Themillas, a Trojan, &c. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 9, li. 376.

Themis, a daughter of Cœlus and Terra, who married Jupiter against her own inclination. She became mother of Dice, Irene, Eunomia, the Parcæ and Horæ; and was the first to whom the inhabitants of the earth raised temples. Her oracle was famous in Attica in the age of Deucalion, who consulted it with great solemnity, and was instructed how to repair the loss of mankind. She was generally attended by the seasons. Among the moderns she is represented as holding a sword in one hand, and a pair of scales in the other. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 1, li. 321.——A daughter of Ilus, who married Capys, and became mother of Anchises. Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 12.

Themiscy̆ra, a town of Cappadocia, at the mouth of the Thermodon, belonging to the Amazons. The territories round it bore the same name.

Themĭson, a famous physician of Laodicea, disciple to Asclepiades. He was founder of a sect called Methodists, because he wished to introduce methods to facilitate the learning and the practice of physic. He flourished in the Augustan age. Pliny, bk. 29, ch. 1.—Juvenal, satire 10.——One of the generals and ministers of Antiochus the Great. He was born at Cyprus. Ælian, Varia Historia, bk. 2, ch. 41.

Themista, or Themistis, a goddess, the same as Themis.

Themistĭus, a celebrated philosopher of Paphlagonia in the age of Constantius, greatly esteemed by the Roman emperors, and called Euphrades, the fine speaker, from his eloquent and commanding delivery. He was made a Roman senator, and always distinguished for his ♦liberality and munificence. His school was greatly frequented. He wrote, when young, some commentaries on Aristotle, fragments of which are still extant, and 33 of his orations. He professed himself to be an enemy to flattery, and though he often deviates from this general rule in his addresses to the emperors, yet he strongly recommends humanity, wisdom, and clemency. The best edition of Themistius is that of Harduin, folio, Paris, 1684.

♦ ‘liberalty’ replaced with ‘liberality’

Themisto, a daughter of Hypseus, was the third wife of Athamas king of Thebes, by whom she had four sons, called Ptous, Leucon, Schœneus, and Erythroes. She endeavoured to kill the children of Ino, her husband’s second wife, but she killed her own, by means of Ino, who lived in her house in the disguise of a servant-maid, and to whom she entrusted her bloody intentions, upon which she destroyed herself. Pausanias, bk. 9, ch. 23.—Apollodorus, bk. 1, ch. 9.——A woman mentioned by Polyænus.——The mother of the poet Homer, according to a tradition mentioned by Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 24.

Themistŏcles, a celebrated general born at Athens. His father’s name was Neocles, and his mother’s Euterpe, or Abrotonum, a native of Halicarnassus, or of Thrace, or Acarnaia. The beginning of his youth was marked by vices so flagrant, and an inclination so incorrigible, that his father disinherited him. This, which might have disheartened others, roused the ambition of Themistocles, and the protection which he was denied at home, he sought in courting the favours of the populace, and in sharing the ♦administration of public affairs. When Xerxes invaded Greece, Themistocles was at the head of the Athenian republic, and in this capacity the fleet was entrusted to his care. When the Lacedæmonians under Leonidas were opposing the Persians at Thermopylæ, the naval operations of Themistocles, and of the combined fleet of the Peloponnesians, were directed to destroy the armament of Xerxes, and to ruin his maritime power. The obstinate wish of the generals to command the Grecian fleet might have proved fatal to the interest of the allies, had not Themistocles freely relinquished his pretensions, and by nominating his rival Eurybiades master of the expedition, shown the world that his ambition could stoop when his country demanded his assistance. The Persian fleet was distressed at Artemisium by a violent storm, and the feeble attack of the Greeks; but a decisive battle had never been fought if Themistocles had not used threats and entreaties, and even called religion to his aid, and the favourable answers of the oracle, to second his measures. The Greeks, actuated by different views, were unwilling to make head by sea against an enemy whom they saw victorious by land, plundering their cities and destroying all by fire and sword; but before they were dispersed, Themistocles sent intelligence of their intentions to the Persian monarch. Xerxes, by immediately blocking them with his fleet, in the bay of Salamis, prevented their escape, and while he wished to crush them all at one blow, he obliged them to fight for their safety, as well as for the honour of their country. This battle, which was fought near the island of Salamis, B.C. 480, was decisive; the Greeks obtained the victory, and Themistocles the honour of having destroyed the formidable navy of Xerxes. Further to ensure the peace of his country, Themistocles informed the Asiatic monarch that the Greeks had conspired to cut the bridge which he had built across the Hellespont, and to prevent his retreat into Asia. This met with equal success; Xerxes hastened away from Greece, and while he believed the words of Themistocles, that his return would be disputed, he left his forces without a general, and his fleets an easy conquest to the victorious Greeks. These signal services to his country endeared Themistocles to the Athenians, and he was universally called the most warlike and most courageous of all the Greeks who fought against the Persians. He was received with the most distinguished honours, and by his prudent administration, Athens was soon fortified with strong walls, her Pireus was rebuilt, and her harbours were filled with a numerous and powerful navy, which rendered her the mistress of Greece. Yet in the midst of that glory, the conqueror of Xerxes incurred the displeasure of his countrymen, which had proved so fatal to many of his illustrious predecessors. He was banished from the city, and after he had sought in vain a safe retreat among the republics of Greece, and the barbarians of Thrace, he threw himself into the arms of a monarch, whose fleets he had defeated, and whose father he had ruined. Artaxerxes, the successor of Xerxes, received the illustrious Athenian with kindness; and though he had formerly set a price upon his head, yet he made him one of his greatest favourites, and bestowed three rich cities upon him, to provide him with bread, wine, and meat. Such kindness from a monarch, from whom he, perhaps, expected the most hostile treatment, did not alter the sentiments of Themistocles. He still remembered that Athens gave him birth, and according to some writers, the wish of not injuring his country, and therefore his inability of carrying on war against Greece, at the request of Artaxerxes, obliged him to destroy himself by drinking bull’s blood. The manner of his death, however, is uncertain, and while some affirm that he poisoned himself, others declare that he fell a prey to a violent distemper in the city of Magnesia, where he had fixed his residence, while in the dominions of the Persian monarch. His bones were conveyed to Attica and honoured with a magnificent tomb by the Athenians, who began to repent too late of their cruelty to the saviour of his country. Themistocles died in the 65th year of his age, about 449 years before the christian era. He has been admired as a man naturally courageous, of a disposition fond of activity, ambitious of glory and enterprise. Blessed with a provident and discerning mind, he seemed to rise superior to misfortunes, and in the midst of adversity, possessed of resources which could enable him to regain his splendour, and even to command fortune. Plutarch & Cornelius Nepos, Lives.—Pausanias, bk. 1, ch. 1; bk. 8, ch. 52.—Ælian, Varia Historia, bk. 2, ch. 12; bk. 9, ch. 18; bk. 13, ch. 40.——A writer, some of whose letters are extant.

