Porphyr´ius.A Platonic philosopher of Tyre. He studied eloquence at Athens under Longinus, and afterwards retired to Rome. His most celebrated work was in reference to the Christian religion. Porphyry diedA.D.304, aged seventy-one years.Porsen´na or Por´sena.A king of Etruria, who declared war against the Romans because they refused to restore Tarquin to the throne; He was prevented from entering the gates of Rome by the valor of P. Horatius Cocles, who at the head of a bridge kept back Porsenna’s army, whilst the bridge was being cut down by the Romans to prevent the entry of their enemies into the city. Eventually Porsenna abandoned the cause of Tarquin.Praxit´eles.A famous sculptor of Greece, who lived about 324 years before the Christian era. The most famous of his works was a Cupid, which he gave to Phyrne. He executed a statue of Phyrne, and also one of Venus.Pri´amus.The last king of Troy was son of Laomedon, by Strymo, called Placia by some writers. He married Arisba, whom he divorced in order to marry Hecuba, by whom he had a number of children, the most celebrated of whom were Hector, Paris, Deiphobus, Helenus, Laodice, and Cassandra. After he had reigned some time, Priam was anxious to recover his sister Hesione, who had been carried into Greece by Hercules, and to achieve this, he manned a fleet, the command of which he gave to his son Paris, who, instead of obeying the paternal instructions, carried away Helen, the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta. This caused the Trojanwar, which lasted for ten years. At the end of the war Priam was slain by Neoptolemus, the son of Achilles.Pro´bus, M. Aure´lius.A native of Pannonia. His father was a gardener, who became a military tribune. His son obtained the same office in the twenty-second year of his age, and distinguished himself so much by his probity and valor that he was invested with the imperial purple. He encouraged the arts, and by his victories added to the glory of his country. He was slain by his soldiers in the fiftieth year of his age,B.C.282.Proco´pius, born of a noble family in Cilicia, was related to the emperor Julian. He signalized himself under Julian, and afterwards retired to the Thracian Chersonesus, whence he made his appearance at Constantinople, and proclaimed himself master of the Eastern Empire. He was defeated in Phrygia, and beheadedA.D.366. There was a famous Greek historian of the same name, who wrote the history of the reign of Justinian, and who was secretary to Belisarius.Prome´theus.A son of Iapetus and Clymene, one of the Oceanides. He ridiculed the gods and deceived Jupiter himself, who, to punish him and the rest of mankind, took fire away from the earth; but Prometheus climbed the heavens by the assistance of Minerva, and stole fire from the chariot of the sun, which he brought down to the earth. This provoked Jupiter, and he ordered Prometheus to be chained to a rock, where a vulture was to feed on his liver, which was never exhausted. He was delivered from his torture by Hercules, who killed the vulture.Proper´tius, Sex´tus Aure´lius.A Latin poet born in Umbria. He came to Rome, where his genius greatlyrecommended him to the great and powerful. His works consist of four books of elegies which are marked by much ability. He died about nineteen yearsB.C.Proser´pina, a daughter of Ceres and Jupiter, called by the Greeks Persephone. As she was gathering flowers Pluto carried her off to the infernal regions, where he married her. Ceres, having learnt that her daughter had been carried away by Pluto, demanded of Jupiter that Pluto should be punished. As queen of hell, Proserpine presided over the death of mankind. She was known by the names of Hecate, Juno Inferna, Libitina, and several others.Protag´oras.A Greek philosopher of Abdera in Thrace. He wrote a book in which he denied the existence of a Supreme Being, which book was publicly burnt at Athens, and its author was banished from the city.Pro´tesila´us.A king of part of Thessaly, who married Laodamia, and shortly afterwards went to the Trojan war. He was the first of the Greeks who entered the Trojan domain, and on that account, in accordance with the prediction of the oracle, was killed by his countrymen.Pro´teus.A sea deity, son of Oceanus and Tethys, or, according to some writers, of Neptune and Phenice. He had received the gift of prophecy from Neptune, but when consulted he often refused to give answers, and puzzled those who consulted him by assuming different shapes.Psy´che.A nymph who married Cupid. Venus put her to death because of this, but Jupiter, at the request of Cupid, granted immortality to her.Ptolemæ´usFirst, called Ptolemy, surnamed Lagus. A king of Egypt, son of Arsinoe and Lagus. He was educatedin the court of the king of Macedonia, and when Alexander invaded Asia Ptolemy attended him. After Alexander’s death Ptolemy obtained the government of Egypt, where he gained the esteem of the people by acts of kindness. He made himself master of Phœnicia and Syria, and rendered assistance to the people of Rhodes against their enemies, for which he received the name ofSoter. He laid the foundation of a library, which became the most celebrated in the world. He died in his eighty-fourth year, about 284 yearsB.C.He was succeeded by his son, Ptolemy Philadelphus, who showed himself to be a worthy successor of his father. His palace was an asylum for learned men, and he greatly increased the library his father had founded. Ptolemy Third succeeded his father Philadelphus on the Egyptian throne. He conquered Syria and Cilicia, and returned home laden with spoils. He was, like his predecessors, a patron of learning and the arts. Ptolemy Fourth, called Philopater, succeeded to the throne, his reign being marked by acts of cruelty and oppression. He died in his thirty-seventh year, after a reign of seventeen years, 204 yearsB.C.Numerous members of this celebrated family in succession occupied the throne, not, however, approaching to the greatness of the founders of the family.Ptolemæ´us.A celebrated geographer and astronomer in the reign of Adrian and Antoninus. He was a native of Alexandria, or, as some say, of Pelusium. In his system of the world, designated the Ptolemaic system, he places the earth in the center of the universe, which was generally received as correct till it was confuted by Copernicus.Pyr´rhus.A famous king of Epirus, son of Æacides and Phthia. He is celebrated for his military talents; andnot only his friends, but his enemies, have been warm in extolling him. He is said to have had no superior in the art of war. He wrote several books on encampments and the ways of training an army. He fought against the Romans with much valor, and they passed encomiums on his great military skill. He was killed in an attack on Argos, by a tile thrown on his head from a housetop.Pyr´rhus.SeeNeoptolemus.Pythag´oras.A celebrated philosopher born at Samos. He first made himself known in Greece at the Olympic games, where, when he was eighteen years old, he obtained the prize for wrestling. He also distinguished himself by his discoveries in geometry, astronomy, and mathematics. He was the first who supported the doctrine of metempsychosis, or transmigration of the soul into different bodies. He believed that the universe was created from a shapeless mass of passive matter by the hands of a powerful Being, who was the mover and soul of the world, and of whose substance the souls of mankind were a portion. The time and place of death of this great philosopher are unknown, but some suppose that he died at Metapontum about 497 yearsB.C.Py´thon.A celebrated serpent sprung from the mud and stagnated waters which remained on the surface of the earth after the deluge of Deucalion. Apollo killed the monster.Quintilia´nus, Mar´cus Fa´bius, a celebrated rhetorician, born in Spain. He opened a school of rhetoric at Rome, and was the first who obtained a salary from the State as a public teacher. He diedA.D.95.Quin´tus Cur´tius Ru´fus.A Latin historian supposed tohave lived in the reign of Vespasian. He wrote a history of the reign of Alexander the Great. This work is admired for the elegance of its diction.Regil´lus.A small lake in Latium, famous as being the scene of a great Roman victory, which forms the subject of a fine poem by Lord Macaulay, called “The Battle of the Lake Regillus,” included in his “Lays of Ancient Rome.”Reg´ulus, M. Attil´ius.A consul during the first Punic war. He reduced Brundusium, and in his second consulship he captured a great portion of the Carthaginian fleet. After further successes he was taken prisoner by the Carthaginians, who put him to death with refined tortures.Rhadaman´thus.A son of Jupiter and Europa. He reigned in the Cyclades, where his rule was characterized by marked justice and impartiality.Rom´ulus.According to tradition the founder of Rome. He was a son of Mars and Ilia, and was twin brother of Remus. The twins were thrown into the Tiber, but were saved and suckled by a she-wolf till they were found by Fautulus, a shepherd, who brought them up. Disputes arising between the brothers in reference to the building of the city, Romulus caused Remus to be slain.Ros´cius.A celebrated Roman actor. He died about 60 yearsB.C.Ru´bicon.A small river in Italy. By crossing it, and thus transgressing the boundaries of his province, Cæsar declared war against the senate and Pompey. “Passing the Rubicon” has become a proverbial expression, indicating an irrevocable step taken in any weighty matter.Sa´cra, Vi´a.An important street in Rome, where a treaty of peace was made between Romulus and Tatius.Sal´amis.An island of Attica celebrated for a battle fought there between the fleets of the Greeks and the Persians, in which the latter suffered defeat.Sallus´tius Cris´pus.A celebrated