poet of Parma, of great genius. He was killed by Varus, by order of Augustus, whom he had offended by his satirical writings. His fragments of Orpheus were found and edited some time after by the poet Statius. Horace, bk. 1, satire 10, li. 62.——Spurius, a Roman, put to death on suspicion of his aspiring to tyranny, after he had been three times consul, B.C. 485. Diodorus, bk. 11.—Valerius Maximus, bk. 6, ch. 3.——Brutus, a Roman who betrayed his country to the Latins, and fled to the temple of Pallas, where his father confined him, and he was starved to death.——Longinus, an officer of Cæsar in Spain, much disliked. Cæsar, Alexandrine War, ch. 48.——A consul, to whom Tiberius married Drusilla daughter of Germanicus. Seutonius, Galba, ch. 57.——A lawyer whom Nero put to death, because he bore the name of Julius Cæsar’s murderer. Suetonius, Nero, ch. 37.——Lucius Hemina, the most ancient writer of annals at Rome. He lived A.U.C. 608.——Lucius, a Roman lawyer, whose severity in the execution of the law has rendered the words Cassiani judices applicable to rigid judges. Cicero, For Sextus Roscius of Ameria, ch. 30.——Longinus, a critic. See: Longinus.——Lucius, a consul with Caius Marius, slain with his army by the Gauls Senones. Appian, Gallic History.——Marcus Scæva, a soldier of uncommon valour in Cæsar’s army. Valerius Maximus, bk. 3, ch. 2.——An officer under Aurelius, made emperor by his soldiers, and murdered three months after.——Felix, a physician in the age of Tiberius, who wrote on animals.——Severus, an orator who wrote a severe treatise on illustrious men and women. He died in exile, in his 25th year. See: Severus. The family of Cassii branched into the surname of Longinus, Viscellinus, Brutus, &c.

Cassōtis, a nymph and fountain of Phocis. Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 24.

Castabala, a city of Cilicia, whose inhabitants made war with their dogs. Pliny, bk. 8, ch. 40.

Castabus, a town of Chersonesus.

Castălia, a town near Phocis.——A daughter of the Achelous.

Castălius fons, or Castalia, a fountain of Parnassus, sacred to the Muses. The waters of this fountain were cool and excellent, and they had the power of inspiring those who drank of them with the true fire of poetry. The Muses have received the surname of Castalides from this fountain. Virgil, Georgics, bk. 3, li. 293.—Martial, bk. 7, ltr. 11; bk. 12, ltr. 3.

Castanea, a town near the Peneus, whence the nuces Castaneæ received their name. Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 9.

Castellum menapiōrum, a town of Belgium on the Maese, now Kessel.——Morinorum, now mount Cassel, in Flanders.——Cattorum, now Hesse Cassel.

Casthĕnes, a bay of Thrace, near Byzantium.

Castianira, a Thracian, mistress of Priam and mother of Gorgythion. Homer, Iliad, bk. 8.

Castor and Pollux, were twin brothers, sons of Jupiter by Leda, the wife of Tyndarus king of Sparta. The manner of their birth is uncommon. Jupiter, who was enamoured of Leda, changed himself into a beautiful swan, and desired Venus to metamorphose herself into an eagle. After this transformation the goddess pursued the god with apparent ferocity, and Jupiter fled for refuge into the arms of Leda, who was bathing in the Eurotas. Jupiter took advantage of his situation, and nine months after Leda, who was already pregnant, brought forth two eggs, from one of which came Pollux and Helena; and from the other, Castor and Clytemnestra. The two former were the offspring of Jupiter, and the latter were believed to be the children of Tyndarus. Some suppose that Leda brought forth only one egg, from which Castor and Pollux sprung. Mercury, immediately after their birth, carried the two brothers to Pallena, where they were educated; and as soon as they had arrived at years of maturity, they embarked with Jason to go in quest of the golden fleece. In this expedition both behaved with superior courage: Pollux conquered and slew Amycus in the combat of the cestus, and was ever after reckoned the god and patron of boxing and wrestling. Castor distinguished himself in the management of horses. The brothers cleared the Hellespont and the neighbouring seas from pirates, after their return from Colchis, from which circumstance they have been always deemed the friends of navigation. During the Argonautic expedition, in a violent storm, two flames of fire were seen to play around the heads of the sons of Leda, and immediately the tempest ceased and the sea was calmed. From this occurrence their power to protect sailors has been more firmly credited, and the two before-mentioned fires, which are very common in storms, have since been known by the name of Castor and Pollux; and when they both appeared, it was a sign of fair weather; but if only one was seen it prognosticated storms, and the aid of Castor and Pollux was consequently solicited. Castor and Pollux made war against the Athenians to recover their sister Helen, whom Theseus had carried away; and from their clemency to the conquered, they acquired the surname of Anaces or benefactors. They were initiated in the sacred mysteries of the Cabiri, and in those of Ceres of Eleusis. They were invited to a feast when Lynceus and Idas were going to celebrate their marriage with Phœbe and Talaira the daughters of Leucippus, who was brother to Tyndarus. Their behaviour after this invitation was cruel. They became enamoured of the two women whose nuptials they were to celebrate, and resolved to carry them away and marry them. This violent step provoked Lynceus and Idas: a battle ensued, and Castor killed Lynceus, and was killed by Idas. Pollux revenged the death of his brother by killing Idas; and, as he was immortal, and tenderly attached to his brother, he entreated Jupiter to restore him to life, or to be deprived himself of immortality. Jupiter permitted Castor to share the immortality of his brother; and consequently, as long as the one was upon earth, so long was the other detained in the infernal regions, and they alternately lived and died every day; or, according to others, every six months. This act of fraternal love Jupiter rewarded by making the two brothers constellations in heaven, under the name of Gemini, which never appear together, but when one rises the other sets, and so on alternately. Castor made Talaira mother of Anogon, and Phœbe had Mnesileus by Pollux. They received divine honours after death, and were generally called Dioscuri, sons of Jupiter. White lambs were more particularly offered on their altars, and the ancients were fond of swearing by the divinity of the Dioscuri, by the expressions of Ædepol and Æcastor. Among the ancients, and especially among the Romans, there prevailed many public reports, at different times, that Castor and Pollux had made their appearance to their armies; and mounted on white steeds, had marched at the head of their troops, and furiously attacked the enemy. Their surnames were many, and they were generally represented mounted on two white horses, armed with spears, and riding side by side, with their head covered with a bonnet, on whose top glittered a star. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 6, li. 109; Fasti, bk. 5, li. 701; Amores, bk. 3, poem 2, li. 54.—Hyginus, fables 77 & 78.—Homer, Hymn 33 to the Dioscuri.—Euripides, Helen.—Plutarch, Theseus.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 6, li. 121.—Marcus Manilius, Astronomica, bk. 2.—Livy, bk. 2.—Dionysius of Halicarnassus, bk. 6.—Justin, bk. 20, ch. 3.—Horace, bk. 2, satire 1, li. 27.—Florus, bk. 2, ch. 12.—Cicero, de Natura Deorum, bk. 2, ch. 2.—Apollonius, bk. 1.—Apollodorus, bk. 1, chs. 8, 9; bk. 2, ch. 4; bk. 3, ch. 11.—Pausanias, bk. 3, ch. 24; bk. 4, chs. 3 & 27.——An ancient physician.——A swift runner.——A friend of Æneas, who accompanied him into Italy. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 10, li. 124.——An orator of Rhodes, related to king Dejotarus. He wrote two books on Babylon, and one on the Nile.——A gladiator. Horace, bk. 1, ltr. 18, li. 19.

