The of
elegance
and refinement.
William Smith - 1844 - Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities - a
(De Comp.
Verb.
20, Rhetor.
just as the 9th chapter is of the 8th.
The texon
10. ) There he lived on terms of friendship with Ontopenh is edited separately with rery valuable
many distinguished men, such as Q. Aelius Tu- prolegomena and notes by H. A. Schott, Leipzig,
bero, and the rhetorician Caecilius; and it is not 1804, 8vo. 2. Tepl oudéoews óvouátwv, ad-
improbable that he may have received the Roman dressed to Rufus Melitius, the son of a friend of
franchise, but his Roman name is not mentioned Dionysius, was probably written in the first year
anywhere. Respecting the little we know about or years of his residence at Rome, and at all events
Dionysius, see F. Matthäi, de Dionysio Halic. , previous to any of the other works still extant. It
Wittenberg, 1779, 4to. ; Dodwell, de Actate Dionys. is, however, notwithstanding this, one of high ex-
Vin Reiske's edition of Dionysius, vol. i. p. xlvi. &c. ; cellence. In it the author treats of oratorical
p
power,
and more especially C. J. Weismann, de Dionysii and on the combination of words according to
Halic. Vita et Script. , Rinteln, 1837, 4to. , and the different species and styles of oratory. There
Busse, de Dionys. Hal. Vita et Ingenio, Berlin, are two very good separate editions of this treatise,
1841, 4to.
one by G. H. Schaefer (Leipzig, 1809, 8vo), and
All the works of Dionysius, some of which are the other by F. Göller (Jena, 1815, 8vo), in which
completely lost, must be divided into two classes: the text is considerably improved from MSS.
the first contains his rhetorical and critical treatises, 3. ſlepi uluñoews, addressed to a Greek of the
all of which probably belong to an earlier period of name of Demetrius. Its proper title appears to
his life-perhaps to the first years of his residence | have been υπομνηματισμοί περί της μιμήσεως.
at Rome-than his historical works, which consti- (Dionys. Jud. de Thucyd. 1, Epist. ud Pomp. 3. )
tute the second class.
The work as a whole is lost, and what we possess
a. Rhetorical and Critical Works. — All the pro- under the title of tûv ápxalwv kpious is probably
ductions of this class shew that Dionysius was not nothing but a sort of epitome containing charac-
only a rhetorician of the first order, but also a most teristics of poets, from Homer down to Euripides,
excellent critic in the highest and best sense of the of some historians, such as Herodotus, Thucy-
term. They abound in the most exquisite remarks dides, Philistus, Xenophon, and Theoponipus,
and criticisms on the works of the classical writers and lastly, of some philosophers and orators. This
of Greece, although, at the same time, they are not epitome is printed separately in Frotscher's edi-
without their faults, among which we may notice tion of the tenth book of Quintilian (Leipzig,
his hypercritical severity. But we have to remem- 1826, p. 271, &c. ), who mainly follows the
ber that they were the productions of an early age, opinions of Dionysius. 4. Tepl twv åpxalwv Antó-
in which the want of a sound philosophy and of a pwv únouvnuatio uoi, addressed to Ammaeus, con-
comprehensive knowledge, and a partiality for ortains criticisms on the most eminent Greek orators
## p. 1041 (#1061) ##########################################
DIONYSIUS.
1041
DIONYSIUS.
.
i.
and historians, and the author points out their ex- (Dτη. 32), and περί της εκλογής των ονομάτων
cellences as well as their defects, with a view to (nic Comp. Perte 1), were probably never written,
promote a wise imitation of the classic models, and as no ancient writer besides Dionysius himself
thus to preserve a pure taste in those branches of makes any mention of them. The work nepi épuna
literature. The work originally consisted of six velas, which is extant under the name of Demetrius
sections, of which we now possess only the first Phalereus, is attributed by some to Dionysius of
three, on Lysias, Isocrates, and Iseus. The other | Halicarnassus; but there is no evidence for this
sections treated of Demosthenes, Hyperides, and hypothesis, any more than there is for ascribing
Aeschines; but we have only the first part of the to him the Blos 'Ouýpov which is printed in Gale's
fourth section, which treats of the ortorical power Opuscula Mulhologica.
of Demosthenes, and his superiority over other 6. Historical Works. - In this class of compositions,
orators. This part is known under the title trepi to which Dionysius appears to have devoted his later
LEKTIKŘS Annoo Oévous devótytos, which has be-years, he was less successful than in his critical and
come current ever since the time of Sylburg, though rhetorical essays, inasmuch as we everywhere find
it is not found in any MS. The beginning of the rhetorician gaining the ascendancy over the his-
the treatise is mutilated, and the concluding part torian. The following historical works of his are
of it is entirely wanting. Whether Dionysius known : 1. Xpóvoi or Xpovind. (Clem. Alex. Strom.
actually wrote on Hyperides and Aeschines, is not p. 320; Suid. s. r. Alovúolos ; Dionys. A. R. j. 74. )
known; for in thesc, as in other instances, he may This work, which is lost, probably contained chro-
have intended and promised to write what he could nological investigations, though not concerning
not afterwards fulfil either from want of leisure or Roman history. Photius (Bill. Cod. 84) mentions
inclination. There is a very excellent German an abridgment (oúvodıs) in five books, and Stepha-
translation of the part relating to Demosthenes, nus of Byzantium (s. vv. 'Apikera and Kopíalla)
with a valuable dissertation on Dionysius as an quotes the same under the name of thiTOMT. This
aesthetic critic, by A. G. Becker. (Wolfenbüttel abridgment, in all probability of the xpóvou, was
and Leipzig, 1829, 8vo. ) 5. A treatise addressed undoubtedly the work of a late grammarian, and
to Ammaeus, entitled 'ETIOTO) após 'Auuaior not, as some have thought, of Dionysius himself.
