Cato was at the
head of the forces which were sent against Ptolemy by
the senate, and the Roman general proposed to the
monarch to retire from the throne, and to pass the rest
of his days in the obscure office of high-priest in the
temple of Venus at Paphos.
head of the forces which were sent against Ptolemy by
the senate, and the Roman general proposed to the
monarch to retire from the throne, and to pass the rest
of his days in the obscure office of high-priest in the
temple of Venus at Paphos.
Charles - 1867 - Classical Dictionary
Psammitichus, on
being informed of the circumstance, made inquiries
about the word, and found that it was the Phrygian
term for bread. He therefore concluded that th6
Phrygians were the most ancient of men! The truth
is, the cry which the children uttered (supposing the
story to be true) was bek (with the Greek termination
as given by Herodotus, bek-os), and the children had
learned it from the cry of the goats which suckled
hem. (Herod. , 3, 151, teqq. --St. Martin, in Biogr.
mtr. , vol. 36, p. 178, teqq. )--II. A descendant of
the preceding, who came to the throne about 400 B. C. ,
-s a kind of vassal-king to Persia. (St. Martin, in
Hiogr. Unit. , vol. 36, p. 181. )
Psophis, a very ancient city in the northwestern
fart of Arcadia. Pausanias places it at the foot of the
chain of Erymanthus, from which descended a river
of the same name, which flowed near the city, and, af-
ter receiving another small stream called Aroanius,
rained the Alpheus on the borders of Elis (8, 84).
Psophis itself had previously borne the names of Ery-
wamthus and Phegea. At the time of the Social war,
was in tho possession of the Eleana, on whose ter-
? ? utory it bordered, as well as on that of the Achaans;
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? no
PTOI. EM. ELn.
L:rn in ner favour. Jupiter takes pity on her and en-
dows her with immortality: Venus in reconciled, and
the marriage of Psyche with Cupid takes place amid
great joy in the skies. The offspring of their union
was a child, whom hi<< parents named Pleasure. (Apu-
Uius, Mil. , 4, 83, seqq. --Op. , ed Oudend. , vol. 1, p.
300, seqq. -- Keighlley's Mythology, p. 148, seqq. --
Among the various explanations that have been given
of this beautiful legend, the following appears the
most satisfactory : 1 his fable, it is said, is a represent-
ation of the human soul (i/w^y). The soul, which is
of divine origin, is here below subjected to error in its
prison-house, the body. Hence trials and purifications
are set before it, that it may become capable of a
higher view of things, and of true desire. Two loves
meet it: the earthly, a deceiver, who draws it down to
earthly things; the heavenly, who directs its view to
the original, fair and divine, and who, gaining the vic-
tory over his rival, leads off the soul as his bride.
[Hilt, Berlin Akaci, 1816. --Creuser, Symbolik, vol.
3, p. 673. )
Psvlli, a people cf Libya near the Syrtes, very ex-
pen in curing the venomous bite of serpents, which
had no fatal effect upon them. They were destroyed
by the Nasamones, a neighbouring people. It seems
very probable that the Nasamones circulated the idle
story respecting the destruction of the Psylli, which
Herodotus relates, without, however, giving credit to
it. He states that a south wind had dried up all the
reservoirs of the Psylli, and that the whole country,
as far as the Syrtes, was destitute of water. They re-
solved, accordingly, after a public consultation, to
make an expedition against the south wind , but, hav-
ing reached the deserts, the south win<: overwhelmed
them beneath the sands. (Lucan, 9, 804, 937. --He-
-od. , 4, 172. --Pausan. , 9, 28. )
Pteria, a small territory, forming part of Cappa-
docia according to Herodotus (1, 76), or, more prop-
erly speaking, of Paphlagonia, and in the vicinity of
the city of Sinope. Here the first battle took place
oetween Crcesus and Cyrus. (Herod. , 1. c. -- Lar-
cher, Hist. Herod. , vol. 8, p. 468. )
Prot. EM. SiDs, I. surnamed Soter, and sometimes
Lagi (i. e. , son of Lagus), king of Egypt, and son of
Arsinoe, who, when pregnant by Philip of Macedonia,
married Lagus. (Vid. Lagus. ) Ptolemy was edu-
cated in the court of tho King of Macedonia. Ho be-
came one of the friends and associates of Alexander,
and, when that monarch invaded Asia, the son of Ar-
jinoe attended him as one of his generals. During
ihe expedition he behaved with uncommon valour;
ne killed one of the Indian monarchs in single com-
bat, and it was to his prudence and courage that Alex-
ander was indebted for thq reduction of the rock Aor-
nus. After the conqueror's death, in the general di-
vision of the Macedonian empire. Ptolemy obtained
as his share the government of Egypt, with Libya,
and part of the neighbouring territories of Arabia. In
this appointment the governor soon gained the esteem
of the people by acts of kindness, by benevolence and
clemency, though he did not assume the title of inde-
pendent monarch till seventeen years after. He made
himself master of Coelosyria, Phoenicia, and the neigh-
bouring coast of Syria; and when he had reduced Je-
rusalem, he carried above 100,000 prisoners to Egypt,
to people the extensive city of Alexandres, which be-
came the capital of his dominions. After he had ren-
? ? dered these prisoners the most attached and faithful of
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? PTOLEM^US.