Castra Alexandri, a place of Egypt about Pelusium. Curtius, bk. 4, ch. 7.——Cornelia, a maritime town of Africa, between Carthage and Utica. Mela, bk. 1, ch. 7.——Annibalis, a town of the Brutii, now Rocella.——Cyri, a country of Cilicia, where Cyrus encamped when he marched against Crœsus. Curtius, bk. 3, ch. 4.——Julia, a town of Spain.——Posthumania, a place of Spain. Hirtius, Hispanic War, ch. 8.

Castratius, a governor of Placentia during the civil wars of Marius. Valerius Maximus, bk. 6, ch. 2.

Castrum Novum, a place on the coast of Etruria. Livy, bk. 36, ch. 3.——Truentinum, a town of Picenum. Cicero, Letters to Atticus, bk. 8, ltr. 12.——Inui, a town on the shores of the Tyrrhene sea. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 6, li. 775.

Castŭlo, a town of Spain, where Annibal married one of the natives. Plutarch, Sertorius.—Livy, bk. 24, ch. 41.—Silius Italicus, bk. 3, lis. 99 & 391.

Catabathmos, a great declivity near Cyrene fixed by Sallust as the boundary of Africa. Sallust, Jugurthine War, chs. 17 & 19.—Pliny, bk. 5, ch. 5.

Catadūpa, the name of the large cataracts of the Nile, whose immense noise stuns the ears of travellers for a short space of time, and totally deprives the neighbouring inhabitants of the power of hearing. Cicero, Somnium Scipionis, ch. 5.

Catagogia, festivals in honour of Venus, celebrated by the people of Eryx. See: Anagogia.

Catamenteles, a king of the Sequani, in alliance with Rome, &c. Cæsar, Gallic War, bk. 1, ch. 3.

Catăna, a town of Sicily at the foot of mount Ætna, founded by a colony from Chalcis, 753 years before the christian era. Ceres had there a temple, in which none but women were permitted to appear. It was large and opulent, and it is rendered remarkable for the dreadful overthrows to which it has been subjected from its vicinity to Ætna, which has discharged, in some of its eruptions, a stream of lava four miles broad and 50 feet deep, advancing at the rate of seven miles in a day. Catana contains now about 30,000 inhabitants. Cicero, Against Verres, bk. 4, ch. 53; bk. 5, ch. 84.—Diodorus, bks. 11 & 14.—Strabo, bk. 6.—Thucydides, bk. 6, ch. 3.

Cataonia, a country above Cilicia, near Cappadocia. Cornelius Nepos, Datames, ch. 4.

Cataracta, a city of the Samnites.

Cataractes, a river of Pamphylia, now Dodensoui.

Catĕnes, a Persian by whose means Bessus was seized. Curtius, bk. 7, ch. 43.

Cathæa, a country of India.

Cathări, certain gods of the Arcadians.——An Indian nation, where the wives accompany their husbands to the burning pile, and are burnt with them. Diodorus, bk. 17.

Catia, an immodest woman, mentioned Horace, bk. 1, satire 2, li. 95.

Catiēna, a courtesan in Juvenal’s age. Juvenal, satire 3, li. 133.

Catiēnus, an actor at Rome in Horace’s age, bk. 2, satire 3, li. 61.

Lucius Sergius Cătĭlīna, a celebrated Roman, descended of a noble family. When he had squandered away his fortune by his debaucheries and extravagance, and been refused the consulship, he secretly meditated the ruin of his country, and conspired with many of the most illustrious of the Romans, as dissolute as himself, to extirpate the senate, plunder the treasury, and set Rome on fire. This conspiracy was timely discovered by the consul Cicero, whom he had resolved to murder; and Catiline, after he had declared his intentions in the full senate, and attempted to vindicate himself, on seeing five of his accomplices arrested, retired to Gaul, where his partisans were assembling an army; while Cicero at Rome punished the condemned conspirators. Petreius, the other consul’s lieutenant, attacked Catiline’s ill-disciplined troops, and routed them. Catiline was killed in the engagement, bravely fighting, about the middle of December, B.C. 63. His character has been deservedly branded with the foulest infamy; and to the violence he offered to a vestal, he added the more atrocious murder of his own brother, for which he would have suffered death, had not friends and bribes prevailed over justice. It has been reported that Catiline and the other conspirators drank human blood, to make their oaths more firm and inviolable. Sallust has written an account of the conspiracy. Cicero, Against Catiline.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 8, li. 668.

Catilli, a people near the river Anio. Silius Italicus, bk. 4, li. 225.

Catilius, a pirate of Dalmatia. Cicero, Letters to his Friends, bk. 5, ch. 10.

Catillus, or Catilus, a son of Amphiaraus, who came to Italy with his brothers Coras and Tiburtus, where he built Tibur, and assisted Turnus against Æneas. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 7, li. 672.—Horace, bk. 1, ode 18, li. 2.

Catīna, a town of Sicily, called also Catana. See: Catana.——Another of Arcadia.

