D
Daæ, Dahæ, or Dai, now the Dahistan, a people of Scythia, who dwelt on the borders of the Caspian sea. Silius Italicus, bk. 13, li. 764.—Lucan, bk. 7, li. 420.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 1, li. 728.
Daci and Dacæ, a warlike nation of Germany, beyond the Danube, whose country, called Dacia, was conquered by the Romans under Trajan, after a war of 15 years, A.D. 103. The emperor joined the country to Mœsia, by erecting a magnificent bridge across the Danube, considered as the best of his works, which, however, the envy of his successor Adrian demolished. Dacia now forms the modern countries of Walachia, Transylvania, and Moldavia. Lucan, bk. 2, li. 53.
Dacĭcus, a surname assumed by Domitian on his pretended victory over the Dacians. Juvenal, satire 6, li. 204.
Dacty̆li, a name given to the priests of Cybele, which some derive from δακτυλος, finger, because they were 10, the same number as the fingers of the hands. Pausanias, bk. 1, ch. 8.
Dadicæ, a people of Asiatic Scythia. Herodotus, bk. 3, ch. 91.
Dædăla, a mountain and city of Lycia, where Dædalus was buried according to Pliny, bk. 5, ch. 27.——A name given to Circe, from her being cunning (δαιδαλος), and like Dædalus, addicted to deceit and artifice. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 7, li. 282.——Two festivals in Bœotia. One of these was observed at Alalcomenos by the Platæans, in a large grove, where they exposed in the open air pieces of boiled flesh, and carefully observed whither the crows that came to prey upon them directed their flight. All the trees upon which any of these birds alighted were immediately cut down, and with them statues were made called Dædala, in honour of Dædalus.——The other festival was of a more solemn kind. It was celebrated every 60 years by all the cities of Bœotia, as a compensation for the intermission of the smaller festivals, for that number of years, during the exile of the Platæans. Fourteen of the statues, called Dædala, were distributed by lot among the Platæans, Lebadæans, Coroneans, Orchomenians, Thespians, Thebans, Tanagræans, and Chæroneans, because they had effected a reconciliation among the Platæans and had caused them to be recalled from exile, about the time that Thebes was restored by Cassander the son of Antipater. During this festival, a woman in the habit of a bride-maid accompanied a statue, which was dressed in female garments, on the banks of the Eurotas. This procession was attended to the top of mount Cithæron, by many of the Bœotians, who had places assigned them by lot. Here an altar of square pieces of wood cemented together like stones, was erected, and upon it were thrown large quantities of combustible materials. Afterwards a bull was sacrificed to Jupiter, and an ox or heifer to Juno, by every one of the cities of Bœotia, and by the most opulent that attended. The poorest citizens offered small cattle; and all these oblations, together with the Dædala, were thrown in the common heap and set on fire, and totally reduced to ashes. They originated in this: When Juno, after a quarrel with Jupiter, had retired to Eubœa, and refused to return to his bed, the god, anxious for her return, went to consult Cithæron king of Platæa, to find some effectual measure to break her obstinacy. Cithæron advised him to dress a statue in woman’s apparel, and carry it in a chariot, and publicly to report that it was Platæa the daughter of Asopus, whom he was going to marry. The advice was followed, and Juno, informed of her husband’s future marriage, repaired in haste to meet the chariot, and was easily united to him, when she discovered the artful measures he made use of to effect a reconciliation. Pausanias & Plutarch.
Dædălion, a son of Lucifer, brother to Ceyx and father of Philonis. He was so afflicted at the death of Philonis, whom Diana had put to death, that he threw himself down from the top of mount Parnassus, and was changed into a falcon by Apollo. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 11, li. 295.
Dædălus, an Athenian, son of Eupalamus, descended from Erechtheus king of Athens. He was the most ingenious artist of his age, and to him we are indebted for the invention of the wedge, the axe, the wimble, the level, and many other mechanical instruments, and the sails of ships. He made statues, which moved of themselves, and seemed to be endowed with life. Talus, his sister’s son, promised to be as great as himself, by the ingenuity of his inventions; and therefore, from envy, he threw him down from a window and killed him. After the murder of this youth, Dædalus, with his son Icarus, fled from Athens to Crete, where Minos king of the country gave him a cordial reception. Dædalus made a famous labyrinth for Minos, and assisted Pasiphae the queen to gratify her unnatural passion for a bull. For this action, Dædalus incurred the displeasure of Minos, who ordered him to be confined in the labyrinth which he had constructed. Here he made himself wings with feathers and wax, and carefully fitted them to his body, and to that of his son, who was the companion of his confinement. They took their flight in the air from Crete; but the heat of the sun melted the wax on the wings of Icarus, whose flight was too high, and he fell into that part of the ocean, which from him has been called the Icarian sea. The father, by a proper management of his wings, alighted at Cumæ, where he built a temple to Apollo, and thence directed his course to Sicily, where he was kindly received by Cocalus, who reigned over part of the country. He left many monuments of his ingenuity in Sicily, which still existed in the age of Diodorus Siculus. He was despatched by Cocalus, who was afraid of the power of Minos, who had declared war against him, because he had given an asylum to Dædalus. The flight of Dædalus from Crete, with wings, is explained, by observing that he was the inventor of sails, which in his age might pass at a distance for wings. Pausanias, bks. 1, 7 & 9.—Diodorus, bk. 4.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 8, fable 3; Heroides, poem 4; De Ars Amatoria, bk. 2; Tristia, bk. 3, poem 4.—Hyginus, fable 40.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 6, li. 14.—Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 1, &c.—Herodotus, bk. 7, ch. 170.——There were two statuaries of the same name, one of Sicyon son of Patroclus, the other a native of Bithynia. Pausanias, bk. 7, ch. 14.—Arrian.
Dæmon, a kind of spirit which, as the ancients supposed, presided over the actions of mankind, gave them their private counsels, and carefully watched over their most secret intentions. Some of the ancient philosophers maintained that every man had two of these Dæmons; the one bad and the other good. These Dæmons had the power of changing themselves into whatever they pleased, and of assuming whatever shapes were most subservient to their intentions. At the moment of death, the Dæmon delivered up to judgment the person with whose care he had been entrusted; and according to the evidence he delivered, sentence was passed over the body. The Dæmon of Socrates is famous in history. That great philosopher asserted that the genius informed him when any of his friends was going to engage in some unfortunate enterprise, and stopped him from the commission of all crimes and impiety. These Genii or Dæmons, though at first reckoned only as the subordinate ministers of the superior deities, received divine honour in length of time, and we find altars and statues erected to a Genio loci, Genio Augusti, Junonibus, &c. Cicero, Tusculanæ Disputationes, bk. 1.—Plutarch, de Genio Socratis.
Dahæ. See: Daæ.
Dai, a nation of Persia, all shepherds. Herodotus, bk. 1, ch. 125.
Daicles, a victor at Olympia, B.C. 753.
