A CLASSICAL DICTIONARY, ETC., ETC. (continued 16)

Dōrus, a son of Hellen and Orseis, or, according to others, of Deucalion, who left Phthiotis, where his father reigned, and went to make a settlement with some of his companions near mount Ossa. The country was called Doris, and the inhabitants Dorians. Herodotus, bk. 1, ch. 56, &c.――A city of Phœnicia, whose inhabitants are called Dorienses. Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 24.

Doryasus, a Spartan, father to Agesilaus.

Dŏrȳclus, an illegitimate son of Priam, killed by Ajax in the Trojan war. Homer, Iliad, bk. 11.――A brother of Phineus king of Thrace, who married Beroe. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 5, li. 620.

Dŏrȳlæum and Dorylæus, a city of Phrygia, now Eski Shehr. Pliny, bk. 5, ch. 29.—Cicero, Flaccus, ch. 17.

Dory̆las, one of the centaurs killed by Theseus. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 12, li. 180.

Dory̆lāus, a warlike person intimate with Mithridates Evergetes, and general of the Gnossians, B.C. 125. Strabo, bk. 10.

Doryssus, a king of Lacedæmon, killed in a tumult. Pausanias, bk. 3, ch. 2.

Dosci, a people near the Euxine.

Dosiadas, a poet who wrote a piece of poetry in the form of an altar (βωμος), which Theocritus has imitated.

Dosiades, a Greek, who wrote a history of Crete. Diodorus, bk. 5.

Doson, a surname of Antigonus, because he promised and never performed.

Dossēnus, or Dorsennus. See: Dorsennus.

Dotădas, a king of Messenia, &c. Pausanias, bk. 4, ch. 3.

Doto, one of the Nereides. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 9, li. 102.

Dotus, a general of the Paphlagonians, in the army of Xerxes. Herodotus, bk. 7, ch. 72.

Doxander, a man mentioned by Aristotle, Politics, bk. 5.

Dracānus, a mountain where Jupiter took Bacchus from his thigh. Theocritus.

Draco, a celebrated lawgiver of Athens. When he exercised the office of archon, he made a code of laws, B.C. 623, for the use of the citizens, which, on account of their severity, were said to be written in letters of blood. By them, idleness was punished with as much severity as murder, and death was denounced against the one as well as the other. Such a code of rigorous laws gave occasion to a certain Athenian to ask of the legislator why he was so severe in his punishments, and Draco gave for answer, that as the smallest transgression had appeared to him deserving death, he could not find any punishment more rigorous for more atrocious crimes. These laws were at first enforced, but they were often neglected on account of their extreme severity, and Solon totally abolished them, except that one which punished a murderer with death. The popularity of Draco was uncommon, but the gratitude of his admirers proved fatal to him. When once he appeared on the theatre, he was received with repeated applauses, and the people, according to the custom of the Athenians, showed their respect to their lawgiver, by throwing garments upon him. This was done in such profusion, that Draco was soon hid under them, and smothered by the too great veneration of his citizens. Plutarch, Solon.――A man who instructed Plato in music. Plutarch, de Musica.

Dracontides, a wicked citizen of Athens. ♦Plato [Comicus], The Sophists.

Dracus, a general of the Achæans, conquered by Mummius.

Drances, a friend of Latinus, remarkable for his weakness and eloquence. He showed himself an obstinate opponent to the violent measures which Turnus pursued against the Trojans. Some have imagined that the poet wished to delineate the character and the eloquence of Cicero under this name. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 11, li. 122.

Drangina, a province of Persia. Diodorus, bk. 17.

Drapes, a seditious Gaul, &c. Cæsar, Gallic War, bk. 8, ch. 30.

Drapus, a river of Noricum, which falls into the Danube near Mursa.

Drĕpăna and Drĕpănum, now Trapani, a town of ♦Sicily near mount Eryx, in the form of a scythe, whence its name (δρεπανον, falx). Anchises died there, in his voyage to Italy with his son Æneas. The Romans under Claudius Pulcher were defeated near the coast, B.C. 249, by the Carthaginian general Adherbal. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 3, li. 707.—Cicero, Against Verres, bk. 2, ch. 57.—Ovid, Fasti, bk. 4, li. 474.――A promontory of Peloponnesus.

Drilo, a river of Macedonia, which falls into the Adriatic at Lissus.

Drimăchus, a famous robber of Chios. When a price was set upon his head, he ordered a young man to cut it off and go and receive the money. Such an uncommon instance of generosity so pleased the Chians, that they raised a temple to his memory, and honoured him as a god. Athenæus, bk. 13.

Drinus, a small river falling into the Save and Danube.

Driŏpĭdes, an Athenian ambassador sent to Darius when the peace with Alexander had been violated. Curtius, bk. 3, ch. 13.

Drios, a mountain of Arcadia.

Droi, a people of Thrace. Thucydides, bk. 2, ch. 101.

Dromæus, a surname of Apollo in Crete.

Dropĭci, a people of Persia. Herodotus, bk. 1, ch. 125.

Dropion, a king of Pæonia. Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 13.

Druentius and Druentia, now Durance, a rapid river of Gaul, which falls into the Rhone between Arles and Avignon. Silius Italicus, bk. 3, li. 468.—Strabo, bk. 4.

Drugĕri, a people of Thrace. Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 11.

Druĭdæ, the ministers of religion among the ancient Gauls and Britons. They were divided into different classes, called the Bardi, Eubages, the Vates, the Semnothei, the Sarronides, and the Samothei. They were held in the greatest veneration by the people. Their life was austere and recluse from the world, their dress was peculiar to themselves, and they generally appeared with a tunic which reached a little below the knee. As the chief power was lodged in their hands, they punished as they pleased, and could declare war and make peace at their option. Their power was extended not only over private families, but they could depose magistrates and even kings, if their actions in any manner deviated from the laws of the state. They had the privilege of naming the magistrates which annually presided over their cities, and the kings were created only with their approbation. They were entrusted with the education of youth, and all religious ceremonies, festivals, and sacrifices were under their peculiar care. They taught the doctrine of the metempsychosis, and believed the immortality of the soul. They were professionally acquainted with the art of magic, and from their knowledge of astrology they drew omens and saw futurity revealed before their eyes. In their sacrifices they often immolated human victims to their gods, a barbarous custom which continued long among them, and which the Roman emperors attempted to abolish, to little purpose. The power and privileges which they enjoyed were beheld with admiration by their countrymen, and as their office was open to every rank and every station, there were many who daily proposed themselves as candidates to enter upon this important function. The rigour, however, and severity of a long noviciate deterred many, and few were willing to attempt a labour, which enjoined them during 15 or 20 years to load their memory with the long and tedious maxims of druidical religion. Their name is derived from the Greek word δρυς, an oak, because the woods and solitary retreats were the places of their residence. Cæsar, Gallic War, bk. 6, ch. 13.—Pliny, bk. 16, ch. 44.—Diodorus, bk. 5.

Druna, the Drome, a river of Gaul, falling into the Rhone.

Drusilla Livia, a daughter of Germanicus and Agrippina, famous for her debaucheries and licentiousness. She committed incest with her brother Caligula, who was so tenderly attached to her, that, in a dangerous illness, he made her heiress of all his possessions, and commanded that she should succeed him in the Roman empire. She died A.D. 38, in the 23rd year of her age, and was deified by her brother Caligula, who survived her for some time.――A daughter of Agrippa king of Judæa, &c.

Drūso, an unskilful historian and mean usurer, who obliged his debtors, when they could not pay him, to hear him read his compositions, to draw from them praises and flattery. Horace, bk. 1, satire 3, li. 86.

Drūsus, a son of Tiberius and Vipsania, who made himself famous by his intrepidity and courage in the provinces of Illyricum and Pannonia. He was raised to the greatest honours of the state by his father, but a blow which he gave to Sejanus, an audacious libertine, proved his ruin. Sejanus corrupted Livia the wife of Drusus, and in conjunction with her, he caused him to be poisoned by a eunuch, A.D. 23.――A son of Germanicus and Agrippina, who enjoyed offices of the greatest trust under Tiberius. His enemy Sejanus, however, effected his ruin by his insinuations; Drusus was confined by Tiberius, and deprived of all aliment. He was found dead nine days after his confinement, A.D. 33.――A son of the emperor Claudius, who died by swallowing a pear thrown in the air.――An ambitious Roman, grandfather to Cato. He was killed for his seditious conduct. Paterculus, bk. 1, ch. 13.――Livius, father of Julia Augusta, was intimate with Brutus, and killed himself with him after the battle of Philippi. Paterculus, bk. 2, ch. 71.――Marcus Livius, a celebrated Roman, who renewed the proposals of the Agrarian laws, which had proved fatal to the Gracchi. He was murdered as he entered his house, though he was attended with a number of clients and Latins, to whom he had proposed the privilege of Roman citizens, B.C. 190. Cicero, Rhetorica ad Herennium, bk. 4, ♦ch. 22.――Nero Claudius, a son of Tiberius Nero and Livia, adopted by Augustus. He was brother to Tiberius, who was afterwards made emperor. He greatly signalized himself in his wars in Germany and Gaul against the Rhœti and Vindelici, and was honoured with a triumph. He died of a fall from his horse in the 30th year of his age, B.C. 9. He left three children, Germanicus, Livia, and Claudius, by his wife Antonia. Dionysius of Halicarnassus.――Marcus Livius Salinator, a consul who conquered Asdrubal with his colleague Claudius Nero. Horace, bk. 4, ode 4.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 6, li. 824.――Caius, an historian, who being one day missed from his cradle, was found the next on the highest part of the house, with his face turned towards the sun.――Marcus, a pretor, &c. Cicero, Rhetorica ad Herennium, bk. 2, ch. 13.――The plebeian family of the Drusi produced eight consuls, two censors, and one dictator. The surname of Drusus was given to the family of the Livii, as some suppose, because one of them killed a Gaulish leader of that name. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 6, li. 824, mentions the Drusi among the illustrious Romans, and that perhaps more particularly because the wife of Augustus was of that family.

Dryădes, nymphs that presided over the woods. Oblations of milk, oil, and honey were offered to them, and sometimes the votaries sacrificed a goat. They were not generally considered immortal, but as genii, whose lives were terminated with the tree over which they were supposed to preside. Virgil, Georgics, bk. 1, li. 11.

Dryantiădes, a patronymic of Lycurgus king of Thrace, son of Dryas. He cut his legs as he attempted to destroy the vines that no libations might be made to Bacchus. Ovid, Ibis, li. 345.

Dryas, a son of Hippolochus, who was father to Lycurgus. He went with Eteocles to the Theban war, where he perished. Statius, Thebiad, bk. 8, li. 355.――A son of Mars, who went to the chase of the Calydonian boar. Apollodorus, bk. 1, ch. 8.――A centaur at the nuptials of Pirithous, who killed Rhœtus. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 12, li. 296.――A daughter of Faunus, who so hated the sight of men, that she never appeared in public.――A son of Lycurgus, killed by his own father in a fury. Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 5.――A son of Ægyptus, murdered by his wife Eurydice. Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 1.

Drymæa, a town of Phocis. Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 33.

Drymo, a sea-nymph, one of the attendants of Cyrene. Virgil, Georgics, bk. 4, li. 536.

Drymus, a town between Attica and Bœotia.

Dryŏpe, a woman of Lemnos, whose shape Venus assumed, to persuade all the females of the island to murder the men. Flaccus, bk. 2, li. 174.――A virgin of Œchalia, whom Andræmon married after she had been ravished by Apollo. She became mother of Amphisus, who, when scarce a year old, was with his mother changed into a lotus. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 10, li. 331.――A nymph, mother of Tarquitus by Faunus. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 10, li. 551.――A nymph of Arcadia, mother of Pan by Mercury, according to Homer, Hymn 19 to Pan.