Latin historian. He wrote a history of the Catalinian conspiracy, and died thirty-five years before the Christian era.Sanchoni´athon.A Phœnician historian born at Berytus, or, as some say, at Tyre. He lived a few years before the Trojan war; and wrote on the antiquities of Phœnicia.Sa´por.A king of Persia, who succeeded to the throne about the 238th year of the Christian era. He wished to increase his dominions by conquest, but was defeated by Odenatus, who defeated his army with great slaughter. He was assassinatedA.D.273.Sa´por.The second king of Persia of that name. He fought against the Romans, and obtained several victories over them. DiedA.D.380.Sap´pho, celebrated for her beauty and poetical talents, was born at Lesbos about 600 years before Christ. She became enamored with Phaon, a youth of Mitylene, but he not reciprocating her passion, she threw herself into the sea from the rock of Leucadia.Sardanapa´lus.The last king of Assyria, celebrated for his luxury and indolence. His effeminacy induced his subjects to conspire against him with success, on which he set fire to his palace and perished in the flames,B.C.820.Satur´nus.The son of Cœlus, or Uranus, by Terra. It was customary to offer human victims on his altars till this custom was abolished by Hercules. He is generallyrepresented as an old man bent with age, and holding a scythe in his right hand.Sat´yri.Demigods whose origin is unknown. They had the feet and legs of a goat, their body bearing the human form.Scævola, Mu´tius, surnamed Cordus, was famous for his courage. He attempted to assassinate Porsenna, but was seized; and to show his fortitude when confronted with Porsenna, he thrust his hand into the fire, on which the king pardoned him.Scip´io.The name of a celebrated family at Rome, the most conspicuous of which was Publius Cornelius, afterwards called Africanus. He was the son of Publius Scipio, and commanded an army against the Carthaginians. After obtaining some victories he encountered Hannibal at the famous battle of Zama, in which he obtained a decisive victory. He died about 184 years before Christ, in his forty-eighth year.Scip´io, Lu´cius Corne´lius, surnamed Asiaticus, accompanied his brother Africanus in his expedition in Africa. He was made consulA.U.C.562, and sent to attack Antiochus, king of Syria, whom he completely routed. He was accused of receiving bribes of Antiochus, and was condemned to pay large fines which reduced him to poverty.Scip´io, P. Æmilia´nus.Called Africanus the younger. He finished the war with Carthage, the total submission of which occurredB.C.147. The captive city was set on fire, and Scipio was said to have wept bitterly over the melancholy scene. On his return to Rome he was appointed to conclude the war against Numantia, the fall of which soon occurred, and Scipio had Numantinusadded to his name. He was found dead in his bed, and was presumed to have been strangled,B.C.128.Sem´ele.A daughter of Cadmus and Hermione, the daughter of Mars and Venus. She was the mother of Bacchus. After death she was made immortal under the name of Thyone.Semir´amis.A celebrated queen of Assyria, who married the governor of Nineveh, and at his death she became the wife of King Ninus. She caused many improvements to be effected in her kingdom, as well as distinguishing herself as a warrior. She is supposed to have lived 1965 years before the Christian era.Sen´eca, L. Annæ´us, at an early period of his life, was distinguished by his talents. He became preceptor to Nero, in which capacity he gained general approbation. The tyrant, however, determined to put him to death, and he chose to have his veins opened in a hot bath, but death not ensuing, he swallowed poison, and was eventually suffocated by the soldiers who were in attendance. This occurred in his fifty-third year, and in the sixty-fifth of the Christian era. His works, which were numerous, were chiefly on moral subjects.Sera´pis.One of the Egyptian deities, supposed to be the same as Osiris. He had a magnificent temple at Memphis, another at Alexandria, and a third at Canopus.Sesos´tris.A celebrated king of Egypt, who lived long prior to the Trojan war. He was ambitious of military fame, and achieved many conquests. On his return from his victories he employed himself in encouraging the fine arts. He destroyed himself after a reign of forty-four years.Seve´rus, Lu´cius Septim´ius.A Roman emperor, born inAfrica, noticeable for his ambition. He invaded Britain, and built a wall in the north as a check to the incursions of the Caledonians. He died at York in the 211th year of the Christian era.Sile´nus.A demigod, who is represented generally as a fat old man riding on an ass, with flowers crowning his head.Sil´ius Ital´icus, C.A Latin poet who retired from the bar to consecrate his time to study. He imitated Virgil, but with little success. His poetry, however, is commended for its purity.Simon´ides.A celebrated poet of Cos, who livedB.C.538 years. He wrote elegies, epigrams, and dramatic pieces, esteemed for their beauty.Sire´nes.The Sirens. They lured to destruction those who listened to their songs. When Ulysses sailed past their island he stopped the ears of his companions with wax, and had himself tied to the mast of his ship. Thus he passed with safety, and the Sirens, disappointed of their prey, drowned themselves.Sis´yphus.Son of Æolus and Enaretta. After death he was condemned, in the infernal regions, to roll a stone to the summit of a hill, which always rolled back, and rendered his punishment eternal.Soc´rates.The most celebrated philosopher of antiquity, born near Athens, whose virtues rendered his name venerated. His independence of spirit created for him many enemies, and he was accused of making innovations in the religion of the Greeks. He was condemned to death by drinking hemlock, and expired a few moments after imbibing the poison, in his seventieth year,B.C.400. His wife was Xanthippe, remarkablefor her shrewish disposition, for which her name has become proverbial.So´lon, one of the wise men of Greece, was born at Salamis, and educated at Athens. After traveling over Greece he returned, and was elected archon and sovereign legislator, in which capacity he effected numerous reforms in the state, binding the Athenians by a solemn oath to observe the laws he enacted for one hundred years. After this he visited Egypt, and on returning to Athens after ten years’ absence, he found most of his regulations disregarded by his countrymen. On this he retired to Cyprus, where he died in his eightieth year, 558 years before the Christian era.Som´nus, son of Nox and Erebus, was one of the infernal deities and presided over sleep.Soph´ocles.A celebrated tragic poet of Athens. He was distinguished also as a statesman, and exercised the office of archon with credit and honor. He wrote for the stage, and obtained the poetical prize on twenty different occasions. He was the rival of Euripides for public applause, each having his admirers. He died at the age of ninety-one, 406 years before Christ.Sophonis´ba.A daughter of Hasdrubal, the Carthaginian, celebrated for her beauty. She married Syphax, prince of Numidia, and when he was conquered by the Romans she became a captive to their ally, the Numidian general Masinissa, whom she married. This displeased the Romans, and Scipio ordered Masinissa to separate from Sophonisba, and she, urged to this by Masinissa, took poison, about 203 years before Christ.Soz´omen.A historian who died 450A.D.He wrote an important work on ecclesiastical history.Sphinx.A monster, having the head and breasts of a woman, the body of a dog, the tail of a serpent, the wings of a bird, and the paws of a lion. The Sphinx was sent into the neighborhood of Thebes by Juno, where she propounded enigmas, devouring those who were unable to solve them. One of the riddles proposed was—What animal walked on four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening? Œdipus solved it, giving as the meaning—A man, who when an infant crawled on his hands and feet, walking erect in manhood, and in the evening of life supporting himself with a stick. On hearing the solution the Sphinx destroyed herself.Stagi´ra.A town on the borders of Macedonia, where Aristotle was born; hence he is called the Stagirite.Sta´tius, P. Papin´us.A poet, born at Naples in the reign of Domitian. He was the author of two epic poems, the Thebais, in twelve books, and the Achilleis, in two books.Sten´tor.One of the Greeks who went to the Trojan war. He was noted for the loudness of his voice, and from him the term “stentorian” has become proverbial.Sto´ici.A celebrated sect of philosophers founded by Zeno. They preferred virtue to all other things, and regarded everything opposed to it as an evil.Stra´bo.A celebrated geographer, born at Amasia, on the borders of Cappadocia. He flourished in the age of Augustus. His work on geography consists of seventeen books, and is admired for its purity of diction.Styx.A celebrated river of the infernal regions. The gods held it in such veneration that they always swore by it, the oath being inviolable.Sueto´nius, C. Tranquil´lus.A Latin historian who became secretary to Adrian. His best known work is his Lives of the Cæsars.Sul´la.SeeSylla.Syb´aris.A town on the bay of Tarentum. Its inhabitants were distinguished by their love of ease and pleasure, hence the term “Sybarite.”Syl´la(orSulla),L. Corne´lius. A celebrated Roman, of a noble family, who rendered himself conspicuous in military affairs; and became antagonistic to Marius. In the zenith of his power he was guilty of the greatest cruelty. His character is that of an ambitious, tyrannical, and resolute commander. He died about seventy years before Christ, aged sixty.Sy´phax.A king of the Masæsyllii in Numidia, who married Sophonisba, the