Daĭdis, a solemnity observed by the Greeks. It lasted three days. The first was in commemoration of Latona’s labour; the second in memory of Apollo’s birth; and the third in honour of the marriage of Podalirius, and the mother of Alexander. Torches were always carried at the celebration; whence the name.
Daimăchus, a master of horse at Syracuse, &c. Polyænus, bk. 1.
Daimĕnes, a general of the Achæans. Pausanias, bk. 7, ch. 6.——An officer exposed on a cross, by Dionysius of Syracuse. Diodorus, bk. 14.
Daĭphron, a son of Ægyptus, killed by his wife, &c. Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 1.
Daīra, one of the Oceanides, mother of Eleusis by Mercury. Pausanias, bk. 1, ch. 38.
Daldia, a town of Lydia.
Dalmatius, one of the Cæsars in the age of Constantine, who died A.D. 337.
Dalmătia, a part of Illyricum, at the east of the Adriatic, near Liburnia on the west, whose inhabitants, called Dalmatæ, were conquered by Metellus, B.C. 118. They chiefly lived upon plunder, and from their rebellious spirit were troublesome to the Roman empire. They wore a peculiar garment called Dalmatica, afterwards introduced at Rome. Horace, bk. 2, ode 1, li. 16.—Lampridus, Commodus, ch. 8.—Strabo, bk. 7.—Ptolemy, bk. 2.
Dalmium, the chief town of Dalmatia. Strabo, bk. 7.
Damagetus, a man of Rhodes, who inquired of the oracle what wife he ought to marry? and received for answer the daughter of the bravest of the Greeks. He applied to Aristomenes, and obtained his daughter in marriage, B.C. 670. Pausanias, bk. 4, ch. 24.
Damălis, a courtesan at Rome in the age of Horace, bk. 1, ode 36, li. 13.
Damas, a Syracusan in the interest of Agathocles. Diodorus, bk. 19.
Damascēna, a part of Syria near mount Libanus.
Damascius, a stoic of Damascus, who wrote a philosophical history, the life of Isidorus, and four books on extraordinary events, in the age of Justinian. His works, which are now lost, were greatly esteemed according to Photius.
Damascus, a rich and ancient city of Damascene in Syria, where Demetrius Nicanor was defeated by Alexander Zebina. It is the modern Damas, or Sham, inhabited by about 80,000 souls. Lucan, bk. 3, li. 215.—Justin, bk. 36, ch. 2.—Mela, bk. 1, ch. 11.
Damasia, a town called also Augusta, now ♦Augsburg, in Swabia, on the Leck.
♦ ‘Ausburg’ replaced with ‘Augsburg’
Damasichthon, a king of Thebes. Pausanias, bk. 9, ch. 5.
Damasippus, a captain in Philip’s army.——A senator who accompanied Juba when he entered Utica in triumph. Cæsar, Civil War, bk. 2.——A great enemy of Sylla. Paterculus, bk. 2, ch. 22.——An orator. Juvenal, satire 3, li. 185.——A merchant of old seals and vessels, who, after losing his all in unfortunate schemes in commerce, assumed the name and habit of a stoic philosopher. Horace, bk. 2, satire 3.——One of Niobe’s sons.
Damasistrătus, a king of Platæa, who buried Laius. Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 5.
Damasithynus, a son of Candaules general in the army of Xerxes. Herodotus, bk. 7, ch. 98.——A king of Calyndæ, sunk in his ship by Artemisia. Herodotus, bk. 8, ch. 87.
Damastes, a man of Sigæum, disciple of Hellanicus about the age of Herodotus, &c. Dionysius of Halicarnassus.——A famous robber. See: Procrustes.
Damastor, a Trojan chief, killed by Patroclus at the siege of Troy. Homer, Iliad, bk. 16, li. 416.
Damia, a surname of Cybele.——A woman to whom the Epidaurians raised a statue. Herodotus, bk. 5, ch. 82.
Damias, a statuary of Clitor, in Arcadia, in the age of Lysander. Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 9.
Damippus, a Spartan taken by Marcellus as he sailed out of the port of Syracuse. He discovered to the enemy that a certain part of the city was negligently guarded, and in consequence of this discovery Syracuse was taken. Polyænus.
Damis, a man who disputed with Aristodemus the right of reigning over the Messenians. Pausanias, bk. 4, ch. 10.
Damnii, a people at the north of Britain.
Damnonii, a people of Britain, now supposed Devonshire.
Damnōrix, a celebrated Gaul in the interest of Julius Cæsar, &c.
Damo, a daughter of Pythagoras, who, by order of her father, devoted her life to perpetual celibacy, and induced others to follow her example. Pythagoras at his death entrusted her with all the secrets of his philosophy, and gave her the unlimited care of his compositions, under the promise that she never would part with them. She faithfully obeyed his injunctions; and though in the extremest poverty, she refused to obtain money by the violation of her father’s commands. Diogenes Laërtius, Pythagoras.
Damŏcles, one of the flatterers of Dionysius the elder, of Sicily. He admired the tyrant’s wealth, and pronounced him the happiest man on earth. Dionysius prevailed upon him to undertake for a while the charge of royalty, and be convinced of the happiness which a sovereign enjoyed. Damocles ascended the throne, and while he gazed upon the wealth and splendour that surrounded him, he perceived a sword hanging over his head by a horse hair. This so terrified him that all his imaginary felicity vanished at once, and he begged Dionysius to remove him from a situation which exposed his life to such fears and dangers. Cicero, Tusculanæ Disputationes, bk. 5, ch. 21.
Damocrătes, a hero, &c. Plutarch, Aristotle.
Damocrĭta, a Spartan matron, wife of Alcippus, who severely punished her enemies who had banished her husband, &c. Plutarch, Parallela minora.
Damocrĭtus, a timid general of the Achæans, &c. Pausanias, bk. 7, ch. 13.——A Greek writer, who composed two treatises, one upon the art of drawing an army in battle array, and the other concerning the Jews.——A man who wrote a poetical treatise upon medicine.
Damon, a victor at Olympia, Olympiad 102. Pausanias, bk. 4, ch. 27.——A poet and musician of Athens, intimate with Pericles, and distinguished for his knowledge of government and fondness of discipline. He was banished for his intrigues about 430 years before Christ. Cornelius Nepos, bk. 15, ch. 2.—Plutarch, Pericles.——A Pythagorean philosopher, very intimate with Pythias. When he had been condemned to death by Dionysius, he obtained from the tyrant leave to go and settle his domestic affairs, on promise of returning at a stated hour to the place of execution. Pythias pledged himself to undergo the punishment which was to be inflicted on Damon, should he not return in time, and he consequently delivered himself into the hands of the tyrant. Damon returned at the appointed moment, and Dionysius was so struck with the fidelity of those two friends, that he remitted the punishment, and entreated them to permit him to share their friendship, and enjoy their confidence. Valerius Maximus, bk. 4, ch. 7.——A man of Cheronæa, who killed a Roman officer, and was murdered by his fellow-citizens. Plutarch, Cimon.——A Cyrenean, who wrote a history of philosophy. Diogenes Laërtius.