Dryŏpeia, an anniversary day observed at Asine in Argolis, in honour of Dryops the son of Apollo.

♦Dryŏpes, a people of Greece, near mount Œta. They afterwards passed into the Peloponnesus, where they inhabited the towns of Asine and Hermione, in Argolis. When they were driven from Asine by the people of Argos, they settled among the Messenians, and called a town by the name of their ancient habitation Asine. Some of their descendants went to make a settlement in Asia Minor, together with the Ionians. Herodotus, bk. 1, ch. 146; bk. 8, ch. 32.—Pausanias, bk. 4, ch. 34.—Strabo, bks. 7, 8, 13.—Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 1.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 4, li. 146.—Lucan, bk. 3, li. 179.

Dryŏpis and Dryŏpĭda, a small country at the foot of mount Œta in Thessaly. Its true situation is not well ascertained. According to Pliny, it bordered on Epirus. It was for some time in the possession of the Hellenes, after they were driven from Histiæotis by the Cadmeans. Herodotus, bk. 1, ch. 56.

Dryops, a son of Priam.――A son of Apollo. Pausanias, bk. 4, ch. 34.――A friend of Æneas, killed by Clausus in Italy. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 10, li. 346.

Drypĕtis, the younger daughter of Darius, given in marriage to Hephæstion by Alexander. Diodorus, bk. 18.

Dubis, or Alduadubis, the Daux, a river of Gaul, falling into the Saone.

Dubris, a town of Britain, supposed to be Dover.

Ducetius, a Sicilian general, who died B.C. 440.

Duillia lex, was enacted by Marcus Duillius, a tribune, A.U.C. 304. It made it a capital crime to leave the Roman people without its tribunes, or to create any new magistrate without a sufficient cause. Livy, bk. 3, ch. 55.――Another, A.U.C. 392, to regulate what interest ought to be paid for money lent.

C. Duillius Nepos, a Roman consul, the first who obtained a victory over the naval power of Carthage, B.C. 260. He took 50 of the enemy’s ships, and was honoured with a naval triumph, the first that ever appeared at Rome. The senate rewarded his valour by permitting him to have music playing and torches lighted, at the public expense, every day while he was at supper. There were some medals struck in commemoration of this victory, and there still exists a column at Rome which was erected on the occasion. Cicero, de Senectute.—Tacitus, Annals, bk. 1, ch. 12.

Dulĭchium, an island of the Ionian sea, opposite the Achelous. It was part of the kingdom of Ulysses. Ovid, Tristia, bk. 1, poem 4, li. 67; Metamorphoses, bk. 14, li. 226; Remedia Amoris, li. 272.—Martial, bk. 11, ltr. 70, li. 8.—Virgil, Eclogues, poem 6, li. 76.

Dumnōrix, a powerful chief among the Ædui. Cæsar, Gallic War, bk. 1, ch. 9.

Dunax, a mountain of Thrace.

Duratius Picto, a Gaul, who remained in perpetual friendship with the Roman people. Cæsar, Gallic War, bk. 8, ch. 26.

Duris, an historian of Samos, who flourished B.C. 257. He wrote the life of Agathocles of Syracuse, a treatise on tragedy, a history of Macedonia, &c. Strabo, bk. 1.

Durius, a large river of ancient Spain, now called the Douro, which falls into the ocean, near modern Oporto in Portugal, after a course of nearly 300 miles. Silius Italicus, bk. 1, li. 234.

Durocasses, the chief residence of the Druids in Gaul, now Dreux. Cæsar. Gallic War, bk. 6, ch. 13.

Duronia, a town of the Samnites.

Dusii, some deities among the Gauls. Augustine, The City of God, bk. 15, ch. 23.

Duumvĭri, two noble patricians at Rome, first appointed by Tarquin to keep the Sibylline books, which were supposed to contain the fate of the Roman empire. These sacred books were placed in the Capitol, and secured in a chest under the ground. They were consulted but seldom, and only by an order of the senate, when the armies had been defeated in war, or when Rome seemed to be threatened by an invasion, or by secret seditions. These priests continued in their original institution, till the year A.U.C. 388, when a law was proposed by the tribunes to increase the number to 10, to be chosen promiscuously from patrician and plebeian families. They were from their number called Decemviri, and some time after Sylla increased them to 15, known by the name of Quindecemviri.――There were also certain magistrates at Rome, called Duumviri perduelliones sive capitales. They were first created by Tullus Hostilius, for trying such as were accused of treason. This office was abolished as unnecessary, but Cicero complains of their revival by Labienus the tribune. For Rabirius on a Charge of Treason.――Some of the commanders of the Roman vessels were also called Duumviri, especially when there were two together. They were first created A.U.C. 542.――There were also in the municipal towns in the provinces two magistrates called Duumviri municipales. They were chosen from the centurions, and their office was much the same as that of the two consuls at Rome. They were sometimes preceded by two lictors with the fasces. Their magistracy continued for five years, on which account they have been called Quinquennales magistratus.

Dyagondas, a Theban legislator, who abolished all nocturnal sacrifices. Cicero, de Legibus, bk. 2, ch. 15.

Dyardenses, a river in the extremities of India. Curtius, bk. 8, ch. 9.

Dy̆mæ, a town of Achaia. Livy, bk. 27, ch. 31; bk. 32, ch. 22.—Pausanias, bk. 7, ch. 17.

Dy̆mæi, a people of Ætolia. Diodorus, bk. 19.

Dy̆mas, a Trojan, who joined himself to Æneas when Troy was taken, and was at last killed by his countrymen, who took him to be an enemy because he had dressed himself in the armour of one of the Greeks whom he had slain. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 2, lis. 340 & 428.――The father of Hecuba. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 11, li. 761.

Dymnus, one of Alexander’s officers. He conspired with many of his fellow-soldiers against his master’s life. The conspiracy was discovered, and Dymnus stabbed himself before he was brought before the king. Curtius, bk. 6, ch. 7.

Dȳnămĕne, one of the Nereides. Homer, Iliad, bk. 18, li. 43.

Dynaste, a daughter of Thespius. Apollodorus.

Dyras, a river of Trachinia. It rises at the foot of mount Œta, and falls into the bay of Malia. Herodotus, bk. 7, ch. 198.

Dyraspes, a river of Scythia. Ovid, ex Ponto, bk. 4, poem 10, li. 54.

Dyris, the name of mount Atlas among the inhabitants of that neighbourhood.

Dyrrhăchium, now Durazzo, a large city of Macedonia, bordering on the Adriatic sea, founded by a colony from Corcyra, B.C. 623. It was anciently called Epidammus, which the Romans, considering it of ominous meaning, changed ♦into Dyrrhachium. Cicero met with a ♥favourable reception there during his exile. Mela, bk. 2, ch. 3.—Pausanias, bk. 6, ch. 10.—Plutarch.—Cicero, bk. 3, Letters to Atticus, ltr. 22.

Dysaules, a brother of Celeus, who instituted the mysteries of Ceres at Celeæ. Pausanias, bk. 2, ch. 14.

Dyscinētus, an Athenian archon. Pausanias, bk. 4, ch. 27.

Dysōrum, a mountain of Thrace. Herodotus, bk. 5, ch. 22.

Dyspontii, a people of Elis. Pausanias, bk. 6, ch. 22.

E

Eanes, a man supposed to have killed Patroclus, and to have fled to Peleus in Thessaly. Strabo, bk. 9.

Eānus, the name of Janus among the ancient Latins.

Eărĭnus, a beautiful boy, eunuch to Domitian. Statius, bk. 3, Sylvæ, poem 4.

Easium, a town of Achaia in Peloponnesus. Pausanias, bk. 7, ch. 6.

Ebdŏme, a festival in honour of Apollo at Athens on the seventh day of every lunar month. It was usual to sing hymns in honour of the god, and to carry about boughs of laurel.――There was also another of the same name celebrated by private families the seventh day after the birth of every child.

Ebon, a name given to Bacchus by the people of Neapolis. Macrobius, bk. 1, ch. 18.

Ebora, a town of Portugal, now Evora.

Eborăcum, York in England.

Ebūdæ, the western isles of Britain, now Hebrides.

Eburōnes, a people of Belgium, now the country of Liege. Cæsar, Gallic War, bk. 2, ch. 4; bk. 6, ch. 5.――The Eburovices Aulerci were the people of Evreux in Normandy. Cæsar, Gallic War, bk. 3, ch. 17.

Ebŭsus, one of the Baleares, 100 miles in circumference, which produces no hurtful animals. It is near the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean, and now bears the name of Yvica, and is famous for pasturage and figs. Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 5.――A man engaged in the Rutulian war. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 12, li. 299.

Ecbatăna (ōrum), now Hamedan, the capital of Media, and the palace of Deioces king of Media. It was surrounded with seven walls, which rose in gradual ascent, and were painted in seven different colours. The most distant was the lowest, and the innermost, which was the most celebrated, contained the royal palace. Parmenio was put to death there by Alexander’s orders; and Hephæstion died there also, and received a most magnificent burial.—Herodotus, bk. 1, ch. 98.—Strabo, bk. 21.—Curtius, bk. 3, ch. 5; bk. 5, ch. 8; bk. 7, ch. 10.—Diodorus, bk. 17.――A town of Syria, where Cambyses gave himself a mortal wound when mounting on horseback. Herodotus, bk. 3.—Ptolemy, bk. 6, ch. 2.—Curtius, bk. 5, ch. 8.

Ecechiria, the wife of Iphitus. Pausanias, bk. 5, ch. 10.

Ecetra, a town of the Volsci. Livy, bk. 2, ch. 25; bk. 3, ch. 4.

Echecrătes, a Thessalian who offered violence to Phœbas the priestess of Apollo’s temple at Delphi. From this circumstance a decree was made by which no woman was admitted to the office of priestess before the age of 50. Diodorus, bk. 4.

Echedamia, a town of Phocis. Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 3.

Echelătus, a man who led a colony to Africa. Strabo, bk. 8.

Echelta, a fortified town in Sicily.

Echĕlus, a Trojan chief killed by Patroclus.――Another, son of Agenor, killed by Achilles. Homer, Iliad, bks. 16 & 20.

Echembrŏtus, an Arcadian, who obtained the prize at the Pythian games. Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 7.

Echĕmon, a son of Priam, killed by Diomedes. Homer, Iliad, bk. 5, li. 160.

Echĕmus, an Arcadian, who conquered the Dorians when they endeavoured to recover Peloponnesus under Hyllus. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 5.――A king of Arcadia, who joined Aristomenes against the Spartans.

Echenēus, a Phæacian. Homer, Odyssey, bk. 7.

Echĕphron, one of Nestor’s sons. Apollodorus, bk. 1, ch. 9.――A son of Priam. Apollodorus.――A son of Hercules. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 24.

Echepŏlis, a Trojan, son of Thasius, killed by Antilochus. Homer, Iliad, bk. 4, li. 458.

Echestrătus, a son of Agis I. king of Sparta, who succeeded his father, B.C. 1058. Herodotus, bk. 7, ch. 204.

Echevethenses, a people of Tegea in Arcadia. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 45.

Echidna, a celebrated monster sprung from the union of Chrysaor with Callirhoe the daughter of Oceanus. She is represented as a beautiful woman in the upper part of the body, but as a serpent below the waist. She was mother, by Typhon, of Orthos, Geryon, Cerberus, the Hydra, &c. According to Herodotus, Hercules had three children by her, Agathyrsus, Gelonus, and Scytha. Herodotus, bk. 3, ch. 108.—Hesiod, Theogony.—Apollodorus, bk. 2.—Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 18.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 9, li. 158.