daughter of Hasdrubal. He joined the Carthaginians against the Romans, and was taken by Scipio as a prisoner to Rome, where he died in prison.Tac´itus, C. Corne´lius.A celebrated Latin historian, born in the reign of Nero. Of all his works the “Annals” is the most extensive and complete. His style is marked by force, precision, and dignity, and his Latin is remarkable for being pure and classical.Tac´itus, M. Clau´dius.A Roman, elected emperor by the Senate when he was seventy years of age. He displayed military vigor, and as a ruler was a pattern of economy and moderation. He died in the 276th year of the Christian era.Tan´talus.A king of Lydia, father of Niobe and Pelops. He is represented by the poets as being, in the infernalregions, placed in a pool of water which flowed from him whenever he attempted to drink, thus causing him to suffer perpetual thirst; hence the origin of the term “tantalizing.”Tarquin´ius Pris´cus, the fifth king of Rome, was son of Demaratus, a native of Greece. He exhibited military talents in the victories he gained over the Sabines. During peace he devoted attention to the improvement of the capital. He was assassinated in his eightieth year, 578 yearsB.C.Tarquin´ius Super´bus.He ascended the throne of Rome after Servius Tullius, whom he murdered, and married his daughter Tullia. His reign was characterized by tyranny, and eventually he was expelled from Rome, surviving his disgrace for fourteen years, and dying in his ninetieth year.Tar´tarus.One of the regions of hell, where, according to Virgil, the souls of those who were exceptionally depraved were punished.Telem´achus.Son of Penelope and Ulysses. At the end of the Trojan war he went in search of his father, whom, with the aid of Minerva, he found. Aided by Ulysses he delivered his mother from the suitors that beset her.Tem´pe.A valley in Thessaly through which the river Peneus flows into the Ægean. It is described by the poets as one of the most delightful places in the world.Teren´tius Pub´lius(Terence). A native of Africa, celebrated for the comedies he wrote. He was twenty-five years old when his first play was produced on the Roman stage. Terence is admired for the purity of his language and the elegance of his diction. He is supposed to have been drowned in a storm about 159B.C.Te´reus.A king of Thrace who married Procne, daughter of Pandion, king of Athens. He aided Pandion in a war against Megara.Terpsich´ore.One of the Muses, daughter of Jupiter and Mnemosyne. She presided over dancing.Tertullia´nus, J. Septim´ius Flor´ens.A celebrated Christian writer of Carthage, who livedA.D.196. He was originally a Pagan, but embraced Christianity, of which faith he became an able advocate.Tha´is.A celebrated woman of Athens, who accompanied Alexander the Great in his Asiatic conquests.Tha´les.One of the seven wise men of Greece, born at Miletus in Ionia. His discoveries in astronomy were great, and he was the first who calculated with accuracy a solar eclipse. He died about 548 years before the Christian era.Thali´a.One of the Muses. She presided over festivals and comic poetry.Themis´tocles.A celebrated general born at Athens. When Xerxes invaded Greece, Themistocles was intrusted with the care of the fleet, and at the famous battle of Salamis, foughtB.C.480, the Greeks, instigated to fight by Themistocles, obtained a complete victory over the formidable navy of Xerxes. He died in the sixty-fifth year of his age, having, as some writers affirm, poisoned himself by drinking bull’s blood.Theoc´ritus.A Greek poet who lived at Syracuse in Sicily, 282B.C.He distinguished himself by his poetical compositions, of which some are extant.Theodo´sius, Fla´vius.A Roman emperor surnamedMagnusfrom the greatness of his exploits. The first years of his reign were marked by conquests over the Barbarians.In his private character Theodosius was an example of temperance. He died in his sixtieth year,A.D.395, after a reign of sixteen years.Theodo´sius Secondbecame emperor of the Western Roman empire at an early age. His territories were invaded by the Persians, but on his appearance at the head of a large force they fled, losing a great number of their army in the Euphrates. Theodosius was a warm advocate of the Christian religion. He died, aged forty-nine,A.D.450.Theophras´tus.A native of Lesbos. Diogenes enumerates the titles of more than 200 treatises which he wrote. He died in his 107th year,B.C.288.Thermop´ylæ.A narrow Pass leading from Thessaly into Locris and Phocis, celebrated for a battle fought there,B.C.480, between Xerxes and the Greeks, in which three hundred Spartans, commanded by Leonidas, resisted for three successive days an enormous Persian army.Thersi´tes.A deformed Greek, in the Trojan war, who indulged in ridicule against Ulysses and others. Achilles killed him because he laughed at his grief for the death of Penthesilea. Shakspeare, who introduced Thersites in his play of “Troilus and Cressida,” describes him as “a deformed and scurrilous Grecian.”The´seus, king of Athens and son of Ægeus by Æthra, was one of the most celebrated heroes of antiquity. He caught the bull of Marathon and sacrificed it to Minerva. After this he went to Crete amongst the seven youths sent yearly by the Athenians to be devoured by the Minotaur, and by the aid of Ariadne he slew the monster. He ascended his father’s throneB.C.1235. Pirithous, king of the Lapithæ, invaded his territories,but the two became firm friends. They descended into the infernal regions to carry off Proserpine, but their intentions were frustrated by Pluto. After remaining for some time in the infernal regions, Theseus returned to his kingdom to find the throne filled by an usurper, whom he vainly tried to eject. He retired to Scyros, where he was killed by a fall from a precipice.Thes´pis.A Greek poet of Attica, supposed to be the inventor of tragedy,B.C.536. He went from place to place upon a cart, on which he gave performances. Hence the term “Thespians” as applied to wandering actors.The´tis.A sea deity, daughter of Nereus and Doris. She married Peleus, their son being Achilles, whom she plunged into the Styx, thus rendering him invulnerable in every part of his body except the heel by which she held him.This´be.A beautiful girl of Babylon, beloved by Pyramus.Thrasybu´lus.A famous general of Athens, who, with the help of a few associates, expelled the Thirty Tyrants,B.C.401. He was sent with a powerful fleet to recover the Athenian power on the coast of Asia, and after gaining many advantages, was killed by the people of Aspendos.Thucid´ydes.A celebrated Greek historian born at Athens. He wrote a history of the events connected with the Peloponnesian war. He died at Athens in his eightieth year,B.C.391.Tibe´rius, Clau´dius Ne´ro.A Roman emperor descended from the Claudii. In his early years he entertained the people with magnificent shows and gladiatorial exhibitions, which made him popular. At a later period ofhis life he retired to the island of Capreæ, where he indulged in vice and debauchery. He died aged seventy-eight, after a reign of twenty-two years.Tibul´lus, Au´lus Al´bius.A Roman knight celebrated for his poetical compositions. His favorite occupation was writing love poems. Four books of elegies are all that remain of his compositions.Timo´leon.A celebrated Corinthian, son of Timodemus and Demariste. When the Syracusans, oppressed with the tyranny of Dionysius the Younger, solicited aid from the Corinthians, Timoleon sailed for Syracuse with a small fleet. He was successful in the expedition, and Dionysius gave himself up as a prisoner. Timoleon died at Syracuse, amidst universal regret.Ti´mons.A native of Athens, called the Misanthrope from his aversion to mankind. He is the hero of Shakspeare’s play of “Timon of Athens” in which his churlish character is powerfully delineated.Timo´theus.A famous musician in the time of Alexander the Great. Dryden names him in his well-known ode, “Alexander’s Feast.”Tire´sias.A celebrated prophet of Thebes. Juno deprived him of sight, and, to recompense him for the loss, Jupiter bestowed on him the gift of prophecy.Tisiph´one.One of the Furies, daughter of Nox and Acheron.Tita´nes.The Titans. A name given to the gigantic sons of Cœlus and Terra. The most conspicuous of them are Saturn, Hyperion, Oceanus, Iapetus, Cottus, and Briareus.Ti´tus Vespasia´nus.Son of Vespasian and Flavia Domitilla,known by his valor, particularly at the siege of Jerusalem. He had been distinguished for profligacy, but on assuming the purple, he became a model of virtue. His death, which occasioned great lamentations, occurredA.D.81, in the forty-first year of his age.Traja´nus, M. Ul´pius Crini´tus.A Roman emperor born at Ithaca. His services to the empire recommended him to the notice of the emperor Nerva, who adopted him as his son, and invested him with the purple. The actions of Trajan were those of a benevolent prince. He died in Cilicia, in AugustA.D.117, in his sixty-fourth year, and his ashes were taken to Rome and deposited under a stately column which he had erected.Tribu´ni Ple´bi.Magistrates at Rome created in the year,U.C.261. The office of Tribune to the people was one of the first steps which led to more honorable employments.Triptol´emus.Son of Oceanus and Terra, or, according to some authorities, son of Celeus, king of Attica, and Neæra. He was in his youth cured of a severe illness by Ceres, with whom he became a great favorite. She taught him agriculture, and gave him her chariot drawn by dragons, in which he traveled over the earth, distributing corn to the inhabitants.Tri´ton.A sea deity, son of Neptune and Amphitrite. He was very powerful, and could calm the sea and abate storms at his pleasure.Trium´viri.Three magistrates appointed to govern the Roman state with absolute power.Tul´lus