♦ ‘adminstration’ replaced with ‘administration’

Themistogĕnes, an historian of Syracuse, in the age of Artaxerxes Memnon. He wrote on the wars of Cyrus the younger, a subject ably treated afterwards by Xenophon.

Theŏcles, an opulent citizen of Corinth, who liberally divided his riches among the poor. Thrasonides, a man equally rich with himself, followed the example. Ælian, Varia Historia, bk. 14, ch. 24.——A Greek statuary. Pausanias, bk. 6, ch. 19.

Theŏclus, a Messenian poet and soothsayer, who died B.C. 671. Pausanias, bk. 4, ch. 15, &c.

Theoclymĕnus, a soothsayer of Argolis, descended from Melampus. His father’s name was Thestor. He foretold the speedy return of Ulysses to Penelope and Telemachus. Homer, Odyssey, bk. 15, li. 225, &c.—Hyginus, fable 128.

Theŏcrĭtus, a Greek poet who flourished at Syracuse, in Sicily, 282 B.C. His father’s name was Praxagoras or Simichus, and his mother’s Philina. He lived in the age of Ptolemy Philadelphus, whose praises he sung, and whose favours he enjoyed. Theocritus distinguished himself by his poetical compositions, of which 30 idyllia and some epigrams are extant, written in the Doric dialect, and admired for their beauty, elegance, and simplicity. Virgil, in his eclogues, has imitated and often copied him. Theocritus has been blamed for the many indelicate and obscene expressions which he uses; and while he introduces shepherds and peasants with all the rusticity and ignorance of nature, he often disguises their character by making them speak on high and exalted subjects. It is said he wrote some invectives against Hiero king of Syracuse, who ordered him to be strangled. He also wrote a ludicrous poem called Syrinx, and placed his verses in such order that they represented the pipe of the god Pan. The best editions of Theocritus, are Warton’s, 2 vols., 4to, Oxford, 1770; that of Heinsius, 8vo, Oxford, 1699; that of Valkenaer, 8vo, Leiden, 1781; and that of Reiske, 2 vols., 4to, Lipscomb, 1790. Quintilian, bk. 10, ch. 1.—Diogenes Laërtius, bk. 5.——A Greek historian of Chios, who wrote an account of Libya. Plutarch.

♦Theodămas, or Thiodamas, a king of Mysia, in Asia Minor. He was killed by Hercules, because he refused to treat him and his son with hospitality. Ovid, Ibis, li. 438.—Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 7.—Hyginus, fable 271.

♦ ‘Thodămas’ replaced with ‘Theodămas’

Theodectes, a Greek orator and poet of Phaselis in Pamphylia, son of Aristander, and disciple of Isocrates. He wrote 50 tragedies, besides other works now lost. He had such a happy memory that he could repeat with ease whatever verses were spoken in his presence. When Alexander passed through Phaselis, he crowned with garlands the statue which had been erected to the memory of the deceased poet. Cicero, Tusculanæ Disputationes, bk. 1, ch. 24; Orator, ch. 51, &c.—Plutarch.—Quintilian.

Theodonis, a town of Germany, now Thionville, on the Moselle.

Theodōra, a daughter-in-law of the emperor Maximian, who married Constantius.——A daughter of Constantine.——A woman who, from being a prostitute, became empress to Justinian, and distinguished herself by her intrigues and enterprises.——The name of Theodora is common to the empresses of the east in a later period.

Theodoretus, one of the Greek fathers who flourished A.D. 425, whose works have been edited, 5 vols., folio, Paris, 1642, and 5 vols., Halæ, 1769 to 1774.

Theodoritus, a Greek ecclesiastical historian, whose works have been best edited by Reading, folio, Cambridge. 1720.

