Xanthus thereupon
propose!
Charles - 1867 - Classical Dictionary
) As a republic, however, it re-
mained still subject to Athens. Strabo indeed af-
firms, that, till the reign of Codrus, Megaris had al-
ways been included within the limits of Attica; and
he thus accounts for Homer's making no special men-
tion of its inhabitants, from his comprehending them
with the Athenians under the general denomination of
Ionians. (Strab. , 392. ) In the reign of Codrus, Me-
gara was wrested from the Athenians by a Pelopon-
nesian force; and a colony having been established
there by the Corinthians and Messenians, it ceased to
be considered as of Ionian origin, but thenceforth be-
came a Dorian city, both in its language and political
institutions. The pillar, also, which marked the bound-
tries of Ionia and the Peloponnesus, was on that oc-
casion destroyed. (Strab , 39:? --Pausan. , 1, 39. --
The scholiast on Pindar (JVem. 7) informs us, that the
Corinthians, at this early period, considering Megara
as their colony, exercised a sort of jurisdiction over
the city. Not long after, however, Thcagenes, one of
Us citizens, usurped the sovereign power, by the same
method, apparently, which was afterward adopted by
Pisistratus at Athens. (Aristot. , Rhct , 1, 2. -- Id. ,
PolU. , 5, H--Tkueyd. , 1, 126. ) He was finally ex-
pelled by his countrymen; after which event a mod-
erate republican form of government was established,
though afterward it degenerated into a violent democ-
racy. (Plut. , Queue. Gr. , 18. ) This should probably
be considered as the period of Megara's greatest pros-
perity, since it then founded the cities of Selymbria,
Mescnibria, and Byzantium, on the shores of the Enx-
ine, and Megara Hybkea in Sicily. {Strabo, 319. ) It
was at this lim* also that its inhabitants were engaged
in war wi;H the Athenians for the possession of Sala-
mis, which after an obstinate contest, finally remained
in the hands of the latter. (Pausan. , 1, 40. --Strabo,
394) The Megareans fought at Artemisium with
twenty ships, and at Salamis with the same number.
(Herod. , 8, I, 45. ) They also gained some advantage
over the Persians under Mardonius, in an inroad which
he made into their territory (Pausan. , 1, 40); and,
lastly, they sent 3900 soldiers to Plates, who deserved
well of their country in the memorable battle fought
in its plains. (Herod. , 9, 21. --Ptui. , de defect. Orac. ,
p. 186. ) After the Persian war, wc find Megara en-
faged in hostilities with Corinth, and renouncing the
'eloponnesian confederacy to ally itself with Athene.
(Tkueyd, 1, 103. --Duxi. Sic. , 2, 60. ) This state of
things was not, however, of long duration; for the Co-
rinthians, after effecting a reconciliation with the oli-
garchical party in Megara, persuaded the inhabitants
to declare against the Athenians who garrisoned their
city. These were presently attacked and put to the
sword, with ihe exception of a Bmall number who es-
caped to Nisaja. (Tkueyd. , 1,114. ) The Athenians,
justly incensed at this treacherous conduct, renounced
all intercourse with the Megareans, and issued a decree
excluding them from their ports and markets; a meas-
cre which appears to have been severely fell by the
? ? latter, and was made a pretence for war on the part of
Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-26 09:12 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/uva. x001045523 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? MKi,
MEL
we Scironian Pass, which is the steep escarpment
of the mountains that terminate on the coast of the
Saronic Gulf, passed by Crommyon (Strabo, 391);
and along the side of the escarpment was the direct
mad front Corinth to Athens. This road was made
wide enough, by the Emperor Hadrian, for two ve-
sicles abreast (Pausan. , 1, 40, 10), but at present it
only admits a single vehicle, except in a few places
(Thiersch, De VEtat Acluel de la Greee, 2, p. 32);
yet the roi i, on the whole, is in good condition. The
other road, following the coast of the Corinthian Gulf,
crossed the Gerancan Mountains, which belong to the
Oneian range, and led to Pegae, on the Corinthian
Gulf, and tbence into Bceotia. --The extreme breadth
of Megaris, from Pegs to Nissea on the Corinthian
Gulf, is reckoned by Strabo at 120 stadia; and the
area of the country is calculated by Mr. Clinton, from
Arrowsmith's map, at 720 square miles. (Fast. Hell. ,
vol. 2, p. 385. ) Megaris is a rugged and mountain-
ous territory, and contains only one plain of small ex-
tent, in which the capital Megara was situated. The
rocks are chiefly, if not entirely, calcareous. The
country is very deficient in springs. (Encycl. Us.
Knoiri, vol. 15, p. 64. )
Megasthe. nks, a Greek historian and geographical
writer in the age of Seleucus Nicator, king of Syria,
about 300 years before Christ. He was sent by Se-
leucus to Palibothra in India, to renew and confirm a
previous treaty with Sandrocottus, monarch of the
Prasii. He remained there many years, and after his
return he wrote, under the title of Indica (IvitKa),
an account of whatever he had seen or heard during
his travel*. His work is lost; but Strabo, Arrian,
and -Elian have preserved some fragments of it. He
was the first who made the western nations acquaint-
ed with the countries beyond the Ganges, and with
the manners of their inhabitants. Strabo has on sev-
eral occasions expressed an unfavourable opinion of
the trustworthiness of Megasthenes; but still it is
quite certain, that the work of the latter contained
much valuable information, which was then entirely
new to the Greeks. Megasthenes gave the first ac-
count of Taprobane or Ceylon. (Schbll, Hist. Lit.