Echidorus, a river of Thrace. Ptolemy, bk. 3.

Echīnădes, or Echinæ, five small islands near Acarnania, at the mouth of the river Achelous. They have been formed by the inundations of that river, and by the sand and mud which its waters carry down, and now bear the name of Curzolari. Pliny, bk. 2, ch. 85.—Herodotus, bk. 2, ch. 10.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 8, li. 588.—Strabo, bk. 2.

Echīnon, a city of Thrace. Mela, bk. 2, ch. 3.

Echīnus, an island in the Ægean.――A town of Acarnania,――of Phthiotis. Livy, bk. 32, ch. 33.

Echinussa, an island near Eubœa, called afterwards Cimolus. Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 12.

Echīon, one of those men who sprung from the dragon’s teeth sown by Cadmus. He was one of the five who survived the fate of his brothers, and assisted Cadmus in building the city of Thebes. Cadmus rewarded his services by giving him his daughter Agave in marriage. He was father of Pentheus by Agave. He succeeded his father-in-law on the throne of Thebes, as some have imagined, and from that circumstance Thebes has been called Echioniæ, and the inhabitants Echionidæ. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 3, li. 311; Tristia, bk. 5, poem 5, li. 53.――A son of Mercury and Antianira, who was the herald of the Argonauts. Flaccus, bk. 1, li. 400.――A man who often obtained a prize in running. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 8, li. 292.――A musician at Rome, in Domitian’s age. Juvenal, satire 6, li. 76.――A statuary.――A painter.

Echionides, a patronymic given to Pentheus, as ♦descended from Echion. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 3.

Echionius, an epithet applied to a person born in Thebes, founded with the assistance of Echion. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 12, li. 515.

Echo, a daughter of the Air and Tellus, who chiefly resided in the vicinity of the Cephisus. She was once one of Juno’s attendants, and became the confidant of Jupiter’s amours. Her loquacity, however, displeased Jupiter; and she was deprived of the power of speech by Juno, and only permitted to answer to the questions which were put to her. Pan had formerly been one of her admirers, but he never enjoyed her favours. Echo, after she had been punished by Juno, fell in love with Narcissus, and on being despised by him, she pined away, and was changed into a stone, which still retained the power of voice. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 3, li. 358.

Ecnŏmos, a mountain of Sicily, now Licata.

Edessa and Edesa, a town of Syria.

Edessæ portus, a harbour of Sicily near Pachynus. Cicero, Against Verres, bk. 5, ch. 34.

Edeta, or Leria, a town of Spain along the river Sucro. Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 3.—Livy, bk. 28, ch. 24.—Silius Italicus, bk. 3, li. 371.

Edissa and Ædessa, a town of Macedonia taken by Caranus, and called Ægæ, or Ægeas. See: Ædessa.

Edon, a mountain of Thrace, called also Edonus. From this mountain that part of Thrace is often called Edonia which lies between the Strymon and the Nessus, and the epithet is generally applied not only to Thrace but to a cold northern climate. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 12, li. 325.—Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 18.—Lucan, bk. 1, li. 674.

Edoni, or Edones, a people of Thrace, near the Strymon. Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 5.

Edonĭdes, a name given to the priestesses of Bacchus, because they celebrated the festivals of the god on mount Edon. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 11, li. 69.

Edylius, a mountain which Sylla seized to attack the people of Cheronæa. Plutarch, Sulla.

Eetion, the father of Andromache, and of seven sons, was king of Thebes in Cilicia. He was killed by Achilles. From him the word Eetioneus is applied to his relations or descendants. Homer, Iliad, bk. 12.――The commander of the Athenian fleet conquered by the Macedonians under Clytus, near the Echinades. Diodorus, bk. 18.

Egĕlĭdus, a river of Etruria. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 8, li. 610.

Egĕria, a nymph of Aricra in Italy, where Diana was particularly worshipped. Egeria was courted by Numa, and according to Ovid she became his wife. This prince frequently visited her, and that he might more successfully introduce his laws and new regulations into the state, he solemnly declared before the Roman people that they were previously sanctified and approved by the nymph Egeria. Ovid says that Egeria was so disconsolate at the death of Numa, that she melted into tears, and was changed into a fountain by Diana. She is reckoned by many as a goddess who presided over the pregnancy of women, and some maintain that she is the same as Lucina, or Diana. Livy, bk. 1, ch. 19.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 15, li. 547.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 7, li. 775.—Martial, bk. 2, ltr. 6, li. 16.

Egesarētus, a Thessalian of Larissa, who favoured the interest of Pompey during the civil wars. Cæsar, bk. 3, Civil War, ch. 35.

Egesīnus, a philosopher, pupil to Evander. Cicero, Academica, bk. 4, ch. 6.

Egesta, a daughter of Hippotes the Trojan. Her father exposed her on the sea, for fear of being devoured by a marine monster which laid waste the country. She was carried safe to Sicily, where she was ravished by the river Crinisus.――A town of Sicily. See: Ægesta.

Egnātia Maximilla, a woman who accompanied her husband into banishment under Nero, &c. Tacitus, Annals, bk. 15, ch. 71.――A town. See: Gnatia.

Proculus Egnātius, a crafty and perfidious Roman in the reign of Nero, who committed the greatest crimes for the sake of money. Tacitus, Histories, bk. 4, ch. 10.

Eion, a commercial place at the mouth of the Strymon. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 8.

Eiones, a village of Peloponnesus on the sea coast.

Eioneus, a Greek killed by Hector in the Trojan war. Homer, Iliad, bk. 8.――A Thracian, father to Rhesus. Iliad, bk. 10.

Elabontas, a river near Antioch. Strabo.

Elæa, a town of Æolia. Livy, bk. 36, ch. 43. Pausanias, bk. 9, ch. 5.――An island in the Propontis.

Elæus, a part of Epirus.――A surname of Jupiter.――A town of the Thracian Chersonesus. Livy, bk. 31, ch. 16; bk. 37, ch. 9.

Elagabālus, the surname of the sun at Emessa.

Elāites, a grove near Canopus in Egypt.

Elaius, a mountain of Arcadia. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 41.

Elaphiæa, a surname of Diana in Elis. Pausanias, bk. 6, ch. 22.

Elăphus, a river of Arcadia. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 36.

Elaphebŏlia, a festival in honour of Diana the huntress. In the celebration a cake was made in the form of a deer, ἐλαφος, and offered to the goddess. It owed its institution to the following circumstance. When the Phocians had been severely beaten by the Thessalians, they resolved, by the persuasion of a certain Deiphantus, to raise a pile of combustible materials, and burn their wives, children, and effects, rather than submit to the enemy. This resolution was unanimously approved by the women, who decreed Deiphantus a crown for his magnanimity. When everything was prepared, before they fired the pile, they engaged their enemies, and fought with such desperate fury, that they totally routed them, and obtained a complete victory. In commemoration of this unexpected success, this festival was instituted to Diana, and observed with the greatest solemnity, so that even one of the months of the year, March, was called Elaphebolion from this circumstance.

Elaptonius, a youth who conspired against Alexander. Curtius, bk. 8, ch. 6.

Elāra, the mother of Tiphyus by Jupiter. Apollodorus, bk. 1, ch. 4.――A daughter of Orchomenus king of Arcadia. Strabo, bk. 9.

Elatēa, the largest town of Phocis, near the Cephisus. Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 34.

Elatia, a town of Phocis. Livy, bk. 28, ch. 7.――Of Thessaly. Livy, bk. 42, ch. 54.

Elātus, one of the first Ephori of Sparta, B.C. 760. Plutarch, Lycurgus.――The father of Ceneus. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 12, li. 497.――A mountain of Asia,――of Zacynthus.――The father of Polyphemus the Argonaut by Hipseia. Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 9.――The son of Arcas king of Arcadia by Erato, who retired to Phocis. Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 9.—Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 4.――A king in the army of Priam, killed by Agamemnon. Homer, Iliad, bk. 6.――One of Penelope’s suitors, killed by Eumeus. Homer, Odyssey, bk. 22, li. 267.

Elaver, a river in Gaul falling into the Loire, now the Allier.

Elea, a town of Campania, whence the followers of Zeno were called the Eleatic sect. Cicero, Academica, bk. 4, ch. 42; Tusculanæ Disputationes, bk. 2, chs. 21 & 22; de Natura Deorum, bk. 3, ch. 33.――Of Æolia.

Electra, one of the Oceanides, wife of Atlas, and mother of Dardanus by Jupiter. Ovid, Fasti, bk. 4, li. 31.――A daughter of Atlas and Pleione. She was changed into a constellation, Apollodorus, bk. 3, chs. 10 & 12.――One of the Danaides. Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 1.――A daughter of Agamemnon king of Argos. She first incited her brother Orestes to revenge his father’s death by assassinating his mother Clytemnestra. Orestes gave her in marriage to his friend Pylades, and she became mother of two sons, Strophius and Merdon. Her adventures and misfortunes form one of the interesting tragedies of the poet Sophocles. Hyginus, fable 122.—Pausanias, bk. 2, ch. 16.—Ælian, Varia Historia, bk. 4, ch. 26, &c.――A sister of Cadmus. Pausanias, bk. 9, ch. 8.――A city and river of Messenia in Peloponnesus. Pausanias, bk. 4, ch. 33.――One of Helen’s female attendants. Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 25.

Electræ, a gate of Thebes. Pausanias, bk. 9, ch. 8.

Electrĭdes, islands in the Adriatic sea, which received their name from the quantity of amber (electrum) which they produced. They were at the mouth of the Po, according to Apollonius of Rhodes, but some historians doubt their existence. Pliny, bk. 2, ch. 26; bk. 37, ch. 2.—Mela, bk. 2, ch. 7.

Electryon, a king of Argos, son of Perseus and Andromeda. He was brother to Alcæus, whose daughter Anaxo he married, and by her he had several sons, and one daughter, Alcmene. He sent his sons against the Teleboans, who had ravaged his country, and they were all killed except Licymnius. Upon this Electryon promised his crown and daughter in marriage to him who could undertake to punish the Teleboans for the death of his sons. Amphitryon offered himself and succeeded. Electryon inadvertently perished by the hand of his son-in-law. See: Amphitryon, Alcmena. Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 4.—Pausanias.

Elēi, a people of Elis in Peloponnesus. They were formerly called Epei. In their country was the temple of Jupiter, where also were celebrated the Olympic games, of which they had the superintendence. Their horses were in great repute, hence Elei equi and Elea palma. Propertius, bk. 3, poem 9, li. 18.—Pausanias, bk. 5.—Lucan, bk. 4, li. 293.

Elēlēus, a surname of Bacchus, from the word ἐλελευ, which the Bacchanals loudly repeated during his festivals. His priestesses were in consequence called Eleleis, ides. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 4, li. 15.

Eleon, a village of Bœotia.――Another in Phocis.

Eleontum, a town of the Thracian Chersonesus.

Elephantis, a poetess who wrote lascivious verses. Martial, bk. 12, ltr. 43.――A princess by whom Danaus had two daughters. Apollodorus, bk. 2.――An island in the river Nile, in Upper Egypt, with a town of the same name, which is often called Elephantina by some authors. Strabo, bk. 17.—Herodotus, bk. 2, ch. 9, &c.

Elephantophăgi, a people of Æthiopia.

Elphēnor, son of Chalcedon, was one of Helen’s suitors. Homer, Iliad, bk. 2, li. 47.