Hostil´iussucceeded Numa as king of Rome. He was of a warlike disposition, and distinguished himself by his expedition against the people of Alba, whom he conquered.Typhœ´us, orTy´phon. A famous giant, son of Tartarus and Terra, who had a hundred heads. He made war against the gods, and was put to flight by the thunderbolts of Jupiter, who crushed him under Mount Ætna.Tyrtæ´us.A Greek elegiac poet born in Attica. Of his compositions none are extant except a few fragments.Ulys´ses.The famous king of Ithaca, son of Anticlea and Laertes (or, according to some, of Sisyphus). He married Penelope, daughter of Icarius, on which his father resigned to him the crown. He went to the Trojan war, where he was esteemed for his sagacity. On the conclusion of the war he embarked for Greece, but was exposed to numerous misfortunes on his journey. In his wanderings, he, with some of his companions, was seized by the Cyclops, Polyphemus, from whom he made his escape. Afterwards he was thrown on the island of Æea, where he was exposed to the wiles of the enchantress Circe. Eventually he was restored to his own country, after an absence of twenty years. The adventures of Ulysses on his return from the Trojan war form the subject of Homer’s Odyssey.Ura´nia.One of the Muses, daughter of Jupiter and Mnemosyne. She presided over astronomy.Valentinia´nusthe First. Son of Gratian, raised to the throne by his merit and valor. He obtained victories over the Barbarians in Gaul and in Africa, and punished the Quadi with severity. He broke a blood-vessel and died,A.D.375. Immediately after his death, his son, Valentinian the Second, was proclaimed emperor. He was robbed of his throne by Maximus, but regained it by the aid of Theodosius, emperor of the East. He was strangled by one of his officers. He was remarkablefor benevolence and clemency. The third Valentinian was made emperor in his youth, and on coming to maturer age he disgraced himself by violence and oppression. He was murderedA.D.454.Valeria´nus, Pub´lius Licin´ius.A celebrated Roman emperor, who, on ascending the throne, lost the virtues he had previously possessed. He made his son Gallienus his colleague in the empire. He made war against the Goths and Scythians. He was defeated in battle and made prisoner by Tapor, king of Persia, who put him to death by torture.Var´ro.A Latin author, celebrated for his great learning. He wrote no less than five hundred volumes, but all his works are lost except a treatise De Re Rusticâ, and another De Linguâ Latinâ He diedB.C.28, in his eighty-eighth year.Ve´nus.One of the most celebrated deities of the ancients; the goddess of beauty, and mother of love. She sprang from the foam of the sea, and was carried to heaven, where all the gods admired her beauty. Jupiter gave her in marriage to Vulcan, but she intrigued with some of the gods, and, notably, with Mars, their offspring being Hermione, Cupid, and Anteros. She became enamored of Adonis, which caused her to abandon Olympus. Her contest for the golden apple, which she gained against her opponents Juno and Minerva, is a prominent episode in mythology. She had numerous names applied to her, conspicuous amongst which may be named Anadyomene, under which cognomen she is distinguished by the picture, representing her as rising from the ocean, by Apelles. She was known under the Grecian name of Aphrodite.Vespasia´nus Ti´tus Fla´vius.A Roman emperor of obscuredescent. He began the siege of Jerusalem, which was continued by his son Titus. He diedA.D.79, in his seventieth year.Ves´ta.A goddess, daughter of Rhea and Saturn. The Palladium, a celebrated statue of Pallas, was supposed to be preserved within her sanctuary, where a fire was kept continually burning.Vesta´les.The Vestals, priestesses consecrated to the service of Vesta. They were required to be of good families and free from blemish and deformity. One of their chief duties was to see that the sacred fire of Vesta was not extinguished.Virgil´ius, Pub´lius Ma´ro, called the prince of the Latin poets, was born at Andes, near Mantua, about seventy years before Christ. He went to Rome, where he formed an acquaintance with Mæcenas, and recommended himself to Augustus. His Bucolics were written in about three years, and subsequently he commenced the Georgics, which is considered one of the most perfect of all Latin compositions. The Æneid is supposed to have been undertaken at the request of Augustus. Virgil died in his fifty-first yearB.C.19.Virgin´ia.Daughter of the centurion L. Virginius. She was slain by her father to save her from the violence of the decemvir, Appius Claudius.Virgin´ius.A valiant Roman, father of Virginia. (See Virginia.) The story of Virginius and his ill-fated daughter is the subject of the well-known tragedy of “Virginius,” one of the early productions of J. Sheridan Knowles. It is rarely performed in the present day.Vulca´nus.The god who presided over fire, and who wasthe patron of those who worked in iron. According to Homer, he was the son of Jupiter and Juno, and was so deformed, that at his birth his mother threw him into the sea, where he remained nine years; but other writers differ from this opinion. He married Venus at the instigation of Jupiter. He is known by the name of Mulciber. The Cyclopes were his attendants, and with them he forged the thunderbolts of Jupiter.Xanthip´peorXantip´pe. The wife of Socrates, remarkable for her ill-humor and fretful disposition. She was a constant torment to her husband, and on one occasion, after bitterly reviling him, she emptied a vessel of dirty water on him, on which the philosopher coolly remarked, “After thunder rain generally falls.”Xenoc´rates.An ancient philosopher born at Calcedonia, and educated in the school of Plato, whose friendship he gained. DiedB.C.314.Xen´ophon.A celebrated Athenian, son of Gryllus, famous as a general, philosopher, and historian. He joined Cyrus the Younger in an expedition against Artaxerxes, king of Persia, and after the decisive battle of Cunaxa, in which Cyrus was defeated and killed, the skill and bravery of Xenophon became conspicuous. He had to direct an army of ten thousand Greeks, who were now more than six hundred leagues from home, and in a country surrounded by an active enemy. He rose superior to all difficulties till the celebrated “Retreat of the Ten Thousand” was effected; the Greeks returning home after a march of two hundred and fifteen days. Xenophon employed his pen in describing the expedition of Cyrus, in his work the “Anabasis.” He also wrote the “Cyropædia,” “Memorabilia,” “Hellenica,” etc. He died at Corinth in his ninetieth year, about 360 years before the Christian era.Xer´xessucceeded his father Darius on the throne of Persia. He entered Greece with an immense army, which was checked at Thermopylæ by the valor of three hundred Spartans under king Leonidas, who, for three successive days, successfully opposed the enormous forces of Xerxes, and were at last slaughtered. From this period the fortunes of Xerxes waned. His fleet being defeated at Salamis, and mortified with ill-success, he hastened to Persia, where he gave himself up to debauchery, and was murdered in the twenty-first year of his reign, about 464 years before the Christian era.Za´ma.A town of Numidia, celebrated as the scene of the victory of Scipio over Hannibal,B.C.202.Ze´no, a celebrated philosopher, the founder of the sect of Stoics, was born at Citium in Cyprus. He opened a school in Athens, and soon became noticed by the great and learned. His life was devoted to sobriety and moderation. He died at the age of ninety-eight,B.C.264.Ze´no.A philosopher of Elea or Velia, in Italy. He was the disciple, or, according to some, the adopted son of Parmenides. Being tortured to cause him to reveal his confederates in a plot he had engaged in, he bit off his tongue that he might not betray his friends.Zeno´bia.A celebrated princess of Palmyra, the wife of Odenatus. After her husband’s death, the Roman emperor Aurelian declared war against her. She took the field with seven hundred thousand men, and though at first successful, she was eventually conquered. Aurelian,when she became his prisoner, treated her with great humanity and consideration. She was admired for her literary talents as well as her military abilities.Zeux´is.A celebrated painter born at Heraclea. He flourished 468 years before the Christian era. He painted some grapes so naturally that the birds came to peck them on the canvas; but he was disgusted with the picture, because the man painted as carrying the grapes was not natural enough to frighten the birds.Zo´ilus.A sophist and grammarian of Amphipolis,B.C.259. He became known by his severe criticisms on the works of Isocrates and Homer.Zoroas´ter.A king of Bactria, supposed to have lived in the age of Ninus, king of Assyria, some time before the Trojan war. He rendered himself known by his deep researches in philosophy. He admitted no visible object of devotion except fire, which he considered the proper emblem of a Supreme Being. He was respected by his subjects and contemporaries for his abilities as a monarch, a lawgiver, and a philosopher, and though many of his doctrines may be deemed puerile, he had many disciples. The religion of the Parsees of the present day was founded by Zoroaster.Zos´imus.A Greek historian who lived about the year 410 of the Christian era. He wrote a history of some of the Roman emperors, which is characterized by graceful diction, but he indulges in malevolent and vituperative attacks on the Christians in his History of Constantine.
Porphyr´ius.A Platonic philosopher of Tyre. He studied eloquence at Athens under Longinus, and afterwards retired to Rome. His most celebrated work was in reference to the Christian religion. Porphyry diedA.D.304, aged seventy-one years.