Damophantus, a general of Elis in the age of Philopœmen. Plutarch, Philopœmen.
Damophĭla, a poetess of Lesbos, wife of Pamphilus. She was intimate with Sappho, and not only wrote hymns in honour of Diana and of the gods, but opened a school where the younger persons of her sex were taught the various powers of music and poetry. Philostratus.
Damophĭlus, an historian. Diodorus.——A Rhodian general against the fleet of Demetrius. Diodorus, bk. 20.
Damŏphon, a sculptor of Messenia. Pausanias, bk. 7, ch. 23.
Damostrătus, a philosopher who wrote a treatise concerning fishes. Ælian, Varia Historia, bk. 13, ch. 21.
Damoxĕnus, a comic writer of Athens. Athenæus, bk. 3.——A boxer of Syracuse, banished for killing his adversary. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 40.
Damyrias, a river of Sicily. Plutarch, Timoleon.
Dana, a large town of Cappadocia.
Danăce, the name of the piece of money which Charon required to convey the dead over the Styx. Suidas.
Dănae, the daughter of Acrisius king of Argos by Eurydice. She was confined in a brazen tower by her father, who had been told by an oracle that his daughter’s son would put him to death. His endeavours to prevent Danae from becoming a mother proved fruitless; and Jupiter, who was enamoured of her, introduced himself to her bed, by changing himself into a golden shower. From his embraces Danae had a son, with whom she was exposed on the sea by her father. The wind drove the bark which carried her to the coasts of the island of Seriphus, where she was saved by some fishermen, and carried to Polydectes king of the place, whose brother called Dictys educated the child called Perseus, and tenderly treated the mother. Polydectes fell in love with her; but as he was afraid of her son, he sent him to conquer the Gorgons, pretending that he wished Medusa’s head to adorn the nuptials which he was going to celebrate with Hippodamia the daughter of Œnomaus. When Perseus had victoriously finished his expedition, he retired to Argos with Danae, to the house of Acrisius, whom he inadvertently killed. Some suppose that it was Prœtus the brother of Acrisius who introduced himself to Danae in the brazen tower; and instead of a golden shower, it was maintained that the keepers of Danae were bribed by the gold of her seducer. Virgil mentions that Danae came to Italy with some fugitives of Argos, and that she founded a city called Ardea. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 4, li. 611; Ars Amatoria, bk. 3, li. 415; Amores, bk. 2, poem 19, li. 27.—Horace, bk. 3, ode 16.—Homer, Iliad, bk. 14, li. 319.—Apollodorus, bk. 2, chs. 2 & 4.—Statius, Thebiad, bk. 1, li. 255.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 7, li. 410.——A daughter of Leontium, mistress to Sophron governor of Ephesus.——A daughter of Danaus, to whom Neptune offered violence.
Dănai, a name given to the people of Argos, and promiscuously to all the Greeks, from Danaus their king. Virgil, & Ovid, passim.
Dănaĭdes, the 50 daughters of Danaus king of Argos. When their uncle Ægyptus came from Egypt with his 50 sons, they were promised in marriage to their cousins; but before the celebration of their nuptials, Danaus, who had been informed by an oracle that he was to be killed by the hands of one of his sons-in-law, made his daughters solemnly promise that they would destroy their husbands. They were provided with daggers by their father, and all, except Hypermnestra, stained their hands with the blood of their cousins, the first night of their nuptials; and as a pledge of their obedience to their father’s injunctions, they presented him each with the head of the murdered sons of Ægyptus. Hypermnestra was summoned to appear before her father, and answer for her disobedience in suffering her husband Lynceus to escape, but the unanimous voice of the people declared her innocent, and in consequence of her honourable acquittal, she dedicated a temple to the goddess of Persuasion. The sisters were purified of this murder by Mercury and Minerva, by order of Jupiter; but according to the more received opinion, they were condemned to severe punishment in hell, and were compelled to fill with water a vessel full of holes, so that the water ran out as soon as poured into it, and therefore their labour was infinite, and their punishment eternal. The names of the Danaides and their husbands were as follows, according to Apollodorus: Amymone married Enceladus; Automate, Busiris; Agave, Lycus; Scea, Dayphron; Hippodamia, Ister; Rhodia, Chalcedon; Calyce, another Lynceus; Gorgophone, Proteus; Cleopatra, Agenor; Asteria, Chætus; Glauce, Aleis; Hippodamia, Diacorytes; Hippomedusa, Alcmenon; Gorge, Hippothous; Iphimedusa, Euchenor; Rhode, Hippolytus; Pirene, Agaptolemus; Cercestis, Dorion; Pharte, Eurydamas; Mnestra, Ægius; Evippe, Arigius; Anaxibia, Archelaus; Nelo, Melachus; Clite, Clitus; Stenele, Stenelus; Chrysippe, Chrysippus; Autonoe, Eurylochus; Theano, Phantes; Electra, Peristhenes; Eurydice, Dryas; Glaucippe, Potamon; Autholea, Cisseus; Cleodora, Lixus; Evippe, Imbrus; Erata, Bromius; Stygne, Polyctor; Bryce, Chthonius; Actea, Periphas; Podarce, Œneus; Dioxippe, Ægyptus; Adyte, Menalces; Ocypete, Lampus; Pilarge, Idmon; Hippodice, Idas; Adiante, Diaphron; Callidia, Pandion; Œme, Arbelus; Celena, Hixbius; Hyperia, Hippocoristes. The heads of the sons of Ægyptus were buried at Argos; but their bodies were left at Lerna, where the murder had been committed. Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 1.—Horace, bk. 3, ode 11.—Strabo, bk. 8.—Pausanias, bk. 2, ch. 16.—Hyginus, fable 168, &c.
Danăla, a castle of Galatia.
Danapris, now the Nieper, a name given in the middle ages to the Borysthenes, as Danaster the Neister, was applied to the Tyras.