Gr. . vol. 3, p. 333. )
Mel*. Pomponius, a geographical writer, the first
Latin author of a general work on this subject, and
who floL-rished during the reign of the Emperor Clau-
dius. He was bom in Spain, of an illustrious Roman
family, the Pornponii, who pretended to trace up their
lineage to Numa. Some critics have thought that
Mela only belonged to this family by adoption, and
that he was that third son of the rhetorician Marcus
Seneca to whom this writer dedicated bis works;
while others are inclined to regard him as the grand-
son of Seneca the philosopher. (Consult Tzschucke,
Diss, de Pomp. Mel. , c. 1. ) In either of these cases,
however, the word Annsus would most probably have
been added to his name. --There is reason to believe
that his true name was not Mela, but Molla. (Com-
pare Voss. , de Hist. Lat. , 1, 25. -- Fabricius, Bihl.
Lot. , 2, 8, p. 75, seqq. --Saxe, Onomast. , 1, p. 243. --
Tzschucke, Diss, de Pomp. Mel. ) - Pomponius Mela
names his native city in one passage of his work (2,
6), but the text unfortunately is so corrupt, that it is
uncertain whether we ought to read Tingentera, Mel-
? aria, Tarlessus, or Tingisbera. He lived, as has
been already remarked, under the Emperor Claudius,
? ? for the passage (3, 6) in which he speaks of a triumph
Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-26 09:12 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/uva. x001045523 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? MEL
He awoke in some terror; and, to his astonishment,
found that lie understood the voices of the birds which
were flying around him; and, learning from their
tongues the future, he was enabled to declare it to
mankind. Meeting Apollo on the banks of the Al-
pheus, he was taught by him the art of reading futu-
rity in the entrails of victims, and he thus became an
excellent soothsayer. {Apollod. , 1, 9, 11. --Sehol. ad
Apill. Shod. , 1, 118) Meanwhile, his brother Bias
fell in love with Pcro. the daughter of Nelcus. As
th? hand of this beautiful maiden was sought by most
of the neighbouring princes, her father declared that
he would give her only to him. who 'hould bring him
from Thessaly tho cows of his mother Tyro, which
Iphii lus of Phylace detained, and which he guarded
by means of a dog whom neither man nor beast could
venture to approach. Bias, relying on the aid of his
bro'. her, undertook the adventure. Melampus, pre-
viously declaring that he knew he should be caught
and confined for a year, but then get the cattle, set
out for Phylace. Every thing fell out as he said. --
The herdsman of Iphiclus took him, and he was
thrown into prison, where he was attended by a man
and a woman. The man served him well, the woman
badly. Towards the end of the year he heard the
worms in the timber conversing with one another.
One asked how much of the beam was now gnawed
through; the others replied that there was little re-
maining. Melampus immediately desired to be re-
moved to some other place; the man took up the bed
? t the head, the woman at the foot, Melampus himself
at the middle. They had not got quite out of the
house, when the roof fell in and killed the woman.
This coming to the ears of Iphiclus, he inquired, and
learned that Melampus was a soothsayer or Mantis.
He therefore, being childless, consulted him about
(laving offspring. Melampus agreed to tell him on
condition of his giving him the cows. The seer, on
fphiclus assenting to his terms, then sacrificed an ox
to Jupiter, and, having divided it, called all the birds
to the feast. All came but the vulture; but no one
if them was able to tell how Iphiclus might have chil-
dren. They therefore brought the vulture, who gave
the requisite information. Iphiclus became the father
of a >>on named Podarces; and Melampus drove the
kine to Pylos, whereupon Pero was given to his
brother. (CW. ,11,287. --Schol. , ad loc. --Od. , 15,225.
--Apollod. , 1, 9, 11. --Schol. ad Theocr. , 3, 43. }--
Melampus was also famous for the cure of the daugh-
ters of Prcetus, who were afflicted with insanity. For
an account of this legend, consult the article Provi-
des. (Keightley's Mythology, p. 436, sea )--II. A
writer on divination, who lived in the time of Ptolemy
Philadelphus. He was the author of a treatise en-
tilled MavTtKr/ irtpi iratyuv, "Divination from vi-
brations of the muscles," and of another styled nfpt
IXaiuv tov au/iaroc, "Art of divining from marks on
the body. " We have only fragments remaining of
these two works. The library at Vienna contains
another work of this aame writer's, in manuscript, on
the Art of predicting from the phases of the moon.
The fragments of Melampus were edited by Pcrusius,
at the end of his ^Elian, Roma, 1545, 4lo, and subse-
quently by Sylburgius, who, in his edition of Aristotle,
reunited them to the physiognomical works of that
philosopher. They are lo be found also in the Scrip-
tores l'hysiognomia Veteres of Franz, Altcnb. , 1780,
Svo.
? ? Mixampyges, an epithet applied to Hercules in the
Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-26 09:12 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/uva. x001045523 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? MEl
MELEAGER.
rte cir -. umstance that Aratus, no mean judge of works
ill lit, collected from every quarter the productions of
Meranthius along with those of Pamphilus, and made
i present of them to Ptolemy III. , king of Egypt.
(Phtl. , Vit. Arat. , c. SI. ) He left a treatise on Paint-
ing, a fragment of which has been preserved by Dio-
genes Laertius (4, 18), and of which Pliny availed
hhnself in writing the 30th book of his Natural His-
lory. (Sillig, Diet Art. , *. o )
Mklanthus, a son of Andropompus, whose ances-
tors were kings of Pylos, in Messenia. Having been
driven by the Heraclidse from his paternal kingdom,
be came to Athens, where Thymoetes, monarch of
Attica, gave him a friendly reception. Some time
after this, the Boeotians, under Xanthus, having invaded
Attica, Thymoetes marched forth to meet them.