Porsen´na or Por´sena.A king of Etruria, who declared war against the Romans because they refused to restore Tarquin to the throne; He was prevented from entering the gates of Rome by the valor of P. Horatius Cocles, who at the head of a bridge kept back Porsenna’s army, whilst the bridge was being cut down by the Romans to prevent the entry of their enemies into the city. Eventually Porsenna abandoned the cause of Tarquin.
Praxit´eles.A famous sculptor of Greece, who lived about 324 years before the Christian era. The most famous of his works was a Cupid, which he gave to Phyrne. He executed a statue of Phyrne, and also one of Venus.
Pri´amus.The last king of Troy was son of Laomedon, by Strymo, called Placia by some writers. He married Arisba, whom he divorced in order to marry Hecuba, by whom he had a number of children, the most celebrated of whom were Hector, Paris, Deiphobus, Helenus, Laodice, and Cassandra. After he had reigned some time, Priam was anxious to recover his sister Hesione, who had been carried into Greece by Hercules, and to achieve this, he manned a fleet, the command of which he gave to his son Paris, who, instead of obeying the paternal instructions, carried away Helen, the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta. This caused the Trojanwar, which lasted for ten years. At the end of the war Priam was slain by Neoptolemus, the son of Achilles.
Pro´bus, M. Aure´lius.A native of Pannonia. His father was a gardener, who became a military tribune. His son obtained the same office in the twenty-second year of his age, and distinguished himself so much by his probity and valor that he was invested with the imperial purple. He encouraged the arts, and by his victories added to the glory of his country. He was slain by his soldiers in the fiftieth year of his age,B.C.282.
Proco´pius, born of a noble family in Cilicia, was related to the emperor Julian. He signalized himself under Julian, and afterwards retired to the Thracian Chersonesus, whence he made his appearance at Constantinople, and proclaimed himself master of the Eastern Empire. He was defeated in Phrygia, and beheadedA.D.366. There was a famous Greek historian of the same name, who wrote the history of the reign of Justinian, and who was secretary to Belisarius.
Prome´theus.A son of Iapetus and Clymene, one of the Oceanides. He ridiculed the gods and deceived Jupiter himself, who, to punish him and the rest of mankind, took fire away from the earth; but Prometheus climbed the heavens by the assistance of Minerva, and stole fire from the chariot of the sun, which he brought down to the earth. This provoked Jupiter, and he ordered Prometheus to be chained to a rock, where a vulture was to feed on his liver, which was never exhausted. He was delivered from his torture by Hercules, who killed the vulture.
Proper´tius, Sex´tus Aure´lius.A Latin poet born in Umbria. He came to Rome, where his genius greatlyrecommended him to the great and powerful. His works consist of four books of elegies which are marked by much ability. He died about nineteen yearsB.C.
Proser´pina, a daughter of Ceres and Jupiter, called by the Greeks Persephone. As she was gathering flowers Pluto carried her off to the infernal regions, where he married her. Ceres, having learnt that her daughter had been carried away by Pluto, demanded of Jupiter that Pluto should be punished. As queen of hell, Proserpine presided over the death of mankind. She was known by the names of Hecate, Juno Inferna, Libitina, and several others.
Protag´oras.A Greek philosopher of Abdera in Thrace. He wrote a book in which he denied the existence of a Supreme Being, which book was publicly burnt at Athens, and its author was banished from the city.
Pro´tesila´us.A king of part of Thessaly, who married Laodamia, and shortly afterwards went to the Trojan war. He was the first of the Greeks who entered the Trojan domain, and on that account, in accordance with the prediction of the oracle, was killed by his countrymen.
Pro´teus.A sea deity, son of Oceanus and Tethys, or, according to some writers, of Neptune and Phenice. He had received the gift of prophecy from Neptune, but when consulted he often refused to give answers, and puzzled those who consulted him by assuming different shapes.
Psy´che.A nymph who married Cupid. Venus put her to death because of this, but Jupiter, at the request of Cupid, granted immortality to her.
Ptolemæ´usFirst, called Ptolemy, surnamed Lagus. A king of Egypt, son of Arsinoe and Lagus. He was educatedin the court of the king of Macedonia, and when Alexander invaded Asia Ptolemy attended him. After Alexander’s death Ptolemy obtained the government of Egypt, where he gained the esteem of the people by acts of kindness. He made himself master of Phœnicia and Syria, and rendered assistance to the people of Rhodes against their enemies, for which he received the name ofSoter. He laid the foundation of a library, which became the most celebrated in the world. He died in his eighty-fourth year, about 284 yearsB.C.He was succeeded by his son, Ptolemy Philadelphus, who showed himself to be a worthy successor of his father. His palace was an asylum for learned men, and he greatly increased the library his father had founded. Ptolemy Third succeeded his father Philadelphus on the Egyptian throne. He conquered Syria and Cilicia, and returned home laden with spoils. He was, like his predecessors, a patron of learning and the arts. Ptolemy Fourth, called Philopater, succeeded to the throne, his reign being marked by acts of cruelty and oppression. He died in his thirty-seventh year, after a reign of seventeen years, 204 yearsB.C.Numerous members of this celebrated family in succession occupied the throne, not, however, approaching to the greatness of the founders of the family.
Ptolemæ´us.A celebrated geographer and astronomer in the reign of Adrian and Antoninus. He was a native of Alexandria, or, as some say, of Pelusium. In his system of the world, designated the Ptolemaic system, he places the earth in the center of the universe, which was generally received as correct till it was confuted by Copernicus.
Pyr´rhus.A famous king of Epirus, son of Æacides and Phthia. He is celebrated for his military talents; andnot only his friends, but his enemies, have been warm in extolling him. He is said to have had no superior in the art of war. He wrote several books on encampments and the ways of training an army. He fought against the Romans with much valor, and they passed encomiums on his great military skill. He was killed in an attack on Argos, by a tile thrown on his head from a housetop.
Pyr´rhus.SeeNeoptolemus.
Pythag´oras.A celebrated philosopher born at Samos. He first made himself known in Greece at the Olympic games, where, when he was eighteen years old, he obtained the prize for wrestling. He also distinguished himself by his discoveries in geometry, astronomy, and mathematics. He was the first who supported the doctrine of metempsychosis, or transmigration of the soul into different bodies. He believed that the universe was created from a shapeless mass of passive matter by the hands of a powerful Being, who was the mover and soul of the world, and of whose substance the souls of mankind were a portion. The time and place of death of this great philosopher are unknown, but some suppose that he died at Metapontum about 497 yearsB.C.
Py´thon.A celebrated serpent sprung from the mud and stagnated waters which remained on the surface of the earth after the deluge of Deucalion. Apollo killed the monster.
Quintilia´nus, Mar´cus Fa´bius, a celebrated rhetorician, born in Spain. He opened a school of rhetoric at Rome, and was the first who obtained a salary from the State as a public teacher. He diedA.D.95.
Quin´tus Cur´tius Ru´fus.A Latin historian supposed tohave lived in the reign of Vespasian. He wrote a history of the reign of Alexander the Great. This work is admired for the elegance of its diction.
Regil´lus.A small lake in Latium, famous as being the scene of a great Roman victory, which forms the subject of a fine poem by Lord Macaulay, called “The Battle of the Lake Regillus,” included in his “Lays of Ancient Rome.”
Reg´ulus, M. Attil´ius.A consul during the first Punic war. He reduced Brundusium, and in his second consulship he captured a great portion of the Carthaginian fleet. After further successes he was taken prisoner by the Carthaginians, who put him to death with refined tortures.
Rhadaman´thus.A son of Jupiter and Europa. He reigned in the Cyclades, where his rule was characterized by marked justice and impartiality.
Rom´ulus.According to tradition the founder of Rome. He was a son of Mars and Ilia, and was twin brother of Remus. The twins were thrown into the Tiber, but were saved and suckled by a she-wolf till they were found by Fautulus, a shepherd, who brought them up. Disputes arising between the brothers in reference to the building of the city, Romulus caused Remus to be slain.
Ros´cius.A celebrated Roman actor. He died about 60 yearsB.C.
Ru´bicon.A small river in Italy. By crossing it, and thus transgressing the boundaries of his province, Cæsar declared war against the senate and Pompey. “Passing the Rubicon” has become a proverbial expression, indicating an irrevocable step taken in any weighty matter.
Sa´cra, Vi´a.An important street in Rome, where a treaty of peace was made between Romulus and Tatius.
Sal´amis.An island of Attica celebrated for a battle fought there between the fleets of the Greeks and the Persians, in which the latter suffered defeat.
Sallus´tius Cris´pus.A celebrated Latin historian. He wrote a history of the Catalinian conspiracy, and died thirty-five years before the Christian era.
Sanchoni´athon.A Phœnician historian born at Berytus, or, as some say, at Tyre. He lived a few years before the Trojan war; and wrote on the antiquities of Phœnicia.