Dănaus, a son of Belus and Anchinoe, who, after his father’s death, reigned conjointly with his brother Ægyptus on the throne of Egypt. Some time after, a difference arose between the brothers, and Danaus set sail with his 50 daughters in quest of a settlement. He visited Rhodes, where he consecrated a statue to Minerva, and arrived safe on the coast of Peloponnesus, where he was hospitably received by Gelanor king of Argos. Gelanor had lately ascended the throne, and the first years of his reign were marked with dissensions with his subjects. Danaus took advantage of Gelanor’s unpopularity, and obliged him to abdicate the crown. In Gelanor, the race of the Inaehidæ was extinguished, and the Belides began to reign at Argos in Danaus. Some authors say that Gelanor voluntarily resigned the crown to Danaus, on account of the wrath of Neptune, who had dried up all the waters of Argolis, to punish the impiety of Inachus. The success of Danaus invited the 50 sons of Ægyptus to embark for Greece. They were kindly received by their uncle, who, either apprehensive of their number, or terrified by an oracle which threatened his ruin by one of his sons-in-law, caused his daughters, to whom they were promised in marriage, to murder them the first night of their nuptials. His fatal orders were executed, but Hypermnestra alone spared the life of Lynceus. See: Danaides. Danaus at first persecuted Lynceus with unremitted fury, but he was afterwards reconciled to him, and he acknowledged him for his son-in-law and successor, after a reign of 50 years. He died about 1425 years before the christian era, and after death he was honoured with a splendid monument in the town of Argos, which still existed in the age of Pausanias. According to Æschylus, Danaus left Egypt, not to be present at the marriage of his daughters with the sons of his brother, a connection which he deemed unlawful and impious. The ship in which Danaus came to Greece was called Armais, and was the first that had ever appeared there. It is said that the use of pumps was first introduced into Greece by Danaus. Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 1.—Pausanias, bk. 2, ch. 19.—Hyginus, fable 168, &c.—Herodotus, bk. 2, ch. 91, &c.; bk. 7, ch. 94.
Dandări and Dandarĭdæ, certain inhabitants near mount Caucasus. Tacitus, Annals, bk. 12, ch. 18.
Dandon, a man of Illyricum, who, as Pliny, bk. 7, ch. 48, reports, lived 500 years.
Dānŭbius, a celebrated river, the greatest in Europe, which rises, according to Herodotus, near the town of Pyrene, in the country of the Celtæ, and after flowing through the greatest part of Europe, falls into the Euxine sea. The Greeks called it Ister; but the Romans distinguished it by the appellation of the Danube, from its source till the middle of its course; and from thence to its mouths they called it Ister, like the Greeks. It falls into the Euxine through seven mouths, or six according to others. Herodotus mentions five, and modern travellers discover only two. The Danube was generally supposed to be the northern boundary of the Roman empire in Europe; and therefore, several castles were erected on its banks, to check the incursions of the barbarians. It was worshipped as a deity by the Scythians. According to modern geography, the Danube rises in Suabia, and after receiving about 40 navigable rivers, finishes a course of 1600 miles, by emptying itself into the Black sea. Dionysius Periegetes.—Herodotus, bk. 2, ch. 33; bk. 4, ch. 48, &c.—Strabo, bk. 4.—Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 12.—Ammianus, bk. 23.
Daŏchus, an officer of Philip, &c. Plutarch, Demosthenes.
Daphnæ, a town in Egypt on one of the mouths of the Nile, 16 miles from Pelusium. Herodotus, bk. 2, ch. 30.
Daphnæus, a general of Syracuse, against Carthage. Polyænus, bk. 5.
Daphne, a daughter of the river Peneus or of the Ladon by the goddess Terra, of whom Apollo became enamoured. This passion had been raised by Cupid, with whom Apollo, proud of his late conquest over the serpent Python, had disputed the power of his darts. Daphne heard with horror the addresses of the god, and endeavoured to remove herself from his importunities by flight. Apollo pursued her; and Daphne, fearful of being caught, intreated the assistance of the gods, who changed her into a laurel. Apollo crowned his head with the leaves of the laurel, and for ever ordered that that tree should be sacred to his divinity. Some say that Daphne was admired by Leucippus, son of Œnomaus king of Pisa, who, to be in her company, disguised his sex, and attended her in the woods, in the habit of a huntress. Leucippus gained Daphne’s esteem and love; but Apollo, who was his powerful rival, discovered his sex, and Leucippus was killed by the companions of Diana. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 1, li. 452, &c.—Parthenius, Narrationes Amatoriæ, ch. 15.—Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 20.——A daughter of Tiresias priestess in the temple of Delphi, supposed by some to be the same as Manto. She was consecrated to the service of Apollo by the Epigoni, or, according to others, by the goddess Tellus. She was called Sibyl, on account of the wildness of her looks and expressions when she delivered oracles. Her oracles were generally in verse, and Homer, according to some accounts, has introduced much of her poetry in his compositions. Diodorus, bk. 4.—Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 5.——A famous grove near Antioch, consecrated to voluptuousness and luxury.
Daphnēphŏria, a festival in honour of Apollo, celebrated every ninth year by the Bœotians. It was then usual to adorn an olive bough with garlands of laurel and other flowers, and place on the top a brazen globe, on which were suspended smaller ones. In the middle were placed a number of crowns, and a globe of inferior size, and the bottom was adorned with a saffron-coloured garment. The globe on the top represented the sun, or Apollo; that in the middle was an emblem of the moon, and the others of the stars. The crowns, which were 65 in number, represented the sun’s annual revolutions. This bough was carried in solemn procession by a beautiful youth of an illustrious family, and whose parents were both living. The youth was dressed in rich garments which reached to the ground, his hair hung loose and dishevelled, his head was covered with a golden crown, and he wore on his feet shoes called Iphicratidæ, from Iphicrates, an Athenian who first invented them. He was called δαφνηφορος, laurel-bearer, and at that time he executed the office of priest of Apollo. He was preceded by one of his nearest relations, bearing a rod adorned with garlands, and behind him followed a train of virgins, with branches in their hands. In this order the procession advanced as far as the temple of Apollo, surnamed Ismenius, where supplicatory hymns were sung to the god. This festival owed its origin to the following circumstance: When an oracle advised the Ætolians, who inhabited Arne and the adjacent country, to abandon their ancient possessions, and go in quest of a settlement, they invaded the Theban territories, which at that time were pillaged by an army of Pelasgians. As the celebration of Apollo’s festivals was near, both nations, who religiously observed it, laid aside all hostilities, and according to custom, cut down laurel boughs from mount Helicon and in the neighbourhood of the river Melas, and walked in procession in honour of the divinity. The day that this solemnity was observed, Polemates the general of the ♦Bœotian army saw a youth in a dream that presented him with a complete suit of armour, and commanded the Bœotians to offer solemn prayers to Apollo, and walk in procession with laurel boughs in their hands every ninth year. Three days after this dream, the Bœotian general made a sally, and cut off the greatest part of the besiegers, who were compelled by this blow to relinquish their enterprise. Polemates immediately instituted a novennial festival to the god who seemed to be the patron of the Bœotians. Pausanias, Bœotia, &c.
♦ ‘Bœtian’ replaced with ‘Bœotian’
Daphnis, a shepherd of Sicily, son of Mercury by a Sicilian nymph. He was educated by the nymphs, Pan taught him to sing and play upon the pipe, and the muses inspired him with the love of poetry. It was supposed that he was the first who wrote pastoral poetry, in which his successor Theocritus so happily excelled. He was extremely fond of hunting; and at his death five of his dogs, from their attachment to him, refused all aliments, and pined away. From the celebrity of this shepherd, the name of Daphnis has been appropriated by the poets, ancient and modern, to express a person fond of rural employments, and the peaceful innocence which accompanies the tending of flocks. Ælian, Varia Historia, bk. 10, ch. 18.—Diodorus, bk. 4.——There was another shepherd on mount Ida of the same name changed into a rock, according to Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 4, li. 275.——A servant of Nicocrates tyrant of Cyrene, &c. Polyænus, bk. 8.——A grammarian. Suetonius, Lives of the Grammarians.——A son of Paris and Œnone.