Theodōrus, a Syracusan of great authority among his countrymen, who severely inveighed against the tyranny of Dionysius.——A philosopher, disciple to Aristippus. He denied the existence of a God. He was banished from Cyrene, and fled to Athens, where the friendship of Demetrius Phalereus saved him from the accusations which were carried to the Areopagus against him. Some suppose that he was at last condemned to death for his impiety, and that he drank poison.——A preceptor to one of the sons of Antony, whom he betrayed to Augustus.——A consul in the reign of Honorius. Claudian wrote a poem upon him, in which he praises him with great liberality.——A secretary of Valens. He conspired against the emperor and was beheaded.——A man who compiled a history of Rome. Of this, nothing but his history of the reigns of Constantine and Constantius is extant.——A comic actor.——A player on the flute in the age of Demetrius Poliorcetes, who contemptuously rejected the favours of Lamia the mistress of the monarch.——A Greek poet of Colophon, whose compositions are lost.——A sophist of Byzantium, called Logodaidalos by Plato.——A Greek poet in the age of Cleopatra. He wrote a book of metamorphoses, which Ovid imitated, as some suppose.——An artist of Samos about 700 years B.C. He was the first who found out the art of melting iron, with which he made statues.——A priest, father of Isocrates.——A Greek writer, called also Prodromus. The time in which he lived is unknown. There is a romance of his composition extant, called the amours of Rhodanthe and Dosicles, the only edition of which was by Gaulminus, 8vo, Paris, 1625.

Theodosia, now Caffa, a town in the Cimmerian Bosphorus. Mela, bk. 2, ch. 1.

Theodosiopŏlis, a town of Armenia, built by Theodosius, &c.

Theodosius Flavius, a Roman emperor surnamed Magnus, from the greatness of his exploits. He was invested with the imperial purple by Gratian, and appointed over Thrace and the eastern provinces, which had been in the possession of Valentinian. The first years of his reign were marked by different conquests over the barbarians. The Goths were defeated in Thrace, and 4000 of their chariots, with an immense number of prisoners of both sexes, were the reward of the victory. This glorious campaign intimidated the inveterate enemies of Rome; they sued for peace, and treaties of alliance were made with distant nations, who wished to gain the favours and the friendship of a prince whose military virtues were so conspicuous. Some conspiracies were formed against the emperor, but Theodosius totally disregarded them; and while he punished his competitors for the imperial purple, he thought himself sufficiently secure in the love and the affection of his subjects. His reception at Rome was that of a conqueror; he triumphed over the barbarians, and restored peace in every part of the empire. He died of a dropsy at Milan, in the 60th year of his age, after a reign of 16 years, the 17th of January, A.D. 395. His body was conveyed to Constantinople, and buried by his son Arcadius, in the tomb of Constantine. Theodosius was the last of the emperors who was the sole master of the whole Roman empire. He left three children, Arcadius and Honorius, who succeeded him, and Pulcheria. Theodosius has been commended by ancient writers, as a prince blessed with every virtue, and debased by no vicious propensity. Though master of the world, he was a stranger to that pride and arrogance which too often disgrace the monarch; he was affable in his behaviour, benevolent and compassionate, and it was his wish to treat his subjects as himself was treated when a private man and a ♦dependent. Men of merit were promoted to places of trust and honour, and the emperor was fond of patronizing the cause of virtue and learning. His zeal as a follower of christianity has been applauded by all the ecclesiastical writers, and it was the wish of Theodosius to support the revealed religion, as much by his example, meekness, and christian charity, as by his edicts and ecclesiastical institutions. His want of clemency, however, in one instance, was too openly betrayed, and when the people of Thessalonica had unmeaningly, perhaps, killed one of his officers, the emperor ordered his soldiers to put all the inhabitants to the sword, and no less than 6000 persons, without distinction of rank, age, or sex, were cruelly butchered in that town in the space of three hours. This violence irritated the ecclesiastics, and Theodosius was compelled by St. Ambrose to do open penance in the church, and publicly to make atonement for an act of barbarity which had excluded him from the bosom of the church, and the communion of the faithful. In his private character Theodosius was an example of soberness and temperance; his palace displayed becoming grandeur, but still with moderation. He never indulged in luxury, or countenanced superfluities. He was fond of bodily exercise, and never gave himself up to pleasure and enervating enjoyments. The laws and regulations which he introduced in the Roman empire, were of the most salutary nature. Socrates of Constantinople, bk. 5, &c.—Zosimus, bk. 4, &c.—Ambrose.—Augustine.—Claudian, &c.

♦ ‘dependant’ replaced with ‘dependent’

Theodosius II., succeeded his father Arcadius as emperor of the western Roman empire, though only in the eighth year of his age. He was governed by his sister Pulcheria, and by his ministers and eunuchs, in whose hands was the disposal of the offices of state, and all places of trust and honour. He married Eudoxia, the daughter of a philosopher called Leontius, a woman remarkable for her virtues and piety. The territories of Theodosius were invaded by the Persians, but the emperor soon appeared at the head of a numerous force, and the two hostile armies met on the frontiers of the empire. The consternation was universal on both sides; without even a battle, the Persians fled, and no less than 100,000 were lost in the waters of the Euphrates. Theodosius raised the siege of Nisibis, where his operations failed of success, and he averted the fury of the Huns and Vandals by bribes and promises. He died on the 29th of July, in the 49th year of his age, A.D. 450, leaving only one daughter, Licinia Eudoxia, whom he married to the emperor Valentinian III. The carelessness and inattention of Theodosius to public affairs are well known. He signed all the papers that were brought to him without even opening them or reading them, till his sister apprised him of his negligence, and rendered him more careful and diligent, by making him sign a paper, in which he delivered into her hand, Eudoxia his wife as a slave and menial servant. The laws and regulations which were promulgated under him, and selected from the most useful and salutary institutions of his imperial predecessors, have been called the Theodosian code. Theodosius was a warm advocate for the christian religion, but he has been blamed for his partial attachment to those who opposed the orthodox faith. Sozomen.—Socrates, &c.

