429 



CRASSUS. 



CRATINUS. 



480 



Galilee, which has been ascribed to other and greater poets than 



Crashaw : 



" Nympha podica Dcum vidit, et ernbuit." 

 " Tlic modest water saw its God, and blushed.'* 



A second edition of his Latin poems was published at Cambridge, 

 8vo, 1670. 



At what time Crashaw was admitted into holy orders is uncertain. 

 Wood says he took degrees at Oxford in 1641 ; about which time he 

 seems to have become a popular preacher, full of energy and enthusiasm. 

 His degrees however do not appear in the public register. In 1644, 

 when the parliamentary army expelled those members of that uni- 

 versity who refused to take the covenant, Crashaw was among the 

 number ; and being unable to contemplate with resignation or indiffe- 

 rence the ruins of the church establishment, he went over to France, 

 where his sufferings and their peculiar influence on his mind prepared 

 him to embrace the Roman Catholic religion. In 1646 the poet 

 Cowley found Crashaw in France in great distress, and introduced 

 him to the patronage of Charles I.'s queen, who gave him letters of 

 recommendation to Italy : there he became secretary to one of the 

 cardinals at Rome, and was made a canon in the church of Loretto, 

 where he died of a fever, soon after his promotion, about the year 

 1650. His ' Steps to the Temple, Sacred Poems, with other Delights 

 of the Muse',' was published in 12mo, 1646 ; a second edition, 1648; 

 and a third, also called second in the title, 8 vo, 1670. Pope occasionally 

 borrowed thoughts from Crashaw, but improved them. Crashaw 

 resembled Herbert in his turn of mind, and possessed equal fancy and 

 genius. In 1652 a posthumous volume of his poems was published at 

 Paris accompanied with vignettes by Messager, entitled ' Carmen Deo 

 nostro, te decet Hymnua Sacred Poems, collected, corrected, 

 augmented, most humbly presented to my Lady the Countesse of 

 Denbigh, by her most devoted servant R.C., in hearty acknowledge- 

 ment of his immortall obligation to her goodness and charity,' Svo. 

 An edition of his English Poems, selected from the two volumes, was 

 published in 12mo, London, 1785. 



CRASSUS, the surname of several Roman families, and especially 

 of the triumvir Marcus Licinius. When he is first mentioned in 

 history, he is spoken of a; exceedingly rich ; and it was partly owing 

 to this circumstance that he was appointed to take the command 

 against the revolted gladiators of Capua. In a few days he rai-ed an 

 army of six legions, and marched in quest of the enemy. A battle 

 wag fought in the south of Italy, near Rhcgium, in which Crassus was 

 completely victorious, and Spartacus fell with 40,000 of his men. 

 Crassus was rewarded with an ovation on his return ; but the victory 

 having been achieved over slaves, instead of the usual myrtle-wreath, 

 he had a laurel crown. (Aul. Gellius, v. 6) At the time of his expe- 

 dition against Spartacus, he held the office of prater ; and the follow- 

 ing year (A.U.C. 683, 71 B.O.), he was chosen consul with Pompey. 

 The influence which Pompey gained by his popular and engaging 

 manners Crassus succeeded in acquiring by the hospitality and 

 munificence which his immense wealth easily supported. On one 

 occasion he gave a general entertainment to the whole people, and 

 distributed corn enough for three months' provision. No acts of 

 importance however are recorded by historians during this adminis- 

 tration. After some years, Crassus and Pompey dropped that 

 determined violence towards each other, which, though frequently 

 concealed, had never been wholly removed, and joined Ciesar in what 

 is called the first triumvirate. While the actual power was almost 

 entirely engrossed by Cjesar, he endeavoured to blind Crassus and 

 Pompey to the real state of things by certain concessions which he 

 made. With this view he included them both in a commission for 

 dividing the lands of Campania, and fur settling a colony at Capua, 

 and thus enabled them to provide for some needy adherents to their 

 interests. After a time the alliance was discontinued, but it was 

 renewed again; and in B.C. 56 Pompey and Crassus offered them- 

 selves at candidates for the consulship, in order to keep out Domitius 

 Ahenobarbus, who was violently opposed to Casar, and would be 

 likely to thwart his designs. Cecsar had been appointed over the 

 province of Qaul for five years ; and Crassus and Pompey, though 

 for some time they concealed th-ir intentions, at last succeeded in 

 gaining the provinces of Syria and Spain for the same period and on 

 the same terms. Pompey did not leave immediately fur Spain ; but 

 Crassus set out for S\ria without delay, even before the year of 

 his consulate had expired, B.C. 55. From the great preparations 

 which he made, both in raising forces and in other ways, and from his 

 known avarice, it was clear that a war with the Parthians was the 

 real ohject at which he aimed ; and the joy which he displayed at the 

 prospect of so vast an increase of his wealth Appian (on the ' Parthian 

 Wan,' s. 135) describes as perfectly childish and ridiculous. The 

 tribune Ateius endeavoured to prevent Crassus from going on this 

 expedition, but in vain ; and a Crassus was passing through the gates 

 of Roma, the tribune pronounced certain terrible imprecations upon 

 him over a small fire, which had been lighted according to the usual 

 practice in such cases. A person thus devoted, it was believed, could 

 not pos-iMy escape, and the person who BO devoted another could not 

 prusper himself, and therefore it was a course not pursued hastily or 

 on light grounds. (Appian, s. 137; Cicero, 'Do Divinatione, i. 16.) 

 This consideration increased the alarm which the curse produced iu 



the people, and even among the army of Crassus himself. Neverthe- 

 less he proceeded by way of Macedonia and the Hellespont, to Asia. 

 He crossed the Euphrates and ravaged Mesopotamia without resist- 

 ance. Orodes (Arsaces XIV.), the king of Farthia, being at the time 

 engaged in an invasion of Armenia, his general Surena commanded 

 the Parthian forces against the Romans. A battle was fought near 

 Carrhso between Crassus and Surena, in which Crassus was defeated. 

 The clamours of his soldiers obliged him to accept proposals of peace 

 from Surena, to whom the messengers of the Parthian general promised 

 to lead him. His resistance to their insulting treatment provoked 

 their fury, and they put him to death without delay, B.C. 53. Surena 

 had his head and right hand cut off and sent to Orodes, and the 

 Parthian monarch is said to have caused melted gold to be poured 

 into the mouth of the Roman general, exclaiming, " Take your fill 

 now of the gold which during life you so coveted." (Dion Cassius, xl. 

 27.) The Romans are said to have had in this unfortunate campaign 

 30,000 men killed and taken prisoners. 



We have no proof that Crassus possessed talent of any kind, and, 

 but for his wealth, he would probably have been scarcely known. 

 From his father he inherited a large fortune, but the rest of his wealth 

 was not acquired by the most honourable means. He is said to have 

 enriched himself by purchasing at a very low price the estates of those 

 who were proscribed by Sylla ; also by letting for hire slaves whom 

 he had instructed in various arts and trades ; and so high was his own 

 standard of opulence, that he said no one could be rich who was not 

 able to maintain an army at his own expense. With all his avarice 

 he was generally ready to lend money to his friends, and was hospi- 

 table without extravagance. Cicero (' Brut.,' sect. 66) represents him 

 as a man of moderate acquirements and slender abilities, but of great 

 industry and perseverance. In another of his works (' Tusc. Qusest.,' 

 v. 40) he says, " Crassus was somewhat deaf, but a greater misfortune 

 than this was the bad character which people gave him, though in my 

 opinion unjustly." 



(Cicero, Epitt. ad Atticvm, i. 14, 17; iv. 13 ; Appian, on the Parthian 

 Wars, S3. 134-155; Dion Cassius, xxxvi., xxxvii. ; Plutarch, Life of 

 Oratius.) 



Coin of Crassus. 

 British Museum. Actual size. Silver. Weight 01 J grains. 



CRASSUS, LUCIUS LICINIUS, was considered the greatest orator 

 of his time. Ho appears to have superintended the course of Cicero's 

 early education. (' De Oratore," ii. 1.) Cicero in one place (' Brut.,' 

 s. 38) pronounces him perfect ; and in the treatise before referred 

 to (' De Oratore ') he delivers his own sentiments on eloquence in the 

 person of Crassus. In the beginning of the third book he takes 

 occasion to lament the death of the interlocutors in the dialogae, 

 Crassus and Antonius. 



CRA'TERUS. [ALEXANDER III.] 



CRATES, the name of several Greek writers. 1, A comedian of 

 Athens, one of the most eminent of the predecessors of Aristophanes, 

 who speaks very favourably of him. ('Eqq.' 637.) He is said to 

 have been originally one of Cratinus' actors (Schol. on Aristoph. 

 ' Eqq.'), but he could not have been so very long, since he was well 

 known as a comic writer in B.C. 450. (Euseb. ' Ad Olymp.,' 82, 2.) 

 Aristotle tells us that he was the first who introduced regular plots 

 into his comedies. (' Poet.' c. v.) 2, A Cynic philosopher, the son of 

 Ascondas of Thebes, who flourished about the year B.C. 328. He was 

 living in B.C. 307, when Demetrius Phalereus retired to Thebes. 

 (Diogen. Laert. vi. 85 ; Plutarch, 'Mor.,' p. 69, c.) He was a disciple 

 of Diogenes and Bryson, and was surnamed the ' door-opener ' 

 (ivptmmiitnit), from his habit of entering any house he pleased whether 

 invited or not. (Suidas.) 3, A philosopher of the old academy, sou 

 of Antigenes, and bom in the deme of Thria in Attica. He was a 

 disciple of Polemo, to whom lie was much attached, and the instructor 

 of Arcesilaus and Bion the Borysthenite. (Diog. Laert. iv. 4.) He 

 flourished about the year B.O. 287. (Clinton, ' Fasti Hcllenici,' ii., 

 p. 183.) Cicero says that hU philosophical doctrines did not at all 

 differ froifl those of Plato. ('Academ.'i. 9.) 4, A celebrated gram- 

 marian and stoic, "son of Timocrates, and born at Mallos in Cilieia. 

 He was sent as ambassador to Rome by Attalua, king of Pergamus, 

 about the year B.C. 159. (Clinton, ' Fasti Hellenic!,' iii, p. 89.) His 

 works were very numerous. (See a list of them iu Clinton, iii., p. 528, 

 note <.) 



CRATI'NUS, the son of Callimedea, a writer of the old comedy, 

 was born at Athens B.C. 519. It is not known when he began to 

 write comedies ; it is inferred however from the words of Aristophanes 

 (' Eqq.' 524-630), that he did not appear as a dramatist till somewhat 

 advanced in life. (Clinton, 'Fasti Hellenic!,' vol. ii., p. 49.) He wns 

 the most formidable adversary of Aristophanes : two occasions are 



