Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 3.djvu/1218

1206 VALENS. in the empire, and whom he put to death a few months afterwards, when he concluded a peace Avith Constantine, who stipulated positively for the deposition of this puppet Caesar. Eckhel assigns a medal bearing on the obverse the legend imp, C. AUR. VAL. VALENS. P. F. AUG., and OH the reverse jovi conservatori augg., to this Va- lens ; but it seems doubtful whether he ever re- ceived, formally at least, any higher title than that of Caesar. [Compare Martinianus.] (Excerpta Vales. 17, 18 ; Auvel. Vict. Epit. 40 ; Zosim. ii. 19, 20.) [W. R.] VALENS, DONA'TIUS, a centurion in the army of Hordeonius Flaccus in Germany, attempted with some few others to protect the images of Galba, when the rest of the soldiers revolted to Vitellius, but was seized, and shortly afterwards put to death. (Tac. Hist. i. b^)., 59.) VALENS, FA'BIUS. 1. One of the principal genei-als of the Emperor Vitellius in A. D. ^9. His character is drawn in the blackest coloiirs by Tacitus ; and among the various profligate com- manders in that civil war, Valens seems to have been the most notorious for his avarice, venality, and cruelty. He was of an equestrian family, and was born at Anagnia, a town of Latium. He en- tered freely into the debaucheries of Nero's court, and at the festival of the Juvenalia, in which the most distinguished persons of the state were obliged to take a part (see Diet, of Antiq. s. v. Juvenalia., 2d ed.), he was accustomed to act the licentious part of a mime, at first, as if by compulsion, but afterwards evidently from choice. He was sub- sequently appointed by Nero legatus of the first legion in Germany. In the troubles immediately preceding and following Nero's death, Valens en- deavoured to persuade Verginius Rufus, who go- verned Upper Germany, to assume the pui-ple ; and when Rufus refused to do so, Valens sought to blacken his character, and accused him to Galba of attempting to make himself emperor. Soon after Galba's accession, Valens, in conjunction with the legate of another legion, Cornelius Aquinus, put to death Fonteius Capito, the governor of Lower Germany, on the plea that he was intend- ing to revolt, but, as many thought, because he had refused to take up arms at the solicitation of Valens and Aquinus. However this may be, Valens claimed great merit with Galba for the services he had rendered him in exposing the plots of Verginius Rufus, and destroying Fonteius Capito, who might have been a dangerous rival ; and upon receiving no reward, he complained bit- terly that he had been treated with ingratitude. Accordingly, upon the arrival of Vitellius in Lower Germany as the successor of Capito, Valens was one of the first to urge him to seize the empire, and this time he was more successful than he had been with his former commanders. The legions in Upper Germany refused to take the oath of allegiance to Galba on the 1st of January, A. i). ^9. Valens thereupon marched into Cologne on the following day, and saluted Vitellius as emperor. His example was immediately followed by the soldiers in Lower Germany, and on the next day by those of Upper Germany, and active preparations were made to prosecute the war against Galba. Vitellius entnisted the conduct of it to Valens and A. Caecina, the latter of whom had commanded a legion in Upper Germany, and had been one of the chief leaders of the revolt in favour of Vitellius. VALENS. Valens was entrusted with 40,000 men belonging to the array of Lower Germany, with orders to march through Gaul, and persuade it to submit to Vitellius, or, if he could not succeed in so doing, to lay it waste with fire and sword, and finally to cross over into Italy by Mont Geu-'vre (Cottianis Alpibus). Caecina received 30,000 men belonging to the army of Upper Germany, with orders to march direct into Italy by the pass of the Great St. Bernard {Poeninis jugis). Valens commenced his march early in January, His formidable array secured him a friendly recep- tion in Gaul ; but upon his arrival at Diviodurum (Metz), his soldiers were seized with a panic terror, and slaughtered 4000 of the inhabitants This massacre, however, instead of provoking any resistance in Gaul, only made the people still more anxious to deprecate the wrath of the troops. On reaching the capital of the Leuci, the modern Toul, Valens received intelligence of the death of Galba and the accession of Otho ; and this news produced the recognition of Vitellius throughout the whole of Gaul, the inhabitants of which de- tested alike both Otho and Vitellius, but were more afraid of the latter. Valens, therefore, con- tinued to advance without any interruption. The inhabitants of Lugdunum (Lyons) persuaded him to march against Vienna (Vienne), which had espoused the cause of Vindex and Galba ; but the Viennenses averted the impending danger by throwing themselves before the army as suppliants, and by giving an immense sum of money to Va- lens, of which the soldiers likewise received a small portion. The avarice of Valens knew no bounds, and he employed the great power which he now possessed, to gratify it in every possible manner. Throughout his march the proprietors of the lands and the magistrates of the cities paid him large sums of money not to march through their property or encamp upon it ; and if money failed, they were obliged to appease him by sacrificing their wives and daughters to his lusts. On his arrival in Italy, Valens took up his quarters at Ticinum (Favia), where he nearly lost his life in an insurrection of the soldiers. He took refuge in the dress of a slave in the tent of one of his officers, who concealed him till the danger was over. Valens afterwards put this man to death on suspicion of his having taken a thousand drachmae from his baggage. (Dion Cass. Ixiv. 1 6 ; comp. Tac. Hist. ii. 29.) Caecina, who had arrived in Italy before Valens, had meantime been defeated by the ge- nerals of Vitellius in the neighbourhood of Cre- mona ; and although Valens and Caecina disliked each other, and it was thought that the latter had been defeated, because Valens had purposely not made sufficient haste to join him, yet their mutual interests now led them to unite their forces, and to act in harmony against the common enemy. Otho's generals earnestly dissuaded him from risking a battle, but their opinion was overruled by the em- peror, who was anxious to bring the war to a close. The result was the battle of Bedriacum, in which Valens and Fabius gained a decisive victory, and thus secured for Vitellius the sovereignty of Italy. [Otho.] The two generals remained in northern Italy for some time after the battle, till they were joined by Vitellius, whom they accompanied to Rome. Vitellius advanced them to the consulship, which they entered upon on the 1st of September, and he left the whole government in their hands.