TØTT, which title, however, does not occur in The great historical work of Dionysius, of which
MSS. , and instead of purn it ought to be called we still possess a considerable portion, is
επιστολή δευτέρα. This treatise or epistle, in 2. Ρωμαϊκή Αρχαιολογία, which Photius (Bil.
which the author shews that most of the orations of Cod. 83) styles iotopixo abyou. It consisted of
Deniosthenes had been delivered before Aristotle twenty books, and contained the history of Rome
wrote his Rhetoric, and that consequently Demos- from the earliest or mythical times down to the
thenes had derived no instruction from Aristotle, is year B. C. 264, in which the history of Polybius
of great importance for the history and criticism of begins with the Punic wars. The first nine books
the works of Demosthenes. 6. 'ETIOTOAT) tpos alone are complete ; of the tenth and eleventh we
Tvaiov Mourniov, was written by Dionysius with have only the greater part; and of the remaining
a view to justify the unfavourable opinion which nine we possess nothing but fragments and extracts,
he had expressed upon Plato, and which Pompeius | which were contained in the collections made at the
had censured. The latter part of this treatise is command of the emperor Constantine Porphyroge-
much mutilated, and did not perhaps originally nitus, and were first published by A. Mai from a
belong to it. See Vitus Loers, de Dionys. Hal. MS. in the library of Milan (1816, 4to. ), and re-
judicio de Platonis oratione et genere dicendi, Treves, printed at Frankfurt, 1817, 8vo. Mai at first be-
1840, 4to. Περί του Θουκυδίδου χαρακτήρος | lieved that these extracts were the abridgment of
Kal Tv 2017w Toù ongypapéws id. wuátwv, was which Photius (Bibl. Cod. 84) speaks; but this
written by Dionysius at the request of his friend opinion met with such strong opposition from
Q. Aelius Tubero, for the purpose of explaining Ciampi (Biblioth. Ital. viii. p. 225, &c. ), Visconti
more minutely what he had written on Thucydides. (Journal des Savans, for June, 1817), and Struve
As Dionysius in this work looks at the great his- (Ueber die von Mai aufgefund Stücke des Dionys.
torian from his rhetorical point of view, his judg. von Halic. Königsberg, 1820, 8vo. ), that Mai,
ment is often unjust and incorrect. 8. Nepi Twv when be reprinted the extracts in his Script. V'et.
Toû Boukvõidov inwuátwv, is addressed to Am- Nova Collectio (ii. p. 475, &c. , ed. Rome, 1827),
The last three treatises are printed in a felt obliged in his preface (p. xvii. ) to recant his
very good edition by C. G. Krüger under the title former opinion, and to agree with his critics in ad-
Dionysii Historiographica, i. e. Epistolae ad Cn. mitting that the extracts were remnants of the ex-
Pomp. , Q. Ael. Tuber. et Ammaeum, Halle, 1823, tracts of Constantine Porphyrogenitus from the
8vo. The last of the writings of this class still 'Pwuainti 'Apxatología. Respecting their value, see
extant is—9. Aeivapxos, a very valuable treatise on Niebubr, list. of Rome, ii. p. 419, note 916, i.
the life and orations of Deinarchus. Besides these p. 524, note 934, Lectures on Rom. Hist. i. p. 47.
works Dionysius himself mentions some others, Dionysius treated the early history of Rome with
a few of wbich are lost, while others were perhaps a minuteness which raises a suspicion as to his
never written ; though at the time he mentioned judgment on historical and mythical matters,
them, Dionysius undoubtedly intended to compose and the eleven books extant do not carry the
them. Among the former we may mention xapartî- history beyond the year B. C. 441, so that the
pes twv apuoviớv (Dionys. de Compos. Verb. 11), of eleventh book breaks off very soon after the de-
which a few fragments are still extant, and Nipayua- cemviral legislation. This peculiar minuteness in
τεία υπέρ της πολιτικής φιλοσοφίας προς τους κα- the early history, however, was in a great mea-
Tatpé xovras avtñs aðlaws. (Dionys. Jud. de Thucyd. sure the consequence of the object he had pro-
2. ) A few other works, such as “on the orations posed to himself, and which, as he himself states,
uninstly attributed to Lysias” (Lys. 14),
on the
was to remove the erroneous notions which thin
tropicai expressions in Plato and Demosthenes" | Greeks entertained with regard to Rome's great-
maeus.
a
66
3 x
## p. 1042 (#1062) ##########################################
1042
DIONYSIUS.
DIONYSIUS.