Theodosius, a lover of Antonina the wife of Belisarius.——A mathematician of Tripoli, who flourished 75 B.C. His treatise, called Sphærica, is best edited by Hunt, 8vo, Oxford, 1707.——A Roman general, father of Theodosius the Great; he died A.D. 376.

Theodŏta, a beautiful courtesan of Elis, whose company was frequented by Socrates. Xenophon, on Socrates.—Ælian, Varia Historia, bk. 13, ch. 32.——A Roman empress, &c.

Theodotian, an interpreter, in the reign of Commodus.

Theodŏtus, an admiral of the Rhodians, sent by his countrymen to make a treaty with the Romans.——A native of Chios, who, as preceptor and counsellor of Ptolemy, advised the feeble monarch to murder Pompey. He carried the head of the unfortunate Roman to Cæsar, but the resentment of the conqueror was such that the mean assassin fled, and after a wandering and miserable life in the cities of Asia, he was at last put to death by Brutus. Plutarch, Brutus & Pompey.——A Syracusan, accused of a conspiracy against Hieronymus the tyrant of Syracuse.——A governor of Bactriana in the age of Antiochus, who revolted and made himself king, B.C. 250.——A friend of the emperor Julian.——A Phœnician historian.——One of the generals of Alexander.

Theognētes, a Greek tragic poet. Athenæus.

Theognis, a Greek poet of Megara, who flourished about 549 years before Christ. He wrote several poems, of which only few sentences are now extant, quoted by Plato and other Greek historians and philosophers, and intended as precepts for the conduct of human life. The morals of the poet have been censured as neither decorous nor chaste. The best edition of Theognis is that of Blackwall, 12mo, London, 1706.——There was also a tragic poet of the same name, whose compositions were so lifeless and inanimated, that they procured him the name of Chion, or snow.

Theomnestus, a rival of Nicias in the administration of public affairs at Athens. Strabo, bk. 14.——A statuary of Sardinia. Pausanias, bk. 6, ch. 15.——An Athenian philosopher, among the followers of Plato’s doctrines. He had Brutus, Cæsar’s murderer, among his pupils.——A painter. Pliny, bk. 35.

Theon, a philosopher, who used frequently to walk in his sleep. Diogenes Laërtius.——An astronomer of Smyrna, in the reign of Adrian.——A painter of Samos. Ælian, Varia Historia, bk. 3, ch. 44.——Another philosopher. Diogenes Laërtius.——An infamous reviler. Horace, bk. 1, ltr. 19.

Theonoe, a daughter of Thestor, sister to Calchas. She was carried away by sea pirates, and sold to Icarus king of Caria, &c. Hyginus, fable 190.——A daughter of Proteus and a Nereid, who became enamoured of Canobus, the pilot of a Trojan vessel, &c.

Theope, one of the daughters of Leos.

Theophăne, a daughter of Bisaltus, whom Neptune changed into a sheep, to remove her from her numerous suitors, and conveyed to the island Crumissa. The god afterwards assumed the shape of a ram, and under this transformation he had by the nymph a ram with a golden fleece, which carried Phryxus to Colchis. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 6, li. 177.—Hyginus, fable 188.

Theophănes, a Greek historian, born at Mitylene. He was very intimate with Pompey, and from his friendship with the Roman general, his countrymen derived many advantages. After the battle of Pharsalia, he advised Pompey to retire to the court of Egypt. Cicero, For Archias, &c.—Paterculus.—Plutarch, Cicero & Pompey.——His son Marcus Pompeius Theophanes was made governor of Asia, and enjoyed the intimacy of Tiberius.——The only edition of Theophanes the Byzantine historian, is that of Paris, folio, 1649.

Theophania, festivals celebrated at Delphi in honour of Apollo.

Theophĭlus, a comic poet of Athens.——A governor of Syria in the age of Julian.——A friend of Piso.——A physician, whose treatise de Urinis is best edited by Guidotius, Leiden, 1728, and another by Morell, 8vo, Paris, 1556.——One of the Greek fathers, whose work ad Autolycum is best edited in 12mo, by Wolf, Hamburg, 1724.——The name of Theophilus is common among the primitive christians.

Theophrastus, a native of Eresus in Lesbos, son of a fuller. He studied under Plato, and afterwards under Aristotle, whose friendship he gained, and whose warmest commendations he deserved. His original name was Tyrtamus, but this the philosopher made him exchange for that of Euphrastus, to intimate his excellence in speaking, and afterwards for that of Theophrastus, which he deemed still more expressive of his eloquence, the brilliancy of his genius, and the elegance of his language. After the death of Socrates, when the malevolence of the Athenians drove all the philosopher’s friends from the city, Theophrastus succeeded Aristotle in the Lyceum, and rendered himself so conspicuous, that in a short time the number of his auditors was increased to 2000. Not only his countrymen courted his applause, but kings and princes were desirous of his friendship: and Cassander and Ptolemy, two of the most powerful of the successors of Alexander, regarded him with more than usual partiality. Theophrastus composed many books, and Diogenes has enumerated the titles of above 200 treatises, which he wrote with great elegance and copiousness. About 20 of these are extant, among which are his history of stones, his treatise on plants, on the winds, on the signs of fair weather, &c., and his Characters, an excellent moral treatise, which was begun in the 99th year of his age. He died, loaded with years and infirmities, in the 107th year of his age, B.C. 288, lamenting the shortness of life, and complaining of the partiality of nature in granting longevity to the crow and to the stag, but not to man. To his care we are indebted for the works of Aristotle, which the dying philosopher entrusted to him. The best edition of Theophrastus, is that of Heinsius, folio, Leiden, 1613; and of his Characters, that of Needham, 8vo, Cambridge. 1712, and that of Fischer, 8vo, Coburg, 1763. Cicero, Tusculanæ Disputationes, bk. 3, ch. 28; Brutus, ch. 31; Orator, ch. 19, &c.—Strabo, bk. 13.—Diogenes Laërtius, Lives.—Ælian, Varia Historia, bk. 2, ch. 8; bk. 34, ch. 20; bk. 8, ch. 12.—Quintilian, bk. 10, ch. 1.—Plutarch, Adversus Colotem.——An officer entrusted with the care of the citadel of Corinth by Antigonus. Polyænus.

