Mancinus

• a Roman proper name, e. g. C. Hostilius Mancinus, a consul who was delivered up to the Numantines, on the refusal of the Roman people to ratify the dishonorable treaty of peace which he had made with them, Cic. Rep. 3, 18, 28; id. de Or. 1, 40, 181; 1, 56, 238; 2, 32, 137; id. Off. 3, 30, 109; id. Caecin. 34, 98; Paul. ex Fest. p. 131 Müll.—Hence,
• II Mancīnĭānus, a, um, adj., of or belonging to Mancinus: deditio, i.e. the delivering up of Mancinus, Flor. 3, 14, 2.

1. L. Hostilius Mancinus, an officer in the army of the dictator Q. Fabius Maximus in B. C. 217. (Liv. 22.15.)

2. A. Hostilius Mancinus, L. F. A. N., was praetor urbanus B. C. 180, and consul B. C. 170 with A. Atilius Serranus. In his consulship he had the conduct of the war against Perseus, king of Macedonia; but from the fragmentary nature of the accounts that have come down to us, we are unable to form any definite idea of the campaign. So much, however, seems certain, that he conducted the war for the most part on the defensive. He remained in Greece for part of the next year (B. C. 169) as proconsul; and after passing the winter in Thessaly, he endeavoured to penetrate into Macedonia, but was obliged to retire before the superior force of Perseus. [For the details see Perseus.] In the same year he surrendered the command to his successor, the consul Q. Marcius Philippus, leaving behind him the reputation of having kept his soldiers in good discipline, and preserved the allies from injury, although he had performed no exploit worthy of mention. (Liv. 40.35, 43.4_11, 17, 44.1; Plb. 27.14, 28.3, &c.; Plut. Aemsil. Paul. 9.)

2. L. Hostilius Mancinus, probably son of No. 1, was engaged as legate of the consul L. Calpurnius Piso (B. C. 148) in the siege of Carthage, in the third Punic war. He commanded the fleet, while Piso was at the head of the land-forces; and, notwithstanding some repulses which he received, he had the glory of being the first to take part of the town, which was finally conquered by Scipio in B. C. 146. Mancinus on his return to Rome exhibited in the forum paintings, containing views of Carthage and of the different attacks made upon it by the Romans, and was constantly ready to explain to the people all the details of the pictures. He became in consequence such a favourite with the people, that he was elected consul in B. C. 145 with Q. Fabius Maximus Aemilianus. (Appian, App. Pun. 110-114; Liv. Epit. 51; Plin. Nat. 35.4. s. 7; Cic. Lael. 25.)

3. C. Hostilius Mancinus, probably a brother of No. 2, was consul in B. C. 137 with M. Aemilius Lepidus Porcina, and had the conduct of the war against Numantia. Its unsuccessful issue was foretold the consul by many prodigies. He was defeated by the Numantines in several engagements, and at length, being entirely surrounded by the enemy, he negotiated a peace, through the intervention of his quaestor Tib. Gracchus, who was greatly respected by the enemy. Appian says that this peace contained the same terms for the Romans and Numantines; but as it must in that case have recognised the independence of the latter, the senate refused to recognise it, and went through the hypocritical ceremony of delivering over the consul bound and naked to the enemy, by means of the fetiales. This was done with the consent of Mancinus, but the enemy refused to accept him. On his return to Rome Mancinus took his seat in the senate, as heretofore, but was violently expelled from it by the tribune P. Rutilius, on the ground that he had lost his citizenship. As the enemy had not received him, it was a disputed question whether he was a citizen or not by the Jus Postlinii (see Dict. of Ant. s.v. Postliminium), but the better opinion was that he had lost his civic rights, and they were accordingly restored to him by a lex. According to Aurelius Victor, he is said to have been subsequently elected praetor. (Appian, App. Hisp. 79-83; Liv. Epit. 55; Oros. 5.4; Obsequ. 83; V. Max. 1.6.7; Vell. 2.1; Flor. 2.18; Eutrop. 4.17; Plut. TG 5; Dio Cass. Fragm. 164, ed. Reimar; Aurel. Vict. Vir. Illustr. 59; Cic. de Rep. 3.18, de Off 3.30, de Orat. 1.40, 56, 2.32, pro Caec. 33, Topic. 8; Dig 50. tit. 7. s. 17.)

4. A. Hostilius Mancinus, curule aedile (but in what year is uncertain), of whom a tale is told by A. Gellius (4.14) from the " Conjectanea" of Ateius Capito.

or Ma'nlius, tribune of the plebs B. C. 108, proposed to the people the bill by which the province of Numidia and the conduct of the war against Jugurtha were given to Marius, who had been elected consul for the subsequent year. (Sal. Jug. 73; Gel. 6.11.)

A Roman who was consul in B.C. 137. He was defeated by the Numantines, and purchased his safety by making a peace with them. The Senate refused to recognize it, and went through the hypocritical ceremony of delivering him over to the enemy, who refused to accept him. On his return to Rome he was expelled from the Senate by the tribune P. Rutilius on the ground that he had lost his citizenship, as being still technically a prisoner (see postliminium); but his rights were restored by a special law (Vell. Pat. ii. 1).