PTOLEM. tX'S.
married wilh the consent of Phihdelphue. With the
most rapid success lie conquered Syria and Cilicia,
and advanced as far as Bactriana and the confines of
India; but a sedition at home stopped his progress,
and he retimed to Egypt loaded with the spoils of
conquered nations. Among the immense riches
which he brought, he had many statues of the Egyp-
tian gods, which Cambyscs had carried away into Per-
lia when he conquered Egypt. These were restored
to the temples, and the Egyptians called their sover-
eign Euergetes (or Benefactor), in acknowledgment
of his attention, beneficence, and religious zeal for the
gids of his country. The last years of Ptolemy's
reign were passed in peace if we except the refusal
of the Jews to pay the tribute of 20 silver talents
which their ancestors had always paid to the Egyptian
monarchs. Euergetes died 221 years before Christ,
after a reign of 25 years; and, like his two illustrious
predecessors, was the patron of learning. --IV. The
fourth, succeeded his father Euergetes on the throne of
Egypt, and received the surname of PhilopatoT, prob-
ably from the regard which he manifested for the mem-
ory of his father; though, according to some authori-
ties, he destroyed him by poison. He began his reign
with acts of the greatest cruelty, and he successively
sacrificed to his avarice his own mother, his wife, his
sister, and his brother. He received, in derision, the
name of Typhon. from his evil morals, and that of
Gollus, because he appeared in the streets of Alex-
andres with all the gestures of the priests of Cybele.
In the midst of his pleasures Philopator was called to
war against Antiochus, king of Syria, and at the head
of a powerful army he soon invaded his enemy's ter-
ritories, and might have added the kingdom of Syria to
Egypt if he had made a prudent use of the victories
which attended his arms. In the latter part of his
reign, the Romans, whom a dangerous war w'th Car-
tnagc had weakened, but, at the same time, roused to
superior activity, renewed, for political reasons, the
treaty of alliance which had been made with the
Egyptian monarchs. Philopator at last, weakened and
enervated by intemperance and continued debauchery,
died in the 37th year of his age, after a reign of 17
years, 204 years before the Christian era. --V. The
fifth, succeeded his father Philopator as king of Egypt,
though only in the fourth year of his age. During the
years of his minority he was under the protection of
Sosicius and of Aristomenes, by whose prudent ad-
ministration Antiochus was dispossessed of the prov-
inces of Ccelosyria and Palestine, which he had con-
quered in war. The Romans also renewed their al-
liance with him after their victories over Hinnibal,
and the conclusion of the second Punic war. This
flattering embassy induced Aristomenes to ofTtt the
care of the patronage of the young monarch to the
Romans; but the regent was confirmed in his honour-
able office, and, by making a treaty of alliance with
the people of Achaia, he convinced the Egyptians that
he was qualified to wield the sceptre and to govern
the nation. But, now that Ptolemy had reached his
14th year, according to the laws and customs of
Egypt, the years of his minority nod expired. He re-
ceived the surname of Epiphanes, or Illustrious, and
was Crowned at Alexandres with the greatest solem-
nity, and the faithful Aristomenes resigned into his
h'Tida an empire which he had governed with honour
to himself and with credit to his sovereign. Young
? ? Pi ilemy was no sooner delivered from the shackles of
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? PTOLEM. EUS.
PTOLEiVLfcLS.
? nd it was at last agreed that Physcon should marry the
queen, and that her son should succeed on the throne
at his death. The nuptials were accordingly cele-
brated, but on that very day the tyrant murdered Cle-
opatra's son in her arms. He ordered himself to be
called Euergetu, but the Alexandreans refused to do
it, and stigmatized him with the appellation of Kaktr-
fctcs, or Evil-doer, a surname which he deserved by
his tyranny and oppression. A aeries of barbarities
rendered him odious; but, as no one attempted to rid
Egypt of her tyrant, the Alexandreans abandoned their
habitations, and fled from a place which continually
streamed with the blood of their massacred fcllow-
citizens. If their migration proved fatal to the com-
merce and prosperity of Alexandres, it was of the most
essential service to the countries where they retired;
and the numbers of Egyptians that sought a safe asy-
lum in Greece and Asia, introduced among the inhab-
itants of those countries the different professions that
were practised with success in the capital of Egypt.
Physcon endeavoured to repeople the city which his
cruelty had laid desolate; but the fear of sharing the
fate of its former inhabitants prevailed more than the
promise of riches, rights, and immunities. The king,
at last, disgusted with Cleopatra, repudiated her, and
married her daughter by Phitomelor, called also Cleo-
patra. He still continued to exercise the greatest cru-
elty upon his subjects; but the prudence and vigilance
of his ministers kept the people in tranquillity, till all
Egypt revolted when the king had basely murdered all
the young men of Alexandrea. Without friends or
support it: Egypt, he fled to Cyprus, and Cleopatra,
the divorced queen, ascended the throne. In his ban-
ishment Physcon dreaded lest the Alexandreans should
also place the crown on the head of his son, by his sis-
ter Cleopatra, who was the governor of Gyrene; and
under these apprehensions he sent for the young
prince, called Memphitis, to Cyprus, and murdered him
as soon as he reached the shore. To make the bar-
barity more complete, he sent the limbs of Memphitis
to Cleopatra, and they were received as the queen was
going to celebrate her birthday. Soon after this he
invaded Egypt with an army, and obtained a victory
over the forces of Cleopatra, who, being left without
friends or assistance, (led to her eldest daughter Cleo-
patra, who had married Demetrius, king of Syria.
This decisive blow restored Physcon to his throne,
where he continued to reign for some time, hated by
his subjects and feared by his enemies. He died at
Alexandrea in the 67th year of his age, after a reign
of 29 years, about 116 years before Christ. This
prince, notwithstanding his cruel disposition, was a
lover of learning, and received from some the appella-
tion of Philologist. Aristarchus was his preceptor, and
be is said also to have made important additions to the
Alexandrean library, as well in original manuscripts
as in copies. --VIII. The eighth, surnamed Soter II,
succeeded his father Physcon as king of Egypt. He
had no sooner ascended the throne than his mother
Cleopatra, who reigned conjointly with him, expelled
him to Cyprus, and placed the crown on the head of
his brother Ptolemy Alexander, her favourite son.
Soter, banished from Egypt, became king of Cyprus;
and soon after he appeared at the head of a large army,
to make war against Alexander Jannteus, king of Ju-
dasa, through whose assistance and intrigue he had
been expelled by Cleopatra. The Jewish monarch
? ? was conquered, and 50,000 of his men were left on the
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? PTOLE. NLLUS.
JTOLEJLEUS.
>he elder of Lia daughters, and to ascend with her the
vacant throne. As these children wore young, the
dying monarch recommended them to the protection
and paternal care of the Romans; and accordingly
Pompey the Great was appointed by the senate to be
their patron and their guardian. Their reign was as
turbulent as that of their predecessors, and it is re-
markable for no uncommon events; only we may ob-
serve that the young queen was the Cleopatra who
*oon after became so celebrated. --XIII. The thir-
teenth, ascended the throne of Egypt conjointly with
his sister Cleopatra, whom he had married according to
the directions of his father Auletes. (Vid. Cleopatra
VII. )--XIV. Apion, king of Cyrene, was the illegiti-
mate son of Ptolemy Physcon. After a reign of twenty
years he died; and, as he had no children, he made the
Romans heirs of his dominions. The Romans pre-
sented his subjects with their independence. --XV.
Ceraunus, a son of Ptolemy Soter by Eurydice, the
daughter of Antipater. Unable to succeed to the
throne of Egypt, Ceraunus fled to the court of Seleu-
cus, where he was received with friendly marks of at-
tention. Seleucus was then king of Macedonia, an
empiro which he had lately acquired by the death of
Lysimachus in a battle in Phrygia; but his reign was
short; and Ceraunus perfidiously murdered him, and
ascended his throne 280 B. C. The murderer, how-
ever, could not be firmly established in Macedonia as
long as Arsinoe the widow, and the children of I. vsim-
achus, were alive, and entitled to claim his kingdom
as the lawful possession of their father. To rernove
tl. tse obstacles, Ceraunus made offers of marriage to
Arisnoe, who was his own sister. The queen at first
refused, but the protestations and solemn promises of
the usurper at last prevailed upon her to consent.