Sa´por.A king of Persia, who succeeded to the throne about the 238th year of the Christian era. He wished to increase his dominions by conquest, but was defeated by Odenatus, who defeated his army with great slaughter. He was assassinatedA.D.273.
Sa´por.The second king of Persia of that name. He fought against the Romans, and obtained several victories over them. DiedA.D.380.
Sap´pho, celebrated for her beauty and poetical talents, was born at Lesbos about 600 years before Christ. She became enamored with Phaon, a youth of Mitylene, but he not reciprocating her passion, she threw herself into the sea from the rock of Leucadia.
Sardanapa´lus.The last king of Assyria, celebrated for his luxury and indolence. His effeminacy induced his subjects to conspire against him with success, on which he set fire to his palace and perished in the flames,B.C.820.
Satur´nus.The son of Cœlus, or Uranus, by Terra. It was customary to offer human victims on his altars till this custom was abolished by Hercules. He is generallyrepresented as an old man bent with age, and holding a scythe in his right hand.
Sat´yri.Demigods whose origin is unknown. They had the feet and legs of a goat, their body bearing the human form.
Scævola, Mu´tius, surnamed Cordus, was famous for his courage. He attempted to assassinate Porsenna, but was seized; and to show his fortitude when confronted with Porsenna, he thrust his hand into the fire, on which the king pardoned him.
Scip´io.The name of a celebrated family at Rome, the most conspicuous of which was Publius Cornelius, afterwards called Africanus. He was the son of Publius Scipio, and commanded an army against the Carthaginians. After obtaining some victories he encountered Hannibal at the famous battle of Zama, in which he obtained a decisive victory. He died about 184 years before Christ, in his forty-eighth year.
Scip´io, Lu´cius Corne´lius, surnamed Asiaticus, accompanied his brother Africanus in his expedition in Africa. He was made consulA.U.C.562, and sent to attack Antiochus, king of Syria, whom he completely routed. He was accused of receiving bribes of Antiochus, and was condemned to pay large fines which reduced him to poverty.
Scip´io, P. Æmilia´nus.Called Africanus the younger. He finished the war with Carthage, the total submission of which occurredB.C.147. The captive city was set on fire, and Scipio was said to have wept bitterly over the melancholy scene. On his return to Rome he was appointed to conclude the war against Numantia, the fall of which soon occurred, and Scipio had Numantinusadded to his name. He was found dead in his bed, and was presumed to have been strangled,B.C.128.
Sem´ele.A daughter of Cadmus and Hermione, the daughter of Mars and Venus. She was the mother of Bacchus. After death she was made immortal under the name of Thyone.
Semir´amis.A celebrated queen of Assyria, who married the governor of Nineveh, and at his death she became the wife of King Ninus. She caused many improvements to be effected in her kingdom, as well as distinguishing herself as a warrior. She is supposed to have lived 1965 years before the Christian era.
Sen´eca, L. Annæ´us, at an early period of his life, was distinguished by his talents. He became preceptor to Nero, in which capacity he gained general approbation. The tyrant, however, determined to put him to death, and he chose to have his veins opened in a hot bath, but death not ensuing, he swallowed poison, and was eventually suffocated by the soldiers who were in attendance. This occurred in his fifty-third year, and in the sixty-fifth of the Christian era. His works, which were numerous, were chiefly on moral subjects.
Sera´pis.One of the Egyptian deities, supposed to be the same as Osiris. He had a magnificent temple at Memphis, another at Alexandria, and a third at Canopus.
Sesos´tris.A celebrated king of Egypt, who lived long prior to the Trojan war. He was ambitious of military fame, and achieved many conquests. On his return from his victories he employed himself in encouraging the fine arts. He destroyed himself after a reign of forty-four years.
Seve´rus, Lu´cius Septim´ius.A Roman emperor, born inAfrica, noticeable for his ambition. He invaded Britain, and built a wall in the north as a check to the incursions of the Caledonians. He died at York in the 211th year of the Christian era.
Sile´nus.A demigod, who is represented generally as a fat old man riding on an ass, with flowers crowning his head.
Sil´ius Ital´icus, C.A Latin poet who retired from the bar to consecrate his time to study. He imitated Virgil, but with little success. His poetry, however, is commended for its purity.
Simon´ides.A celebrated poet of Cos, who livedB.C.538 years. He wrote elegies, epigrams, and dramatic pieces, esteemed for their beauty.
Sire´nes.The Sirens. They lured to destruction those who listened to their songs. When Ulysses sailed past their island he stopped the ears of his companions with wax, and had himself tied to the mast of his ship. Thus he passed with safety, and the Sirens, disappointed of their prey, drowned themselves.
Sis´yphus.Son of Æolus and Enaretta. After death he was condemned, in the infernal regions, to roll a stone to the summit of a hill, which always rolled back, and rendered his punishment eternal.
Soc´rates.The most celebrated philosopher of antiquity, born near Athens, whose virtues rendered his name venerated. His independence of spirit created for him many enemies, and he was accused of making innovations in the religion of the Greeks. He was condemned to death by drinking hemlock, and expired a few moments after imbibing the poison, in his seventieth year,B.C.400. His wife was Xanthippe, remarkablefor her shrewish disposition, for which her name has become proverbial.
So´lon, one of the wise men of Greece, was born at Salamis, and educated at Athens. After traveling over Greece he returned, and was elected archon and sovereign legislator, in which capacity he effected numerous reforms in the state, binding the Athenians by a solemn oath to observe the laws he enacted for one hundred years. After this he visited Egypt, and on returning to Athens after ten years’ absence, he found most of his regulations disregarded by his countrymen. On this he retired to Cyprus, where he died in his eightieth year, 558 years before the Christian era.
Som´nus, son of Nox and Erebus, was one of the infernal deities and presided over sleep.
Soph´ocles.A celebrated tragic poet of Athens. He was distinguished also as a statesman, and exercised the office of archon with credit and honor. He wrote for the stage, and obtained the poetical prize on twenty different occasions. He was the rival of Euripides for public applause, each having his admirers. He died at the age of ninety-one, 406 years before Christ.
Sophonis´ba.A daughter of Hasdrubal, the Carthaginian, celebrated for her beauty. She married Syphax, prince of Numidia, and when he was conquered by the Romans she became a captive to their ally, the Numidian general Masinissa, whom she married. This displeased the Romans, and Scipio ordered Masinissa to separate from Sophonisba, and she, urged to this by Masinissa, took poison, about 203 years before Christ.
Soz´omen.A historian who died 450A.D.He wrote an important work on ecclesiastical history.
Sphinx.A monster, having the head and breasts of a woman, the body of a dog, the tail of a serpent, the wings of a bird, and the paws of a lion. The Sphinx was sent into the neighborhood of Thebes by Juno, where she propounded enigmas, devouring those who were unable to solve them. One of the riddles proposed was—What animal walked on four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening? Œdipus solved it, giving as the meaning—A man, who when an infant crawled on his hands and feet, walking erect in manhood, and in the evening of life supporting himself with a stick. On hearing the solution the Sphinx destroyed herself.
Stagi´ra.A town on the borders of Macedonia, where Aristotle was born; hence he is called the Stagirite.
Sta´tius, P. Papin´us.A poet, born at Naples in the reign of Domitian. He was the author of two epic poems, the Thebais, in twelve books, and the Achilleis, in two books.
Sten´tor.One of the Greeks who went to the Trojan war. He was noted for the loudness of his voice, and from him the term “stentorian” has become proverbial.
Sto´ici.A celebrated sect of philosophers founded by Zeno. They preferred virtue to all other things, and regarded everything opposed to it as an evil.
Stra´bo.A celebrated geographer, born at Amasia, on the borders of Cappadocia. He flourished in the age of Augustus. His work on geography consists of seventeen books, and is admired for its purity of diction.
Styx.A celebrated river of the infernal regions. The gods held it in such veneration that they always swore by it, the oath being inviolable.
Sueto´nius, C. Tranquil´lus.A Latin historian who became secretary to Adrian. His best known work is his Lives of the Cæsars.
Sul´la.SeeSylla.
Syb´aris.A town on the bay of Tarentum. Its inhabitants were distinguished by their love of ease and pleasure, hence the term “Sybarite.”
Syl´la(orSulla),L. Corne´lius. A celebrated Roman, of a noble family, who rendered himself conspicuous in military affairs; and became antagonistic to Marius. In the zenith of his power he was guilty of the greatest cruelty. His character is that of an ambitious, tyrannical, and resolute commander. He died about seventy years before Christ, aged sixty.
Sy´phax.A king of the Masæsyllii in Numidia, who married Sophonisba, the daughter of Hasdrubal. He joined the Carthaginians against the Romans, and was taken by Scipio as a prisoner to Rome, where he died in prison.
