A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology

or L., [*](* He is called Lucius in Caesar, but Quintus in Dio Cassius and on coins.) was sent by Pompey, in B. C. 49, with a fleet of sixteen ships to relieve Massilia, when it was besieged by Caesar's troops, under the command of D. Brutus. He was unable, however, to effect his object, was defeated by Brutus, and fled to Africa, where it appears that he had the command of the Pompeian fleet. (Caes. Civ. 2.3-7; Cic. Att. 11.17; Auctor, Bell. Afr. 64, 98.) After the conquest of Africa by Caesar, Nasidius probably fled to Spain and followed the fortunes of the Pompeian party, but he is not mentioned again for some time. Cicero, in his seventh Philippic (100.9), speaks of an L. Visidius, a Roman eques, who had assisted him in suppressing the conspiracy of Catiline, and who was at that time (B. C. 43) engaged in levying troops to oppose Antony at Mutina. For L. Visidius Orelli proposes to read L. Nasidius, which occurs in a few manuscripts, but Garatoni objects (ad loc.) that it is unlikely that Pompey would have given him the command of a fleet, unless he had held some office in the state, and we know that the appellation of Roman eques was not applied to a person after lie had been quaestor. But whether this passage refers to Nasidius or not, we do not hear of him again till B. C. 35, when he is mentioned as one of the principal officers of Sex. Pompey, who deserted to Antony upon the failing fortunes of the former. (Appian, App. BC 5.139.) He continued faithful to the fortunes of Antony in the civil war between him and Octavian, and commanded part of Antony's fleet, which was defeated by Agrippa off Patrae, in B. C. 31, previous to the decisive battle of Actium. (D. C. 1. 13.) The coin annexed refers to Nasidius: it bears on the obverse the head of Pompey with a trident and NEPTVNI, and on the reverse a ship with Q. NASIDIVS.