The nuptials, however, were no sooner celebrated than
Ceraunus murdered the two young princes, and con-
firmed his usurpation by rapine and cruelty. But now
three powerful princes claimed the kingdom of Mace-
donia as their own: Antiochus, the son of Seleucus;
Antigonus, the son of Demetrius; and Pyrrhus, the
king of Epirus. These enemies, however, were soon
removed; Ceraunus conquered Antigonus in the field
of battle, and stopped the hostilities of his two other
rivals by promises and money. He did not long re-
main inactive: a barbarian army of Gauls claimed a
tribute from him, and the monarch immediately march-
ed to meet them in the field. The battle was long and
bloody. The Macedonians might have obtained the
victory if Ceraunus had shown more prudence. He
was thrown down from his elephant, and taken prison-
er by the enemy, who immediately tore his body to
pieces. Ptolemy had been king of Macedonia only
eighteen months. {Justin, 24, ice. -- Pausan. , 10,
10. --XVI. An illegitimate son of Ptolemy Soter II. ,
or Lathyrus, king of Cyprus, of which he was tyran-
nically dispossessed by the Romans.
Cato was at the
head of the forces which were sent against Ptolemy by
the senate, and the Roman general proposed to the
monarch to retire from the throne, and to pass the rest
of his days in the obscure office of high-priest in the
temple of Venus at Paphos. This offer was rejected
with the indignation which it merited, and the monarch
poisoned himself at the approach of the enemy. The
treasures found in the island amounted to the enor-
mous sum of ? 1,356,250 sterling, which were carried
to Rome by the cocquerors. --XVII. A son of Pyr-
? ? rhus, king of Epirus, by Antigone, the daughter of
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? PTOLEM. EUS
PTOLEMY US.
exists a <<. hc >>iin of Olympiodorus (m I'hira , Plot. --
Bouilland, Ttstimonia dc Ptolcmao, p. 205. ), which in-
forms us ihat Ptolemy passed 40 years of his life iv
irrtooto tov K. avu6ov (** in the wings of Canobus"),
occupied with astronomical observations, and that he
placed columns there on which he caused to be cut the
theorems of which he bad been the author. An in-
scription has come down to us which illustrates this
remark of Olympiodorus: Otui Xurf/pt KXavdwc 0ro/? -
? uaioc dfifdc kcu vito8ioti? fiaOiifiariKac, k. t. A. ,
? ' Claudius Ptolemy dedicates to the God, the Preserver,
bis mathematical principles and theses," &c. Combi-
ning this dedication with the scholium of Olympiodorus,
the Abbe Halma states, that he would be inclined to
believe the deity alluded to in the inscription to be Ca-
nobus, if the inscription did not expressly declare, far-
ther on, that the monument containing it was placed
. n the city of Canobus (iv Kai'uCu), whence he infers
hat the protecting deity is SerapiB, and that Ptolemy
made his observations in the side-buildings connected
with the temple of this god. He thinks that this posi-
tion is not in contradiction with the passage in which
Ptolemy informs us that he made them under the par-
allel of Alexandres; for, according to Halma, the city
of Alexandrea was gradually extended to Canopus,
which became a kind of suburbs to it, so that Ptole-
my, though residing at Canopus, may nevertheless be
? aid to have observed at Alexandrea, or that, observ-
ing at Canopus, he had no need of reducing his ob-
servations to the parallel of Alexandrea, by reason of
the trifling difference of latitude. A difficulty here
presents itself, of which the Abbe Halma is aware, and
which he proposes to remedy by an alteration of the
text. If Ptolemy had made his observations in the
temple of Serapis at Canopus, Olympiodorus, in place
of saying kv Trrepoic tov KavuCov, "in the wings of
(the temple of) Canobus," would have had hi irrepoic
Tijc KavuSov, "the side-buildings of (the city of) Ca-
nobus. " Halma therefore proposes to substitute the
latter reading for the former, or else to regard Canobus
a. >> the same divinity with Serapis, and to suppose that
Ptolemy observed in the temple of Canobus at Cano-
pus. This reasoning of Halma's has been attacked
by Lctronne, and ably refuted. The latter shows,
that Canopus, situate at the distance of 120 stadia, or
more than two and a half geographical miles, northeast
of Alexandrea, never made part of that capital, since
there were several places, such as Nicopolis and Ta-
posiris Parva, between the two cities; that, conse-
quently, the Scrapeum, in which Ptolemy observed,
could not have belonged to Canopus; and, finally, that
Ptolemy knew the difference in latitude between Ca-
nopus and Alexandrea, and could not confound them
together in one point. It is more probable, as Lelronne
remarks (Journal des Savans, 1818, p. 202), that
Olympiodorus was mistaken as to the place where
Ptolemy observed. It is ascertained that there was a
temple of Serapis at Canopus as well as at Alexan-
drea. (Straio, 801. ) Olympiodorus, therefore, must
have supposed that the word Scrapeum, in the author
from whom he copied his remark, belonged exclusive-
ly to the first of these cities, when it referred, in fact,
in this particular instance, to Alexandrea the capital.