Elepōrus, a river of Magna Græcia.

Eleuchia, a daughter of Thespius. Apollodorus.

Eleus, a city of Thrace.――A river of Media.――A king of Elis. Pausanias, bk. 5, ch. 3.

Eleusīnia, a great festival observed every fourth year by the Celeans, Phliasians, as also by the Pheneatæ, Lacedæmonians, Parrhasians, and Cretans; but more particularly by the people of Athens, every fifth year at Eleusis in Attica, where it was introduced by Eumolpus, B.C. 1356. It was the most celebrated of all the religious ceremonies of Greece, whence it is often called, by way of eminence, μυστηρια, the mysteries. It was so superstitiously observed, that if any one ever revealed it, it was supposed that he had called divine vengeance upon his head, and it was unsafe to live in the same house with him. Such a wretch was publicly put to an ignominious death. This festival was sacred to Ceres and Proserpine; everything contained a mystery, and Ceres herself was known only by the name of ἀχθεια, from the sorrow and grief (ἀχθος) which she suffered for the loss of her daughter. This mysterious secrecy was solemnly observed, and enjoined to all the votaries of the goddess; and if any one ever appeared at the celebration, either intentionally, or through ignorance, without proper introduction, he was immediately punished with death. Persons of both sexes and all ages were initiated at this solemnity, and it was looked upon as so heinous a crime to neglect this sacred part of religion, that it was one of the heaviest accusations, which contributed to the condemnation of Socrates. The initiated were under the more particular care of the deities, and therefore their life was supposed to be attended with more happiness and real security than that of other men. This benefit was not only granted during life, but it was extended beyond the grave, and they were honoured with the first places in the Elysian fields, while others were left to wallow in perpetual filth and ignominy. As the benefits of expiation were so extensive, particular care was taken in examining the character of such as were presented for initiation. Such as were guilty of murder, though against their will, and such as were convicted of witchcraft, or any heinous crime, were not admitted, and the Athenians suffered none to be initiated but such as were members of their city. This regulation, which compelled Hercules, Castor, and Pollux to become citizens of Athens, was strictly observed in the first ages of the institution, but afterwards all persons, barbarians excepted, were freely initiated. The festivals were divided into greater and less mysteries. The less were instituted from the following circumstance. Hercules passed near Eleusis while the Athenians were celebrating the mysteries, and desired to be initiated. As this could not be done because he was a stranger, and as Eumolpus was unwilling to displease him on account of his great power and the services which he had done to the Athenians, another festival was instituted without violating the laws. It was called μικρα, and Hercules was solemnly admitted to the celebration and initiated. These less mysteries were observed at Agræ, near the Ilissus. The greater were celebrated at Eleusis, from which place Ceres has been called Eleusinia. In latter times the smaller festivals were preparatory to the greater, and no person could be initiated at Eleusis without a previous purification at Agræ. This purification they performed by keeping themselves pure, chaste, and unpolluted during nine days, after which they came and offered sacrifices and prayers, wearing garlands of flowers, called ἱσμερα, or ἱμερα, and having under their feet Διος κωδιον, Jupiter’s skin, which was the skin of a victim offered to that god. The person who assisted was called ὑδρανος, from ὑδωρ, water, which was used at the purification, and they themselves were called μυϛαι, the initiated. A year after the initiation at the less mysteries they sacrificed a sow to Ceres, and were admitted in the greater, and the secrets of the festivals were solemnly revealed to them, from which they were called ἐφοροι and ἐποπται, inspectors. The institution was performed in the following manner. The candidates, crowned with myrtle, were admitted by night into a place called μυϛικος σηκος, the mystical temple, a vast and stupendous building. As they entered the temple they purified themselves by washing their hands in holy water, and received for admonition that they were to come with a mind pure and undefiled, without which the cleanness of the body would be unacceptable. After this the holy mysteries were read to them from a large book called πετρωμα, because made of two stones, πετραι, fitly cemented together. After this the priest, called Ἱεροφαντης, proposed to them certain questions to which they readily answered. After this, strange and amazing objects presented themselves to their sight; the place often seemed to quake, and to appear suddenly resplendent with fire, and immediately covered with gloomy darkness and ♦horror. Sometimes thunders were heard, or flashes of lightning appeared on every side. At other times hideous noises and howlings were heard, and the trembling spectators were alarmed by sudden and dreadful apparitions. This was called αὐτοψια, intuition. After this the initiated were dismissed with the barbarous words of κογξ, ομπαξ. The garments in which they were initiated were held sacred, and of no less efficacy to avert evils than charms and incantations. From this circumstance, therefore, they were never left off before they were totally unfit for wear, after which they were appropriated for children, or dedicated to the goddess. The chief person that attended at the initiation was called Ἱεροφαντης, the revealer of sacred things. He was a citizen of Athens, and held his office during life, though among the Celeans and Phliasians it was limited to the period of four years. He was obliged to devote himself totally to the service of the deities; his life was chaste and single, and he usually anointed his body with the juice of hemlock, which is said, by its extreme coldness, to extinguish in a great degree the natural heat. The Hierophantes had three attendants; the first was called δαδουχος, torch-bearer, and was permitted to marry; the second was called κηρυξ, a cryer; the third administered at the altar, and was called ὁ ἐπι βωμῳ. The Hierophantes is said to have been a type of the powerful creator of all things, Δαδουχος of the sun, Κηρυξ of Mercury, and ὁ ἐπι βωμῳ of the moon. There were besides these other inferior officers, who took particular care that everything was performed according to custom. The first of these, called βασιλευς, was one of the Archons; he offered prayers and sacrifices, and took care that there was no indecency or irregularity during the celebration. Besides him there were four others, called ἐπιμεληται, curators, elected by the people. One of them was chosen from the sacred family of the Eumolpidæ, the other was one of the Ceryces, and the rest were from among the citizens. There were also 10 persons who assisted at this and every other festival, called Ἱεροποιοι, because they offered sacrifices. This festival was observed in the month Boedromion or September, and continued nine days, from the 15th till the 23rd. During that time it was unlawful to arrest any man or present any petition, on pain of forfeiting 1000 drachmas, or, according to others, on pain of death. It was also unlawful for those who were initiated to sit upon the cover of a well, to eat beans, mullets, or weasels. If any woman rode to Eleusis in a chariot, she was obliged by an edict of Lycurgus to pay 6000 drachmas. The design of this law was to destroy all distinction between the richer and poorer sort of citizens. The first day of the celebration was called ἀγορμος, assembly, as it might be said that the worshippers first met together. The second day was called ἀλαδε μυσται, to the sea, you that are initiated, because they were commanded to purify themselves by bathing in the sea. On the third day sacrifices, and chiefly a mullet, were offered; as also barley from a field of Eleusis. These oblations were called Θυα, and held so sacred that the priests themselves were not, as in other sacrifices, permitted to partake of them. On the fourth day they made a solemn procession, in which the καλαθιον, holy basket of Ceres, was carried about in a consecrated cart, while on every side the people shouted χαιρε Δημητερ, Hail, Ceres! After these followed women, called κιστοφοροι, who carried baskets, in which were sesamum, carded wool, grains of salt, a serpent, pomegranates, reeds, ivy boughs, certain cakes, &c. The fifth was called ἡ των λαμπαδων ἡμερα, the torch day, because on the following night the people ran about with torches in their hands. It was usual to dedicate torches to Ceres, and contend which should offer the biggest in commemoration of the travels of the goddess, and of her lighting a torch in the flames of mount Ætna. The sixth day was called Ἰακχος, from Iacchus the son of Jupiter and Ceres, who accompanied his mother in her search of Proserpine, with a torch in his hand. From that circumstance his statue had a torch in its hand, and was carried in solemn procession from the Ceramicus to Eleusis. The statue with those that accompanied it, called Ἰακχαγωγοι, were crowned with myrtle. In the way nothing was heard but singing and the noise of brazen kettles, as the votaries danced along. The way through which they issued from the city was called Ἱερα ὁδος, the sacred way; the resting place Ἱερα συκη, from a fig tree which grew in the neighbourhood. They also stopped on a bridge over the Cephisus, where they derided those that passed by. After they had passed this bridge, they entered Eleusis by a place called μυστικη εἰσοδος, the mystical entrance. On the seventh day were sports, in which the victors were rewarded with a measure of barley, as that grain had been first sown in Eleusis. The eighth day was called Ἐπιδαυριων ἡμερα, because once Æsculapius, at his return from Epidaurus to Athens, was initiated by the repetition of the less mysteries. It became customary, therefore, to celebrate them a second time upon this, that such as had not hitherto been initiated might be lawfully admitted. The ninth and last day of the festival was called Πλημοχοαι, earthen vessels, because it was usual to fill two such vessels with wine, one of which being placed towards the east, and the other towards the west, which after the repetition of some mystical words, were both thrown down, and the wine being spilt on the ground, was offered as a libation. Such was the manner of celebrating the Eleusinian mysteries, which have been deemed the most sacred and solemn of all the festivals observed by the Greeks. Some have supposed them to be obscene and abominable, and that from thence proceeded all the mysterious secrecy. They were carried from Eleusis to Rome in the age of Adrian, where they were observed with the same ceremonies as before, though perhaps with more freedom and licentiousness. They lasted about 1800 years, and were at last abolished by Theodosius the Great. Ælian, Varia Historia, bk. 12, ch. 24.—Cicero, de Legibus, bk. 2, ch. 14.—Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 31, &c.—Plutarch.

Eleusis, or Eleusin, a town of Attica, equally distant from Megara and the Piræus, celebrated for the festivals of Ceres. See: Eleusinia. It was founded by Triptolemus. Ovid, bk. 4, Fasti, ♦li. 507.—Pausanias, bk. 9, ch. 24.

Eleuther, a son of Apollo.――One of the Curetes, from whom a town of Bœotia, and another in Crete, received their name. Pausanias, bk. 9, chs. 2 & 9.

Eleuthĕræ, a village of Bœotia, between Megara and Thebes, where Mardonius was defeated with 300,000 men. Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 7; bk. 34, ch. 8.

Eleuthĕria, a festival celebrated at Platæa in honour of Jupiter Eleutherius, or the asserter of liberty, by delegates from almost all the cities of Greece. Its institution originated in this: After the victory obtained by the Grecians under Pausanias over Mardonius the Persian general, in the country of Platæa, an altar and statue were erected to Jupiter Eleutherius, who had freed the Greeks from the tyranny of the barbarians. It was further agreed upon in a general assembly, by the advice of Aristides the Athenian, that deputies should be sent every fifth year from the different cities of Greece to celebrate Eleutheria, festivals of liberty. The Platæans celebrated also an anniversary festival in memory of those who had lost their lives in that famous battle. The celebration was thus: At break of day a procession was made with a trumpeter at the head, sounding a signal for battle. After him followed chariots loaded with myrrh, garlands, and a black bull, and certain free young men, as no signs of servility were to appear during the solemnity, because they in whose honour the festival was instituted had died in the defence of their country. They carried libations of wine and milk in large-eared vessels, with jars of oil and precious ointments. Last of all appeared the chief magistrate, who, though not permitted at other times to touch iron, or wear garments of any colour but white, yet appeared clad in purple; and taking a water-pot out of the city chamber, proceeded through the middle of the town with a sword in his hand, towards the sepulchres. There he drew water from the neighbouring spring, and washed and anointed the monuments; after which he sacrificed a bull upon a pile of wood, invoking Jupiter and infernal Mercury, and inviting to the entertainment the souls of those happy heroes who had perished in the defence of their country. After this he filled a bowl with wine, saying, “I drink to those who lost their lives in the defence of the liberties of Greece.” There was also a festival of the same name observed by the Samians in honour of the god of love. Slaves also, when they obtained their liberty, kept a holiday, which they called Eleutheria.