Dess, and to shew that Rome had not become great 26. Of Heliopolis in Egypt, is mentioned by
by accident or mere good fortune, bat by the vir- Artemidorus (Oneir. ii. 71) as the author of a
tue and wisdon of the Romans themselves. With work on dreams.
this object in view, he discusses most carefully 27. Of HERACLEIA, a son of Theophantus. In
everything relating to the constitution, the religion, early life he was a disciple of Heracleides, Alexinus,
the history, laws, and private life of the Romans; and Menedemus, and afterwards also of Zeno the
and his work is for this reason one of the greatest Stoic, who appears to have induced him to adopt
importance to the student of Roman history, at the philosophy of the porch. At a later time he
least so far as the substance of his discussions is was afflicted with a disease of the eyes, or with a
concerned. But the manner in which he dealt nervous complaint, and the unbearable pains which
with his materials cannot always be approved of: it caused him led him to abandon the Stoic philo-
he is unable to draw a clear distinction between a sophy, and to join the Eleatics, whose doctrine,
mere mrthus and history; and where he perceives that down and the absence of pain was the highest
inconsistencies in the former, he attempts, by a good, had more charms for him than the austere
rationalistic mode of proceeding, to reduce it to ethics of the Ston. This renunciation of his former
what appears to him sober history. It is however philosophical creed drew upon him the nickname of
a groundless assertion, which some critics haveuetaeuevos, i. c. the renegade. During the time
made, that Dionysius invented facts, and thus that he was a Stoic, he is praised for his modesty,
introduced direct forgeries into history. He had, abstinence, and moderation, but afterwards we find
moreover, no clear notions about the early consti- him described as a person greatly given to sensual
tution of Rome, and was led astray by the nature pleasures. He died in his eightieth year of volun-
of the institutions which he saw in his own day; tary starvation. Diogenes Laërtius mentions a
and he thus transferred to the early times the no- series of works of Dionysius, all of which, how-
tions which he had derived from the actual state ever, are lost, and Cicero censures him for having
of things—a process by which he became involved mixed up verses with his prose, and for his want
in inextricable difficulties and contradictions.
The of elegance and refinement. (Diog. Laërt. rii.
numerous speeches which he introduces in his 166, 167, v. 92; Athen. vii. p. 281, X. p. 437;
work are indeed written with great artistic skill, Lucian, Bis Accus. 20; Censorin. 15; Cic. Acad.
but they nevertheless shew too manifestly that ii. 22, de Fin. v. 31, Tuscul. ii. 11, 35, iii. 9. )
Dionysius was a rhetorician, not an historian, 28. A disciple of HERACLEITUS, is mentioned
and still less a statesman. He used all the by Diogenes Laërtius (ix. 15) as the author of a
authors who had written before him on the early commentary on the works of his master.
history of Rome, but he did not always exercise a 29. An HISTORIAN, who seems to have lived in
proper discretion in choosing his guides, and we the later period of the Roman empire, and is
often find him following authorities of an inferior quoted by Jornandes. (De Reb. Get. 19. )
class in preference to better and sounder ones. 30. Surnamed IAMBUS, that is, the iambic poet,
Notwithstanding all this, however, Dionysius con- is mentioned by Suidas (s. v. 'Apiotopávns) among
tains an inexhaustible treasure of materials for the teachers of Aristophanes of Byzantium, from
those who know how to make use of them. The which we may infer the time at which he lived.
style of Dionysius is very good, and, with a few Clemens Alexandrinus (Strom. v. p. 674) quotes
exceptions, his language may be called perfectly an hexameter verse of his, and according to Athe
pure. See Ph. F. Schulin, de Dionys. Hal. Histo- naeus (vii. p. 284), he also wrote a work on
rico, praecipuo Historiae Juris Fonte, Heidelberg, dialects. Plutarch (de Mus. 15) quotes him as an
1821, 4to. ; An Inquiry into the Credit due to Dio authority on harmony, from which it has been in-
nys. of Hal. as a Critic and Historian, in the Class. ferred that he is the author of a work on the
Journ. vol. xxxiv. ; Krüger, Praefat. ad Historiogr. history of music, of which Stephanus of Byzantium
p. xii. ; Niebuhr, Lectures on the Hist. of Rome, i. (s. 1. 'Topela) quotes the 23rd book.
pp. 46–53, ed. Schmitz.
31. Of MAGNESIA, a distinguished rhetorician,
The first work of Dionysius which appeared in who taught his art in Asia between the years B. C.
print was bis Archaeologia, in a Latin translation 79 and 77, at the time when Cicero, then in his
by Lapus Biragus (Treviso, 1480), from a very 29th year, visited the east. Cicero on his excur-
good Roman MS. New editions of this transla- sions in Asia was accompanied by Dionysius,
tion, with corrections by Glareanus, appeared at Aeschylus of Cnidus, and Xenocles of Adramyt-
Basel. 1532 and 1549; whereupon R. Stephens tium, who were then the most eminent rhetoricians
first edited the Greek original, Paris, 1546, fol. , in Asia. (Cic. Brut. 91 ; Plut. Cic. 4. )
together with some of the rhetorical works. The 32. Of MILETUS, one of the earliest Greek his-
first complete edition of the Archaeologia and the torians, and according to Suidas (s. v. “Exataios),
rhetorical works together, is that of Fr. Sylburg, a contemporary of Hecataeus, that is, he lived
Frankfurt, 1586, 2 vols. fol. (reprinted at Leipzig, about B. c. 520; he must, however, to judge from
1691, 2 vols. fol. ) Another reprint, with the intro- the titles of his works, have survived B. C. 485,
duction of a few alterations, was edited by Hudson, the year in which Dareius died. Dionysius of
(Oxford, 1704, 2 vols. fol. ) which however is a very Miletus wrote a history of Darcius Hystaspis in
inferior performance. A new and much improved five books. Suidas further attributes to him a
edition, though with many bad and arbitrary emen- work entitled td ueta Aapelov in five hooks, and
dations, was made by J. J. Reiske, (Leipzig, 1774, also a work nepoika, in the Ionic dialect. Whether
&c. ) in 6 vols. 8vo. , the last of which was edited they were actually three distinct works, or whether
by Morus. All the rhetorical works, with the excep the two last were the same, and only a continua-
tion of the texvn ØnTopikn) and the trepi ouvdérewstion of the first, cannot be ascertained on account
óvodátwv, were edited by E. Gros, (Paris, 1826, of the inextricable confusion which prevails in the
&c. ) in 3 vols. 8vo. (Fabric. Bill. Graec. iv. p. 382, articles Alovúgios of Suidas, in consequence of
&c. ; Westermann, (iesch. d. (iricch. Bereilts. $ 88. ) which our Dionysius has often been confomed with
>
## p. 1043 (#1063) ##########################################
DIONYSIUS.
1043
DIONYSIUS.
on the
reasons.
Dionysins of Mytilene. Suidas ascribes to the Mile | Pindar, and was probally a grammarian who wrote
sian, “ Troica," in three books, “Mythica," an “Ilison Pindar. The anonymous author of the lite of
torical Cycle,” in seven books, and a “ Periegesis Nicander speaks of two works of his, viz.
of the whole world,” all of which, however, pro- | Poetry of Antimachus," and " on Poets. " (Schol.
bably belong to different authors. (Nitzsch, llist. ar Pind. Nem. xi. p. 787, ed. Heyne; ad Pyth.
Homeri, i. p. 38; Bernhardy, in his edition of i. 1. )
Dionys. Perieg. p. 498, &c. , and ad Suiram, i. 38. Surnamed PERIEGETES, from his being the
p. 1395; Lobeck, Aglaoph. ii. p. 990,&c. ; Welcker, author of a tepinynors tñs gñs, in hexaneter
Der Epische Cyclus, p. 75, &c. )
verse, which is still extant. Respecting the age
33. Of MILETUS, a sophist of the time of the and country of this Dionysius the most different
emperor Hadrian. He was a pupil of Isaeus the opinions have been entertained, though all critics
Assyrian, and distinguished for the elegance of are agreed in placing him after the Christian era,
his orations. He was greatly honoured by the or in the time of the Roman emperors, as must
cities of Asia, and more especially by the empe indeed be necessarily inferred from passages of
ror Hadrian, who made him praefect of a con- the Periegesis itself, such as v. 355, where the
siderable province, raised him to the rank of a author speaks of his švaktes, that is, his sovereigns,
Roman eques, and assigned to him a place in the which can only apply to the emperors. But the
museum of Alexandria. Notwithstanding these question as to which emperor or emperors Diony.
distinctions, Dionysius remained a modest and un- sius there alludes, has been answered in the most
assuming person. At one time of his life he different ways: some writers have placed Diony-
taught rhetoric at Lesbos, but he died at Ephesus sius in the reign of Augustus, others in that of
at an advanced age, and was buried in the market. Nero, and others again under M. Aurelius aud
place of Ephesus, where a monument was erected L. Verus, or under Septimius Sererus and his sons.
to him. Philostratus has preserved a few speci- Eustathius, his commentator, was himself in doubt
mens of his oratory. (rit. Soph. i. 20. § 2, about the age of his author. But these uncertain-
C. 22 ; Dion Cass. lxix. 3; Eudoc. p. 130; Suidas. ) ties have been removed by Bernhardy, the last
34. Of MyTILENE, was surnamed Scytobra- editor of Dionysius, who has made it highly pro-
chion, and seems to have lived shortly before the bable, partly from the names of countries and na-
time of Cicero, if we may believe the report that tions mentioned in the Periegesis, partly from the
he instructed M. Antonius Gnipho at Alexandria mention of the Huns in v. 730, and partly from
(Suet. de Illustr. Gram. 7), for Suetonius expresses the general character of the poem, that its author
a doubt as to its correctness for chronological must have lived either in the latter part of the
Artemon (ap. Athen. xii. p. 415) states, third, or in the beginning of the fourth, century of
that Dionysius Scytobrachion was the author of our era. With regard to his native country, Sui-
the historical work which was commonly attri- das infers from the enthusiastic manner in which
buted to the ancient historian Xanthus of Lydia, Dionysius speaks of the river Rhebas (793, &c. ),
who lived about B. C. 480. From this it has been that he was born at Byzantium, or somewhere in
inferred, that onr Dionysius must have lived at a its neighbourhood; but Eustathius (ad v. 7) and
much earlier time. But if we conceive that Dio the Scholiast (ad v. 8) expressly call him an Afri-
nysius may have made a revision of the work of can, and these authorities certainly seem to deserve
Xanthus, it does not follow that he must needs more credit than the mere inference of Suidas.
have lived very near the age of Xanthus.