Xanthus thereupon propose! to decide the issue of
the war by single combat, but Thymoetes shrank from
the risk, whereupon Mclanthus came forward and ac-
cepted the challenge. By a stratagem, famous in af-
ter ages, he diverted the attention of his adversary,
and slew him as he turned to look at the ally whom
Melanthus affected to see behind him. The victor
was rewarded with the kingdom, which Thymoetes
had forfeited by his pusillanimity, and which now pass-
ed for ever from the house of Erechtheus. Melanthus
transmitted the crown to his son Codrus. (Pausan ,
t, 18. --Thirlwair$ Greece, vol. 1, p. 274 )
Mki. as (gen. -a), I. a deep gulf formed by the
Thracian coast on the northwest, and the shore of the
Chersonese on the southeast; its appellation in mod-
em geography is the Gulf of Saros. --II. A river of
Thrace, now the Cavalcha, emptying into the Sinus
Melas at its northeastern extremity. (Herod. , 7, 58. --
in? . , 38, 40-- Plin. , 4, 11. )--HI. A river of Thes-
? sly. in the vicinity of the town of Trachis. (Herod. ,
7, 199--Lie. , 37, 84. )--IV. A small river of Bceolia,
near Urchotnenus, emptying into the Lake Copa'is.
IPausan. , 9, 38. ) Plutarch says that it rose close
to the city, and very soon became navigable, but
that part of it was lost in the marshes, while the re-
mainder joined the Cephissus. (Vit. Syll. --Strab. ,
416. ) Pliny remarks of its waters, that they had
Ibu property of dying the fleeces of sheep black (2,
10:)) In the marshes formed near the junction of
tl. is river with the Cephissus grew the reeds so much
esteemed by the ancient Greeks for making pipes and
'ather wind-instruments. (Pindar, Pyth. , 12, 42. --
Cramer's Arte. Greece, vol. 2, p. 249. )--V. A river
of Cappadocia, rising near Caesarea ad Argssum, and
falling into the Euphrates near the city of Mclilene.
SchilTinger (Rcite. , p. 68) calls it the Gensin; but on
D'Anville's map it bears in the beginning of its course
:he name of Koremox, and near its mouth that of
Kirkghedid. (Mannert, Geogr. , vol. 6, pt. 2, p. 296. )
--VI. A river of Pamphvlia, rising in the range of
Mount Taurus, to the west of Homonada, and running
into the sea between Side and Coracesium. (Strabo,
867. ) It formed originally the boundary between
Patnphylia and Cilicia. (Plin , 5, 27. ) According to
Leake, there can be no doubt that the Melas is the
river now called Menavgat su, for Zosimus (5, 16)
and Mela (1, 14) agree in showing its proximity to
Side. Strabo, Mela, and the Stadiasmus, all place it
to the eastward of Side, a. id the distance of SO stadia
in the Stadiasmus between the Melas and Side is pre-
cisely that which occurs between the ruins of Side
? ? and the month oi the river of Menavgat. (Leake's
Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-26 09:12 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/uva. x001045523 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? MEb
MLI,
Me eager ran him through the flankj fcnd killed him.
He preset ted the skin and head to Atalanta; but the
sons of fhestius, his two uncles, offended at this
preferenr. u of a woman, took the skin from her, saying
that it fell to them of right, on account of their family,
if Meleager resigned his claim to it. Meleager, in a
rage, killed them, and restored the skin to Atalanta.
Althaea, on hearing of the death of her brothers, in-
fluenced by resentment for their loss, took from its
place of concealment the billet, on which depended
the existence of Meleager, and cast it into the flames.
As it consumed, the vigour of Meleager wasted away;
and when it was reduced to ashes, his life terminated.
Repenting, when too late, of what she had done, Al-
thaea put an end to her own life. Cleopatra died of
grief; and the sisters of Meleager, who would not be
comforted in their affliction, were, by the compassion
of the gods, all but Gorgo and Delanira, changed into
birds called Meleagrides. --There was another tradi-
tion, according to which Meleager was slain by Apol-
lo, the protecting deity of the Curetes. (Pausan. , 10,
31, Z. --Keightlcy's Mythology, p. 321, seqq. )--II.
A Greek poet, a native of Gadara in Coelesyria, and
either contemporary with Antipater, or a very short
time subsequent to him. He composed several works
of a satirical character, which we find quoted under
the following titles: 1. 2v/nrootov, "The Banquet. '"--
2. AeKiBov Kal ^aKf/c oiynpiaic, "A mixture of
yolks of eggs and beans. "--3. Xupirec, " The Gra-
tes. " Jacobs, however, thinks that the whole collec-
tion of his satires may have been rather entitled Xup-
trec. (Animadv. in Anthol. , 1, 1. --Prolegom. , p.
xzxviii. )--HI. Another poet, who has left about 130
epigrams. They are marked by purity of diction and
by feeling, but they betray, at the same time, some-
thing of that sophistic subtlety which characterized his
age. Occasionally we meet with words rather too
boldly compounded. Meleager was the first who made
? collection of epigrams, or an anthology. He entitled
it iriAavoc, " The Crown. " It contained a selection
of the best pieces of forty-six poets, arranged in al-
phabetical order according to the names of the authors.
This compilation is lost. (Schbll, Hist. Lit. Gr. t
"Jl, 4, p. 45, 55. )
Meleaqkioes, the sisters of Meleager, daughters
of CEneus and Althaia. They were so disconsolate
at the death of their brother Meleager, that they re-
fused all aliment, and were changed into birds called
Meleagrides. The youngest of these sisters, Gorgo
and Deianira, who had been married, alone escaped
this metamorphosis. {Apollod. , 1, 8. --(hid, Met. , 8,
540. )
Mei. rs (ctis), a river of Asia Minor, near Smyrna.
