# Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology/Magius

​MA'GIUS. 1. Decius Magius, one of the most distinguished men at Capua in the time of the second Punic war, and the leader of the Roman party in that town in opposition to Hannibal. He is characterised by Velleius Paterculus (ii. 16), who was descended from him, as "Campanorum princeps celeberrimus et nobilissimus vir." He used every effort to dissuade his fellow-citizens from receiving Hannibal into their town after the battle of Cannae, b. c. 216, but in vain; and, accordingly, when Hannibal entered the city, one of his first acts was to require the senate to deliver up Magius to him. This request was complied with: Magius was put on board ship, and sent to Carthage; but a storm having driven the vessel to Cyrene, Magius fled for refuge to the statue of Ptolemy. He was in consequence carried to Alexandria to Ptolemy Philopator, who set him at liberty, and gave him permission to go where he pleased. Magius chose Egypt as his residence, as he could not return to Capua, and did not choose to go to Rome, where he would have been looked upon as a deserter, as long as there was war between his own town and the Romans. (Liv. xxiii. 7, 10.)
2. Cn. Magius, of Atella (Atellanus), probably a relation of the preceding, but belonging to the opposite political party, was medix tuticus at Capua in b. c. 214. (Liv. xxiv. 19.)
3. Minatius Magius Asculanensis, grandson of No. 1, and atavus of the historian Velleius Paterculus, distinguished himself in the Social or Marsic war (b. c. 90) by his fidelity to the Romans. He levied a legion among the Hirpini, and was of no small assistance to T. Didius and L. Sulla. So great were his services, that the Roman people bestowed upon him the Roman franchise, and elected two of his sons to the praetorship. (Vell. Pat. ii. 16.)
4. P. Magius, tribune of the plebs b. c. 87, is mentioned by Cicero (Brut. 48) in the list of orators of that time. Cicero speaks of him as the colleague of M. Virgilius, but Plutarch (Sull. 10) calls his colleague Virginius.
5. Magius, a praefect of Piso in Gaul. (Cic. de Orat. ii. 60.)
6. L. Magius, the companion of L. Fannius, deserted from the army of Flavius Fimbria in Asia, and went over to Mithridates. An account of this Magius is given under Fannius, No. 4.
7. Cn. Magius and Magia, the son and daughter of Dinaea, a woman of Larinum. Magia was married to Oppianicus. (Cic pro Cluent. 7, 12.)
8. Numerius Magius (erroneously called in Caesar Cn. Magius), of Cremona, was praefectus fabrum in the army of Pompey at the breaking out of the civil war in b. c. 49. He was apprehended by Caesar's troops while he was on his journey to join Pompey at Brundisium, and Caesar availed himself of the opportunity to send by means of Magius offers of peace to Pompey, who was then at Brundisium. (Caes. B. C. i. 24; Caes. ad Att. ix. 13. § 8, ix. 13, a, ix. 7, c.)
9. L. Magius, a rhetorician, who married a daughter of the historian Livy. (Senec. Controv. lib. v. Prooem.)
10. Magius Celer Velleianus, a brother of the historian Velleius Paterculus, must have been adopted by a Magius Celer. He served as legate to Tiberius in the Dalmatian war, a. d. 9, and shared in the honours of his commander's triumph. At the time of Augustus's death (a. d. 14) he and his brother were the "candidati Caesaris" for the praetorship. (Vell. Pat. ii. 115, 121, 124.)