Māmertinus, Claudius

MĀMertinus, Claudius (4th century A.D.), one of the Latin panegyrists. After the death of Julian, by whom he was evidently regarded with special favour, he was praefect of Italy (365) under Valens and Valentinian, but was subsequently (368) deprived of his office for embezzlement. He was the author of an extant speech of thanks to Julian for raising him to the consulship, delivered on the 1st of January 362 at Constantinople. Two panegyrical addresses (also extant) to Maximian (emperor A.D. 286-305) are attributed to an older magister Mamertinus, but it is probable that the corrupt MS. superscription contains the word memoriae, and that they are by an unknown magister memoriae (an official whose duty consisted in communicating imperial rescripts and decisions to the public). The first of these was delivered on the birthday of Rome (April 21, 289), probably at Maximian’s palace at Augusta Trevirorum (Trèves), the second in 290 or 291, on the birthday of the emperor. By some they are attributed to Eumenius (q.v.) who was a magister memoriae and the author of at least one (if not more) panegyrics.

The three speeches will be found in E. Bāhrens, Panegyrici latini (1874); see also Teuffel-Schwabe, Hist. of Roman Literature (Eng. trans.), § 417. 7.