Some of the ancinnts supposed that Homer was born
on the banks of this river, from which circumstance
they call him Melcsigenes. They also showed a cave,
where it was said that Homer had composed his verses.
(Pausan. , 7, 5. ) Chandler informs us that he search-
ed for this cavern, and succeeded in discovering it
above the aqueduct of the Meles. It is about four
feet wide, the roof of a huge rock, cracked and slant-
ing, the sides and bottom sandy. Beyond it is a pas-
sage cut, leading into a kind of well. (Travels in Asia.
Minor, p. 91. ) According to the same traveller, the
Meles, at the present day, is shallow in summer, not
covering its rocky bed; but, winding in the deep val-
ley behind the castle of Smyrna, it murmurs among the
? ? evergreens, and recoives many rills from the slopes;
Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-26 09:12 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/uva. x001045523 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? MELITA.
MELITA.
jelonging to Africa, from its having Punic inhabitants,
and being no farther from Africa than from Sicily.
The earlier Greek historians do not mention it, since
it was regarded as a Carthaginian island, and lay with-
out their historical limits. Diodorus Siculus is the
first that gives us any account of it. "There are,"
he says, " over against that part of Sicily which lies to
the south, three islands at a distance in the sea, each
>>f which has a town and safe ports for ships overtaken
? y tempests. The first, called Melite, is about 800
Itadia from Syracuse, and has several excellent har-
bours. The inhabitants arc very rich, inasmuch as
they exercise many trades, and, in particular, manufac-
ture cloths remarkable for their softness and fineness.
Their houses are large, and splendid! / ornamented
with projections and stucco (ytioooic. xalviovia/iaai).
The island is a colony of the Phoenicians, who, trading
to the Western Ocean, use it as a place of refuge, be-
cause it has excellent ports, and lies in the midst of
the sea. Next to this island is another named Gaulus
(Gozo), with convenient harbours, which is also a
colony of Phoenicians. " (Diod. Sic, 5, 12. ) Malta
is said to have been subsequently occupied by the
Greeks; but, however this may be, the Carthaginians
obtained possession of it B. C. 402. In the first Pu-
nic war it was plundered by the Roman consul At-
tilius. (Ornsius, 4, 8. ) In the second Punic war it
surrendered to the Romans, and was regarded hence-
forth as an appendage to the province of Sicily. Its
commerce declined under its new masters, and the isl-
and became a not unfrequent haunt of pirates. It
appears, however, that its temple of Juno was rich
enough to be an object of plunder to the rapacious
Verres when he was prator of Sicily. (Cic. in Vcrr. ,
4, 46 ) The linen cloth of Malta was considered an
article of luxury at Rome. After the division of the
Roman empire at the death of Constantino, this island
was included in the share allotted to Constantius. It
fell subsequently into the hands of the Goths, who
were expelled by Belisarius, A. D. 533. The Arabs
conquered it in 870, and though it was recovered, and
held by the Eastern empire for the space of 34 years,
it was retaken by the Arabs, and the Greek inhabitants
were exterminated. In 1120, Count Roger, the Nor-
man conqueror of Sicily, look possession of Malta and
expelled tho Arabs. Malta was thus again attached to
the island of Sicily, and it became subject to the differ-
ent dynasties which successively governed that island.
In 1516, Sicily, with the Maltese islands, passed to
". he Emperor Charles V. , as heir to the crown of Arra-
gon. Un the 4th March, 1530, Charles granted to
the Knights of St. John, who had been recently expel-
led from Rhodes by the Turks, the ownership of all the
castles, fortresses, and isles of Tripoli, Malta, and
Gozo. with complete jurisdiclicn. The sovereignty
of Malta was by this grant, in effect, surrendered to the
knights, though the form of tenure from the crown of
Sicily was maintained by tho reservation of the annual
payment of a falcon by tho same to the King of Si-
cily or his viceroy. It wts soon fortified by the knights,
sod underwent several memorable sieges. In 1798, Bo-
naparte took possession of it on his expedition to Egypt;
and in 1SOO, the French garrison was obliged by famine
to capitulate to a British force. In 1814, thepossession
of it was confirmed to Great Britain by the treaty of
Paris. --The cotton manufactories of Malta have been
celebrated for many ages, and would seem to trace
? ? their origin to the times of the Phoenicians. The soil
Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-26 09:12 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/uva. x001045523 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? MEL
MEM
o. ' Malta's having beer, the island in question, that, had
Meleda been the one, St. Paul would not have called
it Syracuse in his way to Rhegium, "which is so far
out of the track," says a writer who advocates this
opinion, " that no example can be produced in the his-
tory of naviga'ion of any ship going so far out of her
course, except it was driven by a violent tempest. "
This argument tends principally to show that the wri-
<<r had a verv incorrect idea of the relative situations
of the places to which he refers. The ship which car-
ried St. Paul from the Adriatic to Khcgium would not
deviate from its course more than half a day's sail by
touching at Syracuse; and the delay so occasioned
would probably be but a few hours more than it would
have been had they proceeded to Syracuse in their way
to the Straits of Messina from Malta. Besides, the
master of the ship might have, and probably had, some
business at Syracuse, which had originated at Alexan-
dres, from which place it must have been originally in-
tended that the ship should commence her voyage to
Putcoli; and in this, course the calling at Syracuse
would have been the smallest deviation possible--8.