M. Catius, an epicurean philosopher of Insubria, who wrote a treatise in four books, on the nature of things, and the summum bonum, and an account of the doctrine and tenets of Epicurus. But as he was not a sound or faithful follower of the epicurean philosophy, he has been ridiculed by Horace, bk. 2, satire 4.—Quintilian, bk. 10, ch. 1.——Vestinus, a military tribune in Marcus Antony’s army. Cicero, Letters to his Friends, bk. 10, ch. 23.

Catizi, a people of the Pygmæans, supposed to have been driven from their country by cranes. Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 11.

Cato, a surname of the Porcian family, rendered illustrious by Marcus Porcius Cato, a celebrated Roman, afterwards called Censorius, from his having exercised the office of censor. He rose to all the honours of the state, and the first battle he ever saw was against Annibal, at the age of 17, where he behaved with uncommon valour. In his questorship, under Africanus against Carthage, and in his expedition in Spain against the Celtiberians, and in Greece, he displayed equal proofs of his courage and prudence. He was remarkable for his love of temperance; he never drank but water, and was always satisfied with whatever meats were laid upon his table by his servants, whom he never reproved with an angry word. During his censorship, which he obtained, though he had made many declarations of his future severity if ever in office, he behaved with the greatest rigour and impartiality, showed himself an enemy to all luxury and dissipation, and even accused his colleague of embezzling the public money. He is famous for the great opposition which he made against the introduction of the finer arts of Greece into Italy, and his treatment of Carneades is well known. This prejudice arose from an apprehension that the learning and luxury of Athens would destroy the valour and simplicity of the Roman people; and he often observed to his son, that the Romans would be certainly ruined whenever they began to be infected with Greek. It appears, however, that he changed his opinion, for he made himself remarkable for the knowledge of Greek, which he acquired in his old age. He himself educated his son, and instructed him in writing and grammar. He taught him dexterously to throw the javelin, and inured him to the labours of the field, and to bear cold and heat with the same indifference, and to swim across the most rapid rivers with ease and boldness. He was universally deemed so strict in his morals, that Virgil makes him one of the judges of hell. He repented only of three things during his life; to have gone by sea when he could go by land, to have passed a day inactive, and to have told a secret to his wife. A statue was raised to his memory, and he distinguished himself as much for his knowledge of agriculture as for his political life. In Cicero’s age there were 50 orations of his, besides letters, and a celebrated work called Origines, of which the first book gave a history of the Roman monarchy; the second and third an account of the neighbouring cities of Italy; the fourth a detail of the first, and the fifth of the second Punic war; and in the others the Roman history was brought down to the war of the Lusitanians, carried on by Servius Galba. Some fragments of the Origines remain, supposed by some to be supposititious. Cato’s treatise, De Re Rusticâ, was edited by Auson. Pompna, 8vo, Antwerp, Plantin, 1590; but the best edition of Cato, &c., seems to be Gesner’s, 2 vols., 4to, Lipscomb, 1735. Cato died in extreme old age, about 150 B.C.; and Cicero, to show his respect for him, has introduced him in his treatise on old age, as the principal character. Pliny, bk. 7, ch. 14. Plutarch & Cornelius Nepos have written an account of his life. Cicero, Academica & De Senectute, &c.——Marcus, the son of the Censor, married the daughter of Paullus Æmylius. He lost his sword in a battle, and though wounded and tired, he went to his friends, and, with their assistance, renewed the battle, and recovered his sword. Plutarch, Cato.——A courageous Roman, grandfather to Cato the censor. He had five horses killed under him in battles. Plutarch, Cato.——Valerius, a grammarian of Gallia Narbonensis, in the time of Sylla, who instructed at Rome many noble pupils, and wrote some poems. Ovid, bk. 2, Tristia, poem 1, li. 436.——Marcus, surnamed Uticensis, from his death at Utica, was great grandson to the censor of the same name. The early virtues that appeared in his childhood seemed to promise a great man; and, at the age of 14, he earnestly asked his preceptor for a sword, to stab the tyrant Sylla. He was austere in his morals, and a strict follower of the tenets of the Stoics; he was careless of his dress, often appeared barefooted in public, and never travelled but on foot. He was such a lover of discipline, that in whatever office he was employed, he always reformed its abuses, and restored the ancient regulations. When he was set over the troops in the capacity of a commander, his removal was universally lamented, and deemed almost a public loss by his affectionate soldiers. His fondness for candour was so great, that the veracity of Cato became proverbial. In his visits to his friends, he wished to give as little molestation as possible; and the importuning civilities of king Dejotarus so displeased him when he was at his court, that he hastened away from his presence. He was very jealous of the safety and liberty of the republic, and watched carefully over the conduct of Pompey, whose power and influence were great. He often expressed his dislike to serve the office of tribune; but when he saw a man of corrupted principles apply for it, he offered himself a candidate to oppose him, and obtained the tribuneship. In the conspiracy of Catiline, he supported Cicero, and was the chief cause that the conspirators were capitally punished. When the provinces of Gaul were decreed for five years to Cæsar, Cato observed to the senators that they had introduced a tyrant into the Capitol. He was sent to Cyprus against Ptolemy, who had rebelled, by his enemies, who hoped that the difficulty of the expedition would injure his reputation. But his prudence extricated him from every danger. Ptolemy submitted, and after a successful campaign, Cato was received at Rome with the most distinguishing honours, which he, however, modestly declined. When the first triumvirate was formed between Cæsar, Pompey, and Crassus, Cato opposed them with all his might, and with an independent spirit foretold to the Roman people all the misfortunes which soon after followed. After repeated applications he was made pretor, but he seemed rather to disgrace than support the dignity of that office, by the meanness of his dress. He applied for the consulship, but could never obtain it. When Cæsar had passed the Rubicon, Cato advised the Roman senate to deliver the care of the republic into the hands of Pompey; and when his advice had been complied with, he followed him with his son to Dyrrachium, where, after a small victory there, he was entrusted with the care of the ammunition, and of 15 cohorts. After the battle of Pharsalia, Cato took the command of the Corcyrean fleet; and when he heard of Pompey’s death on the coast of Africa, he traversed the deserts of Libya, to join himself to Scipio. He refused to take the command of the army in Africa, a circumstance of which he afterwards repented. When Scipio had been defeated, partly for not paying regard to Cato’s advice, Cato fortified himself in Utica, but, however, not with the intentions of supporting a siege. When Cæsar approached near the city, Cato disdained to fly, and rather than fall alive into the conqueror’s hands, he stabbed himself after he had read Plato’s treatise on the immortality of the soul, B.C. 46, in the 59th year of his age. He had first married Attilia, a woman whose licentious conduct obliged him to divorce her. Afterwards he united himself to Martia daughter of Philip. Hortensius, his friend, wished to raise children by Martia, and therefore obtained her from Cato. After the death of Hortensius, Cato took her again. This conduct was ridiculed by the Romans, who observed that Martia had entered the house of Hortensius very poor, but returned to the bed of Cato loaded with treasures. It was observed that Cato always appeared in mourning, and never laid himself down at his meals since the defeat of Pompey, but always sat down, contrary to the custom of the Romans, as if depressed with the recollection that the supporters of republican liberty were decaying. Plutarch has written an account of his life. Lucan, bk. 1, li. 128, &c.—Valerius Maximus, bk. 2, ch. 10.—Horace, bk. 3, ode 21.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 6, li. 841; bk. 8, li. 670.——A son of Cato of Utica, who was killed in a battle after he had acquired much honour. Plutarch, Cato Minor.