Theopolĕmus, a man who, with his brother Hiero, plundered Apollo’s temple at Delphi, and fled away for fear of being punished. Cicero, Against Verres, bk. 5.

Theopŏlis, a name given to Antioch, because the christians first received their name there.

Theopompus, a king of Sparta, of the family of the Proclidæ, who succeeded his father Nicander, and distinguished himself by the many new regulations which he introduced. He created the Ephori, and died, after a long and peaceful reign, B.C. 723. While he sat on the throne, the Spartans made war against Messenia. Plutarch, Lycurgus.—Pausanias, bk. 3, ch. 7.——A famous Greek historian of Chios, disciple of Isocrates, who flourished B.C. 354. All his compositions are lost, except a few fragments quoted by ancient writers. He is compared to Thucydides and Herodotus as an historian, yet he is severely censured for his satirical remarks and illiberal reflections. He obtained a prize in which his master was a competitor, and he was liberally rewarded for composing the best funeral oration in honour of Mausolus. His father’s name was Damasistratus. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, bk. 1.—Plutarch, Lysis.—Cornelius Nepos, bk. 7.—Pausanias, bk. 6, ch. 18.—Quintilian, bk. 10, ch. 1.——An Athenian, who attempted to deliver his countrymen from the tyranny of Demetrius. Polyænus, bk. 5.——A comic poet in the age of Menander. He wrote 24 plays, all lost.——A son of Demaratus, who obtained several crowns at the Olympic games. Pausanias, bk. 6, ch. 10.——An orator and historian of Cnidus, very intimate with Julius Cæsar. Strabo, bk. 14.——A Spartan general, killed at the battle of Tegyra.——A philosopher of Cheronæa, in the reign of the emperor Philip.

Theophylactus Simocatta, a Byzantine historian, whose works were edited folio, Paris, 1647.——One of the Greek fathers who flourished A.D. 1070. His works were edited at Venice, 4 vols., 1754 to 1763.

Theorius, a surname of Apollo at Trœzene, where he had a very ancient temple. It signifies clear-sighted.

Theotīmus, a wrestler of Elis, in the age of Alexander. Pausanias, bk. 6, ch. 17.——A Greek who wrote a history of Italy.

Theoxĕna, a noble lady of Thessaly, who threw herself into the sea, when unable to escape from the soldiers of king Philip, who pursued her. Livy, bk. 40, ch. 4.

Theoxenia, a festival celebrated in honour of all the gods in every city of Greece, but especially at Athens. Games were then observed, and the conqueror who obtained the prize received a large sum of money, or, according to others, a vest beautifully ornamented. The Dioscuri established a festival of the same name, in honour of the gods who had visited them at one of their entertainments.

Theoxenius, a surname of Apollo.

Thera, a daughter of Amphion and Niobe. Hyginus, fable 69.——One of the Sporades in the Ægean sea, anciently called Callista, now Santorin. It was first inhabited by the Phœnicians, who were left there under Membliares by Cadmus, when he went in quest of his sister Europa. It was called Thera by Theras the son of Autesion, who settled there with a colony from Lacedæmon. Pausanias, bk. 3, ch. 1.—Herodotus, bk. 4.—Strabo, bk. 8.——A town of Caria.

Therambus, a town near Pallene. Herodotus, bk. 7, ch. 123.

Theramĕnes, an Athenian philosopher and general in the age of Alcibiades. His father’s name was Agnon. He was one of the 30 tyrants of Athens, but he had no share in the cruelties and oppression which disgraced their administration. He was accused by Critias, one of his colleagues, because he opposed their views, and he was condemned to drink hemlock, though defended by his own innocence, and the friendly intercession of the philosopher Socrates. He drank the poison with great composure, and poured some of it on the ground, with the sarcastical exclamation of, “This is to the health of Critias.” This happened about 404 years before the christian era. Theramenes, on account of the fickleness of his disposition, has been called Cothurnus, a part of the dress used both by men and women. Cicero, On Oratory, bk. 3, ch. 16.—Plutarch, Alcibiades, &c.—Cornelius Nepos.

Therapne, or Terapne, a town of Laconia, at the west of the Eurotas, where Apollo had a temple called Phœbeum. It was but a very short distance from Lacedæmon, and, indeed, some authors have confounded it with the capital of Laconia. It received its name from Therapne, a daughter of Lelex. Castor and Pollux were born there, and on that account they were sometimes called Therapnæi fratres. Pausanias, bk. 3, ch. 14.—Ovid, Fasti, bk. 5, li. 223.—Silius Italicus, bk. 6, li. 303; bk. 8, li. 414; bk. 13, li. 43.—Livy, bk. 2, ch. 16.—Dionysius of Halicarnassus, bk. 2, ch. 49.—Statius, bk. 7, Thebaid, li. 793.