Again, supposing the ship to have come from Malta,
it must have been on account of some business, prob-
ably commercial, that they touched at Syracuse in
their way to Putcoli, as Malta is scarcely more than
3tio day and night's sail from Syracuse: whereas
there might be some reasons respecting the voyage,
had the ship come from Meleda, which is more than
tve times that distance, and probably a more oncer-
Sain navigation. --9.
mained still subject to Athens. Strabo indeed af-
firms, that, till the reign of Codrus, Megaris had al-
ways been included within the limits of Attica; and
he thus accounts for Homer's making no special men-
tion of its inhabitants, from his comprehending them
with the Athenians under the general denomination of
Ionians. (Strab. , 392. ) In the reign of Codrus, Me-
gara was wrested from the Athenians by a Pelopon-
nesian force; and a colony having been established
there by the Corinthians and Messenians, it ceased to
be considered as of Ionian origin, but thenceforth be-
came a Dorian city, both in its language and political
institutions. The pillar, also, which marked the bound-
tries of Ionia and the Peloponnesus, was on that oc-
casion destroyed. (Strab , 39:? --Pausan. , 1, 39. --
The scholiast on Pindar (JVem. 7) informs us, that the
Corinthians, at this early period, considering Megara
as their colony, exercised a sort of jurisdiction over
the city. Not long after, however, Thcagenes, one of
Us citizens, usurped the sovereign power, by the same
method, apparently, which was afterward adopted by
Pisistratus at Athens. (Aristot. , Rhct , 1, 2. -- Id. ,
PolU. , 5, H--Tkueyd. , 1, 126. ) He was finally ex-
pelled by his countrymen; after which event a mod-
erate republican form of government was established,
though afterward it degenerated into a violent democ-
racy. (Plut. , Queue. Gr. , 18. ) This should probably
be considered as the period of Megara's greatest pros-
perity, since it then founded the cities of Selymbria,
Mescnibria, and Byzantium, on the shores of the Enx-
ine, and Megara Hybkea in Sicily. {Strabo, 319. ) It
was at this lim* also that its inhabitants were engaged
in war wi;H the Athenians for the possession of Sala-
mis, which after an obstinate contest, finally remained
in the hands of the latter. (Pausan. , 1, 40. --Strabo,
394) The Megareans fought at Artemisium with
twenty ships, and at Salamis with the same number.
(Herod. , 8, I, 45. ) They also gained some advantage
over the Persians under Mardonius, in an inroad which
he made into their territory (Pausan. , 1, 40); and,
lastly, they sent 3900 soldiers to Plates, who deserved
well of their country in the memorable battle fought
in its plains. (Herod. , 9, 21. --Ptui. , de defect. Orac. ,
p. 186. ) After the Persian war, wc find Megara en-
faged in hostilities with Corinth, and renouncing the
'eloponnesian confederacy to ally itself with Athene.
(Tkueyd, 1, 103. --Duxi. Sic. , 2, 60. ) This state of
things was not, however, of long duration; for the Co-
rinthians, after effecting a reconciliation with the oli-
garchical party in Megara, persuaded the inhabitants
to declare against the Athenians who garrisoned their
city. These were presently attacked and put to the
sword, with ihe exception of a Bmall number who es-
caped to Nisaja. (Tkueyd. , 1,114. ) The Athenians,
justly incensed at this treacherous conduct, renounced
all intercourse with the Megareans, and issued a decree
excluding them from their ports and markets; a meas-
cre which appears to have been severely fell by the
? ? latter, and was made a pretence for war on the part of
Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-26 09:12 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/uva. x001045523 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? MKi,
MEL
we Scironian Pass, which is the steep escarpment
of the mountains that terminate on the coast of the
Saronic Gulf, passed by Crommyon (Strabo, 391);
and along the side of the escarpment was the direct
mad front Corinth to Athens. This road was made
wide enough, by the Emperor Hadrian, for two ve-
sicles abreast (Pausan. , 1, 40, 10), but at present it
only admits a single vehicle, except in a few places
(Thiersch, De VEtat Acluel de la Greee, 2, p. 32);
yet the roi i, on the whole, is in good condition. The
other road, following the coast of the Corinthian Gulf,
crossed the Gerancan Mountains, which belong to the
Oneian range, and led to Pegae, on the Corinthian
Gulf, and tbence into Bceotia. --The extreme breadth
of Megaris, from Pegs to Nissea on the Corinthian
Gulf, is reckoned by Strabo at 120 stadia; and the
area of the country is calculated by Mr. Clinton, from
Arrowsmith's map, at 720 square miles. (Fast. Hell. ,
vol. 2, p. 385. ) Megaris is a rugged and mountain-
ous territory, and contains only one plain of small ex-
tent, in which the capital Megara was situated. The
rocks are chiefly, if not entirely, calcareous. The
country is very deficient in springs. (Encycl. Us.
Knoiri, vol. 15, p. 64. )
Megasthe. nks, a Greek historian and geographical
writer in the age of Seleucus Nicator, king of Syria,
about 300 years before Christ. He was sent by Se-
leucus to Palibothra in India, to renew and confirm a
previous treaty with Sandrocottus, monarch of the
Prasii. He remained there many years, and after his
return he wrote, under the title of Indica (IvitKa),
an account of whatever he had seen or heard during
his travel*. His work is lost; but Strabo, Arrian,
and -Elian have preserved some fragments of it. He
was the first who made the western nations acquaint-
ed with the countries beyond the Ganges, and with
the manners of their inhabitants. Strabo has on sev-
eral occasions expressed an unfavourable opinion of
the trustworthiness of Megasthenes; but still it is
quite certain, that the work of the latter contained
much valuable information, which was then entirely
new to the Greeks. Megasthenes gave the first ac-
count of Taprobane or Ceylon. (Schbll, Hist. Lit.
Gr. . vol. 3, p. 333. )
Mel*. Pomponius, a geographical writer, the first
Latin author of a general work on this subject, and
who floL-rished during the reign of the Emperor Clau-
dius. He was bom in Spain, of an illustrious Roman
family, the Pornponii, who pretended to trace up their
lineage to Numa. Some critics have thought that
Mela only belonged to this family by adoption, and
that he was that third son of the rhetorician Marcus
Seneca to whom this writer dedicated bis works;
while others are inclined to regard him as the grand-
son of Seneca the philosopher. (Consult Tzschucke,
Diss, de Pomp. Mel. , c. 1. ) In either of these cases,
however, the word Annsus would most probably have
been added to his name. --There is reason to believe
that his true name was not Mela, but Molla. (Com-
pare Voss. , de Hist. Lat. , 1, 25. -- Fabricius, Bihl.
Lot. , 2, 8, p. 75, seqq. --Saxe, Onomast. , 1, p. 243. --
Tzschucke, Diss, de Pomp. Mel. ) - Pomponius Mela
names his native city in one passage of his work (2,
6), but the text unfortunately is so corrupt, that it is
uncertain whether we ought to read Tingentera, Mel-
? aria, Tarlessus, or Tingisbera. He lived, as has
been already remarked, under the Emperor Claudius,
? ? for the passage (3, 6) in which he speaks of a triumph
Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-26 09:12 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/uva. x001045523 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? MEL
He awoke in some terror; and, to his astonishment,
found that lie understood the voices of the birds which
were flying around him; and, learning from their
tongues the future, he was enabled to declare it to
mankind. Meeting Apollo on the banks of the Al-
pheus, he was taught by him the art of reading futu-
rity in the entrails of victims, and he thus became an
excellent soothsayer. {Apollod. , 1, 9, 11. --Sehol. ad
Apill. Shod. , 1, 118) Meanwhile, his brother Bias
fell in love with Pcro. the daughter of Nelcus. As
th? hand of this beautiful maiden was sought by most
of the neighbouring princes, her father declared that
he would give her only to him. who 'hould bring him
from Thessaly tho cows of his mother Tyro, which
Iphii lus of Phylace detained, and which he guarded
by means of a dog whom neither man nor beast could
venture to approach. Bias, relying on the aid of his
bro'. her, undertook the adventure. Melampus, pre-
viously declaring that he knew he should be caught
and confined for a year, but then get the cattle, set
out for Phylace. Every thing fell out as he said. --
The herdsman of Iphiclus took him, and he was
thrown into prison, where he was attended by a man
and a woman. The man served him well, the woman
badly. Towards the end of the year he heard the
worms in the timber conversing with one another.
One asked how much of the beam was now gnawed
through; the others replied that there was little re-
maining. Melampus immediately desired to be re-
moved to some other place; the man took up the bed
? t the head, the woman at the foot, Melampus himself
at the middle. They had not got quite out of the
house, when the roof fell in and killed the woman.
This coming to the ears of Iphiclus, he inquired, and
learned that Melampus was a soothsayer or Mantis.
He therefore, being childless, consulted him about
(laving offspring. Melampus agreed to tell him on
condition of his giving him the cows. The seer, on
fphiclus assenting to his terms, then sacrificed an ox
to Jupiter, and, having divided it, called all the birds
to the feast. All came but the vulture; but no one
if them was able to tell how Iphiclus might have chil-
dren. They therefore brought the vulture, who gave
the requisite information. Iphiclus became the father
of a >>on named Podarces; and Melampus drove the
kine to Pylos, whereupon Pero was given to his
brother. (CW. ,11,287. --Schol. , ad loc. --Od. , 15,225.
--Apollod. , 1, 9, 11. --Schol. ad Theocr. , 3, 43. }--
Melampus was also famous for the cure of the daugh-
ters of Prcetus, who were afflicted with insanity. For
an account of this legend, consult the article Provi-
des. (Keightley's Mythology, p. 436, sea )--II. A
writer on divination, who lived in the time of Ptolemy
Philadelphus. He was the author of a treatise en-
tilled MavTtKr/ irtpi iratyuv, "Divination from vi-
brations of the muscles," and of another styled nfpt
IXaiuv tov au/iaroc, "Art of divining from marks on
the body. " We have only fragments remaining of
these two works. The library at Vienna contains
another work of this aame writer's, in manuscript, on
the Art of predicting from the phases of the moon.
The fragments of Melampus were edited by Pcrusius,
at the end of his ^Elian, Roma, 1545, 4lo, and subse-
quently by Sylburgius, who, in his edition of Aristotle,
reunited them to the physiognomical works of that
philosopher. They are lo be found also in the Scrip-
tores l'hysiognomia Veteres of Franz, Altcnb. , 1780,
Svo.
? ? Mixampyges, an epithet applied to Hercules in the
Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-26 09:12 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/uva. x001045523 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? MEl
MELEAGER.
rte cir -. umstance that Aratus, no mean judge of works
ill lit, collected from every quarter the productions of
Meranthius along with those of Pamphilus, and made
i present of them to Ptolemy III. , king of Egypt.
(Phtl. , Vit. Arat. , c. SI. ) He left a treatise on Paint-
ing, a fragment of which has been preserved by Dio-
genes Laertius (4, 18), and of which Pliny availed
hhnself in writing the 30th book of his Natural His-
lory. (Sillig, Diet Art. , *. o )
Mklanthus, a son of Andropompus, whose ances-
tors were kings of Pylos, in Messenia. Having been
driven by the Heraclidse from his paternal kingdom,
be came to Athens, where Thymoetes, monarch of
Attica, gave him a friendly reception. Some time
after this, the Boeotians, under Xanthus, having invaded
Attica, Thymoetes marched forth to meet them.