Catrea, a town of Crete. Pausanias.

Catreus, a king of Crete, killed by his son at Rhodes, unknowingly. Diodorus, bk. 5.

Catta, a woman who had the gift of prophecy. Suetonius, Vitellius, ch. 14.

Catti, a people of Gaul and Germany. Tacitus, Annals, bk. 13, li. 57.

Catuliāna, a surname of Minerva, from Lutatius Catulus, who dedicated a standard to her. Pliny, bk. 34, ch. 8.

Catullus Caius, or Quintus Valerius, a poet of Verona, whose compositions, elegant and simple, are the offspring of a luxuriant imagination. He was acquainted with the most distinguished people of his age, and directed his satire against Cæsar, whose only revenge was to invite the poet, and hospitably entertain him at his table. Catullus was the first Roman who imitated with success the Greek writers, and introduced their numbers among the Latins. Though the pages of the poet are occasionally disfigured with licentious expressions, the whole is written with great purity of style. Catullus died in the 46th year of his age, B.C. 40. The best editions of his works, which consist only of epigrams, are that of Vulpius, 4to, Patavii, 1737, and that of Barbou, 12mo, Paris, 1754. Martial, bk. 1, ltr. 62.—Ovid, Tristia, bk. 2, li. 427.——A man surnamed Urbicarius, was a mimographer. Juvenal, satire 13, li. 111.

Quintus Luctatius Catŭlus, went with 300 ships during the first Punic war against the Carthaginians, and destroyed 600 of their ships under Hamilcar, near the Ægates. This celebrated victory put an end to the war.——An orator, distinguished also as a writer of epigrams, and admired for the neatness, elegance, and polished style of his compositions. He is supposed to be the same as the colleague of Marius, when a consul the fourth time; and he shared with him the triumph over the Cimbri. He was, by his colleague’s order, suffocated in a room filled with the smoke of burning coals. Lucan, bk. 2, li. 174.—Plutarch, Caius Marius.——A Roman sent by his countrymen to carry a present to the god of Delphi, from the spoils taken from Asdrubal. Livy, bk. 27.

Caturĭges, a people of Gaul, now Chorges, near the source of the Durance. Cæsar, Gallic War, bk. 1, ch. 10.—Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 20.

Cavares, a people of Gaul, who inhabited the present province of Comtat in Provence.

Cavarillus, a commander of some troops of the Ædui in Cæsar’s army. Cæsar. Gallic War, bk. 7, ch. 67.

Cavarinus, a Gaul, made king of the Senones by Cæsar, and banished by his subjects. Cæsar, Gallic War, bk. 5, ch. 54.

Caucăsus, a celebrated mountain between the Euxine and Caspian seas, which may be considered as the continuation of the ridge of mount Taurus. Its height is immense. It was inhabited anciently by various savage nations who lived upon the wild fruits of the earth. It was covered with snow in some parts, and in others it was variegated with fruitful orchards and plantations. The inhabitants formerly were supposed to gather gold on the shores of their rivulets in sheepskins, but they now live without making use of money. Prometheus was tied on the top of Caucasus by Jupiter, and continually devoured by vultures, according to ancient authors. The passes near this mountain, called Caucasiæ portæ, bear now the name of Derbent, and it is supposed that through them the Sarmatians, called Huns, made their way, when they invaded the provinces of Rome. Pliny, bk. 6, ch. 11.—Strabo, bk. 11.—Herodotus, bk. 4, ch. 203, &c.—Virgil, Eclogues, poem 6; Georgics, ch. 2, li. 440; Æneid, bk. 4, li. 366.—Flaccus, bk. 5, li. 155.

Caucon, a son of Clinus, who first introduced the Orgies into Messenia from Eleusis. Pausanias, bk. 4, ch. 1.

Caucones, a people of Paphlagonia, originally inhabitants of Arcadia, or of Scythia, according to some accounts. Some of them made a settlement near Dymæ in Elis. Herodotus, bk. 1, &c.—Strabo, bk. 8, &c.

Caudi and Caudium, a town of the Samnites, near which, in a place called Caudinæ Furculæ, the Roman army under Titus Veturius Calvinus and Spurius Posthumius was obliged to surrender to the Samnites, and pass under the yoke with the greatest disgrace. Livy, bk. 2, ch. 1, &c.—Lucan, bk. 2, li. 138.

Cavii, a people of Illyricum. Livy, bk. 44, ch. 30.

Caulonia, or Caulon, a town of Italy near the country of the Brutii, founded by a colony of Achæans, and destroyed in the wars between Pyrrhus and the Romans. Pausanias, bk. 6, ch. 3.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 3, li. 553.

Caunius, a man raised to affluence from poverty by Artaxerxes. Plutarch, Artaxerxes.

Caunus, a son of Miletus and Cyane. He was passionately fond of, or, according to others, he was tenderly beloved by, his sister Byblis, and to avoid an incestuous commerce, he retired to Caria, where he built a city called by his own name. See: Byblis. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 9, fable 11.——A city of Caria, opposite Rhodes, where Protogenes was born. The climate was considered as unwholesome, especially in summer, so that Cicero mentions the cry of a person who sold Caunian figs, which were very famous (qui Cauneas clamitabat), at Brundusium, as a bad omen (cave ne eas) against Crassus going to attack the Parthians. Cicero, de Divinatione, bk. 2, ch. 4.—Strabo, bk. 14.—Herodotus, bk. 1, ch. 176.