Theras, a son of Autesion of Lacedæmon, who conducted a colony to Callista, to which he gave the name of Thera. He received divine honours after death. Pausanias, bk. 3, chs. 1 & 15.

Therimăchus, a son of Hercules by Megara. Apollodorus, bk. 2, chs. 4 & 7.

Therippidas, a Lacedæmonian, &c. Diodorus, bk. 15.

Theritas, a surname of Mars in Laconia.

Therma, a town of Africa. Strabo.——A town of Macedonia, afterwards called Thessalonica, in honour of the wife of Cassander, and now Salonichi. The bay in the neighbourhood of Therma is called Thermæus, or Thermaicus sinus, and advances far into the country, so much, that Pliny has named it Macedonicus sinus, by way of eminence, to intimate its extent. Strabo.—Tacitus, Annals, bk. 5, ch. 10.—Herodotus.

Thermæ (baths), a town of Sicily, where were the baths of Selinus, now Sciacca.——Another, near Panormus, now Thermini. Silius Italicus, bk. 14, li. 23.—Cicero, Against Verres, bk. 2, ch. 35.

Thermōdon, now Termeh, a famous river of Cappadocia, in the ancient country of the Amazons, falling into the Euxine sea near Themiscyra. There was also a small river of the same name in Bœotia, near Tanagra, which was afterwards called Hæmon. Strabo, bk. 11.—Herodotus, bk. 9, ch. 27.—Mela, bk. 1, ch. 19.—Pausanias, bk. 1, ch. 1; bk. 9, ch. 19.—Plutarch, Demosthenes.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 11, li. 659.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 2, li. 249, &c.

Thermopy̆læ, a small pass leading from Thessaly into Locris and Phocis. It has a large ridge of mountains on the west, and the sea on the east, with deep and dangerous marshes, being in the narrowest part only 25 feet in breadth. Thermopylæ receives its name from the hot baths which are in the neighbourhood. It is celebrated for a battle which was fought there B.C. 480, on the 7th of August, between Xerxes and the Greeks, in which 300 Spartans resisted for three successive days repeatedly the attacks of the most brave and courageous of the Persian army, which, according to some historians, amounted to 5,000,000. There was also another battle fought there between the Romans and Antiochus king of Syria. Herodotus, bk. 7, ch. 176, &c.—Strabo, bk. 9.—Livy, bk. 36, ch. 15.—Mela, bk. 2, ch. 3.—Plutarch, Marcus Cato, &c.—Pausanias, bk. 7, ch. 15.

Thermum, a town of Ætolia on the Evenus. Polybius, bk. 5.

Thermus, a man accused in the reign of Tiberius, &c.——A man put to death by Nero.——A town of Ætolia, the capital of the country.

Therodămas, a king of Scythia, who, as some report, fed lions with human blood, that they might be more cruel. Ovid, Ibis, li. 383.

Theron, a tyrant of Agrigentum, who died 472 B.C. He was a native of Bœotia, and son of Ænesidamus, and he married Damarete the daughter of Gelon of Sicily. Herodotus, bk. 7.—Pindar, Olympian, ch. 2.——One of Actæon’s dogs. Ovid.——A Rutulian who attempted to kill Æneas. He perished in the attempt. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 10, li. 312.——A priest in the temple of Hercules at Saguntum, &c. Silius Italicus, bk. 2, li. 149.——A Theban descended from the Spartæ. Statius, Thebaid, bk. 2, li. 572.——A daughter of Phylas, beloved by Apollo. Pausanias, bk. 9, ch. 40.

Therpander, a celebrated poet and musician of Lesbos. See: Terpander.

Thersander, a son of Polynices and Argia. He accompanied the Greeks to the Trojan war, but he was killed in Mysia by Telephus, before the confederate army reached the enemy’s country. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 2, li. 261.—Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 7.——A son of Sisyphus king of Corinth.——A musician of Ionia.

Thersĭlŏchus, a leader of the Pæonians in the Trojan war, killed by Achilles. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 6, li. 483.——A friend of Æneas, killed by Turnus. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 12, li. 363.——An athlete at Corcyra, crowned at the Olympic games. Pausanias, bk. 6, ch. 13.

Thersippus, a son of Agrius, who drove Œneus from the throne of Calydon.——A man who carried a letter from Alexander to Darius. Curtius.——An Athenian author, who died 954 B.C.

Thersītes, an officer, the most deformed and illiberal of the Greeks during the Trojan war. He was fond of ridiculing his fellow-soldiers, particularly Agamemnon, Achilles, and Ulysses. Achilles killed him with one blow of his fist, because he laughed at his mourning the death of Penthesilea. Ovid, ex Ponto, bk. 4, poem 17, li. 15.—Apollodorus, bk. 1, ch. 8.—Homer, Iliad, bk. 2, li. 212, &c.

Theseidæ, a patronymic given to the Athenians from Theseus, one of their kings. Virgil, Georgics, bk. 2, li. 383.

Theseis, a poem written by Codrus, containing an account of the life and actions of Theseus, and now lost. Juvenal, satire 1, li. 2.