Daphnus, a river of Locris, into which the body of Hesiod was thrown after his murder. Plutarch, de Convivium Septem Sapientium.——A physician who preferred a supper to a dinner, because he supposed that the moon assisted digestion. Athenæus, bk. 7.
Darăba, a town of Arabia.
Darantasia, a town of Belgic Gaul, called also Forum Claudii, and now Motier.
Daraps, a king of the Gangaridæ, &c. Flaccus, bk. 6, li. 67.
Dardăni, the inhabitants of Dardania.——Also a people of Mœsia, very inimical to the neighbouring power of Macedonia. Livy, bk. 26, ch. 25; bk. 27, ch. 33; bk. 31, ch. 28; bk. 40, ch. 57.—Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 1.
Dardănia, a town or country of Troas, from which the Trojans were called Dardani and Dardanidæ. There is also a country of the same name near Illyricum. This appellation is also applied to Samothrace. Virgil & Ovid, passim.—Strabo, bk. 7.
Dardănĭdes, a name given to Æneas, as descended from Dardanus. The word, in the plural number, is applied to the Trojan women. Virgil, Æneid.
Dardanium, a promontory of Troas, called from the small town of Dardanus, about seven miles from Abydos. The two castles built on each side of the strait by the emperor Mahomet IV., A.D. 1659, gave the name of Dardanelles to the place. Strabo, bk. 13.
Dardănus, a son of Jupiter and Electra, who killed his brother Jasius to obtain the kingdom of Etruria after the death of his reputed father Corytus, and fled to Samothrace, and thence to Asia Minor, where he married Batia the daughter of Teucer, king of Teucria. After the death of his father-in-law he ascended the throne, and reigned 62 years. He built the city of Dardania, and was reckoned the founder of the kingdom of Troy. He was succeeded by Erichthonius. According to some, Corybas his nephew accompanied him to Teucria, where he introduced the worship of Cybele. Dardanus taught his subjects to worship Minerva; and he gave them two statues of the goddess, one of which is well known by the name of Palladium. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 5, li. 167.—Pausanias, bk. 7, ch. 4.—Hyginus, fables 155 & 275.—Apollodorus, bk. 3.—Homer, Iliad, bk. 20.——A Trojan killed by Achilles. Homer, Iliad, bk. 20, li. 460.
Dardării, a nation near the Palus Mæotis. Plutarch, Lucullus.
Dares, a Phrygian who lived during the Trojan war, in which he was engaged, and of which he wrote the history in Greek. This history was extant in the age of Ælian; the Latin translation, now extant, is universally believed to be spurious, though it is attributed by some to Cornelius Nepos. The best edition is that of Smids cum not. var. 4to & 8vo, Amsterdam, 1702.—Homer, Iliad, bk. 5, lis. 10 & 27.——One of the companions of Æneas, descended from Amycus, and celebrated as a pugilist at the funeral games in honour of Hector, where he killed Butes. He was killed by Turnus in Italy. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 5, li. 369; bk. 12, li. 363.
Darētis, a country of Macedonia.
Darīa, a town of Mesopotamia.
Dariaves, the name of Darius in Persian. Strabo, bk. 16.
Dariobrigum, a town of Gaul, now Vennes in Britany.
Darītæ, a people of Persia. Herodotus, bk. 3, ch. 92.
Darīus, a noble satrap of Persia, son of Hystaspes, who conspired with six other noblemen to destroy Smerdis, who usurped the crown of Persia after the death of Cambyses. On the murder of the usurper, the seven conspirators universally agreed, that he whose horse neighed first should be appointed king. In consequence of this resolution the groom of Darius previously led his master’s horse to a mare at a place near which the seven noblemen were to pass. On the morrow before sunrise, when they proceeded all together, the horse, recollecting the mare, suddenly neighed; and at the same time a clap of thunder was heard, as if in approbation of the choice. The noblemen dismounted from their horses, and saluted Darius king; and a resolution was made among them, that the king’s wives and concubines should be taken from no other family but that of the conspirators, and that they should for ever enjoy the unlimited privilege of being admitted into the king’s presence without previous introduction. Darius was 29 years old when he ascended the throne, and he soon distinguished himself by his activity and military accomplishments. He besieged Babylon, which he took after a siege of 20 months, by the artifices of Zopyrus. From thence he marched against the Scythians, and in his way conquered Thrace. This expedition was unsuccessful; and, after several losses and disasters in the wilds of Scythia, the king retired with shame, and soon after turned his arms against the Indians, whom he subdued. The burning of Sardis, which was a Grecian colony, incensed the Athenians, and a war was kindled between Greece and Persia. Darius was so exasperated against the Greeks, that a servant every evening, by his order, repeated these words: “Remember, O king, to punish the Athenians.” Mardonius, the king’s son-in-law, was entrusted with the care of the war, but his army was destroyed by the Thracians; and Darius, more animated by his loss, sent a more considerable force, under the command of Datis and Artaphernes. They were conquered at the celebrated battle of Marathon, by 10,000 Athenians; and the Persians lost in that expedition no less than 206,000 men. Darius was not disheartened by this severe blow, but he resolved to carry on the war in person, and immediately ordered a still larger army to be levied. He died in the midst of his preparations, B.C. 485, after a reign of 36 years, in the 65th year of his age. Herodotus, bks. 1, 2, &c.—Diodorus, bk. 1.—Justin, bk. 1, ch. 9.—Plutarch, Aristotle.—Cornelius Nepos, Miltiades.——The second king of Persia, of that name, was also called Ochus or Nothus, because he was the illegitimate son of Artaxerxes by a concubine. Soon after the murder of Xerxes he ascended the throne of Persia, and married Parysatis his sister, a cruel and ambitious woman, by whom he had Artaxerxes Memnon, Amestris, and Cyrus the younger. He carried on many wars with success, under the conduct of his generals and of his son Cyrus. He died B.C. 404, after a reign of 19 years, and was succeeded by his son Artaxerxes, who asked him on his death-bed, what had been the guide of his conduct in the management of the empire, that he might imitate him? “The dictates of justice and of religion,” replied the expiring monarch. Justin, bk. 5, ch. 11.—Diodorus, bk. 12.