Cauros, an island with a small town formerly called Andros, in the Ægean sea. Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 12.

Caurus, a wind blowing from the west. Virgil, Georgics, bk. 3, li. 356.

Caus, a village of Arcadia. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 25.

Caȳci, or Chauci, a nation of Germany, now the people of Friesland and Groningen. Lucan, bk. 1, li. 463.

Caȳcus, a river of Mysia. See: Caicus.

Cayster, or Caystrus, now Kitcheck-Meinder, a rapid river of Asia, rising in Lydia, and, after a meandering course, falling into the Ægean sea near Ephesus. According to the poets, the banks and neighbourhood of this river were generally frequented by swans. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 2, li. 253; bk. 5, li. 386.—Martial, bk. 1, ltr. 54.—Homer, Iliad, bk. 2, li. 461.—Virgil, Georgics, bk. 1, li. 384.

Cea, or Ceos, an island near Eubœa, called also Co. See: Co.

Ceădes, a Thracian, whose son Euphemus was concerned in the Trojan war. Homer, Iliad, bk. 2.

Ceba, now Ceva, a town of modern Piedmont, famous for cheese. Pliny, bk. 11, ch. 42.

Ceballīnus, a man who gave information of the snares laid against Alexander. Diodorus, bk. 17.—Curtius, bk. 6, ch. 7.

Cebarenses, a people of Gaul. Pausanias, bk. 1, ch. 36.

Cebenna, mountains of Gaul, now the Cevennes, separating the Arverni from the Helvii, extending from the Garonne to the Rhone. Cæsar, Gallic War, bk. 7, ch. 8.—Mela, bk. 2, ch. 5.

Cebes, a Theban philosopher, one of the disciples of Socrates, B.C. 405. He attended his learned preceptor in his last moments, and distinguished himself by three dialogues that he wrote; but more particularly by his tables, which contain a beautiful and affecting picture of human life, delineated with accuracy of judgment and great splendour of sentiment. Little is known of the character of Cebes from history. Plato mentions him once, and Xenophon the same, but both in a manner which conveys most fully the goodness of his heart and the purity of his morals. The best editions of Cebes are those of Gronovius, 8vo, 1689; and Glasgow, 12mo, 1747.

Cebren, the father of Asterope. Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 21.

Cebrēnia, a country of Troas with a town of the same name, called after the river Cebrenus, which is in the neighbourhood. Œnone the daughter of the Cebrenus receives the patronymic of Cebrenis. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 11, li. 769.—Statius, bk. 1, Sylvæ, bk. 5, li. 21.

Cebriŏnes, one of the giants conquered by Venus.——An illegitimate son of Priam, killed with a stone by Patroclus. Homer, Iliad.

Cebrus, now Zebris, a river falling in a southern direction into the Danube, and dividing Lower from Upper Mœsia.

Cecidas, an ancient dithyrambic poet.

Cecilius. See: Cæcilius.

Cecīna, a river near Volaterra in Etruria. Mela, bk. 2, ch. 4.

A. Cecinna, a Roman knight in the interest of Pompey, who used to breed up young swallows, and send them to carry news to his friends as messengers. He was a particular friend of Cicero, with whom he corresponded. Some of his letters are still extant in Cicero. Pliny, bk. 10, ch. 24.—Cicero, bk. 15, ltr. 66; Orator, ch. 29.——A scribe of Octavius Cæsar. Cicero, bk. 16, Letters to Atticus, ltr. 8.——A consular man suspected of conspiracy and murdered by Titus, after an invitation to supper. Suetonius, Titus, ch. 6.

Cecrŏpia, the original name of Athens, in honour of Cecrops, its first founder. The ancients often use this word for Attica, and the Athenians are often called Cecropidæ. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 6, li. 21.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 7, li. 671; Fasti, bk. 2, li. 81.—Lucan, bk. 3, li. 306.—Pliny, bk. 7, ch. 56.—Catullus, poems 62, 79.—Juvenal, satire 6, li. 186.

Cecrŏpĭdæ, an ancient name of the Athenians, more particularly applied to those who were descended from Cecrops the founder of Athens. The honourable name of Cecropidæ was often conferred as a reward for some virtuous action in the field of battle. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 6, li. 21.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 7, li. 671.

Cecrops, a native of Sais in Egypt, who led a colony to Attica about 1556 years before the christian era, and reigned over part of the country which was called from him Cecropia. He softened and polished the rude and uncultivated manners of the inhabitants, and drew them from the country to inhabit 12 small villages which he had founded. He gave them laws and regulations, and introduced among them the worship of those deities which were held in adoration in Egypt. He married the daughter of Actæus, a Grecian prince, and was deemed the first founder of Athens. He taught his subjects to cultivate the olive, and instructed them to look upon Minerva as the watchful patroness of their city. It is said that he was the first who raised an altar to Jupiter in Greece, and offered him sacrifices. After a reign of 50 years, spent in regulating his newly formed kingdom, and in polishing the minds of his subjects, Cecrops died, leaving three daughters, Aglauros, Herse, and Pandrosos. He was succeeded by Cranaus, a native of the country. Some time after, Theseus, one of his successors on the throne, formed the 12 villages which he had established into one city, to which the name of Athens was given. See: Athenæ. Some authors have described Cecrops as a monster, half a man and half a serpent; and this fable is explained by the recollection that he was master of two languages, the Greek and the Egyptian; or that he had the command over two countries, Egypt and Greece. Others explain it by an allusion to the regulations which Cecrops made amongst the inhabitants concerning marriage and the union of the two sexes. Pausanias, bk. 1, ch. 5.—Strabo, bk. 9.—Justin, bk. 2, ch. 6.—Herodotus, bk. 8, ch. 44.—Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 14.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 11, li. 561.—Hyginus, fable 166.——The second of that name was the seventh king of Athens, and the son and successor of Erechtheus. He married Metiadusa the sister of Dædalus, by whom he had Pandion. He reigned 40 years, and died 1307 B.C. Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 15.—Pausanias, bk. 1, ch. 5.

Cecyphalæ, a place of Greece, where the Athenians defeated the fleet of the Peloponnesians. Thucydides, bk. 1, ch. 105.

Cedreātis, the name of Diana among the Orchomenians, because her images were hung on lofty cedars.

Cedon, an Athenian general, killed in an engagement against the Spartans. Diodorus, bk. 15.