Tjc error of Olympiodorus, moreover, is the easier to
lj! explained, from the circumstance of the Scrapeum
at Canopus having become at one time a celebrated
teat of the New-Platonists, and having acquired great
? ? distinction on this account among the last apostles of
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? PTOI. EM EUS.
FfOLEM. CTJS.
reisluu into Latin. Another translation was made
Irom the Arabic text into Latin by Gerard of Cremo-
na, an astronomer of the twelfth century, who estab-
lished himself for some time at Toledo, in order to
learn the Arabic language. He did not understand it
perfectly, and was therefore unable to translate cer-
tain technical terms, which he was consequently com-
pelled to leave in the original language. His classical
arudition could not have been very profound, since he
was unacquainted with Hipparchus, whom he every-
where calls Abrachir, as the Arabic translator had
iloae. --It was not until the fifteenth century that a
manuscript of the original Greek was discovered, from
which the astronomer, John Miiller, better known by
the name of Regiomontanus, made his Latin abridg-
ment. About the same period, George of Trebisond
made a Latin translation from this original, but a very
unfaithful one. --The Alexandreans called the work of
Ptolemy which we have just been considering the
Great Astronomer, Meyac aarpovd/ioc, in contradis-
tinction to another collection which they called the
Little Astronomer, Mt/tooc aarpovopoc, and which was
composed of the works of Theodosius of Tripolis; the
Data, Optics, Catoptrics, 67c, of Euclid; the works
of Autolycus. Aristarchus of Samos, Hypsiclcs, &c. --
The best and most useful edition of the Almagest is
that of Halma, Paris, 1813-1828, 2 vols. 4to. It
contains a new French version, and notes by Delam-
bre. --2. The second work of Ptolemy, as we have
arranged it, is the Xlpoxtipoi Kavdvrc. This is a col-
lection of Manual Tables intended for makers of al-
manacs, to facilitate their calculations, and which
are often only extracts from the Almagest. Halma
gave the editio princeps of this work in the first vol-
ume of his edition of Theon's Commentary, which he
published in 1822. --3. TerpiCibTioc, ij 2vvra! ;ic pad-
tlfiarinq (" Telrahiblus, or Mathematical Syntaxis"),
in four books, consisting of astronomical predictions.
It is commonly cited under the title of Quadripartitum.
Some critics consider this work as unworthy of Ptole-
ny, and supposititious. Proclus hjs made a para-
phrase of it. The latest edition is that of Melancthon,
Basil, 1553, 8vo. --4. Kapizoc ("Fruit"), that is, one.
Hundred astrological propositions collected from the
works of Ptolemy. It is usually cited under the title
->( Centum Dicta. It is published with the Quadn-
yarlilum. --5. Quaete dn/. avioi' aaripuv Kai ovvayuyij
ixion/taotC/v ("Appearances of the fixed stars, and a
rollection of the things indicated by them1'). This is a
? sficcies of almanac, giving the rising and setting of
the stars, the prognostics of the principal changes of
temperature, &c. The work is intended for all cli-
mates; and, to make it answer this end. and prove
jseful to all the Greeks spread over the surface of the
globe, Ptolemy gives the appearance of the stars for
rive parallels at once, namely, Syene, Lower Egypt,
Rhodes, the Hellespont, and the Pontus Euxinus.
The best edition is that of Halma, Paris, 1820, 4lo.
It was preceded by the edition of Ideler, Bcrol. , 1819.
--6. Ilfpi''KvaXijpiiaroc (" Of the Analemma"). The
Analemma was a species of sundial, and in this work
we have at: exposition of the whole gnomonic theory
of the Greeks--7. Tiro6V<<f ruv nXavu/itvuv ("Hy-
pothesis of the Planets"). The latest edition is that
of Halma, Paris, 1820, 4to. -- 8. 'KnXuaic iiuciavciar
a^aipac (" Planisphere"). This work exists only in
in Arabic version, by Moslem, and a Latin translation
? ? made from this. It is a treatise on what is called ste-
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? PTOLEM. EUS.
PTOLEM. EUS
calculation, ISO degrees; and in this way be believed
he had discovered the extent of one half of tho globe.
The fact, however, is, that be was acquainted with
only 125 degrees. His error, consequently, is nearly a
third, namely, ono sixth by reason of the mistake hr
commits relative to the measurement of a degree ss
above mentioned, and about a sixth as the result of
euHs in geometric distances. With regard to lati-
tudes, a large number of whicr were based on astro-
comical determinations, the errors committed by Ptol-
tmy are very unimportant; and the latitude, for exam-
ple, which he gives to the southern point of Spain is
so exact, as to lead us to imagine that observations
had been made in this quarter by some of his prede-
cessors. --Strabo bad limited to 42 degrees the lati-
tude of the known part of the earth (situate between
the I2ih and 54th degree of north latitude). Ptole-
my, on the other hand, makes SO degrees, from 16?
south latitude to 63? north; and yet he believed that
he knew only about a quarter more than the earlier
geographers, because these allowed 700 stadia to a
degree, which makes nearly 30,000 stadia altogether;
whereas Ptolemy, admitting only 500 stadia, found
the sum total to be 40,000. --Marinus and Ptolemy
darived some information respecting the easternmost
parts of Asia from the Itineraries of a Macedonian
trader, who had sent his factors on overland journeys
from Mesopotamia, along Mount Taurus, through In-
dia, and even to the distant capital of the Seres.
These journeys must have been prosecuted very soon
after the time of Alexander the Great, under the first
two monarchs of the dynasty of the Seleucidse; since
it is not probablo '. hat, after the defection of the Bac-
trians and Parthians, a route remained open through
these countries to the traffic of the Greeks. Ptolemy
thus could hardly have gained much information re-
specting these lands from the narratives of overland
travellers. The communication by sea, however, be-
tween Egypt and India, became frequent in the time
of the Ptolemies. Strabo speaks of fleets that sailed
for India, and, in the time of Pliny, the coast of the
country this side of the Ganges was perfectly well
known. The navigators of the West, however, did
not go beyond this stream. It was supposed that
from this point the shore of Asia bent directly to the
north, and joined the eastern extremity of Taurus.
At a later period navigators went beyond the mouths
of the Ganges, and, to lluir great astonishment, found
that the land redescended towards the south, and
formed a large gulf (Bay of Bengal--Sinus Gangcti-
cus). They pushed their adventurous career still far-
ther: taking their departure from the southern part
of the western peninsula of India, they crossed the
gulf in a straight line, and reached the coast of Siam
and the peninsula of Malacca; this last they called
the Golden Chersonese, a proof of the profitable trade
which was there carried on by them. Having doubled
'. he extremity of this second peninsula, they entered
on a new gulf (that of Siam -Magnus Sinus). From
the eastern coast of the Golden Chersonese they
passed in a southern direction, and reached a large
continent, on the shore of which was situate the city
of Katligara. This country was probably the Isle of
. Borneo. The discoverer of this country was called
Alexander. (Ptol. , Geogr. , 2, 14. ) Ptolemy, who,
as well as this adventurer, believed that the coast was
a prolongation of that which formed the Gulf of Siam
? ? (the coast of Cambodia), founded thereon his hypoth-
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? PTOLEM-fEUS.
PUB
lea. The translation of Angeb was reprinted, with
corrections made from a manuscript of the Greek text,
by Calderitio, Roma>, 1478, fot. Twenty-seven maps
accompany this edition, which appears to hare been
printed by Arnold Pannartz. This is the second work,
with a dale, that is accompanied with engravings on
copper. In 1482, Donis, a German monk, and a good
astronomer for his time, gave a new edition to the world,
printed by Hull, al Ulin, in folio. It has fewer mis-
takes in the figures than those which preceded it, but
just as many in the names. Several editions followed,
but all swarming with errors. The celebrated Pico
de Mirandola sent to Essler, at Strasbourg, a Greek
manuscript of Ptolemy's work, by the aid of which
that scholar gave a new edition, not in the translation
of Angelo, but in another, very literal and somewhat
barbarous, by Philesius. Essler made many changes
in this version, and, to justify himself, generally added
the Greek term to the Latin He placed in it 46
maps cut on wood. Brunei calls this edition one of
little value; in this he is mistaken. The edition we
have just spoken of was reprinted at Strasbourg in
1520, and also in 1522. A new translation, made by
the celebrated Piraltheymer, appeared in 1525, from
the Strasbourg press, fol. It contains fifty maps
cut on wood--The first Greek edition was that of
Erasmus, printed from a manuscript which Theobald
Fcttich, a physician, had sent him, and which issued
from the press of Froben, at Bale. 1633, in 4to. The
manuscript was a very good one, but, through the fault
of the printer, a great number of errors were allowed
to creep in among the figures. Not having a suffi-
cient quantity of the peculiar type or mark which in-
dicated i. he employed in its place the letter r, which
signifies J. He made use, also, of the same letter
on many occasions to designate f ? The fraction j
is marked by yo, but the manuscript often places the o
above the y, and in a smaller character. The compos-
itor, not attending to this, contented himself with put-
ting in its place y alone, which is equivalent to j.