Theseus, a king of Athens, and son of Ægeus by Æthra the daughter of Pittheus, was one of the most celebrated of the heroes of antiquity. He was educated at Trœzene in the house of Pittheus, and as he was not publicly acknowledged to be the son of the king of Athens, he passed for the son of Neptune. When he came to years of maturity, he was sent by his mother to his father, and a sword was given him, by which he might make himself known to Ægeus in a private manner. See: Ægeus. His journey to Athens was not across the sea, as it was usual with travellers, but Theseus determined to signalize himself in going by land, and encountering difficulties. The road which led from Trœzene to Athens was infested with robbers and wild beasts, and almost impassable; but these obstacles were easily removed by the courageous son of Ægeus. He destroyed Corynetes, Synnis, Sciron, Cercyon, Procrustes, and the celebrated Phæa. At Athens, however, his reception was not cordial; Medea lived there with Ægeus, and as she knew that her influence would fall to the ground, if Theseus was received in his father’s house, she attempted to destroy him before his arrival was made public. Ægeus was himself to give the cup of poison to this unknown stranger at a feast, but the sight of his sword on the side of Theseus reminded him of his amours with Æthra. He knew him to be his son, and the people of Athens were glad to find that this illustrious stranger, who had cleared Attica from robbers and pirates, was the son of their monarch. The Pallantides, who expected to succeed their uncle Ægeus on the throne, as he apparently had no children, attempted to assassinate Theseus; but they fell a prey to their own barbarity, and were all put to death by the young prince. The bull of Marathon next engaged the attention of Theseus. The labour seemed arduous, but he caught the animal alive, and after he had led it through the streets of Athens, he sacrificed it to Minerva, or the god of Delphi. After this Theseus went to Crete among the seven chosen youths whom the Athenians yearly sent to be devoured by the Minotaur. The wish to deliver his country from so dreadful a tribute, engaged him to undertake this expedition. He was successful by means of Ariadne the daughter of Minos, who was enamoured of him, and after he had escaped from the labyrinth with a clue of thread, and killed the Minotaur [See: Minotaurus], he sailed from Crete with the six boys and seven maidens, whom his victory had equally redeemed from death. In the island of Naxos, where he was driven by the winds, he had the meanness to abandon Ariadne, to whom he was indebted for his safety. The rejoicings which his return might have occasioned at Athens were interrupted by the death of Ægeus, who threw himself into the sea when he saw his son’s ship return with black sails, which was the signal of ill success. See: Ægeus. His ascension on his father’s throne was universally applauded, B.C. 1235. The Athenians were governed with mildness, and Theseus made new regulations, and enacted new laws. The number of the inhabitants of Athens was increased by the liberality of the monarch, religious worship was attended with more than usual solemnity, a court was instituted which had the care of all civil affairs, and Theseus made the government democratical, while he reserved for himself only the command of the armies. The fame which he had gained by his victories and policy, made his alliance courted; but Pirithous king of the Lapithæ, alone wished to gain his friendship, by meeting him in the field of battle. He invaded the territories of Attica, and when Theseus had marched out to meet him, the two enemies, struck at the sight of each other, rushed between their two armies, to embrace one another in the most cordial and affectionate manner, and from that time began the most sincere and admired friendship, which has become proverbial. Theseus was present at the nuptials of his friend, and was the most eager and courageous of the Lapithæ, in the defence of Hippodamia and her female attendants, against the brutal attempts of the Centaurs. When Pirithous had lost Hippodamia, he agreed with Theseus, whose wife Phædra was also dead, to carry away some of the daughters of the gods. Their first attempt was upon Helen the daughter of Leda, and after they had obtained this beautiful prize, they cast lots, and she became the property of Theseus. The Athenian monarch entrusted her to the care of his mother Æthra, at Aphidnæ, till she was of nubile years, but the resentment of Castor and Pollux soon obliged him to restore her safe into their hands. Helen, before she reached Sparta, became mother of a daughter by Theseus, but this tradition, confirmed by some ancient mythologists, is confuted by others, who affirm that she was but nine years old when carried away by the two royal friends, and Ovid introduces her in one of his epistles, saying, Excepto redii passa timore nihil. Some time after Theseus assisted his friend in procuring a wife, and they both descended into the infernal regions to carry away Proserpine. Pluto, apprised of their intentions, stopped them. Pirithous was placed on his father’s wheel, and Theseus was tied to a huge stone on which he had sat to rest himself. Virgil represents him in this eternal state of punishment repeating to the shades in Tartarus the words of Discite justitiam moniti, et non temnere divos. Apollodorus, however, and others declare that he was not long detained in hell; when Hercules came to steal the dog Cerberus, he tore him away from the stone, but with such violence, that his skin was left behind. The same assistance was given to Pirithous, and the two friends returned upon the earth by the favour of Hercules and the consent of the infernal deities, not, however, without suffering the most excruciating torments. During the captivity of Theseus in the kingdom of Pluto, Mnestheus, one of the descendants of Erechtheus, ingratiated himself into the favours of the people of Athens, and obtained the crown in preference to the children of the absent monarch. At his return Theseus attempted to eject the usurper, but to no purpose. The Athenians had forgotten his many services, and he retired with great mortification to the court of Lycomedes king of the island of Scyros. After paying him much attention, Lycomedes, either jealous of his fame, or bribed by the presence of Mnestheus, carried him to a high rock, on pretence of showing him the extent of his dominions, and threw him down a deep precipice. Some suppose that Theseus inadvertently fell down this precipice, and that he was crushed to death without receiving any violence from Lycomedes. The children of Theseus, after the death of Mnestheus, recovered the Athenian throne, and that the memory of their father might not be without the honours due to a hero, they brought his remains from Scyros, and gave them a magnificent burial. They also raised him statues and a temple, and festivals and games were publicly instituted to commemorate the actions of a hero who had rendered such services to the people of Athens. These festivals were still celebrated with original solemnity in the age of Pausanias and Plutarch, about 1200 years after the death of Theseus. The historians disagree from the poets in their accounts about this hero, and they all suppose that, instead of attempting to carry away the wife of Pluto, the two friends wished to seduce a daughter of Aidoneus king of the Molossi. This daughter, as they say, bore the name of Proserpine, and the dog which kept the gates of the palace was called Cerberus, and hence, perhaps, arises the fiction of the poets. Pirithous was torn to pieces by the dog, but Theseus was confined in prison, from whence he made his escape some time after by the assistance of Hercules. Some authors place Theseus and his friend in the number of the Argonauts, but they were both detained, either in the infernal regions, or in the country of the Molossi, in the time of Jason’s expedition to Colchis. Plutarch, Lives.—Apollodorus, bk. 3.—Hyginus, fables 14 & 79.—Pausanias, bk. 1, ch. 2, &c.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 7, li. 433; Ibis, li. 412; Fasti, bk. 3, lis. 473 & 491; Heroides.—Diodorus, bks. 1 & 4.—Lucan, bk. 2, li. 612.—Homer, Odyssey, bk. 21, li. 293.—Hesiod, Shield of Heracles.—Ælian, Varia Historia, bk. 4, ch. 5.—Statius, Thebaid, bk. 5, li. 432—Propertius, bk. 3.—Lactantius, on Thebaid of Statius.—Philostratus, Imagines, bk. 1.—Flaccus, bk. 2.—Apollonius, bk. 1.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 6, li. 617.—Seneca, Hippolytus.—Statius, Achilles, bk. 1.