10. ) There he lived on terms of friendship with Ontopenh is edited separately with rery valuable
many distinguished men, such as Q. Aelius Tu- prolegomena and notes by H. A. Schott, Leipzig,
bero, and the rhetorician Caecilius; and it is not 1804, 8vo. 2. Tepl oudéoews óvouátwv, ad-
improbable that he may have received the Roman dressed to Rufus Melitius, the son of a friend of
franchise, but his Roman name is not mentioned Dionysius, was probably written in the first year
anywhere. Respecting the little we know about or years of his residence at Rome, and at all events
Dionysius, see F. Matthäi, de Dionysio Halic. , previous to any of the other works still extant. It
Wittenberg, 1779, 4to. ; Dodwell, de Actate Dionys. is, however, notwithstanding this, one of high ex-
Vin Reiske's edition of Dionysius, vol. i. p. xlvi. &c. ; cellence. In it the author treats of oratorical
p
power,
and more especially C. J. Weismann, de Dionysii and on the combination of words according to
Halic. Vita et Script. , Rinteln, 1837, 4to. , and the different species and styles of oratory. There
Busse, de Dionys. Hal. Vita et Ingenio, Berlin, are two very good separate editions of this treatise,
1841, 4to.
one by G. H. Schaefer (Leipzig, 1809, 8vo), and
All the works of Dionysius, some of which are the other by F. Göller (Jena, 1815, 8vo), in which
completely lost, must be divided into two classes: the text is considerably improved from MSS.
the first contains his rhetorical and critical treatises, 3. ſlepi uluñoews, addressed to a Greek of the
all of which probably belong to an earlier period of name of Demetrius. Its proper title appears to
his life-perhaps to the first years of his residence | have been υπομνηματισμοί περί της μιμήσεως.
at Rome-than his historical works, which consti- (Dionys. Jud. de Thucyd. 1, Epist. ud Pomp. 3. )
tute the second class.
The work as a whole is lost, and what we possess
a. Rhetorical and Critical Works. — All the pro- under the title of tûv ápxalwv kpious is probably
ductions of this class shew that Dionysius was not nothing but a sort of epitome containing charac-
only a rhetorician of the first order, but also a most teristics of poets, from Homer down to Euripides,
excellent critic in the highest and best sense of the of some historians, such as Herodotus, Thucy-
term. They abound in the most exquisite remarks dides, Philistus, Xenophon, and Theoponipus,
and criticisms on the works of the classical writers and lastly, of some philosophers and orators. This
of Greece, although, at the same time, they are not epitome is printed separately in Frotscher's edi-
without their faults, among which we may notice tion of the tenth book of Quintilian (Leipzig,
his hypercritical severity. But we have to remem- 1826, p. 271, &c. ), who mainly follows the
ber that they were the productions of an early age, opinions of Dionysius. 4. Tepl twv åpxalwv Antó-
in which the want of a sound philosophy and of a pwv únouvnuatio uoi, addressed to Ammaeus, con-
comprehensive knowledge, and a partiality for ortains criticisms on the most eminent Greek orators
## p. 1041 (#1061) ##########################################
DIONYSIUS.
1041
DIONYSIUS.
.
i.
and historians, and the author points out their ex- (Dτη. 32), and περί της εκλογής των ονομάτων
cellences as well as their defects, with a view to (nic Comp. Perte 1), were probably never written,
promote a wise imitation of the classic models, and as no ancient writer besides Dionysius himself
thus to preserve a pure taste in those branches of makes any mention of them. The work nepi épuna
literature. The work originally consisted of six velas, which is extant under the name of Demetrius
sections, of which we now possess only the first Phalereus, is attributed by some to Dionysius of
three, on Lysias, Isocrates, and Iseus. The other | Halicarnassus; but there is no evidence for this
sections treated of Demosthenes, Hyperides, and hypothesis, any more than there is for ascribing
Aeschines; but we have only the first part of the to him the Blos 'Ouýpov which is printed in Gale's
fourth section, which treats of the ortorical power Opuscula Mulhologica.
of Demosthenes, and his superiority over other 6. Historical Works. - In this class of compositions,
orators. This part is known under the title trepi to which Dionysius appears to have devoted his later
LEKTIKŘS Annoo Oévous devótytos, which has be-years, he was less successful than in his critical and
come current ever since the time of Sylburg, though rhetorical essays, inasmuch as we everywhere find
it is not found in any MS. The beginning of the rhetorician gaining the ascendancy over the his-
the treatise is mutilated, and the concluding part torian. The following historical works of his are
of it is entirely wanting. Whether Dionysius known : 1. Xpóvoi or Xpovind. (Clem. Alex. Strom.
actually wrote on Hyperides and Aeschines, is not p. 320; Suid. s. r. Alovúolos ; Dionys. A. R. j. 74. )
known; for in thesc, as in other instances, he may This work, which is lost, probably contained chro-
have intended and promised to write what he could nological investigations, though not concerning
not afterwards fulfil either from want of leisure or Roman history. Photius (Bill. Cod. 84) mentions
inclination. There is a very excellent German an abridgment (oúvodıs) in five books, and Stepha-
translation of the part relating to Demosthenes, nus of Byzantium (s. vv. 'Apikera and Kopíalla)
with a valuable dissertation on Dionysius as an quotes the same under the name of thiTOMT. This
aesthetic critic, by A. G. Becker. (Wolfenbüttel abridgment, in all probability of the xpóvou, was
and Leipzig, 1829, 8vo. ) 5. A treatise addressed undoubtedly the work of a late grammarian, and
to Ammaeus, entitled 'ETIOTO) após 'Auuaior not, as some have thought, of Dionysius himself.
TØTT, which title, however, does not occur in The great historical work of Dionysius, of which
MSS. , and instead of purn it ought to be called we still possess a considerable portion, is
επιστολή δευτέρα. This treatise or epistle, in 2. Ρωμαϊκή Αρχαιολογία, which Photius (Bil.
which the author shews that most of the orations of Cod. 83) styles iotopixo abyou. It consisted of
Deniosthenes had been delivered before Aristotle twenty books, and contained the history of Rome
wrote his Rhetoric, and that consequently Demos- from the earliest or mythical times down to the
thenes had derived no instruction from Aristotle, is year B. C. 264, in which the history of Polybius
of great importance for the history and criticism of begins with the Punic wars. The first nine books
the works of Demosthenes. 6. 'ETIOTOAT) tpos alone are complete ; of the tenth and eleventh we
Tvaiov Mourniov, was written by Dionysius with have only the greater part; and of the remaining
a view to justify the unfavourable opinion which nine we possess nothing but fragments and extracts,
he had expressed upon Plato, and which Pompeius | which were contained in the collections made at the
had censured. The latter part of this treatise is command of the emperor Constantine Porphyroge-
much mutilated, and did not perhaps originally nitus, and were first published by A. Mai from a
belong to it. See Vitus Loers, de Dionys. Hal. MS. in the library of Milan (1816, 4to. ), and re-
judicio de Platonis oratione et genere dicendi, Treves, printed at Frankfurt, 1817, 8vo. Mai at first be-
1840, 4to. Περί του Θουκυδίδου χαρακτήρος | lieved that these extracts were the abridgment of
Kal Tv 2017w Toù ongypapéws id. wuátwv, was which Photius (Bibl. Cod. 84) speaks; but this
written by Dionysius at the request of his friend opinion met with such strong opposition from
Q. Aelius Tubero, for the purpose of explaining Ciampi (Biblioth. Ital. viii. p. 225, &c. ), Visconti
more minutely what he had written on Thucydides. (Journal des Savans, for June, 1817), and Struve
As Dionysius in this work looks at the great his- (Ueber die von Mai aufgefund Stücke des Dionys.
torian from his rhetorical point of view, his judg. von Halic. Königsberg, 1820, 8vo. ), that Mai,
ment is often unjust and incorrect. 8. Nepi Twv when be reprinted the extracts in his Script. V'et.
Toû Boukvõidov inwuátwv, is addressed to Am- Nova Collectio (ii. p. 475, &c. , ed. Rome, 1827),
The last three treatises are printed in a felt obliged in his preface (p. xvii. ) to recant his
very good edition by C. G. Krüger under the title former opinion, and to agree with his critics in ad-
Dionysii Historiographica, i. e. Epistolae ad Cn. mitting that the extracts were remnants of the ex-
Pomp. , Q. Ael. Tuber. et Ammaeum, Halle, 1823, tracts of Constantine Porphyrogenitus from the
8vo. The last of the writings of this class still 'Pwuainti 'Apxatología. Respecting their value, see
extant is—9. Aeivapxos, a very valuable treatise on Niebubr, list. of Rome, ii. p. 419, note 916, i.
the life and orations of Deinarchus. Besides these p. 524, note 934, Lectures on Rom. Hist. i. p. 47.
works Dionysius himself mentions some others, Dionysius treated the early history of Rome with
a few of wbich are lost, while others were perhaps a minuteness which raises a suspicion as to his
never written ; though at the time he mentioned judgment on historical and mythical matters,
them, Dionysius undoubtedly intended to compose and the eleven books extant do not carry the
them. Among the former we may mention xapartî- history beyond the year B. C. 441, so that the
pes twv apuoviớv (Dionys. de Compos. Verb. 11), of eleventh book breaks off very soon after the de-
which a few fragments are still extant, and Nipayua- cemviral legislation. This peculiar minuteness in
τεία υπέρ της πολιτικής φιλοσοφίας προς τους κα- the early history, however, was in a great mea-
Tatpé xovras avtñs aðlaws. (Dionys. Jud. de Thucyd. sure the consequence of the object he had pro-
2. ) A few other works, such as “on the orations posed to himself, and which, as he himself states,
uninstly attributed to Lysias” (Lys. 14),
on the
was to remove the erroneous notions which thin
tropicai expressions in Plato and Demosthenes" | Greeks entertained with regard to Rome's great-
maeus.
a
66
3 x
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1042
DIONYSIUS.
DIONYSIUS.
