268 pliny's fattiral histoey. [Book III. 



pa\ M. Varro^, tlie Emperor Augustus^ now deified, Yarro 

 Atacinus"*, Antias*, Hyginus^, L. Vetus^, Pomponius Mela*, 



of wliich Pliny makes considerable use. Of this also only a few fragments 

 are left. His life has been written by Cornehus Nepos, Plutarch, and 

 Aurehus Victor, 



^ M. Vipsanius Agi'ippa, the distinguished partisan of Augustus, to 

 whose niece MarceUa he was married, but he afterwards divorced her 

 for Juha, the daughter of Augustus by Scribouia, and the widow of 

 Marcellus. He distinguished himself in Gaul, at Actium, and in Hlyria. 

 He constructed many public works at Rome, and among them the Pan- 

 theon ; he also built the splendid aqueduct at Nismes. He died suddenly 

 in liis 51st year. His body was buried in the Mausoleum of Augustus, 

 who pronovmced his funeral oration. He wrote memoh-s of his own life. 

 PUny often refers to the " Commentarii " of Agrippa, by which are meant, 

 it is supposed, certain official Hsts drawn up by him in the measm'ement 

 of the Roman world under Augustus. His map of the world is also 

 mentioned by Phny in c. 3 of the present Book. ^ ggg g^d of B. ii. 



3 From Servius, Suetonius and Plutarch we learn that Augustus wrote 

 Memoirs of his Life, in thirteen books ; from Suetonius, that he com- 

 posed a Summary of the Empire (which was probably that referred to in 

 the above note on Agrippa) ; and from QuintUian, Aldus GeUius, and PHny, 

 B. xviii. c. 38, that he pubUshed Letters written to liis grandson Caius. 



* P. Terentius Varro, surnamed Atacinus, from the Atax, a river of 

 GraUia Narbonensis, in which province he was bora, B.C. 82. Of his 

 "Argonautica," his " Cosmograpliia" (probably the same with his "Iter"), 

 his " Navales Libri," and his Heroic and Amatory Poems, only a few 

 fragments now exist. Of liis life notliing whatever is kno^vn. 



^ Valerias Antias. See end of B. ii. 



^ C. Jiihus Hyginus, a native of Spam, and frecdman of Augustus, by 

 whom he was placed at the Palatine Library. He lived upon terms of 

 intimacy with Ovid. He wrote works on the sites of the cities of Italy, 

 the Nature of the Gods, an accoimt of the Penates, an accovmt of Virgil 

 (probably the same as the work called " Commentaries on Virgil"), on the 

 PamUies of Trojan descent, on Agriculture, the " Propempticon Oinnse," 

 the Lives of Illustrious Men (quoted by John of Salisbiu-y in liis " Poly- 

 craticon "), a book of Examples, and a work on the Art of War, also meil- 

 tioned by John of Sahsbury. A book of Pables, and an Astronomical 

 Poem, in four books, are ascribed to hun, but they are probably pro- 

 ductions of a later age. 



7 L. Antistius Vetus, Consul with Nero, a.d. 55. While command- 

 ing in Germany he formed the project of connecting the MoseUe and the 

 Saone by a canal, thus establishing a communication between the Medi- 

 terranean and the Northern Ocean. Nero having resolved on his death, 

 he anticipated his sentence by opening his veins in a Avarm bath. His 

 mother-in-law Sextia, and his daughter Pollentia, in a similar manner 

 perished with liim. 



* He was born, it is supposed, at Tingentera, or Cingentera, on the bay 

 of Algesii-as, and probably floiu'ished in the reign of Claudius. He was 