Xanthus thereupon propose! to decide the issue of
the war by single combat, but Thymoetes shrank from
the risk, whereupon Mclanthus came forward and ac-
cepted the challenge. By a stratagem, famous in af-
ter ages, he diverted the attention of his adversary,
and slew him as he turned to look at the ally whom
Melanthus affected to see behind him. The victor
was rewarded with the kingdom, which Thymoetes
had forfeited by his pusillanimity, and which now pass-
ed for ever from the house of Erechtheus. Melanthus
transmitted the crown to his son Codrus. (Pausan ,
t, 18. --Thirlwair$ Greece, vol. 1, p. 274 )
Mki. as (gen. -a), I. a deep gulf formed by the
Thracian coast on the northwest, and the shore of the
Chersonese on the southeast; its appellation in mod-
em geography is the Gulf of Saros. --II. A river of
Thrace, now the Cavalcha, emptying into the Sinus
Melas at its northeastern extremity. (Herod. , 7, 58. --
in? . , 38, 40-- Plin. , 4, 11. )--HI. A river of Thes-
? sly. in the vicinity of the town of Trachis. (Herod. ,
7, 199--Lie. , 37, 84. )--IV. A small river of Bceolia,
near Urchotnenus, emptying into the Lake Copa'is.
IPausan. , 9, 38. ) Plutarch says that it rose close
to the city, and very soon became navigable, but
that part of it was lost in the marshes, while the re-
mainder joined the Cephissus. (Vit. Syll. --Strab. ,
416. ) Pliny remarks of its waters, that they had
Ibu property of dying the fleeces of sheep black (2,
10:)) In the marshes formed near the junction of
tl. is river with the Cephissus grew the reeds so much
esteemed by the ancient Greeks for making pipes and
'ather wind-instruments. (Pindar, Pyth. , 12, 42. --
Cramer's Arte. Greece, vol. 2, p. 249. )--V. A river
of Cappadocia, rising near Caesarea ad Argssum, and
falling into the Euphrates near the city of Mclilene.
SchilTinger (Rcite. , p. 68) calls it the Gensin; but on
D'Anville's map it bears in the beginning of its course
:he name of Koremox, and near its mouth that of
Kirkghedid. (Mannert, Geogr. , vol. 6, pt. 2, p. 296. )
--VI. A river of Pamphvlia, rising in the range of
Mount Taurus, to the west of Homonada, and running
into the sea between Side and Coracesium. (Strabo,
867. ) It formed originally the boundary between
Patnphylia and Cilicia. (Plin , 5, 27. ) According to
Leake, there can be no doubt that the Melas is the
river now called Menavgat su, for Zosimus (5, 16)
and Mela (1, 14) agree in showing its proximity to
Side. Strabo, Mela, and the Stadiasmus, all place it
to the eastward of Side, a. id the distance of SO stadia
in the Stadiasmus between the Melas and Side is pre-
cisely that which occurs between the ruins of Side
? ? and the month oi the river of Menavgat. (Leake's
Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-26 09:12 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/uva. x001045523 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? MEb
MLI,
Me eager ran him through the flankj fcnd killed him.
He preset ted the skin and head to Atalanta; but the
sons of fhestius, his two uncles, offended at this
preferenr. u of a woman, took the skin from her, saying
that it fell to them of right, on account of their family,
if Meleager resigned his claim to it. Meleager, in a
rage, killed them, and restored the skin to Atalanta.
Althaea, on hearing of the death of her brothers, in-
fluenced by resentment for their loss, took from its
place of concealment the billet, on which depended
the existence of Meleager, and cast it into the flames.
As it consumed, the vigour of Meleager wasted away;
and when it was reduced to ashes, his life terminated.
Repenting, when too late, of what she had done, Al-
thaea put an end to her own life. Cleopatra died of
grief; and the sisters of Meleager, who would not be
comforted in their affliction, were, by the compassion
of the gods, all but Gorgo and Delanira, changed into
birds called Meleagrides. --There was another tradi-
tion, according to which Meleager was slain by Apol-
lo, the protecting deity of the Curetes. (Pausan. , 10,
31, Z. --Keightlcy's Mythology, p. 321, seqq. )--II.
A Greek poet, a native of Gadara in Coelesyria, and
either contemporary with Antipater, or a very short
time subsequent to him. He composed several works
of a satirical character, which we find quoted under
the following titles: 1. 2v/nrootov, "The Banquet. '"--
2. AeKiBov Kal ^aKf/c oiynpiaic, "A mixture of
yolks of eggs and beans. "--3. Xupirec, " The Gra-
tes. " Jacobs, however, thinks that the whole collec-
tion of his satires may have been rather entitled Xup-
trec. (Animadv. in Anthol. , 1, 1. --Prolegom. , p.
xzxviii. )--HI. Another poet, who has left about 130
epigrams. They are marked by purity of diction and
by feeling, but they betray, at the same time, some-
thing of that sophistic subtlety which characterized his
age. Occasionally we meet with words rather too
boldly compounded. Meleager was the first who made
? collection of epigrams, or an anthology. He entitled
it iriAavoc, " The Crown. " It contained a selection
of the best pieces of forty-six poets, arranged in al-
phabetical order according to the names of the authors.
This compilation is lost. (Schbll, Hist. Lit. Gr. t
"Jl, 4, p. 45, 55. )
Meleaqkioes, the sisters of Meleager, daughters
of CEneus and Althaia. They were so disconsolate
at the death of their brother Meleager, that they re-
fused all aliment, and were changed into birds called
Meleagrides. The youngest of these sisters, Gorgo
and Deianira, who had been married, alone escaped
this metamorphosis. {Apollod. , 1, 8. --(hid, Met. , 8,
540. )
Mei. rs (ctis), a river of Asia Minor, near Smyrna.