——The third of that name was the last king of Persia, surnamed Codomanus. He was son of Arsanes and Sysigambis, and descended from Darius Nothus. The eunuch Bagoas raised him to the throne, though not nearly allied to the royal family, in hopes that he would be subservient to his will; but he prepared to poison him, when he saw him despise his advice, and aim at independence. Darius discovered his perfidy, and made him drink the poison which he had prepared against his life. The peace of Darius was early disturbed, and Alexander invaded Persia to avenge the injuries which the Greeks had suffered from the predecessors of Darius. The king of Persia met his adversary in person, at the head of 600,000 men. This army was remarkable more for its opulence and luxury than for the military courage of its soldiers; and Athenæus mentions that the camp of Darius was crowded with 277 cooks, 29 waiters, 87 cup-bearers, 40 servants to perfume the king, and 66 to prepare garlands and flowers to deck the dishes and meat which appeared on the royal table. With these forces Darius met Alexander. A battle was fought near the Granicus, in which the Persians were easily defeated. Another was soon after fought near Issus; and Alexander left 110,000 of the enemy dead on the field of battle, and took among the prisoners of war, the mother, wife, and children of Darius. The darkness of the night favoured the retreat of Darius, and he saved himself by flying in disguise, on the horse of his armour-bearer. These losses weakened, but discouraged not Darius. He assembled another more powerful army, and the last decisive battle was fought at Arbela. The victory was long doubtful; but the intrepidity of Alexander, and the superior valour of the Macedonians, prevailed over the effeminate Persians; and Darius, sensible of his disgrace and ruin, fled towards Media. His misfortunes were now completed. Bessus the governor of Bactriana took away his life, in hopes of succeeding him on the throne; and Darius was found by the Macedonians in his chariot, covered with wounds, and almost expiring, B.C. 331. He asked for water, and exclaimed, when he received it from the hand of a Macedonian, “It is the greatest of my misfortunes that I cannot reward thy humanity. Beg Alexander to accept my warmest thanks for the tenderness with which he has treated my wretched family, whilst I am doomed to perish by the hand of a man whom I have loaded with kindness.” These words of the dying monarch were reported to Alexander, who covered the dead body with his own mantle, and honoured it with a most magnificent funeral. The traitor Bessus met with a due punishment from the conquerer, who continued his kindness to the unfortunate family of Darius. Darius has been accused of imprudence, for the imperious and arrogant manner in which he wrote his letters to Alexander, in the midst of his misfortunes. In him the empire of Persia was extinguished 228 years after it had been first founded by Cyrus the Great. Diodorus, bk. 17.—Plutarch, Alexander.—Justin, bks. 10, 11, &c.—Curtius.——A son of Xerxes, who married Artaynta, and was killed by Artabanus. Herodotus, bk. 9, ch. 108.—Diodorus, bk. 11.——A son of Artaxerxes, declared successor to the throne, as being the eldest prince. He conspired against his father’s life, and was capitally punished. Plutarch, Artaxerxes.
Dascon, a man who founded Camarina. Thucydides, bk. 6, ch. 5.
Dascylitis, a province of Persia. Thucydides, bk. 1, ch. 129.
Dascy̆lus, the father of Gyges. Herodotus, bk. 1, ch. 8.
Dasea, a town of Arcadia. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 27.
Dasius, a chief of Salapia, who favoured Annibal. Livy, bk. 26, ch. 38.
Dassarĕtæ, Dassarītæ, Dassarēni, or Dassariti, a people of Illyricum, or Macedonia. Plutarch, Titus Flamininus.
Datămes, son of Camissares, governor of Caria and general of the armies of Artaxerxes. The influence of his enemies at court obliged him to fly for safety, after he had greatly signalized himself by his military exploits. He took up arms in his own defence, and the king made war against him. He was treacherously killed by Mithridates, who had invited him under pretence of entering into the most inviolable connection and friendship, 362 B.C. Cornelius Nepos, Datames.
Dataphernes, one of the friends of Bessus. After the murder of Darius, he betrayed Bessus into Alexander’s hands. He also revolted from the conqueror, and was delivered up by the Dahæ. Curtius, bk. 7, chs. 5 & 8.
Datis, a general of Darius I., sent with an army of 200,000 foot and 10,000 horse, against the Greeks, in conjunction with Artaphernes. He was defeated at the celebrated battle of Marathon by Miltiades, and some time after put to death by the Spartans. Cornelius Nepos, Miltiades.
Datos, or Daton, a town of Thrace, on a small eminence, near the Strymon. There is in the neighbourhood a fruitful plain, from which Proserpine, according to some, was carried away by Pluto. That city was so rich, that the ancients generally made use of the word Datos to express abundance. When the king of Macedonia conquered it he called it Philippi, after his own name. Appian, Civil Wars.
Davara, a hill near mount Taurus, in Asia Minor.
Daulis, a nymph, from whom the city of Daulis in Phocis, anciently called Anacris, received its name. It was there that Philomela and Procne made Tereus eat the flesh of his son, and hence the nightingale, into which Philomela was changed, is often called Daulias avis. Ovid, ltr. 15, li. 154.—Strabo, bk. 9.—Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 4.—Ptolemy, bk. 3, ch. 15.—Livy, bk. 32, ch. 18.—Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 3.
Dauni, a people on the eastern part of Italy, conquered by Daunus, from whom they received their name.
Daunia, a name given to the northern parts of Apulia, on the coast of the Adriatic. It receives its name from Daunus, who settled there, and is now called Capitanata. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 8, li. 146.—Silius Italicus, bk. 9, li. 500; bk. 12, li. 429.—Horace, bk. 4, ode 6, li. 27.——Juturna, the sister of Turnus, was called Daunia, after she had been made a goddess by Jupiter. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 12, lis. 139 & 785.
Daunus, a son of Pilumnus and Danae. He came from Illyricum into Apulia, where he reigned over part of the country, which from him was called Daunia, and he was still on the throne when Diomedes came to Italy. Ptolemy, bk. 3, ch. 1.—Mela, bk. 2, ch. 4.—Strabo, bk. 5.——A river of Apulia, now Carapelle. Horace, bk. 3, ode 30.
Daurĭfer and Daurises, a brave general of Darius, treacherously killed by the Carians. Herodotus, bk. 5, ch. 116, &c.
Davus, a comic character in the Andria of Terence. Horace, bk. 1, satire 10, li. 40.
Debæ, a nation of Arabia. Diodorus, bk. 3.
Decapŏlis, a district of Judæa, from its 10 cities. Pliny, bk. 5, ch. 18.
Decebălus, a warlike king of the Daci, who made a successful war against Domitian. He was conquered by Trajan, Domitian’s successor, and he obtained peace. His active spirit again kindled rebellion, and the Roman emperor marched against him, and defeated him. He destroyed himself, and his head was brought to Rome, and Dacia became a Roman province, A.D. 103. Dio Cassius, bk. 68.
Deceleum (or ea), now Biala Castro, a small village of Attica, north of Athens; which, when in the hands of the Spartans, proved a very galling garrison to the Athenians. The Peloponnesian war has occasionally been called Decelean, because for some time hostilities were carried on in its neighbourhood. Cornelius Nepos, bk. 7, ch. 4.