Eleutho, a surname of Juno Lucina, from her presiding over the delivery of pregnant women. Pindar, Olympian, bk. 6.

Eleutherocilĭces, a people of Cilicia, never subject to kings. Cicero, bk. 15, Letters to his Friends, ltr. 4; bk. 5, Letters to Atticus, ltr. 20.

Eleuthĕros, a river of Syria, falling into the Mediterranean. Pliny, bk. 9, ch. 10.

Elĭcius, a surname of Jupiter, worshipped on mount Aventine. Ovid, Fasti, bk. 3, li. 328.

Eliensis and Eliăca, a sect of philosophers founded by Phædon of Elis, who was originally a slave, but restored to liberty by Alcibiades. Diogenes Laërtius.—Strabo.

Elimēa, or Elimiotis, a district of Macedonia, or of Illyricum according to others. Livy, bk. 42, ch. 53; bk. 45, ch. 30.

Elis, a country of Peloponnesus at the west of Arcadia, and north of Messenia, extending along the coast, and watered by the river Alpheus. The capital of the country called Elis, now Belvidere, became large and populous in the age of Demosthenes, though in the age of Homer it did not exist. It was originally governed by kings, and received its name from Eleus, one of its monarchs. Elis was famous for the horses it produced, whose celerity was so often known and tried at the Olympic games. Strabo, bk. 8.—Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 5.—Pausanias, bk. 5.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 5, li. 494.—Cicero, Letters to his Friends, bk. 13, ltr. 26; de Divinatione, bk. 2, ch. 12.—Livy, bk. 27, ch. 32.—Virgil, Georgics, bk. 1, li. 59; bk. 3, li. 202.

Eliphasii, a people of Peloponnesus. Polybius, bk. 11.

Elissa, a queen of Tyre, more commonly known by the name of Dido. See: Dido.

Elissus, a river of Elis.

Ellopia, a town of Eubœa.――An ancient name of that island.

Elōrus, a river of Sicily on the eastern coast, called after a king of the same name. Herodotus, bk. 7, ch. 145.

Elos, a city of Achaia, called after a servant-maid of Athamas of the same name.

Elotæ. See: Helotæ.

Elpēnor, one of the companions of Ulysses, changed into a hog by Circe’s potions, and afterwards restored to his former shape. He fell from the top of a house where he was sleeping, and was killed. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 14, li. 252.—Homer, Odyssey, bk. 10, li. 552; bk. 11, li. 51.

Elpinīce, a daughter of Miltiades, who married a man that promised to release from confinement her brother and husband, whom the laws of Athens had made responsible for the fine imposed on his father. Cornelius Nepos, Cimon.

Eluīna, a surname of Ceres.

Elyces, a man killed by Perseus. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 5, fable 3.

Elymāis, a country of Persia, between the Persian gulf and Media. The capital of the country was called Elymais, and was famous for a rich temple of Diana, which Antiochus Epiphanes attempted to plunder. The Elymeans assisted Antiochus the Great in his wars against the Romans. None of their kings are named in history. Strabo.

Ely̆mi, a nation descended from the Trojans, in alliance with the people of Carthage. Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 8.

Elymus, a man at the court of Acestes in Sicily. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 5, li. 73.

Elyrus, a town of Crete. Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 16.

Ely̆sium and Elysii Campi, a place or island in the infernal regions, where, according to the mythology of the ancients, the souls of the virtuous were placed after death. There happiness was complete, the pleasures were innocent and refined. Bowers for ever green, delightful meadows with pleasant streams, were the most striking objects. The air was wholesome, serene, and temperate; the birds continually warbled in the groves, and the inhabitants were blessed with another sun and other stars. The employments of the heroes who dwelt in these regions of bliss were various; the manes of Achilles are represented as waging war with the wild beasts, while the Trojan chiefs are innocently exercising themselves in managing horses, or in handling arms. To these innocent amusements some poets have added continual feasting and revelry, and they suppose that the Elysian fields were filled with all the incontinence and voluptuousness which could gratify the low desires of the debauchee. The Elysian fields were, according to some, in the Fortunate Islands on the coast of Africa, in the Atlantic. Others place them in the island of Leuce; and, according to the authority of Virgil, they were situate in Italy. According to Lucian, they were near the moon; or in the centre of the earth, if we believe Plutarch. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 6, li. 638.—Homer, Odyssey, bk. 4.—Pindar.—Tibullus, bk. 1, poem 3, li. 57.—Lucian.—Plutarch, ♦de Consul.

Emăthia, a name given anciently, and particularly by the poets, to the countries which formed the empires of Macedonia and Thessaly. Virgil, Georgics, bk. 1, li. 492; bk. 4, li. 390.—Lucan, bk. 1, li. 1; bk. 10, li. 50; bk. 6, li. 620; bk. 7, li. 427.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 5, li. 314.

Emăthion, a son of Titan and Aurora, who reigned in Macedonia. The country was called Emathia, from his name. Some suppose that he was a famous robber destroyed by Hercules. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 5, li. 313.—Justin, bk. 7, ch. 1.――A man killed at the nuptials of Perseus and Andromeda. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 5, li. 100.

Emăthion, a man killed in the wars of Turnus. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 9, li. 571.

Embătum, a place of Asia, opposite Chios.

Embolīma, a town of India. Curtius, bk. 8, ch. 12.

Emerĭta, a town of Spain, famous for dyeing wool. Pliny, bk. 9, ch. 41.

Emessa and Emissa, a town of Phœnicia.

Emoda, a mountain of India.

Empĕdŏcles, a philosopher, poet, and historian of Agrigentum in Sicily, who flourished 444 B.C. He was the disciple of Telauges the Pythagorean, and warmly adopted the doctrine of transmigration. He wrote a poem upon the opinions of Pythagoras, very much commended, in which he spoke of the various bodies which nature had given him. He was first a girl, afterwards a boy, a shrub, a bird, a fish, and lastly Empedocles. His poetry was bold and animated, and his verses were so universally esteemed, that they were publicly recited at the Olympic games with those of Homer and Hesiod. Empedocles was no less remarkable for his humanity and social virtues than for his learning. He showed himself an inveterate enemy to tyranny, and refused to become the sovereign of his country. He taught rhetoric in Sicily, and often alleviated the anxieties of his mind as well as the pains of his body with music. It is reported that his curiosity to visit the flames of the crater of Ætna proved fatal to him. Some maintain that he wished it to be believed that he was a god, and, that his death might be unknown, he threw himself into the crater and perished in the flames. His expectations, however, were frustrated, and the volcano, by throwing up one of his sandals, discovered to the world that Empedocles had perished by fire. Others report that he lived to an extreme old age, and that he was drowned in the sea. Horace, bk. 1, ltr. 12, li. 20.—Cicero, On Oratory, bk. 1, ch. 50, &c.—Diogenes Laërtius, Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers.

Emperāmus, a Lacedæmonian general in the second Messenian war.

Empōclus, an historian.

Empŏria Punĭca, certain places near the Syrtes.

Emporiæ, a town of Spain in Catalonia, now Ampurias. Livy, bk. 34, chs. 9 & 16; bk. 26, ch. 19.

Encĕlădus, a son of Titan and Terra, the most powerful of all the giants who conspired against Jupiter. He was struck with Jupiter’s thunders, and overwhelmed under mount Ætna. Some supposed that he is the same as Typhon. According to the poets, the flames of Ætna proceeded from the breath of Enceladus; and as often as he turned his weary side, the whole island of Sicily felt the motion, and shook from its very foundations. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 3, li. 578, &c.――A son of Ægyptus.

Enchĕleæ, a town of Illyricum, where Cadmus was changed into a serpent. Lucan, bk. 3, li. 189.—Strabo, bk. 7.

Endeis, a nymph, daughter of Chiron. She married Æacus king of Agina, by whom she had Peleus and Telamon. Pausanias, bk. 2, ch. 29.—Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 12.

Endēra, a place of Æthiopia.

Endy̆mion, a shepherd, son of Æthlius and Calyce. It is said that he required of Jupiter to grant to him to be always young, and to sleep as much as he would; whence came the proverb of Endymionis somnum dormire, to express a long sleep. Diana saw him naked as he slept on mount Latmos, and was so struck with his beauty that she came down from heaven every night to enjoy his company. Endymion married Chromia daughter of Itonus, or, according to some, Hyperipne daughter of Arcas, by whom he had three sons, Pæon, Epeus, and Æolus, and a daughter called Eurydice; and so little ambitious did he show himself of sovereignty, that he made his crown the prize of the best racer among his sons, an honourable distinction which was gained by Epeus. The fable of Endymion’s amours with Diana, or the moon, arises from his knowledge of astronomy, and as he passed the night on some high mountain, to observe the heavenly bodies, it has been reported that he was courted by the moon. Some suppose that there were two of that name, the son of a king of Elis, and the shepherd or astronomer of Caria. The people of Heraclea maintained that Endymion died on mount Latmos, and the Eleans pretended to show his tomb at Olympia in Peloponnesus. Propertius, bk. 2, poem 25.—Cicero, Tusculanæ Disputationes, bk. 1.—Juvenal, satire 10.—Theocritus, poem 3.—Pausanias, bk. 5, ch. 1; bk. 6, ch. 20.

Enĕti, or Henĕti, a people near Paphlagonia.

Engȳum, now Gangi, a town of Sicily freed from tyranny by Timoleon. Cicero, Against Verres, bk. 3, ch. 43; bk. 4, ch. 44.—Silius Italicus, bk. 14, li. 250.

Enienses, a people of Greece.

Eniopeus, a charioteer of Hector, killed by Diomedes. Homer, Iliad, bk. 8, li. 120.

Enīpeus, a river of Thessaly, flowing near Pharsalia. Lucan, bk. 6, li. 373.――A river of Elis in Peloponnesus, of which Tyro the daughter of Salmoneus became enamoured. Neptune assumed the shape of the river god to enjoy the company of Tyro. Ovid, Amores, bk. 3, poem 5.—Strabo.

Enispe, a town of Arcadia. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 25.

Enna, now Castro Janni, a town in the middle of Sicily, with a beautiful plain, whence Proserpine was carried away by Pluto. Mela, bk. 2, ch. 7.—Cicero, Against Verres, bk. 3, ch. 49; bk. 4, ch. 104.—Ovid, Fasti, bk. 4, li. 522.—Livy, bk. 24, ch. 37.

Ennia, was the wife of Macro, and afterwards of the emperor Caligula. Tacitus, Annals, bk. 6, ch. 45.

Quintus Ennius, an ancient poet born at Rudii in Calabria. He obtained the name and privileges of a Roman citizen by his genius and the brilliancy of his learning. His style is rough and unpolished, but his defects, which are more particularly attributed to the age in which he lived, have been fully compensated by the energy of his expressions and the fire of his poetry. Quintilian warmly commends him, and Virgil has shown his merits by introducing many whole lines from his poetry into his own compositions, which he calls pearls gathered from the dunghill. Ennius wrote in heroic verse 18 books of the annals of the Roman republic, and displayed much knowledge of the world in some dramatical and satirical compositions. He died of the gout, contracted by frequent intoxication, about 169 years before the christian era, in the 70th year of his age. Ennius was intimate with the great men of his age; he accompanied Cato in his questorship in Sardinia, and was esteemed by him of greater value than the honours of a triumph; and Scipio, on his death-bed, ordered his body to be buried by the side of his poetical friend. This epitaph was said to be written upon him:

Aspicite, o cives, senis Ennii imaginis formam!