Thesīdæ, a name given to the people of Athens, because they were governed by Theseus.

Thesĭdes, a patronymic applied to the children of Theseus, especially Hippolytus. Ovid, Heroides, poem 4, li. 65.

Thesmophŏra, a surname of Ceres, as lawgiver, in whose honour festivals were instituted called Thesmophoria. The Thesmophoria were instituted by Triptolemus, or, according to some, by Orpheus, or the daughters of Danaus. The greatest part of the Grecian cities, especially Athens, observed them with great solemnity. The worshippers were free-born women, whose husbands were obliged to defray the expenses of the festival. They were assisted by a priest called στεφανοφορος, because he carried a crown on his head. There were also certain virgins who officiated, and were maintained at the public expense. The freeborn women were dressed in white robes, to intimate their spotless innocence; they were charged to observe the strictest chastity during three or five days before the celebration, and during the four days of the solemnity; and on that account it was usual for them to strew their bed with agnus castus, fleabane, and all such herbs as were supposed to have the power of expelling all venereal propensities. They were also charged not to eat pomegranates, or to wear garlands on their heads, as the whole was to be observed with the greatest signs of seriousness and gravity, without any display of wantonness or levity. It was, however, usual to jest at one another, as the goddess Ceres had been made to smile by a merry expression when she was sad and melancholy for the recent loss of her daughter Proserpine. Three days were required for the preparation, and upon the 11th of the month called Pyanepsion, the women went to Eleusis, carrying books on their heads, in which the laws which the goddess had invented were contained. On the 14th of the same month the festival began, on the 16th day a fast was observed, and the women sat on the ground in token of humiliation. It was usual during the festival to offer prayers to Ceres, Proserpine, Pluto, and Calligenia, whom some suppose to be the nurse or favourite maid of the goddess of corn, or perhaps one of her surnames. There were some sacrifices of a mysterious nature, and all persons whose offence was small were released from confinement. Such as were initiated at the festivals of Eleusis assisted at the Thesmophoria. The place of high priest was hereditary in the family of Eumolpus. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 10, li. 431; Fasti, bk. 4, li. 619.—Apollodorus, bk. 1, ch. 4.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 4, li. 58.—Sophocles, Œdipus at Colonus.—Clement of Alexandria.

Thesmothĕtæ, a name given to the last six Archons among the Athenians, because they took particular care to enforce the laws, and to see justice impartially administered. They were at that time nine in number.

Thespia, now Neocorio, a town of Bœotia, at the foot of mount Helicon, which received its name from Thespia the daughter of Asopus, or from Thespius. Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 7.—Pausanias, bk. 9, ch. 26.—Strabo, bk. 9.

Thespiădæ, the sons of Thespiades. See: Thespius.

Thespiădes, a name given to the 50 daughters of Thespius. See: Thespius. Diodorus, bk. 4.—Seneca, Hercules Œtaeus, li. 369.——Also a surname of the nine muses, because they were held in great veneration in Thespia. Flaccus, bk. 2, li. 368.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 5, li. 310.

Thespis, a Greek poet of Attica, supposed by some to be the inventor of tragedy, 536 years before Christ. His representations were very rustic and imperfect. He went from town to town upon a cart, on which was erected a temporary stage, where two actors, whose faces were daubed with the lees of wine, entertained the audience with choral songs, &c. Solon was a great enemy to his dramatic representations. Horace, Art of Poetry, li. 276.—Diogenes Laërtius.

Thespius, a king of Thespia, in Bœotia, son of Erechtheus, according to some authors. He was desirous that his 50 daughters should have children by Hercules, and therefore when that hero was at his court he permitted him to enjoy their company. This, which, according to some, was effected in one night, passes for the 13th and most arduous of the labours of Hercules, as the two following lines from the arcana arcanissima indicate: