SCIRE FACIAS SCLAVONIANS. 



137 



for their extravagance. B. C. 134, he entered on 

 his second consulship, in order to put an end to the 

 war which had long been carried on with Numan- 

 tia, a bravely defended city in Spain. On his arri- 

 val in the enemy's country, his first labour was to 

 reduce the disorderly, enervated troops to their 

 former state of discipline. But before he could 

 effect this, the year was gone, and Numantia still 

 untaken. His term of command was therefore pro- 

 longed. Reinforced by troops and elephants, which 

 \vvre brought to him from Ntimidia by the young 

 Jugurtha, afterwards the dangerous enemy of the 

 Romans, he commenced the siege with great energy. 

 For his conquest of this powerful city, a triumph 

 was decreed to Scipio, and he received the surname 

 of Numantinus. He suffered like the elder Afri- 

 canus, in the last years of his life, from the ingrati- 

 tude of his countrymen, and made himself many 

 enemies among the people by opposing the agrarian 

 law. (See the article Agrarian Laws.) He retired, 

 therefore, with Lselius, his constant friend, to an 

 estate near Naples, and lived in tranquillity. But 

 having returned to the city, and become suspected 

 of aspiring to the dictatorship, he was found one 

 morning dead in his bed, with marks of having been 

 strangled. It was generally believed that his wife, 

 Sempronia, a sister of the Gracchi, who were the 

 ardent supporters of the agrarian law, had a share 

 in the deed. Papirius Carbo, and C. Gracchus, the 

 tribunes of the people, were likewise bitter enemies 

 of his. After Scipio's death, there was found in 

 his house only two and a half pounds of gold, and 

 less than thirty-two of silver, so great had been his 

 liberality and moderation. He died B. C. 129, at 

 the age of fifty-six years. All the Romans, who 

 knew his great virtues, lamented his death. Like 

 the elder Scipio Africanus, he was a Roman of the 

 highest stamp; he united courage with magnanim- 

 ity, wisdom with humility, patriotism with modera- 

 tion and forecast, and benevolence with unshaken 

 probity. 



SCIRE FACIAS; a judicial writ, most com- 

 monly used to call a man to show cause to the 

 court, whence it issues, why execution of judgment 

 passed should not be made out. 



SCIRON; a celebrated robber in Attica, who 

 plundered the inhabitants of the country, and kicked 

 them from the rocks into the sea while washing his 

 feet. Theseus attacked him, and treated him as 

 he treated travellers. According to Ovid, the earth, 

 as well as the sea, refused to receive the bones of 

 Sciron, which remained for some time suspended in 

 the air, till they were changed into large rocks, called 

 Scironia Saxa, situated between Megara and Co- 

 rinth. Bottiger thinks he was the same as Pro- 

 crustes (q. v.), and Sinis, or Scinis. 



SCIRPUS; an old Latin name for the bulrush 

 and other plants of that tribe, which, on account 

 of their soft flexible stems, destitute of knots, are 

 useful for tying things together or for making bas- 

 kets. It is a very numerous genus. The common 

 bulrush is frequent in clear waters, and about the 

 borders of rivers throughout Europe; also in North 

 America and New South Wales. The roots are 

 thick and stout, creeping under water in the deep 

 mud : stems four or five feet, or more, in height ; 

 naked, smooth, round, dark green, tough, and pliant, 

 spongy within, useful for packing and thatching, 

 and especially for platting into the bottom of chairs, 

 their base inverted with several sheathing scales, 

 partly ending in leafy points. 



SCIRRHUS; a hard tumor in any part of the 



body, generally proceeding from the induration of a 

 gland, and frequently terminating in a cancer. 

 SCISSORS. See Cutlery. 

 SCLAV ONIA, a kingdom under the government 

 of the emperor of Austria, is bounded on the west 

 by Croatia, and separated, on the three other sides, 

 by the Drave, Save and Danube, from Hungary, 

 ! Servia and Bosnia. Under the Romans, it formed 

 | a part of Pannonia. It derives its present name 

 from the Sclavi, who settled there in the seventl 

 century. In the tenth century, it came under the 

 dominion of Hungary, and, in 1526, under that of 

 the Turks; but was subjected to the house of 

 Austria by the peace of Carlowitz, in 1699. It 

 contains 6530 square miles, and is traversed from one 

 extremity to the other by a chain of mountains which 

 rise in Croatia, and run from the west to the east. 

 It abounds in forests, which is the cause that the 

 climate is cooler than might be expected in this lat- 

 itude. In fertility of soil, Sclavonia is equal to 

 Hungary, with the exception of the mountainous 

 districts. Its productions are, besides poultry an& 

 the common domestic animals, venison, fish, bees, 

 a great quantity of silk, corn (although agriculture 

 is still very backward), melons, tobacco, and an 

 abundance of wine. Fruit is produced in great 

 abundance, particularly plums, of which brandy is 

 made, and a great quantity of nuts : both articles 

 are exported largely, particularly the plums, which 

 form a principal article of consumption and trade. 

 There are, likewise, considerable forests of oaks, 

 which are used for tanning; and likewise forests of 

 chestnuts. The mountains, most probably, contain 

 minerals; but there is no mining carried on. Mine- 

 ral springs are abundant ; coals have likewise been 

 found. The inhabitants (528,000) belong, for the 

 most part, to the Sclavonian stock: but there are 

 likewise many Magyars, Walachians, Gypsies, Ger- 

 mans, Greeks, Jews, and Armenians. The Roman 

 Catholic, the Greek Catholic, and the Greek non- 

 united church, are the most numerous religious de- 

 nominations. There are but few Protestants. 

 Manufactures are almost entirely unknown amongst 

 the inhabitants. Until 1745, the country was only 

 divided into military districts, but since that time a 

 beginning has been made towards giving some of 

 them a civilized constitution. These form three 

 counties. The military district, or generalate, con- 

 sists of Brod, Peterwaradin, and Gradisca. It is 

 under a military government, at the head of which 

 is the commanding general in Sclavonia, who resides 

 at Peterwaradin. The counties are subject to the 

 kingdom of Hungary, and each has its governor and 

 vice-governor. Most of the citizens of the towns, 

 as also the peasants, are bondsmen. Many of the 

 proprietors of estates possess domains containing 

 from 84 to 335 square miles. 



SCLAVONIANS (from slava, fame); one of 

 the two European families of nations which have 

 retained their original character. Later than the 

 Germans, the Sarmatians emigrated from Asia to Eu- 

 rope. From them descended, according to Ptolemy, 

 the Wends, who extended themselves, in the fourth 

 century, into the great plains along the Vistula, and 

 contended with the Goths in the neighbourhood. 

 Jornandes.an author of the sixth century, says, that 

 the Wends were divided into several branches, of 

 which the most general names were Sclavini and 

 Antes. Hence he distinguishes three tribes of one 

 stock, by the names of Veneti, Antes, and Sclavi. 

 The name of the chief branch, Wends, remained 

 peculiar to the nations which afterwards inundated 