Hic vestrum pinxit maxima facta patrum.

Nemo me lacrymis decoret, neque funera fletu

Faxit: cur? volito vivus per ora virûm.

Conscious of his merit as the first epic poet of Rome, Ennius bestowed on himself the appellation of the Homer of Latium. Of the tragedies, comedies, annals, and satires which he wrote, nothing remains but fragments happily collected from the quotations of ancient authors. The best edition of these is by Hesselius, 4to, Amsterdam, 1707. Ovid, Tristia, bk. 2, li. 424.—Cicero, de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum, bk. 1, ch. 4; De Officiis, bk. 2, ch. 18.—Quintilian, bk. 10, ch. 1.—Lucretius, bk. 1, li. 117, &c.—Cornelius Nepos, Cato.

Ennŏmus, a Trojan prince killed by Achilles. Homer, Iliad, bk. 2, li. 365; bk. 11, li. 422.

Ennosigæus, terræ concussor, a surname of Neptune. Juvenal, satire 10, li. 182.

Enŏpe, a town of Peloponnesus near Pylos. Pausanias, bk. 3, ch. 26.

Enops, a shepherd loved by the nymph Nesis, by whom he had Satnius. Homer, Iliad, bk. 14.――The father of Thestos.――A Trojan killed by Patroclus. Iliad, bk. 16.

Enos, a maritime town of Thrace.

Enosichthon, a surname of Neptune.

Enotocœtæ, a nation whose ears are described as hanging down to their heels. Strabo.

Entella, a town of Sicily inhabited by Campanians. Silius Italicus, bk. 14, li. 205.—Cicero, Against Verres, bk. 3, ch. 43.

Entellus, a famous athlete among the friends of Æneas. He was intimate with Eryx, and entered the lists against Dares, whom he conquered in the funeral games of Anchises in Sicily. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 5, li. 387, &c.

Enyalius, a surname of Mars.

Enȳo, a sister of Mars, called by the Latins Bellona, supposed by some to be daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. Silius Italicus, bk. 10, li. 203.

Eone, a daughter of Thespius. Apollodorus.

Eordæa, a district at the west of Macedonia. Livy, bk. 31, ch. 39; bk. 33, ch. 8; bk. 42, ch. 53.

Eos, the name of Aurora among the Greeks, whence the epithet Eous is applied to all the eastern parts of the world. Ovid, Fasti, bk. 3, li. 406; Ars Amatoria, bk. 3, li. 537; bk. 6, li. 478.—Virgil, Georgics, bk. 1, li. 288; bk. 2, li. 115.

Eōus, one of the horses of the sun. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 2, li. 153, &c.

Epāgris, one of the Cyclades, called by Aristotle Hydrussa. Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 12.

Epaminondas, a famous Theban descended from the ancient kings of Bœotia. His father’s name was Polymnus. He has been celebrated for his private virtues and military accomplishments. His love of truth was so great that he never disgraced himself by falsehood. He formed a most sacred and inviolable friendship with Pelopidas, whose life he saved in battle. By his advice Pelopidas delivered Thebes from the power of Lacedæmon. This was the signal of war. Epaminondas was set at the head of the Theban armies, and defeated the Spartans at the celebrated battle of Leuctra, about 371 years B.C. Epaminondas made a proper use of this victorious campaign, and entered the territories of Lacedæmon with 50,000 men. Here he gained many friends and partisans; but at his return to Thebes he was seized as a traitor for violating the laws of his country. While he was making the Theban arms victorious on every side, he neglected the law which forbade any citizen to retain in his hands the supreme power more than one month, and all his eminent services seemed unable to redeem him from death. He paid implicit obedience to the laws of his country, and only begged of his judges that it might be inscribed on his tomb that he had suffered death for saving his country from ruin. This animated reproach was felt; he was pardoned and invested again with the sovereign power. He was successful in a war in Thessaly, and assisted the Eleans against the Lacedæmonians. The hostile armies met near Mantinea, and while Epaminondas was bravely fighting in the thickest of the enemy, he received a fatal wound in the breast and expired, exclaiming that he died unconquered, when he heard that the Bœotians obtained the victory, in the 48th year of his age, 363 years before Christ. The Thebans severely lamented his death; in him their power was extinguished, for only during his life they had enjoyed freedom and independence among the Grecian states. Epaminondas was frugal as well as virtuous, and he refused with indignation the rich presents which were offered to him by Artaxerxes the king of Persia. He is represented by his biographer as an elegant dancer and a skilful musician, accomplishments highly esteemed among his countrymen. Plutarch, Parallela minora.—Cornelius Nepos, Epaminondas.—Xenophon, Hellenica.—Diodorus, bk. 15.—Polybius, bk. 1.

Epantelii, a people of Italy.

Epaphrodītus, a freedman punished with death for assisting Nero to destroy himself. Suetonius, Nero.――A freedman of Augustus, sent as a spy to Cleopatra. Plutarch.――A name assumed by Sylla.

Epăphus, a son of Jupiter and Io, who founded a city in Egypt, which he called Memphis, in honour of his wife, who was the daughter of the Nile. He had a daughter called Libya, who became mother of Ægyptus and Danaus by Neptune. He was worshipped as a god at Memphis. Herodotus, bk. 2, ch. 153.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 1, li. 699, &c.

Epasnactus, a Gaul in alliance with Rome, &c. Cæsar, Gallic War, bk. 8, ch. 44.

Epebŏlus, a soothsayer of Messenia, who prevented Aristodemus from obtaining the sovereignty. Pausanias, bk. 4, ch. 9, &c.

Epēi and Elēi, a people of Peloponnesus. Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 5.

Epetium, now Viscio, a town of Illyricum.

Epēus, a son of Endymion, brother to Pæon, who reigned in a part of Peloponnesus. His subjects were called from him Epei. Pausanias, bk. 5, ch. 1.――A son of Panopeus, who was the fabricator of the famous wooden horse, which proved the ruin of Troy. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 2, li. 264.—Justin, bk. 20, ch. 2.—Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 26.

Ephĕsus, a city of Ionia, built, as Justin mentions, by the Amazons; or by Androchus son of Codrus, according to Strabo; or by Ephesus, a son of the river Cayster. It is famous for a temple of Diana, which was reckoned one of the seven wonders of the world. This temple was 425 feet long and 200 feet broad. The roof was supported by 127 columns, 60 feet high, which had been placed there by so many kings. Of these columns, 36 were carved in the most beautiful manner, one of which was the work of the famous Scopas. This celebrated building was not totally completed till 220 years after its foundation. Ctesiphon was the chief architect. There was above the entrance a huge stone, which, according to Pliny, had been placed there by Diana herself. The riches which were in the temple were immense, and the goddess who presided over it was worshipped with the most awful solemnity. This celebrated temple was burnt on the night that Alexander was born [See: Erostratus], and soon after it rose from its ruins with more splendour and magnificence. Alexander offered to rebuild it at his own expense, if the Ephesians would place upon it an inscription which denoted the name of the benefactor. This generous offer was refused by the Ephesians, who observed, in the language of adulation, that it was improper that one deity should raise temples to the other. Lysimachus ordered the town of Ephesus to be called Arsinoe, in honour of his wife; but after his death the new appellation was lost, and the town was again known by its ancient name. Though modern authors are not agreed about the ancient ruins of this once famed city, some have given the barbarous name of Ajasalouc to what they conjecture to be the remains of Ephesus. The words literæ Ephesiæ are applied to letters containing magical powers. Pliny, bk. 36, ch. 14.—Strabo, bks. 12 & 14.—Mela, bk. 1, ch. 17.—Pausanias, bk. 7, ch. 2.—Plutarch, Alexander.—Justin, bk. 2, ch. 4.—Callimachus, Hymn to Artemis.—Ptolemy, bk. 5.—Cicero, de Natura Deorum, bk. 2.

Ephĕtæ, a number of magistrates at Athens, first instituted by Demophoon the son of Theseus. They were reduced to the number of 51 by Draco, who, according to some, first established them. They were superior to the Areopagites, and their privileges were great and numerous. Solon, however, lessened their power, and entrusted them only with the trial of manslaughter and conspiracy against the life of a citizen. They were all more than 50 years old, and it was required that their manners should be pure and innocent, and their behaviour austere and full of gravity.

Ephialtes, or Ephialtus, a giant, son of Neptune, who grew nine inches every month. See: Aloeus.――An Athenian, famous for his courage and strength. He fought with the Persians against Alexander, and was killed at Halicarnassus. Diodorus, bk. 17.――A Trachinian who led a detachment of the army of Xerxes by a secret path to attack the Spartans at Thermopylæ. Pausanias, bk. 1, ch. 4.—Herodotus, bk. 7, ch. 213.

Ephŏri, powerful magistrates at Sparta, who were first created by Lycurgus; or, according to some, by Theopompus, B.C. 760. They were five in number. Like censors in the state, they could check and restrain the authority of the kings, and even imprison them, if guilty of irregularities. They fined Archidamus for marrying a wife of small stature, and imprisoned Agis for his unconstitutional behaviour. They were much the same as the tribunes of the people at Rome, created to watch with a jealous eye over the liberties and rights of the populace. They had the management of the public money, and were the arbiters of peace and war. Their office was annual, and they had the privilege of convening, proroguing, and dissolving the greater and less assemblies of the people. The former was composed of 9000 Spartans, all inhabitants of the city; the latter of 33,000 Lacedæmonians, inhabitants of the inferior towns and villages. Cornelius Nepos, Pausanias, ch. 3.—Aristotle, Politics, bk. 2, ch. 7.

Ephŏrus, an orator and historian of Cumæ in Æolia, about 352 years before Christ. He was disciple to Isocrates, by whose advice he wrote a history which gave an account of all the actions and battles that had happened between the Greeks and barbarians for 750 years. It was greatly esteemed by the ancients. It is now lost. Quintilian, bk. 10, ch. 1.

Ephy̆ra, the ancient name of Corinth, which it received from a nymph of the same name, and thence Ephyreus is applied to Dyrrhachium, founded by a Grecian colony. Virgil, Georgics, bk. 2, li. 264.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 2, li. 239.—Lucan, bk. 6, li. 17.—Statius, Thebiad, bk. 4, li. 59.—Silius Italicus, bk. 14, li. 181.――A city of Threspotia in Epirus.――Another in Elis.――Ætolia.――One of Cyrene’s attendants. Virgil, Georgics, bk. 4, li. 343.

Epicaste, a name of Jocasta the mother and wife of Œdipus. Pausanias, bk. 9, ch. 5.――A daughter of Ægeus, mother of Thestalus by Hercules.

Epicerides, a man of Cyrene, greatly esteemed by the Athenians for his beneficence. Demosthenes.

Epichăris, a woman accused of conspiracy against Nero. She refused to confess the associates of her guilt, though exposed to the greatest torments, &c. Tacitus, Annals, bk. 15, ch. 51.

Epicharmus, a poet and Pythagorean philosopher of Sicily, who introduced comedy at Syracuse, in the reign of Hiero. His compositions were imitated by Plautus. He wrote some treatises upon philosophy and medicine, and observed that the gods sold all their kindnesses for toil and labour. According to Aristotle and Pliny, he added the two letters χ and θ to the Greek alphabet. He flourished about 440 years before Christ, and died in the 90th year of his age. Horace, bk. 2, ltr. 1, li. 58.—Diogenes Laërtius, bks. 3 & 8.—Cicero, Letters to Atticus, bk. 1, ltr. 19.

Epicles, a Trojan prince killed by Ajax. Homer, Iliad, bk. 12, li. 378.

