Sequester, Vi'bius
is the name attached to a glossary which professes to give an account of the geographical names contained in the Roman poets.
Concerning the author personally we know absolutely nothing, nor are we able to determine, even approximately, the epoch to which he belongs. We cannot state positively that he refers to writers later than Lucan and Statius; but he appears to have been indebted to scholiasts for any little information which he records, and from more than one passage it would seem highly probable that he copied Servius (e. g. Montes
s. v. Catillus). If this be true he must be referred to some period not earlier than the middle of the fifth century; but the evidence is after all so meagre, that we cannot venture to speak with certainty.
Works
Geographical Names in the Roman Poets
Prefixed is an introductory letter, addressed by Vibius to his son Virgilianus, in which the nature and object of the works are briefly explained.
The tract is divided into seven sections :--
To which in some MSS. an eighth is added, containing a list of the seven wonders of the world.
In each division the objects are arranged alphabetically, and the descriptions are extremely short, indicating, for the most part, merely the country in which the river, spring, lake, grove, swamp, hill, or nation, is to be found, and even when some farther notices are annexed they are expressed in very succinct terms.
Assessment
Several names appear in this piece which are to be found in no other ancient writer. Some of these have arisen from misapprehension on the part of the compiler himself, others are palpable corruptions, while a few are doubtless derived from sources to which we have no access.
The general merits of Sequester have been very fairly estimated by Hesselius, "Scriptor est, nisi multis in locis interpo-latus sit incredibilem in modum, non magni judicii magnaeve facultatis, nec tamen scit nihil. Sed non cst inutilis."
Editions
The Editio Princeps was printed at Rome by Joannes de Besicken, 4to. 1505. The first edition, in which the text appeared in tolerable purity, was that of Hesselius, 8vo. Rotterod. 1711;
the most recent, and the best, is that of Oberlinus, 8vo. Argent. 1778, which contains a large body of very learned and useful notes.
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