The confusion resulting from such a course is appa-
rent, and the only mode to remedy the evil is to have
recourse to the Latin editions which appeared pre-
vious to 1533. The Bale edition was reprinted by
Wechel, at Paris. 1546, 4lo. --Michael Servetus (Vil-
Innovanus) retouched the translation of Pirckheymer, af-
ter a manuscript, and published it, with fifty maps cut on
-vood, al Lyons, in 1530, and again, with corrections
ind additions, in the same city, in 1541. These two
:diiions of Ptolemy play a conspicuous part in the
nistory of religious fanaticism; Calvin derived from
them one of his grounds of accusation against Serve-
tus. He was charged with having added to the de-
scription that accompanies the map of Palestine, a
passage which contradicts what Moses says respecting
the fertility of that country. The interpolated pas-
sage docs actually exist, but it was added by Phrisius,
who took charge of the edition of 1522 --The last im-
pression of the Greek text was in 1618 and 1619, in
S vols. 4to, from the Amsterdam press, by Bertius.
Many faults of the previous editions are corrected in
this one, by the aid of a Heidelberg manuscript, but the
same errors in the figures si ill remain, and, to aug-
ment the confusion, the editor has placed beside them
those of the Latin editions, which often differ widely.
The only recent edition of the mathematical part of
Ptolemy's Geography is that of Halma. containing
? ? only ihe first I }ok and the latter part of the seventh,
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? PUB
PUP
protecting the rights or the people (ptpulum and colo,
Poplicola, Publicola). Niebuhr dissents from this ety-
mology in the following remarks: "We cannot agree
with the Greek Dionysius and Plutarch in translating
Publicola as a compound term by dn/iOKnd^, 'tho
protoctorof the people;' but we must recognise there-
in the old Latin form of the adjective with a superflu-
ous termination, which is sometimes mistaken for a
diminutive, sometimes for a compound. It is equiva-
lent lo Pubttcus, in the sense of dii/iortKoc. Thus
Septula is not the diminutive, but synonymous with
Sctrvus. and jEquicolus is nothing but JZi/uus or
JEquicus; Votsculns nothing but Volscus. " {Roman
History, vol. 1, p. 360, Waller's trans. )
Pubi. ii. Ia Lf. x, I. a law proposed by Publilius the
Dictator, A. U.
being informed of the circumstance, made inquiries
about the word, and found that it was the Phrygian
term for bread. He therefore concluded that th6
Phrygians were the most ancient of men! The truth
is, the cry which the children uttered (supposing the
story to be true) was bek (with the Greek termination
as given by Herodotus, bek-os), and the children had
learned it from the cry of the goats which suckled
hem. (Herod. , 3, 151, teqq. --St. Martin, in Biogr.
mtr. , vol. 36, p. 178, teqq. )--II. A descendant of
the preceding, who came to the throne about 400 B. C. ,
-s a kind of vassal-king to Persia. (St. Martin, in
Hiogr. Unit. , vol. 36, p. 181. )
Psophis, a very ancient city in the northwestern
fart of Arcadia. Pausanias places it at the foot of the
chain of Erymanthus, from which descended a river
of the same name, which flowed near the city, and, af-
ter receiving another small stream called Aroanius,
rained the Alpheus on the borders of Elis (8, 84).
Psophis itself had previously borne the names of Ery-
wamthus and Phegea. At the time of the Social war,
was in tho possession of the Eleana, on whose ter-
? ? utory it bordered, as well as on that of the Achaans;
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? no
PTOI. EM. ELn.