Epiclīdes, a Lacedæmonian of the family of the Eurysthenidæ. He was raised to the throne by his brother Cleomenes III. in the place of Agis, against the laws and constitution of Sparta. Pausanias, bk. 2, ch. 9.

Epicrătes, a Milesian, servant to Julius Cæsar.――A poet of Ambracia. Ælian.――The name is applied to Pompey, as expressive of supreme authority. Cicero, Letters to Atticus, bk. 3, ltr. 3.

Epictētus, a stoic philosopher of Hieropolis in Phrygia, originally the slave of Epaphroditus, the freedman of Nero. Though driven from Rome by Domitian, he returned after the emperor’s death, and gained the esteem of Adrian and Marcus Aurelius. Like the Stoics he supported the doctrine of the immortality of the soul, but he declared himself strongly against suicide, which was so warmly adopted by his sect. He died in a very advanced age. The earthen lamp of which he made use was sold some time after his death for 3000 drachmas. His Enchiridion is a faithful picture of the stoic philosophy, and his dissertations which were delivered to his pupils, were collected by Arrian. His style is concise and devoid of all ornament, full of energy and useful maxims. The value of his compositions is well known from the saying of the emperor Antoninus, who thanked the gods he could collect from the writings of Epictetus wherewith to conduct life with honour to himself and advantage to his country. There are several good editions of the works of Epictetus, with those of Cebes and others; the most valuable of which, perhaps, will be found to be that of Reland, Utrecht, 4to, 1711; and Arrian’s by Upton, 2 vols. 4to, London, 1739.

Epĭcūrus, a celebrated philosopher, son of Neocles and Cherestrata, born at Gargettus in Attica. Though his parents were poor and of an obscure origin, yet he was early sent to school, where he distinguished himself by the brilliancy of his genius, and at the age of 12, when his preceptor repeated to him this verse from Hesiod,

Ἠτοι μεν πρωτιστα χαος γενετ’, &c.,

In the beginning of things the Chaos was created,

Epicurus earnestly asked him who created it? To this the teacher answered that he knew not, but only philosophers. “Then,” says the youth, “philosophers henceforth shall instruct me.” After having improved himself, and enriched his mind by travelling, he visited Athens, which was then crowded by the followers of Plato, the Cynics, the Peripatetics, and the Stoics. Here he established himself, and soon attracted a number of followers by the sweetness and gravity of his manners, and by his social virtues. He taught them that the happiness of mankind consisted in pleasure, not such as arises from sensual gratification, or from vice, but from the enjoyments of the mind, and the sweets of virtue. This doctrine was warmly attacked by the philosophers of the different sects, and particularly by the Stoics. They observed that he disgraced the gods by representing them as inactive, given up to pleasure, and unconcerned with the affairs of mankind. He refuted all the accusations of his adversaries by the purity of his morals, and by his frequent attendance on places of public worship. When Leontium, one of his female pupils, was accused of prostituting herself to her master and to all his disciples, the philosopher proved the falsity of the accusation by silence and an exemplary life. His health was at last impaired by continual labour, and he died of a retention of urine, which long subjected him to the most excruciating torments, and which he bore with unparalleled fortitude. His death happened 270 years before Christ, in the 72nd year of his age. His disciples showed their respect for the memory of their learned preceptor, by the unanimity which prevailed among them. While philosophers in every sect were at war with mankind and among themselves, the followers of Epicurus enjoyed perfect peace, and lived in the most solid friendship. The day of his birth was observed with universal festivity, and during a month all his admirers gave themselves up to mirth and innocent amusement. Of all the philosophers of antiquity, Epicurus is the only one whose writings deserve attention for their number. He wrote no less than 300 volumes, according to Diogenes Laërtius; and Chrysippus was so jealous of the fecundity of his genius, that no sooner had Epicurus published one of his volumes, than he immediately composed one, that he might not be overcome in the number of his productions. Epicurus, however, advanced truth and arguments unknown before; but Chrysippus said what others long ago had said, without showing anything which might be called originality. The followers of Epicurus were numerous in every age and country; his doctrines were rapidly disseminated over the world, and when the gratification of the sense was substituted to the practice of virtue, the morals of mankind were undermined and destroyed. Even Rome, whose austere simplicity had happily nurtured virtue, felt the attack, and was corrupted. When Cineas spoke of the tenets of the Epicureans in the Roman senate, Fabricius indeed entreated the gods that all the enemies of the republic might become his followers. But those were the feeble efforts of expiring virtue; and when Lucretius introduced the popular doctrine in poetical composition, the smoothness and beauty of the numbers contributed, with the effeminacy of the Epicureans, to enervate the conquerors of the world. Diogenes Laërtius, Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers.—Ælian, Varia Historia, bk. 4, ch. 13.—Cicero, de Natura Deorum, bk. 1, chs. 24 & 25; Tusculanæ Disputationes, bk. 3, ch. 49; De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum, bk. 2, ch. 22.

Epicydes, a tyrant of Syracuse, B.C. 213.

Epidamnus, a town of Macedonia on the Adriatic, nearly opposite Brundusium. The Romans planted there a colony, which they called Dyrrachium, considering the ancient name (ad damnum) ominous. Pausanias, bk. 6, ch. 10.—Pliny, bk. 3, ch. 23.—Plautus, Menæchmi, scene 2, act 1, li. 42.

Epidaphne, a town of Syria, called also Antioch. Germanicus son of Drusus died there. Tacitus, Annals, bk. 2, ch. 83.

Epidauria, a festival at Athens in honour of Æsculapius.――A country of Peloponnesus.

Epidaurus, a town at the north of Argolis in Peloponnesus, chiefly dedicated to the worship of Æsculapius, who had there a famous temple. It received its name from Epidaurus son of Argus and Evadne. It is now called Pidaura. Strabo, bk. 8.—Virgil, Georgics, bk. 3, li. 44.—Pausanias, bk. 3, ch. 21.—Mela, bk. 2, ch. 3.――A town of Dalmatia, now Ragusi Vecchio,――of Laconia.

Epidium, one of the western isles of Scotland, or the Mull of Cantyre, according to some. Ptolemy.

Epidius, a man who wrote concerning unusual prodigies. Pliny, bk. 16, ch. 25.

Epidotæ, certain deities who presided over the birth and growth of children, and were known among the Romans by the name of Dii Averrunci. They were worshipped by the Lacedæmonians, and chiefly invoked by those who were persecuted by the ghosts of the dead, &c. Pausanias, bk. 3, ch. 17, &c.

Epigĕnes, a Babylonian astrologer and historian. Pliny, bk. 7, ch. 56.

Epigeus, a Greek killed by Hector.

Epigŏni, the sons and descendants of the Grecian heroes who were killed in the first Theban war. The war of the Epigoni is famous in ancient history. It was undertaken 10 years after the first. The sons of those who had perished in the first war resolved to avenge the death of their fathers, and marched against Thebes, under the command of Thersander; or, according to others, of Alcmæon the son of Amphiaraus. The Argives were assisted by the Corinthians, the people of Messina, Arcadia, and Megara. The Thebans had engaged all their neighbours in their quarrel, as in one common cause, and the two hostile armies met and engaged on the banks of the Glissas. The fight was obstinate and bloody, but victory declared for the Epigoni, and some of the Thebans fled to Illyricum with Leodamas their general, while others retired into Thebes, where they were soon besieged and forced to surrender. In this war Ægialeus alone was killed, and his father Adrastus was the only person who escaped alive in the first war. This whole war, as Pausanias observes, was written in verse; and Callinus, who quotes some of the verses, ascribes them to Homer, which opinion has been adopted by many writers. “For my part,” continues the geographer, “I own that, next to the Iliad and Odyssey of Homer, I have never seen a finer poem.” Pausanias, bk. 6, chs. 9 & 25.—Apollodorus, bks. 1 & 3.—Diodorus, bk. 4.――This name has been applied to the sons of those Macedonian veterans, who in the age of Alexander formed connections with the women of Asia.

Epĭgŏnus, a mathematician of Ambracia.

Epigranea, a fountain in Bœotia. Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 7.

Epīi and Epēi, a people of Elis.

Epilarus, a daughter of Thespius. Apollodorus.

Epimĕlĭdes, the founder of Corone. Pausanias, bk. 4, ch. 34.

Epimĕnes, a man who conspired against Alexander’s life. Curtius, bk. 8, ch. 6.

Epimenĭdes, an epic poet of Crete, contemporary with Solon. His father’s name was Agiasarchus and his mother’s Blasta. He is reckoned one of the seven wise men by those who exclude Periander from the number. While he was tending his flocks one day, he entered into a cave, where he fell asleep. His sleep continued for 40 or 47, or according to Pliny, 57 years, and when he awoke, he found every object so considerably altered, that he scarce knew where he was. His brother apprised him of the length of his sleep, to his great astonishment. It is supposed that he lived 289 years. After death he was revered as a god, and greatly honoured by the Athenians, whom he had delivered from a plague, and to whom he had given many good and useful counsels. He is said to be the first who built temples in the Grecian communities. Cicero, de Divinatione, bk. 1, ch. 34.—Diogenes Laërtius, Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers.—Pausanias, bk. 1, ch. 14.—Plutarch, Solon.—Valerius Maximus, bk. 8, ch. 13.—Strabo, bk. 10.—Pliny, bk. 7, ch. 12.

Epĭmētheus, a son of Japetus and Clymene, one of the Oceanides, who inconsiderately married Pandora, by whom he had Pyrrha the wife of Deucalian. He had the curiosity to open the box which Pandora had brought with her [See: Pandora], and from thence issued a train of evils, which from that moment have never ceased to afflict the human race. Hope was the only one which remained at the bottom of the box, not having sufficient time to escape, and it is she alone which comforts men under misfortunes. Epimetheus was changed into a monkey by the gods, and sent into the island of Pithecusa. Apollodorus, bk. 1, chs. 2 & 7.—Hyginus, fable.—Hesiod, Theogony. See: Prometheus.

Epĭmēthis, a patronymic of Pyrrha the daughter of Epimetheus. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 1, li. 390.

Epĭochus, a son of Lycurgus, who received divine honours in Arcadia.

Epiŏne, the wife of Æsculapius. Pausanias, bk. 2, ch. 29.

Epiphanea, a town of Cilicia, near Issus, now Surpendkar. Pliny, bk. 5, ch. 27.—Cicero, Letters to his Friends, bk. 15, ltr. 4.――Another of Syria on the Euphrates. Pliny, bk. 5, ch. 24.

Epiphănes (illustrious), a surname given to the Antiochi, kings of Syria.――A surname of one of the Ptolemies, the fifth of the house of the Lagidæ. Strabo, bk. 17.

Epipanius, a bishop of Salamis, who was active in refuting the writings of Origen; but his compositions are more valuable for the fragments which they preserve than for their own intrinsic merit. The only edition is by Dionysius Petavius, 2 vols., Paris, 1622. The bishop died A.D. 403.

Epipŏlæ, a district of Syracuse, on the north side, surrounded by a wall by Dionysius, who, to complete the work expeditiously, employed 60,000 men upon it, so that in 30 days he finished a wall 4¾ miles long, and of great height and thickness.

Epīrus, a country situate between Macedonia, Achaia, and the Ionian sea. It was formerly governed by kings, of whom Neoptolemus son of Achilles was one of the first. It was afterwards joined to the empire of Macedonia, and at last became a part of the Roman dominions. It is now called Larta. Strabo, bk. 7.—Mela, bk. 2, ch. 3.—Ptolemy, bk. 3, ch. 14.—Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 1.—Virgil, Georgics, bk. 3, li. 121.

