L. Aemilius Paullus 81

vol. I p.564-565

81) L. Aemilius M. f. Q. n. (Lepidus?) Paullus

(Λ. Αἰμίλιος Μ. υἱ. Παῦλος Dio ind. I. XL), the full brother of the triumvir (Vell. II 67, 3. 4; cf. below the other sources about his proscription and Cic. Phil. XIII 8), hence the son of M. Aemilius Lepidus Cos. 676 = 78 (nr. 71) and Q. n. <30> Following the custom of the noble families of the time, he took the cognomen of a famous ancestor from the gens Aemilia cf. nr. 84; whether he kept the name Lebidus or got rid of it at this point cannot be determined, since even his son and grandson vary: usually named L. Paullus, Aemilius Paullus, or Paullus.

He charged Catiline lege Plautia de vi in the year 691 = 63 (Sall. Cat. 31, 4; cf. Cic. in Vat. 25. Schol. Bob. p. 320). <40> Quaestor of the propraetor C. Octavius of Macedonia in the years 694/95 = 60/59, he was accused of an (invented) conspiracy by Vettius, a tool of Caesar and Pompey (Cic. ad Att. II 24, 2; in Vat. 25). In the year 697 = 57, he supported Cicero’s return from exile (ad fam. XV 13, 2) and at the trial of Sestius in the following year, he declared se nomen Vatinii delaturum, si Macer Licinius cunctaretur (ad Q. fr. II 4, 1). <50> As aedile curulis 699 = 55, he set up the old Basilica Aemilia again in medio foro basilicam iam paene texuit isdem antiquis columnis (ad Att. IV 16, 8). In the year 701 = 53, the comitia were put off until July because of civil unrest (Dio XL 45); for the rest of the year, Paullus was praetor (Cic. Mil. 24). As the civil war approached, Pompey intended to steer the elections towards men who were seen as decided enemies of Caesar. So, in July 703 = 51, Paullus and C. Marcellus were elected (consul designatus Cic. ad fam. VIII 4, 4. 8, 5. 10, 3. XV 12). <60> Consul 704 = 50 (Cic. ad fam. XIII 29, 4. XV 13; ad Att. VI 1, 7. 3, 4; Brut. 229. 328. Hirt. b. g. VIII 48, 10. Suet. Caes. 29. Plin. n. h. II 147. Plut. Pomp. 58; Caes. 29. Appian. b. c. II 26. Dio ind. I XL and XL 63, 2. Cassiod. Obseq. 65. Chronogr. Idat. Chr. Pasch.). The hopes which the senate party had placed on him were not fulfilled; <page break 564/565> he ended up in debt because of his building works, and Caesar bought his passive attitude for 1500 talents. He spent the money on the basilica (Plut. App. Dio 1. 1.), which was first completed by his son (cf. nr. 82). Cicero, who was friends with him, wrote him the two letters ad fam. XV 12 (when he was cos. des.) and 13 (during the consulship) from Cilicia, and asked him to support his return from exile and a resolution of a supplicatio, <10> which Paullus also turned himself to (ad fam. VIII 11, 1). He played no role during the civil war on account of his two-sided attitude, and first returned to political life after Caesar’s murder. In April 710 = 44, he brought Cicero political news from Rome (ad Att. XIV 7, 1. 8, 1). During the bellum Mutinense, he was sent to Massilia to Sex. Pompeius with two others as an embassy (Cic. Phil. XIII 13), <20> he mentions a job concerning the transferral of troops to D. Brutus in a letter to Cicero from May 711 = 43 (ad fam. XI 19, 1). Since he agreed with the request to exile Antony and Lepidus, he was also put on the list of proscriptions (Appian. b. c. IV 12. Plut. Ant. 19. Vell. II 67. Flor. II 16, 4. Liv. per. CXX). However, the soldiers let him escape out of concern for his brother (and perhaps following secret orders, as Dio). <30> He went to Asia to D. Brutus (Dio XLVII 8, 1), and after his death he went to Miletum, where he remained after the peace and despite being called back by the triumvirs (Appian. b. c. IV 37). His son is L. Aemilius Lepidus Paullus nr. 82.

[Klebs.]

This article is referenced by: C. Claudius Marcellus (216), C. Cornelius Cethegus (89), C. Licinius Macer Calvus (113)