The authority that ascribes this name to a Cotius is the textual tradition of early modern printed editions of Valerius Maximus and historical dictionaries based on them, which relied on corrupt medieval manuscript variants.

In modern critical editions of Valerius Maximus (such as the authoritative Loeb Classical Library edition by D.R. Shackleton Bailey), the soldier's name is definitively restored as Quintus Occius. However, the journey of how he became known as "Cotius" in older texts breaks down as follows: [1]

1. The Corruption in Medieval Manuscripts

Valerius Maximus's text was copied and re-copied throughout the Middle Ages, introducing widespread errors in unfamiliar Roman family names (nomina). In the specific passage of Facta et Dicta Memorabilia(3.2.21), the original name Occius was misread by various scribes as Cotius, Cottius, or Copius.

2. Early Renaissance Printers and Commentators

When the first printed editions of Valerius Maximus were produced in the 15th and 16th centuries—such as the widely distributed commentaries by Oliverius Arzignanensis (Oliver of Arzignano)—the printers picked the variant Cotius from the manuscripts they had on hand. [1]

3. Philemon Holland and 17th-Century Compendiums

This specific textual variant became standardized in English classical scholarship during the 17th century. A primary driver of this was early compilations like:

• Samuel Clark’s Romæ Antiquæ Descriptio (1671), which explicitly lists the soldier as "Q. Cotius Achilles" in its indexes of historical examples. [1]
• Louis Moréri’s Great Historical, Geographical and Poetical Dictionary (translated into English in 1694), which features a dedicated entry stating that "Achilles became an Appellative afterwards to Great Captains, as... Quintus Cotius". [1]

Because of these early modern authorities, the fictional "Cotia gens" found its way into older classical reference books, even though modern prosopographical studies of the Roman Republic (such as Broughton's Magistrates of the Roman Republic) confirm the senator actually belonged to the Occia family. [1, 2, 3]

Would you like to look at any other manuscript variations in Valerius Maximus, or explore how modern historians trace the actual Gens Occia through Roman history? [1]