- Helvidius Priscus
Helvidius Priscus, Stoic
philosopher andstatesman , lived during the reigns ofNero ,Galba ,Otho ,Vitellius andVespasian .Like his father-in-law, Thrasea Paetus, he was distinguished for his ardent and courageous
republicanism . Although he repeatedly offended his rulers, he held several high offices. During Nero's reign he wasquaestor ofAchaea andtribune of the plebs (AD 56); he restored peace and order inArmenia , and gained the respect and confidence of the provincials. His declared sympathy with Brutus and Cassius occasioned his banishment in66 .Having been recalled to
Rome by Galba in68 , he at once impeachedEprius Marcellus , the accuser of Thrasea Paetus, but dropped the charge, as the condemnation of Marcellus would have involved a number of senators. As praetor elect he ventured to oppose Vitellius in the senate (Tacitus , "Hist." ii. 91), and aspraetor (70) he maintained, in opposition to Vespasian, that the management of the finances ought to be left to the discretion of the senate; he proposed that the Temple of Jupiter Best and Greatest, which had been destroyed in the Vitelline/Flavian civil war, should be restored at the public expense; he saluted Vespasian by his private name, and did not recognize him as emperor in his praetorian edicts.At length he was banished a second time, and shortly afterwards was executed by Vespasian's order. His life, in the form of a warm
panegyric , written at his widow's request byHerennius Senecio , caused its author's death in the reign ofDomitian .Tacitus, "Hist." iv. 5, "
Dialogus ", 5;Dio Cassius lxvi. 12, lxvii. 13; Suetonius, "Vespasian", 15; Pliny, "Epp." vii. 19.Modern Appearances
* The
Helvidius Group of Columbia University, publisher of the [http://www.helvidius.org "Journal of Politics & Society"] , takes its name from the statesman.
* SenatorRobert Byrd was quoted in theNew York Times on November 20, 2002 referencing Helvidius Priscus.References
*1911
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