Tac´itus, C. Corne´lius.A celebrated Latin historian, born in the reign of Nero. Of all his works the “Annals” is the most extensive and complete. His style is marked by force, precision, and dignity, and his Latin is remarkable for being pure and classical.
Tac´itus, M. Clau´dius.A Roman, elected emperor by the Senate when he was seventy years of age. He displayed military vigor, and as a ruler was a pattern of economy and moderation. He died in the 276th year of the Christian era.
Tan´talus.A king of Lydia, father of Niobe and Pelops. He is represented by the poets as being, in the infernalregions, placed in a pool of water which flowed from him whenever he attempted to drink, thus causing him to suffer perpetual thirst; hence the origin of the term “tantalizing.”
Tarquin´ius Pris´cus, the fifth king of Rome, was son of Demaratus, a native of Greece. He exhibited military talents in the victories he gained over the Sabines. During peace he devoted attention to the improvement of the capital. He was assassinated in his eightieth year, 578 yearsB.C.
Tarquin´ius Super´bus.He ascended the throne of Rome after Servius Tullius, whom he murdered, and married his daughter Tullia. His reign was characterized by tyranny, and eventually he was expelled from Rome, surviving his disgrace for fourteen years, and dying in his ninetieth year.
Tar´tarus.One of the regions of hell, where, according to Virgil, the souls of those who were exceptionally depraved were punished.
Telem´achus.Son of Penelope and Ulysses. At the end of the Trojan war he went in search of his father, whom, with the aid of Minerva, he found. Aided by Ulysses he delivered his mother from the suitors that beset her.
Tem´pe.A valley in Thessaly through which the river Peneus flows into the Ægean. It is described by the poets as one of the most delightful places in the world.
Teren´tius Pub´lius(Terence). A native of Africa, celebrated for the comedies he wrote. He was twenty-five years old when his first play was produced on the Roman stage. Terence is admired for the purity of his language and the elegance of his diction. He is supposed to have been drowned in a storm about 159B.C.
Te´reus.A king of Thrace who married Procne, daughter of Pandion, king of Athens. He aided Pandion in a war against Megara.
Terpsich´ore.One of the Muses, daughter of Jupiter and Mnemosyne. She presided over dancing.
Tertullia´nus, J. Septim´ius Flor´ens.A celebrated Christian writer of Carthage, who livedA.D.196. He was originally a Pagan, but embraced Christianity, of which faith he became an able advocate.
Tha´is.A celebrated woman of Athens, who accompanied Alexander the Great in his Asiatic conquests.
Tha´les.One of the seven wise men of Greece, born at Miletus in Ionia. His discoveries in astronomy were great, and he was the first who calculated with accuracy a solar eclipse. He died about 548 years before the Christian era.
Thali´a.One of the Muses. She presided over festivals and comic poetry.
Themis´tocles.A celebrated general born at Athens. When Xerxes invaded Greece, Themistocles was intrusted with the care of the fleet, and at the famous battle of Salamis, foughtB.C.480, the Greeks, instigated to fight by Themistocles, obtained a complete victory over the formidable navy of Xerxes. He died in the sixty-fifth year of his age, having, as some writers affirm, poisoned himself by drinking bull’s blood.
Theoc´ritus.A Greek poet who lived at Syracuse in Sicily, 282B.C.He distinguished himself by his poetical compositions, of which some are extant.
Theodo´sius, Fla´vius.A Roman emperor surnamedMagnusfrom the greatness of his exploits. The first years of his reign were marked by conquests over the Barbarians.In his private character Theodosius was an example of temperance. He died in his sixtieth year,A.D.395, after a reign of sixteen years.
Theodo´sius Secondbecame emperor of the Western Roman empire at an early age. His territories were invaded by the Persians, but on his appearance at the head of a large force they fled, losing a great number of their army in the Euphrates. Theodosius was a warm advocate of the Christian religion. He died, aged forty-nine,A.D.450.
Theophras´tus.A native of Lesbos. Diogenes enumerates the titles of more than 200 treatises which he wrote. He died in his 107th year,B.C.288.
Thermop´ylæ.A narrow Pass leading from Thessaly into Locris and Phocis, celebrated for a battle fought there,B.C.480, between Xerxes and the Greeks, in which three hundred Spartans, commanded by Leonidas, resisted for three successive days an enormous Persian army.
Thersi´tes.A deformed Greek, in the Trojan war, who indulged in ridicule against Ulysses and others. Achilles killed him because he laughed at his grief for the death of Penthesilea. Shakspeare, who introduced Thersites in his play of “Troilus and Cressida,” describes him as “a deformed and scurrilous Grecian.”
The´seus, king of Athens and son of Ægeus by Æthra, was one of the most celebrated heroes of antiquity. He caught the bull of Marathon and sacrificed it to Minerva. After this he went to Crete amongst the seven youths sent yearly by the Athenians to be devoured by the Minotaur, and by the aid of Ariadne he slew the monster. He ascended his father’s throneB.C.1235. Pirithous, king of the Lapithæ, invaded his territories,but the two became firm friends. They descended into the infernal regions to carry off Proserpine, but their intentions were frustrated by Pluto. After remaining for some time in the infernal regions, Theseus returned to his kingdom to find the throne filled by an usurper, whom he vainly tried to eject. He retired to Scyros, where he was killed by a fall from a precipice.
Thes´pis.A Greek poet of Attica, supposed to be the inventor of tragedy,B.C.536. He went from place to place upon a cart, on which he gave performances. Hence the term “Thespians” as applied to wandering actors.
The´tis.A sea deity, daughter of Nereus and Doris. She married Peleus, their son being Achilles, whom she plunged into the Styx, thus rendering him invulnerable in every part of his body except the heel by which she held him.
This´be.A beautiful girl of Babylon, beloved by Pyramus.
Thrasybu´lus.A famous general of Athens, who, with the help of a few associates, expelled the Thirty Tyrants,B.C.401. He was sent with a powerful fleet to recover the Athenian power on the coast of Asia, and after gaining many advantages, was killed by the people of Aspendos.
Thucid´ydes.A celebrated Greek historian born at Athens. He wrote a history of the events connected with the Peloponnesian war. He died at Athens in his eightieth year,B.C.391.
Tibe´rius, Clau´dius Ne´ro.A Roman emperor descended from the Claudii. In his early years he entertained the people with magnificent shows and gladiatorial exhibitions, which made him popular. At a later period ofhis life he retired to the island of Capreæ, where he indulged in vice and debauchery. He died aged seventy-eight, after a reign of twenty-two years.
Tibul´lus, Au´lus Al´bius.A Roman knight celebrated for his poetical compositions. His favorite occupation was writing love poems. Four books of elegies are all that remain of his compositions.
Timo´leon.A celebrated Corinthian, son of Timodemus and Demariste. When the Syracusans, oppressed with the tyranny of Dionysius the Younger, solicited aid from the Corinthians, Timoleon sailed for Syracuse with a small fleet. He was successful in the expedition, and Dionysius gave himself up as a prisoner. Timoleon died at Syracuse, amidst universal regret.
Ti´mons.A native of Athens, called the Misanthrope from his aversion to mankind. He is the hero of Shakspeare’s play of “Timon of Athens” in which his churlish character is powerfully delineated.
Timo´theus.A famous musician in the time of Alexander the Great. Dryden names him in his well-known ode, “Alexander’s Feast.”
Tire´sias.A celebrated prophet of Thebes. Juno deprived him of sight, and, to recompense him for the loss, Jupiter bestowed on him the gift of prophecy.
Tisiph´one.One of the Furies, daughter of Nox and Acheron.
Tita´nes.The Titans. A name given to the gigantic sons of Cœlus and Terra. The most conspicuous of them are Saturn, Hyperion, Oceanus, Iapetus, Cottus, and Briareus.
Ti´tus Vespasia´nus.Son of Vespasian and Flavia Domitilla,known by his valor, particularly at the siege of Jerusalem. He had been distinguished for profligacy, but on assuming the purple, he became a model of virtue. His death, which occasioned great lamentations, occurredA.D.81, in the forty-first year of his age.
Traja´nus, M. Ul´pius Crini´tus.A Roman emperor born at Ithaca. His services to the empire recommended him to the notice of the emperor Nerva, who adopted him as his son, and invested him with the purple. The actions of Trajan were those of a benevolent prince. He died in Cilicia, in AugustA.D.117, in his sixty-fourth year, and his ashes were taken to Rome and deposited under a stately column which he had erected.
Tribu´ni Ple´bi.Magistrates at Rome created in the year,U.C.261. The office of Tribune to the people was one of the first steps which led to more honorable employments.
Triptol´emus.Son of Oceanus and Terra, or, according to some authorities, son of Celeus, king of Attica, and Neæra. He was in his youth cured of a severe illness by Ceres, with whom he became a great favorite. She taught him agriculture, and gave him her chariot drawn by dragons, in which he traveled over the earth, distributing corn to the inhabitants.