Cedrusii, an Indian nation. Curtius, bk. 9, ch. 11.

Ceglŭsa, the mother of Asopus by Neptune. Pausanias, bk. 2, ch. 12.

Cei, the inhabitants of the island Cea.

Celădon, a man killed by Perseus, at the marriage of Andromeda. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 5, li. 144.——A river of Greece, flowing into the Alpheus. Strabo, bk. 8.—Homer, Iliad, bk. 7, li. 133.

Celădus, a river of Arcadia. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 38.——An island of the Adriatic sea. Mela, bk. 3, ch. 1.

Celænæ, or Celēne, a city of Phrygia, of which it was once the capital. Cyrus the younger had a palace there, with a park filled with wild beasts, where he exercised himself in hunting. The Mæander arose in this park. Xerxes built a famous citadel there after his defeat in Greece. The inhabitants of Celænæ were carried by Antiochus Soter to people Apamea when newly founded. Strabo, bk. 12.—Livy, bk. 38, ch. 13.—Xenophon, Anabasis, bk. 1. Marsyas is said to have contended in its neighbourhood against Apollo. Herodotus, bk. 7, ch. 26.—Lucan, bk. 3, li. 206.

Celæno, one of the daughters of Atlas, ravished by Neptune. Ovid, Fasti, bk. 4, li. 173.——One of the Harpies, daughter of Neptune and Terra. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 3, li. 245.——One of the Danaides. Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 1.——A daughter of Neptune and Ergea. Hyginus.——A daughter of Hyamus, mother of Delphus by Apollo. Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 6.

Celeæ, a town of Peloponnesus. Pausanias, bk. 2, ch. 14.

Celeia and Cela, a town of Noricum. Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 24.

Celelates, a people of Liguria. Livy, bk. 32, ch. 29.

Celendræ, Celendris, and Celenderis, a colony of the Samians in Cilicia, with a harbour of the same name at the mouth of the Selinus. Lucan, bk. 8, li. 259.

Celeneus, a Cimmerian, who first taught how persons guilty of murder might be expiated. Flaccus, bk. 3, li. 406.

Celenna, or Celæna, a town of Campania, where Juno was worshipped. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 7, li. 739.

Celer, a man who, with Severus, ♦undertook to rebuild Nero’s palace after the burning of Rome. Tacitus, Annals, bk. 15, ch. 42.——A man called Fabius, who killed Remus when he leaped over the walls of Rome, by order of Romulus. Ovid, Fasti, bk. 4, li. 837.—Plutarch, Romulus.——Metius, a noble youth to whom Statius dedicated a poem.

♦ ‘untook’ replaced with ‘undertook’

Celĕres, 300 of the noblest and strongest youths at Rome, chosen by Romulus to be his body-guards, to attend him wherever he went, and to protect his person. The chief or captain was called Tribunus Celerum. Livy, bk. 1, ch. 15.

Celetrum, a town of Macedonia. Livy, bk. 31, ch. 40.

Celeus, a king of Eleusis, father to Triptolemus by Metanira. He gave a kind reception to Ceres, who taught his son the cultivation of the earth. See: Triptolemus. His rustic dress became a proverb. The invention of several agricultural instruments made of osiers is attributed to him. Ovid, Fasti, bk. 4, li. 508; bk. 5, li. 269.—Virgil, Georgics, bk. 1, li. 165.—Apollodorus, bk. 1, ch. 5.—Pausanias, bk. 1, ch. 14.——A king of Cephallenia.

Celmus, a man who nursed Jupiter, by whom he was greatly esteemed. He was changed into a magnet stone for saying that Jupiter was mortal. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 4, li. 281.

Celonæ, a place of Mesopotamia. Diodorus, bk. 17.

Celsus, an epicurean philosopher in the second century, to whom Lucian dedicated one of his compositions. He wrote a treatise against the christians, to which an answer was returned by Origen.——Cornelius, a physician in the age of Tiberius, who wrote eight books on medicine, besides treatises on agriculture, rhetoric, and military affairs. The best editions of Celsus de medicinâ are the 8vo, Leiden, 1746, and that of Vallart, 12mo, Paris, apud Didot, 1772.——Albinoyanus, a friend of Horace, warned against plagiarism, bk. 1, ltr. 3, li. 15, and pleasantly ridiculed, in the eighth epistle, for his foibles. Some of his elegies have been preserved.——Juventius, a lawyer who conspired against Domitian.——Titus, a man proclaimed emperor, A.D. 265, against his will, and murdered seven days after.

Celtæ, a name given to the nation that inhabited the country between the Ocean and the Palus Mæotis, according to some authors mentioned by Plutarch, Caius Marius. This name, though anciently applied to the inhabitants of Gaul, as well as of Germany and Spain, was more particularly given to a part of the Gauls, whose country, called Gallia Celtica, was situate between the rivers Sequana and Garumna, modernly called la Seine and la Garonne. The Celtæ seemed to receive their name from Celtus, a son of Hercules or of Polyphemus. The promontory which bore the name of Celticum is now called Cape Finisterre. Cæsar, Gallic War, bk. 1, ch. 1, &c.—Mela, bk. 3, ch. 2.—Herodotus, bk. 4, ch. 49.

Celtĭbēri, a people of Spain, descended from the Celtæ. They settled near the Iberus, and added the name of the river to that of their nation, and were afterwards called Celtiberi. They made strong head against the Romans and Carthaginians when they invaded their country. Their country, called Celtiberia, is now known by the name of Arragon. Diodorus, bk. 6.—Florus, bk. 2, ch. 17.—Strabo, bk. 4.—Lucan, bk. 4, li. 10.—Silius Italicus, bk. 3, li. 339.

Celtĭca, a well-populated part of Gaul, inhabited by the Celtæ.

Celtĭci, a people of Spain. The promontory which bore their name is now Cape Finisterre.

Celtillus, the father of Vercingetorix among the Arverni. Cæsar, Gallic War, bk. 7, ch. 4.

Celtorii, a people of Gaul, near the Senones. Plutarch.

Celtoscy̆thæ, a northern nation of Scythians. Strabo, bk. 10.

Cemmĕnus, a lofty mountain of Gaul. Strabo.

Cempsi, a people of Spain at the bottom of the Pyrenean mountains. Dionysius Periegetes, li. 358.

Cenăbum, or Genăbum. See: Genabum.

Cenæum, a promontory of Eubœa, where Jupiter Cæneus had an altar raised by Hercules. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 9, li. 136.—Thucydides, bk. 3, ch. 93.

Cenchreæ, now Kenkri, a town of Peloponnesus on the isthmus of Corinth.——A harbour of Corinth. Ovid, Tristia, bk. 1, poem 9, li. 9.—Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 4.

Cenchreis, the wife of Cinyras king of Cyprus, or, as others say, of Assyria. Hyginus, fable 58.

Cenchreus, a son of Neptune and Salamis, or, as some say, of Pyrene. He killed a large serpent at Salamas. Pausanias, bk. 2, ch. 2.—Diodorus, bk. 4.

Cenchrius, a river of Ionia near Ephesus, where some suppose that Latona was washed after she had brought forth. Tacitus, Annals, bk. 3, ch. 61.

Cenepŏlis, a town of Spain, the same as Carthago Nova. Polybius.

Cenetium, a town of Peloponnesus. Strabo.

Cenneus. See: Cænis.

Cenimāgni, a people on the western parts of Britain.

Cenīna. See: Cænina.

Cenon, a town of Italy. Livy, bk. 2, ch. 63.

Censōres, two magistrates of great authority at Rome, first created B.C. 443. Their office was to number the people, estimate the possessions of every citizen, reform and watch over the manners of the people, and regulate the taxes. Their power was also extended over private families; they punished irregularity, and inspected the management and education of the Roman youth. They could inquire into the expenses of every citizen, and even degrade a senator from all his privileges and honours, if guilty of any extravagance. This punishment was generally executed in passing over the offender’s name in calling the list of the senators. The office of public censor was originally exercised by the kings. Servius Tullius, the sixth king of Rome, first established a census, by which every man was obliged to come to be registered, and give in writing the place of his residence, his name, his quality, the number of his children, of his tenants, estates, and domestics, &c. The ends of the census were very salutary to the Roman republic. They knew their own strength, their ability to support a war, or to make a levy of troops, or raise a tribute. It was required that every knight should be possessed of 400,000 sesterces to enjoy the rights and privileges of his order; and a senator was entitled to sit in the senate, if he was really worth 800,000 sesterces. This laborious task of numbering and reviewing the people was, after the expulsion of the Tarquins, one of the duties and privileges of the consuls. But when the republic was become more powerful, and when the number of its citizens was increased, the consuls were found unable to make the census, on account of the multiplicity of business. After it had been neglected for 16 years, two new magistrates called censors were elected. They remained in office for five years, and every fifth year they made a census of all the citizens in the Campus Martius, and offered a solemn sacrifice, and made a lustration in the name of all the Roman people. This space of time was called a lustrum, and 10 or 20 years were commonly expressed by two or four lustra. After the office of the censors had remained for some time unaltered, the Romans, jealous of their power, abridged the duration of their office, and a law was made, A.U.C. 420, by Mamercus Æmilius, to limit the time of the censorship to 18 months. After the second Punic war, they were always chosen from such persons as had been consuls; their office was more honourable, though less powerful, than that of the consuls; the badges of their office were the same, but the censors were not allowed to have lictors to walk before them as the consuls. When one of the censors died, no one was elected in his room till the five years were expired, and his colleague immediately resigned. This circumstance originated from the death of a censor before the sacking of Rome by Brennus, and was ever deemed an unfortunate event to the republic. The emperors abolished the censors, and took upon themselves to execute their office.

Censorīnus, Appius Claudius, was compelled, after many services to the state, to assume the imperial purple by the soldiers, by whom he was murdered some days after, A.D. 270.——Martius, a consul, to whom, as a particular friend, Horace addressed his bk. 4, ode 8.——A grammarian of the third century, whose book, De Die Natali, is extant, best edited in 8vo, by Havercamp, Leiden, 1767. It treats of the birth of man, of years, months, and days.

Census, the numbering of the people at Rome, performed by the censors; à censeo, to value. See: Censores.——A god worshipped at Rome, the same as Consus.

Centaretus, a Galatian, who, when Antiochus was killed, mounted his horse in the greatest exultation. The horse, as if conscious of disgrace, immediately leaped down a precipice, and killed himself and his rider. Pliny, bk. 8, ch. 42.

Centaurī, a people of Thessaly, half men and half horses. They were the offspring of Centaurus son of Apollo, by Stilbia daughter of the Peneus. According to some, the Centaurs were the fruit of Ixion’s adventure with the cloud in the shape of Juno, or, as others assert, of the union of Centaurus with the mares of Magnesia. This fable of the existence of the Centaurs, monsters supported upon the four legs of a horse, arises from the ancient people of Thessaly having tamed horses, and having appeared to their neighbours mounted on horseback, a sight very uncommon at that time, and which, when at a distance, seems only one body, and consequently one creature. Some derive the name ἀπο του κεντειν ταυρους, goading bulls, because they went on horseback after their bulls which had strayed, or because they hunted wild bulls with horses. Some of the ancients have maintained that monsters like the Centaurs can have existed in the natural course of things. Plutarch, Convivium Septem Sapientium mentions one seen by Periander tyrant of Corinth; and Pliny, bk. 7, ch. 3, says that he saw one embalmed in honey, which had been brought to Rome from Egypt in the reign of Claudius. The battle of the Centaurs with the Lapithæ is famous in history. Ovid has elegantly described it, and it has also employed the pen of ♦Hesiod, Valerius Flaccus, &c.; and Pausanias in Elis says it was represented in the temple of Jupiter at Olympia, and also at Athens by Phidias and Parrhasius, according to Pliny, bk. 36, ch. 5. The origin of the battle was a quarrel at the marriage of Hippodamia with Pirithous, where the Centaurs, intoxicated with wine, behaved with rudeness, and even offered violence to the women that were present. Such an insult irritated Hercules, Theseus, and the rest of the Lapithæ, who defended the women, wounded and defeated the Centaurs, and obliged them to leave their country, and retire to Arcadia. Here their insolence was a second time punished by Hercules, who, when he was going to hunt the boar of Erymanthus, was kindly entertained by the Centaur Pholus, who gave him wine which belonged to the rest of the Centaurs, but had been given them on condition of their treating Hercules with it whenever he passed through their territory. They resented the liberty which Hercules took with their wine, and attacked him with uncommon fury. The hero defended himself with his arrows, and defeated his adversaries, who fled for safety to the Centaur Chiron. Chiron had been the preceptor of Hercules, and therefore they hoped that he would desist in his presence. Hercules, though awed at the sight of Chiron, did not desist, but in the midst of the engagement, he wounded his preceptor in the knee, who, in the excessive pain he suffered, exchanged immortality for death. The death of Chiron irritated Hercules the more, and the Centaurs that were present were all extirpated by his hand, and indeed few escaped the common destruction. The most celebrated of the Centaurs were Chiron, Eurytus, Amycus, Gryneus, Caumas, Lycidas, Arneus, Medon, Rhœtus, Pisenor, Mermeros, Pholus, &c. Diodorus, bk. 4.—Tzetzes, Historiarum variarum Chiliades, bk. 9, ch. 237.—Hesiod, Shield of Heracles.—Homer, Iliad & Odyssey.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 12.—Strabo, bk. 9.—Pausanias, bk. 5, ch. 10, &c.—Ælian, Varia Historia, bk. 11, ch. 2.—Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 3; bk. 5.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 6, li. 286.—Hyginus, fables 33 & 62.—Pindar, Pythian, li. 2.

