Rufus, P. Sui'llius
had been formerly the quaestor of Germanicus, and having been convicted, in the reign of Tiberius, of receiving bribes in the discharge of his judicial duties, was sentenced by that emperor to be banished to an island.
He was subsequently allowed to return to Rome, and gained great influence with the emperor Claudius, by whom he was promoted to the consulship in A. D. 46.
But he prostituted his power and talents to base and unworthy purposes.
He possessed considerable powers of oratory, but these were employed in bringing accusations against his wealthy contemporaries; and his services were only to be obtained by large sums of money.
In the reign of Nero, A. D. 58, he was accused of various crimes, was condemned, and was banished to the Balearic islands (
Tac. Ann. 4.31,
11.1,
4,
5,
13.42,
43). Suillius married the daughter of Ovid's third wife; and one of the poet's letters from Pontus is addressed to Suillius, in which he begs the latter to reconcile Germanicus to him (
ex Pont. 4.8). Suillius was also the half-brother of Domitius Corbulo, the celebrated general in the reign of Nero; the name of their mother was Vestilia. (
Plin. Nat. 7.4. s. 5.)