Epistrŏphus, a son of Iphitus king of Phocis, who went to the Trojan war. Homer, Iliad.

Epitades, a man who first violated a law of Lycurgus, which forbade laws to be made. Plutarch, Agis.

Epitus. See: Epytus.

Epium, a town of Peloponnesus on the borders of Arcadia.

Epŏna, a beautiful girl, the fruit, it is said, of a man’s union with a mare.

Epŏpeus, a son of Neptune and Canace, who came from Thessaly to Sicyon, and carried away Antiope, daughter of Nicteus king of Thebes. This rape was followed by a war, in which Nycteus and Epopeus were both killed. Pausanias, bk. 2, ch. 6.—Apollodorus, bk. 1, ch. 7, &c.――A son of Aloeus, grandson to Phœbus. He reigned at Corinth. Pausanias, bk. 2, chs. 1 & 3.――One of the Tyrrhene sailors, who attempted to abuse Bacchus. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 3, li. 619.

Eporedōrix, a powerful person among the Ædui, who commanded his countrymen in their war against the Sequani. Cæsar, Gallic War, bk. 7, ch. 67.

Epŭlo, a Rutulian killed by Achates. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 12, li. 459.

Epytides, a patronymic given to Periphas the son of Epytus, and the companion of Ascanius. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 5, li. 547.

Epy̆tus, a king of Alba. Ovid, Fasti, bk. 4, li. 44.――A king of Arcadia.――A king of Messenia, of the family of the Heraclidæ.――The father of Periphus, a herald in the Trojan war. Homer, Iliad, bk. 17.

Equajusta, a town of Thessaly.

Equĭcŏlus, a Rutulian engaged in the wars of Æneas. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 9, li. 684.

Equīria, festivals established at Rome by Romulus, in honour of Mars, when horse-races and games were exhibited in the Campus Martius. Varro, de Lingua Latina, bk. 5, ch. 3.—Ovid, Fasti, bk. 2, li. 859.

Equotutĭcum, now Castel Franco, a little town of Apulia, to which, as some suppose, Horace alludes in this verse, bk. 1, satire 5, li. 87,

Mansuri oppidulo, versu quod dicere non est.

Eracon, an officer of Alexander, imprisoned for his cruelty. Curtius, bk. 10.

Eræa, a city of Greece, destroyed in the age of Strabo, bk. 3.

Erana, a small village of Cilicia on mount Amanus. Cicero, Letters to his Friends, bk. 15, ltr. 4.

Erăsēnus, a river of Peloponnesus, flowing for a little space under the ground, in Argolis. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 15, li. 275.—Pliny, bk. 2, ch. 13.

Erasippus, a son of Hercules and Lysippe.

Erasistrătus, a celebrated physician, grandson to the philosopher Aristotle. He discovered by the motion of the pulse the love which Antiochus had conceived for his mother-in-law Stratonice, and was rewarded with 100 talents for the cure by the father of Antiochus. He was a great enemy to bleeding and violent physic. He died B.C. 257. Valerius Maximus, bk. 5, ch. 7.—Plutarch, Demetrius.

Erăto, one of the muses who presided over lyric, tender, and amorous poetry. She is represented as crowned with roses and myrtle, holding in her right hand a lyre, and a lute in her left, musical instruments of which she is considered by some as the inventress. Love is sometimes placed by her side holding a lighted flambeau, while she herself appears with a thoughtful, but oftener with a gay and animated look. She was invoked by lovers, especially in the month of April, which, among the Romans, was more particularly devoted to love. Apollodorus, bk. 10.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 7, li. 37.—Ovid, de Ars Amatoria, bk. 2, li. 425.――One of the Nereides. Apollodorus, bk. 1, ch. 2.――One of the Dryades, wife of Arcas king of Arcadia. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 4.――One of the Danaides, who married Bromius.――A queen of the Armenians, after the death of Ariobarzanes, &c. Tacitus, Annals, bk. 2, ch. 4.

Eratosthĕnes, son of Aglaus, was a native of Cyrene, and the second entrusted with the care of the Alexandrian library. He dedicated his time to grammatical criticism and philosophy, but more particularly to poetry and mathematics. He has been called a second Plato, the cosmographer and the geometer of the world. He is supposed to be the inventor of the armillary sphere. With the instruments with which the munificence of the Ptolemies supplied the library of Alexandria, he was enabled to measure the obliquity of the ecliptic, which he called 20½ degrees. He also measured a degree of the meridian, and determined the extent and circumference of the earth with great exactness, by means adopted by the moderns. He starved himself after he had lived to his 82nd year, B.C. 194. Some few fragments remain of his compositions. He collected the annals of the Egyptian kings by order of one of the Ptolemies. Cicero, Letters to Atticus, bk. 2, ltr. 6.—Varro, de Re Rustica, bk. 1, ch. 2.

Eratostrătus, an Ephesian who burnt the famous temple of Diana, the same night that Alexander the Great was born. This burning, as some writers have observed, was not prevented or seen by the goddess of the place, who was then present at the labours of Olympias, and the birth of the conqueror of Persia. Eratostratus did this villainy merely to eternize his name by so uncommon an action. Plutarch, Alexander.—Valerius Maximus, bk. 8, ch. 14.

Erātus, a son of Hercules and Dynaste. Apollodorus.――A king of Sicyon, who died B.C. 1671.

Erbessus, a town of Sicily north of Agrigentum, now Monte Bibino. Livy, bk. 24, ch. 30.

Erchia, a small village of Attica, the birthplace of Xenophon. Diogenes Laërtius, bk. 2, ch. 48.

Erĕbus, a deity of hell, son of Chaos and Darkness. He married Night, by whom he had the light and the day. The poets often used the word Erebus to signify hell itself, and particularly that part where dwelt the souls of those who had lived a virtuous life, from whence they passed into the Elysian fields. Cicero, de Natura Deorum, bk. 3, ch. 17.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 4, li. 26.

Erechtheus, son of Pandion I., was the sixth king of Athens. He was father of Cecrops II., Merion, Pandorus, and of four daughters, Creusa, Orithya, Procris, and Othonia, by Praxithea. In a war against Eleusis he sacrificed Othonia, called also Chthonia, to obtain a victory which the oracle promised for such a sacrifice. In that war he killed Eumolpus, Neptune’s son, who was the general of the enemy, for which he was struck with thunder by Jupiter at Neptune’s request. Some say that he was drowned in the sea. After death he received divine honours at Athens. He reigned 50 years, and died B.C. 1347. According to some accounts, he first introduced the mysteries of Ceres at Eleusis. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 6, li. 877.—Pausanias, bk. 2, ch. 25.—Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 15.—Cicero, For Sestius, ch. 21; Tusculanæ Disputationes, bk. 1, ch. 48; Natura Deorum, bk. 3, ch. 15.

Erechthĭdes, a name given to the Athenians, from their king Erechtheus. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 7, li. 430.

Erembi, a people of Arabia.

Erēmus, a country of Ethiopia.

Erenēa, a village of Megara. Pausanias, bk. 1, ch. 44.

Eressa, a town of Æolia.

Erēsus, a town of Lesbos, where Theophrastus was born.

Erĕtria, a city of Eubœa on the Euripus, anciently called Melaneis and Arotria. It was destroyed by the Persians, and the ruins were hardly visible in the age of Strabo. It received its name from Eretrius, a son of Phaeton. Pausanias, bk. 7, ch. 8, &c.—Mela, bk. 2, ch. 7.—Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 12.—Cornelius Nepos, Miltiades, ch. 4.

Erētum, a town of the Sabines near the Tiber, whence came the adjective Eretinus. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 7, li. 711.—Tibullus, bk. 4, poem 8, li. 4.

Eruthalion, a man killed by Nestor in a war between the Pylians and Arcadians. Homer, Iliad.

Ergăne, a river whose waters intoxicated as wine.――A surname of Minerva. Pausanias, bk. 5, ch. 14.

Ergenna, a celebrated soothsayer of Etruria. Persius, satire 2, li. 26.

Ergias, a Rhodian who wrote a history of his country.

Ergīnus, a king of Orchomenos, son of Clymenus. He obliged the Thebans to pay him a yearly tribute of 100 oxen, because his father had been killed by a Theban. Hercules attacked his servants, who came to raise the tribute, and mutilated them, and he afterwards killed Erginus, who attempted to avenge their death by invading Bœotia with an army. Pausanias, bk. 9, ch. 17.――A river of Thrace. Mela, bk. 2, ch. 2.――A son of Neptune.――One of the four brothers who kept the Acrocorinth, by order of Antigonus. Polyænus, bk. 6.

Erginnus, a man made master of the ship Argo by the Argonauts, after the death of Typhis.

Eribœa, a surname of Juno. Homer, Iliad, bk. 5.――The mother of Ajax Telamon. Sophocles.

Eribotes, a man skilled in medicine, &c. Orpheus.

Erĭcētes, a man of Lycaonia, killed by Messapus in Italy. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 10, li. 749.

Erichtho, a Thessalian woman famous for her knowledge of poisonous herbs and medicine. Lucan, bk. 6, li. 507.――One of the Furies. Ovid.—Hesiod, bk. 2, li. 151.

Erichthŏnius, the fourth king of Athens, sprung from the seed of Vulcan, which fell upon the ground when that god attempted to offer violence to Minerva. He was very deformed, and had the tails of serpents instead of legs. Minerva placed him in a basket, which she gave to the daughters of Cecrops, with strict injunctions not to examine its contents. Aglauros, one of the sisters, had the curiosity to open the basket, for which the goddess punished her indiscretion by making her jealous of her sister Herse. See: Herse. Erichthon was young when he ascended the throne of Athens. He reigned 50 years, and died B.C. 1437. The invention of chariots is attributed to him, and the manner of harnessing horses to draw them. He was made a constellation after death under the name of Bootes. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 2, li. 553.—Hyginus, fable 166.—Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 14.—Pausanias, bk. 4, ch. 2.—Virgil, Georgics, bk. 3, li. 113.――A son of Dardanus, who reigned in Troy, and died 1374 B.C., after a long reign of about 75 years. Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 10.

Ericinium, a town of Macedonia.

Ericūsa, one of the Lipari isles, now Alicudi.

Erĭdănus, one of the largest rivers of Italy, rising in the Alps, and falling into the Adriatic by several mouths; now called the Po. It was in its neighbourhood that the Heliades, the sisters of Phaeton, were changed into poplars, according to Ovid. Virgil calls it the king of all rivers, and Lucan compares it to the Rhine and Danube. An Eridanus is mentioned in heaven. Cicero, Aratus, li. 145.—Claudian, Panegyricus de Consulatu Honorii Augusti, bk. 6, li. 175.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 2, fable 3.—Pausanias, bk. 1, ch. 3.—Strabo, bk. 5.—Lucan, bk. 2, li. 409.—Virgil, Georgics, bk. 1, li. 482; Æneid, bk. 6, li. 659.

Erĭgŏne, a daughter of Icarius, who hung herself when she heard that her father had been killed by some shepherds whom he had intoxicated. She was made a constellation, now known under the name of Virgo. Bacchus deceived her by changing himself into a beautiful grape. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 6, fable 4.—Statius, bk. 11, Thebiad, li. 644.—Virgil, Georgics, bk. 1, li. 33.—Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 14.—Hyginus, fables 1 & 24.――A daughter of Ægisthus and Clytemnestra, who had by her brother Orestes, Penthilus, who shared the regal power with Timasenus, the legitimate son of Orestes and Hermione. Pausanias, bk. 2, ch. 18.—Paterculus, bk. 1, ch. 1.