﻿102 THE AGE OF PETRONIUS ARBITER. 



rius, when the latter played the farce with regard to the assumption of the reins of 

 government. Cf Tacit. Ann. 1. 13: "Etiam Q. Haterius et Mamercus Scaurus suspi- 

 cacem animum perstrinxere ; Haterius, cum dixisset, Quousque patieris, Caesar, non 

 adesse caput rei publicae ] Scaurus, quia dixerat, spem esse ex eo, non irritas fore sena- 

 tus preces, quod relationi consulum jure tribuniciae potestatis non intercessisset. In 

 Haterium statim invectus est ; Scaurum, cui implacabilius irascebatur, sUentio tramisit." 

 After having already once before (32 A. D.) been accused of treason,* he was again ac- 

 cused of adultery and sorcery ; but the true cause of his destruction was a tragedy of his, 

 entitled Atreus, to which his enemy Macro had added some verses capable of being 

 applied to Tiberius. Scaurus anticipated his unpendmg doom, and at the advice of his 

 wife, Sextia, and in company with her, died by his own hand. Cf Tacit. Ann. 6. 29 : 

 " Mamercus deui Scaurus riu-sum postulatur, insignis nobHitate .et orandis causis, \ita 

 probrosus. Nihil hunc amicitia Sejani, scd labefecit hand mmus validum ad exitia 

 Macronis odium, qui easdem artes occultius exercebat ; detuleratque argumentum tra- 

 goediae a Scaiu'o scriptae, additis versibus, qui in Tiberium flecterentur. Verum ab 

 ServUio et Cornelio accusatoribus adulterium Li-\'iac, magorum sacra objectabantiu*. 

 Scaurus, ixt dignum veteribus Aemiliis, damnationem anteit, hortante Sextia uxore, 

 quae incitamentum mortis et particeps fuit." The account of Dio Cassius (58. 24) is 

 substantially the same : MafiepKO'; Be Sj/ Ai/x.iXio'; 'Sicavpo';, fXT]T ap^a<; TLvwv, /MTjTe BapoBo- 

 K^'jaa^, ia\co re Bia TpayaBt^av, Kai, •jradrjfiari Beivorepo) ov (jvveypayjre irepieirecrev. Arpevi fiev 

 TO TTOtrjfia rjv • iraprjvei, Be tcov ap-)(op.evu)V tcvi vtt avTov, Kara tov EvpnriBrjv, 'iva ttjv tov Kpa- 

 rovvro<; a^ovXlav <f>epT] • fiaOwu ovv tovto o Ti^epio^ e(f> eavrai rare to eTro? eiprjaOai, €^»7, 

 ^ Arpevi Bia ttjv fiiat^oviav elvai 7rpoc7TroiT]aanevo<; • xai virenrtov OTi km eyio ovv Aiavra avrov 

 ■TTOujao}, dvdyKTjv ol Trpocrrjyayei' avToevrei aiToXecrOat. ' ov fi-qv Kai, etri tovt^j Karrjyopijdt], aX\ «s 

 TTjV AioviXXav fjuefiof^evKWi. 



The Scaurus of Petronius is well known to the guests of Trimalchio, for the latter 

 deems it unnecessary to designate him more particularly. So INIamercus ^Emilius 

 Scaurus may be supposed to have been known to the class of persons to which Trimal- 

 chio and his guests belonged, if, as we see from this passage, he condescended to asso- 

 ciate with them. The Scaurus of Petronius is represented as a person of property, for 

 he says of him " et habet ad mare patcrnum hospitium." This is not inconsistent with 

 the condition of Mamercus ^mUius Scaurus, as he is described to us by Tacitus and 

 other historians. Mamercus Scaurus is, in the pregnant language of Tacitus, called 



* Cf. Tacit. Ann. 6. 9 : " Caesar Pollionis ac Viniciani Scaurique causam, ut ipse cum senatu nosceret, 

 distulit datis quibusdam in Scaurum tristibus notis." 