Tri´ton.A sea deity, son of Neptune and Amphitrite. He was very powerful, and could calm the sea and abate storms at his pleasure.
Trium´viri.Three magistrates appointed to govern the Roman state with absolute power.
Tul´lus Hostil´iussucceeded Numa as king of Rome. He was of a warlike disposition, and distinguished himself by his expedition against the people of Alba, whom he conquered.
Typhœ´us, orTy´phon. A famous giant, son of Tartarus and Terra, who had a hundred heads. He made war against the gods, and was put to flight by the thunderbolts of Jupiter, who crushed him under Mount Ætna.
Tyrtæ´us.A Greek elegiac poet born in Attica. Of his compositions none are extant except a few fragments.
Ulys´ses.The famous king of Ithaca, son of Anticlea and Laertes (or, according to some, of Sisyphus). He married Penelope, daughter of Icarius, on which his father resigned to him the crown. He went to the Trojan war, where he was esteemed for his sagacity. On the conclusion of the war he embarked for Greece, but was exposed to numerous misfortunes on his journey. In his wanderings, he, with some of his companions, was seized by the Cyclops, Polyphemus, from whom he made his escape. Afterwards he was thrown on the island of Æea, where he was exposed to the wiles of the enchantress Circe. Eventually he was restored to his own country, after an absence of twenty years. The adventures of Ulysses on his return from the Trojan war form the subject of Homer’s Odyssey.
Ura´nia.One of the Muses, daughter of Jupiter and Mnemosyne. She presided over astronomy.
Valentinia´nusthe First. Son of Gratian, raised to the throne by his merit and valor. He obtained victories over the Barbarians in Gaul and in Africa, and punished the Quadi with severity. He broke a blood-vessel and died,A.D.375. Immediately after his death, his son, Valentinian the Second, was proclaimed emperor. He was robbed of his throne by Maximus, but regained it by the aid of Theodosius, emperor of the East. He was strangled by one of his officers. He was remarkablefor benevolence and clemency. The third Valentinian was made emperor in his youth, and on coming to maturer age he disgraced himself by violence and oppression. He was murderedA.D.454.
Valeria´nus, Pub´lius Licin´ius.A celebrated Roman emperor, who, on ascending the throne, lost the virtues he had previously possessed. He made his son Gallienus his colleague in the empire. He made war against the Goths and Scythians. He was defeated in battle and made prisoner by Tapor, king of Persia, who put him to death by torture.
Var´ro.A Latin author, celebrated for his great learning. He wrote no less than five hundred volumes, but all his works are lost except a treatise De Re Rusticâ, and another De Linguâ Latinâ He diedB.C.28, in his eighty-eighth year.
Ve´nus.One of the most celebrated deities of the ancients; the goddess of beauty, and mother of love. She sprang from the foam of the sea, and was carried to heaven, where all the gods admired her beauty. Jupiter gave her in marriage to Vulcan, but she intrigued with some of the gods, and, notably, with Mars, their offspring being Hermione, Cupid, and Anteros. She became enamored of Adonis, which caused her to abandon Olympus. Her contest for the golden apple, which she gained against her opponents Juno and Minerva, is a prominent episode in mythology. She had numerous names applied to her, conspicuous amongst which may be named Anadyomene, under which cognomen she is distinguished by the picture, representing her as rising from the ocean, by Apelles. She was known under the Grecian name of Aphrodite.
Vespasia´nus Ti´tus Fla´vius.A Roman emperor of obscuredescent. He began the siege of Jerusalem, which was continued by his son Titus. He diedA.D.79, in his seventieth year.
Ves´ta.A goddess, daughter of Rhea and Saturn. The Palladium, a celebrated statue of Pallas, was supposed to be preserved within her sanctuary, where a fire was kept continually burning.
Vesta´les.The Vestals, priestesses consecrated to the service of Vesta. They were required to be of good families and free from blemish and deformity. One of their chief duties was to see that the sacred fire of Vesta was not extinguished.
Virgil´ius, Pub´lius Ma´ro, called the prince of the Latin poets, was born at Andes, near Mantua, about seventy years before Christ. He went to Rome, where he formed an acquaintance with Mæcenas, and recommended himself to Augustus. His Bucolics were written in about three years, and subsequently he commenced the Georgics, which is considered one of the most perfect of all Latin compositions. The Æneid is supposed to have been undertaken at the request of Augustus. Virgil died in his fifty-first yearB.C.19.
Virgin´ia.Daughter of the centurion L. Virginius. She was slain by her father to save her from the violence of the decemvir, Appius Claudius.
Virgin´ius.A valiant Roman, father of Virginia. (See Virginia.) The story of Virginius and his ill-fated daughter is the subject of the well-known tragedy of “Virginius,” one of the early productions of J. Sheridan Knowles. It is rarely performed in the present day.
Vulca´nus.The god who presided over fire, and who wasthe patron of those who worked in iron. According to Homer, he was the son of Jupiter and Juno, and was so deformed, that at his birth his mother threw him into the sea, where he remained nine years; but other writers differ from this opinion. He married Venus at the instigation of Jupiter. He is known by the name of Mulciber. The Cyclopes were his attendants, and with them he forged the thunderbolts of Jupiter.
Xanthip´peorXantip´pe. The wife of Socrates, remarkable for her ill-humor and fretful disposition. She was a constant torment to her husband, and on one occasion, after bitterly reviling him, she emptied a vessel of dirty water on him, on which the philosopher coolly remarked, “After thunder rain generally falls.”
Xenoc´rates.An ancient philosopher born at Calcedonia, and educated in the school of Plato, whose friendship he gained. DiedB.C.314.
Xen´ophon.A celebrated Athenian, son of Gryllus, famous as a general, philosopher, and historian. He joined Cyrus the Younger in an expedition against Artaxerxes, king of Persia, and after the decisive battle of Cunaxa, in which Cyrus was defeated and killed, the skill and bravery of Xenophon became conspicuous. He had to direct an army of ten thousand Greeks, who were now more than six hundred leagues from home, and in a country surrounded by an active enemy. He rose superior to all difficulties till the celebrated “Retreat of the Ten Thousand” was effected; the Greeks returning home after a march of two hundred and fifteen days. Xenophon employed his pen in describing the expedition of Cyrus, in his work the “Anabasis.” He also wrote the “Cyropædia,” “Memorabilia,” “Hellenica,” etc. He died at Corinth in his ninetieth year, about 360 years before the Christian era.
Xer´xessucceeded his father Darius on the throne of Persia. He entered Greece with an immense army, which was checked at Thermopylæ by the valor of three hundred Spartans under king Leonidas, who, for three successive days, successfully opposed the enormous forces of Xerxes, and were at last slaughtered. From this period the fortunes of Xerxes waned. His fleet being defeated at Salamis, and mortified with ill-success, he hastened to Persia, where he gave himself up to debauchery, and was murdered in the twenty-first year of his reign, about 464 years before the Christian era.
Za´ma.A town of Numidia, celebrated as the scene of the victory of Scipio over Hannibal,B.C.202.
Ze´no, a celebrated philosopher, the founder of the sect of Stoics, was born at Citium in Cyprus. He opened a school in Athens, and soon became noticed by the great and learned. His life was devoted to sobriety and moderation. He died at the age of ninety-eight,B.C.264.
Ze´no.A philosopher of Elea or Velia, in Italy. He was the disciple, or, according to some, the adopted son of Parmenides. Being tortured to cause him to reveal his confederates in a plot he had engaged in, he bit off his tongue that he might not betray his friends.
Zeno´bia.A celebrated princess of Palmyra, the wife of Odenatus. After her husband’s death, the Roman emperor Aurelian declared war against her. She took the field with seven hundred thousand men, and though at first successful, she was eventually conquered. Aurelian,when she became his prisoner, treated her with great humanity and consideration. She was admired for her literary talents as well as her military abilities.
Zeux´is.A celebrated painter born at Heraclea. He flourished 468 years before the Christian era. He painted some grapes so naturally that the birds came to peck them on the canvas; but he was disgusted with the picture, because the man painted as carrying the grapes was not natural enough to frighten the birds.
Zo´ilus.A sophist and grammarian of Amphipolis,B.C.259. He became known by his severe criticisms on the works of Isocrates and Homer.
Zoroas´ter.A king of Bactria, supposed to have lived in the age of Ninus, king of Assyria, some time before the Trojan war. He rendered himself known by his deep researches in philosophy. He admitted no visible object of devotion except fire, which he considered the proper emblem of a Supreme Being. He was respected by his subjects and contemporaries for his abilities as a monarch, a lawgiver, and a philosopher, and though many of his doctrines may be deemed puerile, he had many disciples. The religion of the Parsees of the present day was founded by Zoroaster.
Zos´imus.A Greek historian who lived about the year 410 of the Christian era. He wrote a history of some of the Roman emperors, which is characterized by graceful diction, but he indulges in malevolent and vituperative attacks on the Christians in his History of Constantine.