Some of the ancinnts supposed that Homer was born
on the banks of this river, from which circumstance
they call him Melcsigenes. They also showed a cave,
where it was said that Homer had composed his verses.
(Pausan. , 7, 5. ) Chandler informs us that he search-
ed for this cavern, and succeeded in discovering it
above the aqueduct of the Meles. It is about four
feet wide, the roof of a huge rock, cracked and slant-
ing, the sides and bottom sandy. Beyond it is a pas-
sage cut, leading into a kind of well. (Travels in Asia.
Minor, p. 91. ) According to the same traveller, the
Meles, at the present day, is shallow in summer, not
covering its rocky bed; but, winding in the deep val-
ley behind the castle of Smyrna, it murmurs among the
? ? evergreens, and recoives many rills from the slopes;
Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-26 09:12 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/uva. x001045523 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? MELITA.
MELITA.
jelonging to Africa, from its having Punic inhabitants,
and being no farther from Africa than from Sicily.
The earlier Greek historians do not mention it, since
it was regarded as a Carthaginian island, and lay with-
out their historical limits. Diodorus Siculus is the
first that gives us any account of it. "There are,"
he says, " over against that part of Sicily which lies to
the south, three islands at a distance in the sea, each
>>f which has a town and safe ports for ships overtaken
? y tempests. The first, called Melite, is about 800
Itadia from Syracuse, and has several excellent har-
bours. The inhabitants arc very rich, inasmuch as
they exercise many trades, and, in particular, manufac-
ture cloths remarkable for their softness and fineness.
Their houses are large, and splendid! / ornamented
with projections and stucco (ytioooic. xalviovia/iaai).
The island is a colony of the Phoenicians, who, trading
to the Western Ocean, use it as a place of refuge, be-
cause it has excellent ports, and lies in the midst of
the sea. Next to this island is another named Gaulus
(Gozo), with convenient harbours, which is also a
colony of Phoenicians. " (Diod. Sic, 5, 12. ) Malta
is said to have been subsequently occupied by the
Greeks; but, however this may be, the Carthaginians
obtained possession of it B. C. 402. In the first Pu-
nic war it was plundered by the Roman consul At-
tilius. (Ornsius, 4, 8. ) In the second Punic war it
surrendered to the Romans, and was regarded hence-
forth as an appendage to the province of Sicily. Its
commerce declined under its new masters, and the isl-
and became a not unfrequent haunt of pirates. It
appears, however, that its temple of Juno was rich
enough to be an object of plunder to the rapacious
Verres when he was prator of Sicily. (Cic. in Vcrr. ,
4, 46 ) The linen cloth of Malta was considered an
article of luxury at Rome. After the division of the
Roman empire at the death of Constantino, this island
was included in the share allotted to Constantius. It
fell subsequently into the hands of the Goths, who
were expelled by Belisarius, A. D. 533. The Arabs
conquered it in 870, and though it was recovered, and
held by the Eastern empire for the space of 34 years,
it was retaken by the Arabs, and the Greek inhabitants
were exterminated. In 1120, Count Roger, the Nor-
man conqueror of Sicily, look possession of Malta and
expelled tho Arabs. Malta was thus again attached to
the island of Sicily, and it became subject to the differ-
ent dynasties which successively governed that island.
In 1516, Sicily, with the Maltese islands, passed to
". he Emperor Charles V. , as heir to the crown of Arra-
gon. Un the 4th March, 1530, Charles granted to
the Knights of St. John, who had been recently expel-
led from Rhodes by the Turks, the ownership of all the
castles, fortresses, and isles of Tripoli, Malta, and
Gozo. with complete jurisdiclicn. The sovereignty
of Malta was by this grant, in effect, surrendered to the
knights, though the form of tenure from the crown of
Sicily was maintained by tho reservation of the annual
payment of a falcon by tho same to the King of Si-
cily or his viceroy. It wts soon fortified by the knights,
sod underwent several memorable sieges. In 1798, Bo-
naparte took possession of it on his expedition to Egypt;
and in 1SOO, the French garrison was obliged by famine
to capitulate to a British force. In 1814, thepossession
of it was confirmed to Great Britain by the treaty of
Paris. --The cotton manufactories of Malta have been
celebrated for many ages, and would seem to trace
? ? their origin to the times of the Phoenicians. The soil
Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-12-26 09:12 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/uva. x001045523 Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
? MEL
MEM
o. ' Malta's having beer, the island in question, that, had
Meleda been the one, St. Paul would not have called
it Syracuse in his way to Rhegium, "which is so far
out of the track," says a writer who advocates this
opinion, " that no example can be produced in the his-
tory of naviga'ion of any ship going so far out of her
course, except it was driven by a violent tempest. "
This argument tends principally to show that the wri-
<<r had a verv incorrect idea of the relative situations
of the places to which he refers. The ship which car-
ried St. Paul from the Adriatic to Khcgium would not
deviate from its course more than half a day's sail by
touching at Syracuse; and the delay so occasioned
would probably be but a few hours more than it would
have been had they proceeded to Syracuse in their way
to the Straits of Messina from Malta. Besides, the
master of the ship might have, and probably had, some
business at Syracuse, which had originated at Alexan-
dres, from which place it must have been originally in-
tended that the ship should commence her voyage to
Putcoli; and in this, course the calling at Syracuse
would have been the smallest deviation possible--8.
Again, supposing the ship to have come from Malta,
it must have been on account of some business, prob-
ably commercial, that they touched at Syracuse in
their way to Putcoli, as Malta is scarcely more than
3tio day and night's sail from Syracuse: whereas
there might be some reasons respecting the voyage,
had the ship come from Meleda, which is more than
tve times that distance, and probably a more oncer-
Sain navigation. --9.