♦ ‘Hesoid’ replaced with ‘Hesiod’

Centaurus, a ship in the fleet of Æneas, which had the figure of a Centaur. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 5, li. 122.

Centobrica, a town of Celtiberia. Valerius Maximus, bk. 5, ch. 1.

Centŏres, a people of Scythia. Flaccus.

Centoripa, or Centuripa. See: Centuripa.

Centrites, a river between Armenia and Media.

Centrones, a people of Gaul, severely beaten by Julius Cæsar when they attempted to obstruct his passage. They inhabited the modern country of Tarantaise in Savoy. There was a horde of Gauls of the same name subject to the Nervii, now supposed to be near Courtray in Flanders. Cæsar, Gallic War, bk. 1, ch. 10; bk. 5, ch. 38.—Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 20.

Centronius, a man who squandered his immense riches on useless and whimsical buildings. Juvenal, satire 14, li. 86.

♦Centum cellum, a seaport town of Etruria built by Trajan, who had there a villa. It is now Civita Vecchia, and belongs to the pope. Pliny the Younger, bk. 6, ltr. 51.

♦ Placed in correct alphabetical order.

Centumvĭri, the members of a court of justice at Rome. They were originally chosen, three from the 35 tribes of the people, and though 105, they were always called Centumvirs. They were afterwards increased to the number of 180, and still kept their original name. The pretor sent to their tribunal causes of the greatest importance, as their knowledge of the law was extensive. They were generally summoned by the Decemviri, who seemed to be the chiefest among them; and they assembled in the Basilica, or public court, and had their tribunal distinguished by a spear with an iron head, whence a decree of their court was called Hastæ judicium: their sentences were very impartial, and without appeal. Cicero, On Oratory, bk. 1, ch. 38.—Quintilian, bks. 4, 5, & 11.—Pliny the Younger, bk. 6, ltr. 33.

Centŭria, a division of the people among the Romans, consisting of 100. The Roman people were originally divided into three tribes, and each tribe into 10 curiæ. Servius Tullius made a census; and when he had enrolled the place of habitation, name, and profession of every citizen, which amounted to 80,000 men, all able to bear arms, he divided them into six classes, and each class into several centuries, or companies of 100 men. The first class consisted of 80 centuries, 40 of which were composed of men from the age of 45 and upwards, appointed to guard the city. The 40 others were young men, from 17 to 45 years of age, appointed to go to war, and fight the enemies of Rome. Their arms were all the same; that is, a buckler, a cuirass, a helmet, cuishes of brass, with a sword, a lance, and a javelin; and as they were of the most illustrious citizens, they were called, by way of eminence, Classici, and their inferiors infra classem. They were to be worth 1,100,000 asses, a sum equivalent to 1800l. English money. The second, third, and fourth classes, consisted each of 20 centuries, 10 of which were composed of the more aged, and the others of the younger sort of people. Their arms were a large shield, a spear, and a javelin; they were to be worth in the second class, 75,000 asses, or about 121l. In the third, 50,000, or about 80l.; and in the fourth, 25,000, or about 40l. The fifth class consisted of 30 centuries, three of which were carpenters by trade, and the others of different professions, such as were necessary in the camp. They were all armed with slings and stones. They were to be worth 11,000 asses, or about 18l. The sixth class contained only one centuria, comprising the whole body of the poorest citizens, who were called Proletarii, as their only service to the state was procreating children. They were also called capite censi, as the censor took notice of their person, not of their estate. In the public assemblies in the Campus Martius, at the election of public magistrates, or at the trial of capital crimes, the people gave their vote by centuries, whence the assembly was called comitia centuriata. In these public assemblies, which were never convened but only by the consuls at the permission of the senate, or by the dictator in the absence of the consuls, some of the people appeared under arms, for fear of an attack from some foreign enemy. When a law was proposed in the public assemblies, its necessity was explained, and the advantages it would produce to the state were enlarged upon in a harangue; after which it was exposed in the most conspicuous parts of the city three market-days, that the people might see and consider. Exposing it to public view, was called proponere legem, and explaining it, promulgare legem. He who merely proposed it, was called lator legis; and he who dwelt upon its importance and utility, and wished it to be enforced, was called auctor legis. When the assembly was to be held, the auguries were consulted by the consul, who, after haranguing the people, and reminding them to have in view the good of the republic, dismissed them to their respective centuries, that their votes might be gathered. They gave their votes vivâ voce, till the year of Rome A.U.C. 615, when they changed the custom, and gave their approbation or disapprobation by ballots thrown into an urn. If the first class was unanimous, the others were not consulted, as the first was superior to all the others in number; but if they were not unanimous, they proceeded to consult the rest, and the majority decided the question. This advantage of the first class gave offence to the rest; and it was afterwards settled, that one class of the six should be drawn by lot, to give its votes first, without regard to rank or priority. After all the votes had been gathered, the consul declared aloud, that the law which had been proposed was duly and constitutionally approved. The same ceremonies were observed in the election of consuls, pretors, &c. The word Centuria is also applied to a subdivision of one of the Roman legions which consisted of 100 men, and was the half of a manipulus, the sixth part of a cohort, and the sixtieth part of a legion. The commander of a centuria was called centurion, and he was distinguished from the rest by a branch of a vine which he carried in his hand.