Dess, and to shew that Rome had not become great 26. Of Heliopolis in Egypt, is mentioned by
by accident or mere good fortune, bat by the vir- Artemidorus (Oneir. ii. 71) as the author of a
tue and wisdon of the Romans themselves. With work on dreams.
this object in view, he discusses most carefully 27. Of HERACLEIA, a son of Theophantus. In
everything relating to the constitution, the religion, early life he was a disciple of Heracleides, Alexinus,
the history, laws, and private life of the Romans; and Menedemus, and afterwards also of Zeno the
and his work is for this reason one of the greatest Stoic, who appears to have induced him to adopt
importance to the student of Roman history, at the philosophy of the porch. At a later time he
least so far as the substance of his discussions is was afflicted with a disease of the eyes, or with a
concerned. But the manner in which he dealt nervous complaint, and the unbearable pains which
with his materials cannot always be approved of: it caused him led him to abandon the Stoic philo-
he is unable to draw a clear distinction between a sophy, and to join the Eleatics, whose doctrine,
mere mrthus and history; and where he perceives that down and the absence of pain was the highest
inconsistencies in the former, he attempts, by a good, had more charms for him than the austere
rationalistic mode of proceeding, to reduce it to ethics of the Ston. This renunciation of his former
what appears to him sober history. It is however philosophical creed drew upon him the nickname of
a groundless assertion, which some critics haveuetaeuevos, i. c. the renegade. During the time
made, that Dionysius invented facts, and thus that he was a Stoic, he is praised for his modesty,
introduced direct forgeries into history. He had, abstinence, and moderation, but afterwards we find
moreover, no clear notions about the early consti- him described as a person greatly given to sensual
tution of Rome, and was led astray by the nature pleasures. He died in his eightieth year of volun-
of the institutions which he saw in his own day; tary starvation. Diogenes Laërtius mentions a
and he thus transferred to the early times the no- series of works of Dionysius, all of which, how-
tions which he had derived from the actual state ever, are lost, and Cicero censures him for having
of things—a process by which he became involved mixed up verses with his prose, and for his want
in inextricable difficulties and contradictions.
The of elegance and refinement. (Diog. Laërt. rii.
numerous speeches which he introduces in his 166, 167, v. 92; Athen. vii. p. 281, X. p. 437;
work are indeed written with great artistic skill, Lucian, Bis Accus. 20; Censorin. 15; Cic. Acad.
but they nevertheless shew too manifestly that ii. 22, de Fin. v. 31, Tuscul. ii. 11, 35, iii. 9. )
Dionysius was a rhetorician, not an historian, 28. A disciple of HERACLEITUS, is mentioned
and still less a statesman. He used all the by Diogenes Laërtius (ix. 15) as the author of a
authors who had written before him on the early commentary on the works of his master.
history of Rome, but he did not always exercise a 29. An HISTORIAN, who seems to have lived in
proper discretion in choosing his guides, and we the later period of the Roman empire, and is
often find him following authorities of an inferior quoted by Jornandes. (De Reb. Get. 19. )
class in preference to better and sounder ones. 30. Surnamed IAMBUS, that is, the iambic poet,
Notwithstanding all this, however, Dionysius con- is mentioned by Suidas (s. v. 'Apiotopávns) among
tains an inexhaustible treasure of materials for the teachers of Aristophanes of Byzantium, from
those who know how to make use of them. The which we may infer the time at which he lived.
style of Dionysius is very good, and, with a few Clemens Alexandrinus (Strom. v. p. 674) quotes
exceptions, his language may be called perfectly an hexameter verse of his, and according to Athe
pure. See Ph. F. Schulin, de Dionys. Hal. Histo- naeus (vii. p. 284), he also wrote a work on
rico, praecipuo Historiae Juris Fonte, Heidelberg, dialects. Plutarch (de Mus. 15) quotes him as an
1821, 4to. ; An Inquiry into the Credit due to Dio authority on harmony, from which it has been in-
nys. of Hal. as a Critic and Historian, in the Class. ferred that he is the author of a work on the
Journ. vol. xxxiv. ; Krüger, Praefat. ad Historiogr. history of music, of which Stephanus of Byzantium
p. xii. ; Niebuhr, Lectures on the Hist. of Rome, i. (s. 1. 'Topela) quotes the 23rd book.
pp. 46–53, ed. Schmitz.
31. Of MAGNESIA, a distinguished rhetorician,
The first work of Dionysius which appeared in who taught his art in Asia between the years B. C.