Decĕlus, a man who informed Castor and Pollux that their sister, whom Theseus had carried away, was concealed at Aphidnæ. Herodotus, bk. 9, ch. 73.
Decemvĭri, 10 magistrates of absolute authority among the Romans. The privileges of the patricians raised dissatisfaction among the plebeians; who, though freed from the power of the Tarquins, still saw that the administration of justice depended upon the will and caprice of their superiors, without any written statute to direct them, and convince them that they were governed with equity and impartiality. The tribunes complained to the senate, and demanded that a code of laws might be framed for the use and benefit of the Roman people. This petition was complied with, and three ambassadors were sent to Athens, and to all the other Grecian states, to collect the laws of Solon, and of the other celebrated legislators of Greece. Upon the return of the commissioners, it was universally agreed that 10 new magistrates, called decemviri, should be elected from the senate, to put the project into execution. Their power was absolute; all other offices ceased after their election, and they presided over the city with regal authority. They were invested with the badges of the consul, in the enjoyment of which they succeeded by turns, and only one was preceded by the fasces, and had the power of assembling the senate and confirming decrees. The first decemvirs were Appius Claudius, Titus Genutius, Publius Sextus, Spurius Veturius, Caius Julius, Aulus Manlius, Servius Sulpitius Pluriatius, Titus Romulus, Spurius Posthumius, A.U.C. 303. Under them, the laws which had been exposed to public view, that every citizen might speak his sentiments, were publicly approved of as constitutional, and ratified by the priests and augurs in the most solemn and religious manner. These laws were 10 in number, and were engraved on tables of brass; two were afterwards added, and they were called the laws of the 12 tables, leges duodecim tabularum, and leges decemvirales. The decemviral power, which was beheld by all ranks of people with the greatest satisfaction, was continued; but in the third year after their creation, the decemvirs became odious, on account of their tyranny; and the attempt of Appius Claudius to ravish Virginia, was followed by the total abolition of the office. The people were so exasperated against them, that they demanded them from the senate, to burn them alive. Consuls were again appointed, and tranquillity re-established in the state.——There were other officers in Rome, called decemvirs, who were originally appointed, in the absence of the pretor, to administer justice. Their appointment became afterwards necessary, and they generally assisted at sales called subhastationes, because a spear, hasta, was fixed at the door of the place where the goods were exposed to sale. They were called decemviri litibus judicandis. The officers whom Tarquin appointed to guard the Sibylline books, were also called decemviri. They were originally two in number, called duumviri, till the year of Rome 388, when their number was increased to 10, five of which were chosen from the plebeians, and five from the patricians. Sylla increased their number to 15, called quindecemvirs.
Decetia, a town of Gaul. Cæsar.
Decia lex, was enacted by Marcus Decius the tribune, A.U.C. 442, to empower the people to appoint two proper persons to fit and repair the fleets.
Lucius Decidius Saxa, a Celtiberian in Cæsar’s camp. Cæsar, Civil War, bk. 1.
Decineus, a celebrated soothsayer. Strabo, bk. 16.
Decius Mus, a celebrated Roman consul, who, after many glorious exploits, devoted himself to the gods’ manes for the safety of his country, in a battle against the Latins, 338 years B.C. His son Decius imitated his example, and devoted himself in like manner in his fourth consulship, when fighting against the Gauls and Samnites, B.C. 296. His grandson also did the same in the wars against Pyrrhus and the Tarentines, B.C. 280. This action of devoting oneself was of infinite service to the state. The soldiers were animated by the example, and induced to follow with intrepidity a commander who, arrayed in an unusual dress, and addressing himself to the gods with solemn invocation, rushed into the thickest part of the enemy to meet his fate. Livy, bks. 8, 9, &c.—Valerius Maximus, bk. 5, ch. 6.—Polybius, bk. 2.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 6, li. 824.——Brutus, conducted Cæsar to the senate-house the day that he was murdered.—Cnæus Metius Q. Trajanus, a native of Pannonia, sent by the emperor Philip to appease a sedition in Mœsia. Instead of obeying his master’s command, he assumed the imperial purple, and soon after marched against him, and at his death became the only emperor. He signalized himself against the Persians; and when he marched against the Goths, he pushed his horse in a deep marsh, from which he could not extricate himself, and he perished with all his army by the darts of the barbarians, A.D. 251, after a reign of two years. This monarch enjoyed the character of a brave man and of a great disciplinarian; and by his justice and exemplary life merited the title of Optimus, which a servile senate had lavished upon him.
Decurio, a subaltern officer in the Roman armies. He commanded a decuria, which consisted of 10 men, and was the third part of a turma, or the thirtieth part of a legio of horse, which was composed of 300 men. The badge of the centurions was a vine rod or sapling, and each had a deputy called optio. There were certain magistrates in the provinces called decuriones municipales, who formed a body to represent the Roman senate in free and corporate towns. They consisted of 10, whence the name; and their duty extended to watch over the interest of their fellow-citizens, and to increase the revenues of the commonwealth. Their court was called curia decurionum, and minor senatus; and their decrees, called decreta decurionum, were marked with two D. D. at the top. They generally styled themselves civitatum patres curiales, and honorati municipiorum senatores. They were elected with the same ceremonies as the Roman senators; they were to be at least 25 years of age, and to be possessed of a certain sum of money. The election happened on the calends of March.
Decumates agri, lands in Germany which paid the tenth part of their value to the Romans. Tacitus, Germania, ch. 29.
Deditamĕnes, a friend of Alexander, made governor of Babylonia. Curtius, bk. 8, ch. 3.
Degis, a brother of Decebalus king of the Daci. He came as ambassador to the court of Domitian. Martial, bk. 5, ltr. 3.
Dējănīra, a daughter of Œneus king of Ætolia. Her beauty procured her many admirers, and her father promised to give her in marriage to him only who proved to be the strongest of all his competitors. Hercules obtained the prize, and married Dejanira, by whom he had three children, the most known of whom is Hyllus. As Dejanira was once travelling with her husband, they were stopped by the swollen streams of the Evenus, and the centaur Nessus offered Hercules to convey her safe to the opposite shore. The hero consented; but no sooner had Nessus gained the bank, than he attempted to offer violence to Dejanira, and to carry her away in the sight of her husband. Hercules, upon this, aimed from the other shore a poisoned arrow at the seducer, and mortally wounded him. Nessus, as he expired, wished to avenge his death upon his murderer; and he gave Dejanira his tunic, which was covered with blood, poisoned and infected by the arrow, observing that it had the power of reclaiming a husband from unlawful loves. Dejanira accepted the present; and when Hercules proved faithless to her bed, she sent him the centaur’s tunic, which instantly caused his death. See: Hercules. Dejanira was so disconsolate at the death of her husband, which she had ignorantly occasioned, that she destroyed herself. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bks. 8 & 9.—Diodorus, bk. 4.—Seneca, Hercules.—Hyginus, fable 34.