print was bis Archaeologia, in a Latin translation 79 and 77, at the time when Cicero, then in his
by Lapus Biragus (Treviso, 1480), from a very 29th year, visited the east. Cicero on his excur-
good Roman MS. New editions of this transla- sions in Asia was accompanied by Dionysius,
tion, with corrections by Glareanus, appeared at Aeschylus of Cnidus, and Xenocles of Adramyt-
Basel. 1532 and 1549; whereupon R. Stephens tium, who were then the most eminent rhetoricians
first edited the Greek original, Paris, 1546, fol. , in Asia. (Cic. Brut. 91 ; Plut. Cic. 4. )
together with some of the rhetorical works. The 32. Of MILETUS, one of the earliest Greek his-
first complete edition of the Archaeologia and the torians, and according to Suidas (s. v. “Exataios),
rhetorical works together, is that of Fr. Sylburg, a contemporary of Hecataeus, that is, he lived
Frankfurt, 1586, 2 vols. fol. (reprinted at Leipzig, about B. c. 520; he must, however, to judge from
1691, 2 vols. fol. ) Another reprint, with the intro- the titles of his works, have survived B. C. 485,
duction of a few alterations, was edited by Hudson, the year in which Dareius died. Dionysius of
(Oxford, 1704, 2 vols. fol. ) which however is a very Miletus wrote a history of Darcius Hystaspis in
inferior performance. A new and much improved five books. Suidas further attributes to him a
edition, though with many bad and arbitrary emen- work entitled td ueta Aapelov in five hooks, and
dations, was made by J. J. Reiske, (Leipzig, 1774, also a work nepoika, in the Ionic dialect. Whether
&c. ) in 6 vols. 8vo. , the last of which was edited they were actually three distinct works, or whether
by Morus. All the rhetorical works, with the excep the two last were the same, and only a continua-
tion of the texvn ØnTopikn) and the trepi ouvdérewstion of the first, cannot be ascertained on account
óvodátwv, were edited by E. Gros, (Paris, 1826, of the inextricable confusion which prevails in the
&c. ) in 3 vols. 8vo. (Fabric. Bill. Graec. iv. p. 382, articles Alovúgios of Suidas, in consequence of
&c. ; Westermann, (iesch. d. (iricch. Bereilts. $ 88. ) which our Dionysius has often been confomed with
>
## p. 1043 (#1063) ##########################################
DIONYSIUS.
1043
DIONYSIUS.
on the
reasons.
Dionysins of Mytilene. Suidas ascribes to the Mile | Pindar, and was probally a grammarian who wrote
sian, “ Troica," in three books, “Mythica," an “Ilison Pindar. The anonymous author of the lite of
torical Cycle,” in seven books, and a “ Periegesis Nicander speaks of two works of his, viz.
of the whole world,” all of which, however, pro- | Poetry of Antimachus," and " on Poets. " (Schol.
bably belong to different authors. (Nitzsch, llist. ar Pind. Nem. xi. p. 787, ed. Heyne; ad Pyth.
Homeri, i. p. 38; Bernhardy, in his edition of i. 1. )
Dionys. Perieg. p. 498, &c. , and ad Suiram, i. 38. Surnamed PERIEGETES, from his being the
p. 1395; Lobeck, Aglaoph. ii. p. 990,&c. ; Welcker, author of a tepinynors tñs gñs, in hexaneter
Der Epische Cyclus, p. 75, &c. )
verse, which is still extant. Respecting the age
33. Of MILETUS, a sophist of the time of the and country of this Dionysius the most different
emperor Hadrian. He was a pupil of Isaeus the opinions have been entertained, though all critics
Assyrian, and distinguished for the elegance of are agreed in placing him after the Christian era,
his orations. He was greatly honoured by the or in the time of the Roman emperors, as must
cities of Asia, and more especially by the empe indeed be necessarily inferred from passages of
ror Hadrian, who made him praefect of a con- the Periegesis itself, such as v. 355, where the
siderable province, raised him to the rank of a author speaks of his švaktes, that is, his sovereigns,
Roman eques, and assigned to him a place in the which can only apply to the emperors. But the
museum of Alexandria. Notwithstanding these question as to which emperor or emperors Diony.
distinctions, Dionysius remained a modest and un- sius there alludes, has been answered in the most
assuming person. At one time of his life he different ways: some writers have placed Diony-
taught rhetoric at Lesbos, but he died at Ephesus sius in the reign of Augustus, others in that of
at an advanced age, and was buried in the market. Nero, and others again under M. Aurelius aud
place of Ephesus, where a monument was erected L. Verus, or under Septimius Sererus and his sons.
to him. Philostratus has preserved a few speci- Eustathius, his commentator, was himself in doubt
mens of his oratory. (rit. Soph. i. 20. § 2, about the age of his author. But these uncertain-
C. 22 ; Dion Cass. lxix. 3; Eudoc. p. 130; Suidas. ) ties have been removed by Bernhardy, the last
34. Of MyTILENE, was surnamed Scytobra- editor of Dionysius, who has made it highly pro-
chion, and seems to have lived shortly before the bable, partly from the names of countries and na-
time of Cicero, if we may believe the report that tions mentioned in the Periegesis, partly from the
he instructed M. Antonius Gnipho at Alexandria mention of the Huns in v. 730, and partly from
(Suet. de Illustr. Gram. 7), for Suetonius expresses the general character of the poem, that its author
a doubt as to its correctness for chronological must have lived either in the latter part of the
Artemon (ap. Athen. xii. p. 415) states, third, or in the beginning of the fourth, century of
that Dionysius Scytobrachion was the author of our era. With regard to his native country, Sui-
the historical work which was commonly attri- das infers from the enthusiastic manner in which
buted to the ancient historian Xanthus of Lydia, Dionysius speaks of the river Rhebas (793, &c. ),
who lived about B. C. 480. From this it has been that he was born at Byzantium, or somewhere in
inferred, that onr Dionysius must have lived at a its neighbourhood; but Eustathius (ad v. 7) and
much earlier time. But if we conceive that Dio the Scholiast (ad v. 8) expressly call him an Afri-
nysius may have made a revision of the work of can, and these authorities certainly seem to deserve
Xanthus, it does not follow that he must needs more credit than the mere inference of Suidas.
have lived very near the age of Xanthus.