Deicoon, a Trojan prince, son of Pergasus, intimate with Æneas. He was killed by Agamemnon. Homer, Iliad, bk. 4, li. 534.——A son of Hercules and Megara. Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 7.
Dēĭdămīa, a daughter of Lycomedes king of Scyros. She bore a son called Pyrrhus, or Neoptolemus, to Achilles, who was disguised at her father’s court in woman’s clothes, under the name of Pyrrha. Propertius, bk. 2, poem 9.—Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 13.——A daughter of Pyrrhus, killed by the Epirots. Polyænus.——A daughter of Adrastus king of Argos, called also Hippodamia.
Deilēon, a companion of Hercules in his expedition against the Amazons. Flaccus, bk. 5, li. 115.
Deilŏchus, a son of Hercules.
Deimăchus, a son of Neleus and Chloris, was killed, with all his brothers, except Nestor, by Hercules. Apollodorus, bk. 1, ch. 9.——The father of Enarette. Apollodorus, bk. 1, ch. 7.
Deiŏces, a son of Phraortes, by whose means the Medes delivered themselves from the yoke of the Assyrians. He presided as judge among his countrymen, and his great popularity and love of equity raised him to the throne, and he made himself absolute, B.C. 700. He was succeeded by his son Phraortes, after a reign of 53 years. He built Ecbatana according to Herodotus, and surrounded it with seven different walls, in the middle of which was the royal palace. Herodotus, bk. 1, ch. 96, &c.—Polyænus.
Deiŏchus, a Greek captain killed by Paris in the Trojan war. Homer, Iliad, bk. 15, li. 341.
Dēīŏne, the mother of Miletus by Apollo. Miletus is often called Deionides, on account of his mother. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 9, li. 442.
Dēīŏneus, a king of Phocis, who married Diomede daughter of Xuthus, by whom he had Dia. He gave his daughter Dia in marriage to Ixion, who promised to make a present to his father-in-law. Deioneus accordingly visited the house of Ixion, and was thrown into a large hole filled with burning coal, by his son-in-law. Hyginus, fables 48 & 241.—Apollodorus, bk. 1, chs. 7 & 9; bk. 2, ch. 4.
Dēĭŏpēia, a nymph, the fairest of all the 14 nymphs that attended upon Juno. The goddess promised her in marriage to Æolus the god of the winds, if he would destroy the fleet of Æneas, which was sailing for Italy. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 1, li. 76.——One of the attendant nymphs of Cyrene. Virgil, Georgics, bk. 4, li. 343.
Deiotărus, a governor of Galatia, made king of that province by the Roman people. In the civil wars of Pompey and Cæsar, Deiotarus followed the interest of the former. After the battle of Pharsalia, Cæsar severely reprimanded Deiotarus for his attachment to Pompey, deprived him of part of his kingdom, and left him only the bare title of royalty. When he was accused by his grandson of attempts upon Cæsar’s life, Cicero ably defended him in the Roman senate. He joined Brutus with a large army, and faithfully supported the republican cause. His wife was barren; but fearing that her husband might die without issue, she presented him with a beautiful slave, and tenderly educated, as her own, the children of this union. Deiotarus died in an advanced old age. Strabo, bk. 12.—Lucan, bk. 5, li. 55.
Deĭphĭla. See: Deipyle.
Dēĭphŏbe, a sibyl of Cumæ, daughter of Glaucus. It is supposed that she led Æneas to the infernal regions. See: Sibyllæ. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 6, li. 36.
Dēĭphŏbus, a son of Priam and Hecuba, who, after the death of his brother Paris, married Helen. His wife unworthily betrayed him, and introduced into his chamber her old husband Menelaus, to whom she wished to reconcile herself. He was shamefully mutilated and killed by Menelaus. He had highly distinguished himself during the war, especially in his two combats with Merion, and in that in which he slew Ascalaphus son of Mars. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 6, li. 495.—Homer, Iliad, bk. 13.——A son of Hippolytus, who purified Hercules after the murder of Iphitus. Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 6.
Deĭphon, a brother of Triptolemus, son of Celeus and Metanira. When Ceres travelled over the world, she stopped at his father’s court, and undertook to nurse him and bring him up. To reward the hospitality of Celeus, the goddess began to make his son immortal; and every evening she placed him on burning coals to purify him from whatever mortal particles he still possessed. The uncommon growth of Deiphon astonished Metanira, who wished to see what Ceres did to make him so vigorous. She was frightened to see her son on burning coals, and the shrieks that she uttered disturbed the mysterious operations of the goddess, and Deiphon perished in the flames. Apollodorus, bk. 1, ch. 5.——The husband of Hyrnetho, daughter of Temenus king of Argos. Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 7.
Dēiphontes, a general of Temenus, who took Epidauria, &c. Pausanias, bk. 2, ch. 12.——A general of the Dorians, &c. Polyænus.
Dēipy̆le, a daughter of Adrastus, who married Tydeus, by whom she had Diomedes. Apollodorus, bk. 1, ch. 8.
Dēipy̆lus, a son of Sthenelus, in the Trojan war. Homer, Iliad, bk. 5.
Dēipy̆rus, a Grecian chief during the Trojan war. Homer, Iliad, bk. 8.
Deldon, a king of Mysia, defeated by Crassus.
Dēlia, a festival celebrated every fifth year in the island of Delos, in honour of Apollo. It was first instituted by Theseus, who, at his return from Crete, placed a statue there, which he had received from Ariadne. At the celebration, they crowned the statue of the goddess with garlands, appointed a choir of music, and exhibited horse-races. They afterwards led a dance, in which they imitated, by their motions, the various windings of the Cretan labyrinth, from which Theseus had extricated himself by Ariadne’s assistance.——There was also another festival of the same name, yearly celebrated by the Athenians in Delos. It was also instituted by Theseus, who, when he was going to Crete, made a vow, that if he returned victorious, he would yearly visit in a solemn manner the temple of Delos. The persons employed in this annual procession were called Deliastæ and Theori. The ship, the same which carried Theseus, and had been carefully preserved by the Athenians, was called Theoria and Delias. When the ship was ready for the voyage, the priest of Apollo solemnly adorned the stern with garlands, and a universal lustration was made all over the city. The Theori were crowned with laurel, and before them proceeded men armed with axes, in commemoration of Theseus, who had cleared the way from Trœzene to Athens, and delivered the country from robbers. When the ship arrived at Delos, they offered solemn sacrifices to the god of the island, and celebrated a festival in his honour. After this they retired to their ship, and sailed back to Athens, where all the people of the city ran in crowds to meet them. Every appearance of festivity prevailed at their approach, and the citizens opened their doors, and prostrated themselves before the Deliastæ, as they walked in procession. During this festival, it was not lawful to put to death any malefactor, and on that account the life of Socrates was prolonged for 30 days. Xenophon, Memorabilia & Symposium.—♦Plato, Phædo.—Seneca, ltr. 70.
♦ ‘Plutarch’ replaced with ‘Plato’