L:rn in ner favour. Jupiter takes pity on her and en-
dows her with immortality: Venus in reconciled, and
the marriage of Psyche with Cupid takes place amid
great joy in the skies. The offspring of their union
was a child, whom hi<< parents named Pleasure. (Apu-
Uius, Mil. , 4, 83, seqq. --Op. , ed Oudend. , vol. 1, p.
300, seqq. -- Keighlley's Mythology, p. 148, seqq. --
Among the various explanations that have been given
of this beautiful legend, the following appears the
most satisfactory : 1 his fable, it is said, is a represent-
ation of the human soul (i/w^y). The soul, which is
of divine origin, is here below subjected to error in its
prison-house, the body. Hence trials and purifications
are set before it, that it may become capable of a
higher view of things, and of true desire. Two loves
meet it: the earthly, a deceiver, who draws it down to
earthly things; the heavenly, who directs its view to
the original, fair and divine, and who, gaining the vic-
tory over his rival, leads off the soul as his bride.
[Hilt, Berlin Akaci, 1816. --Creuser, Symbolik, vol.
3, p. 673. )
Psvlli, a people cf Libya near the Syrtes, very ex-
pen in curing the venomous bite of serpents, which
had no fatal effect upon them. They were destroyed
by the Nasamones, a neighbouring people. It seems
very probable that the Nasamones circulated the idle
story respecting the destruction of the Psylli, which
Herodotus relates, without, however, giving credit to
it. He states that a south wind had dried up all the
reservoirs of the Psylli, and that the whole country,
as far as the Syrtes, was destitute of water. They re-
solved, accordingly, after a public consultation, to
make an expedition against the south wind , but, hav-
ing reached the deserts, the south win<: overwhelmed
them beneath the sands. (Lucan, 9, 804, 937. --He-
-od. , 4, 172. --Pausan. , 9, 28. )
Pteria, a small territory, forming part of Cappa-
docia according to Herodotus (1, 76), or, more prop-
erly speaking, of Paphlagonia, and in the vicinity of
the city of Sinope. Here the first battle took place
oetween Crcesus and Cyrus. (Herod. , 1. c. -- Lar-
cher, Hist. Herod. , vol. 8, p. 468. )
Prot. EM. SiDs, I. surnamed Soter, and sometimes
Lagi (i. e. , son of Lagus), king of Egypt, and son of
Arsinoe, who, when pregnant by Philip of Macedonia,
married Lagus. (Vid. Lagus. ) Ptolemy was edu-
cated in the court of tho King of Macedonia. Ho be-
came one of the friends and associates of Alexander,
and, when that monarch invaded Asia, the son of Ar-
jinoe attended him as one of his generals. During
ihe expedition he behaved with uncommon valour;
ne killed one of the Indian monarchs in single com-
bat, and it was to his prudence and courage that Alex-
ander was indebted for thq reduction of the rock Aor-
nus. After the conqueror's death, in the general di-
vision of the Macedonian empire. Ptolemy obtained
as his share the government of Egypt, with Libya,
and part of the neighbouring territories of Arabia. In
this appointment the governor soon gained the esteem
of the people by acts of kindness, by benevolence and
clemency, though he did not assume the title of inde-
pendent monarch till seventeen years after. He made
himself master of Coelosyria, Phoenicia, and the neigh-
bouring coast of Syria; and when he had reduced Je-
rusalem, he carried above 100,000 prisoners to Egypt,
to people the extensive city of Alexandres, which be-
came the capital of his dominions. After he had ren-
? ? dered these prisoners the most attached and faithful of
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? PTOLEM^US.
PTOLEM. tX'S.
married wilh the consent of Phihdelphue. With the
most rapid success lie conquered Syria and Cilicia,
and advanced as far as Bactriana and the confines of
India; but a sedition at home stopped his progress,
and he retimed to Egypt loaded with the spoils of
conquered nations. Among the immense riches
which he brought, he had many statues of the Egyp-
tian gods, which Cambyscs had carried away into Per-
lia when he conquered Egypt. These were restored
to the temples, and the Egyptians called their sover-
eign Euergetes (or Benefactor), in acknowledgment
of his attention, beneficence, and religious zeal for the
gids of his country. The last years of Ptolemy's
reign were passed in peace if we except the refusal
of the Jews to pay the tribute of 20 silver talents
which their ancestors had always paid to the Egyptian
monarchs. Euergetes died 221 years before Christ,
after a reign of 25 years; and, like his two illustrious
predecessors, was the patron of learning. --IV. The
fourth, succeeded his father Euergetes on the throne of
Egypt, and received the surname of PhilopatoT, prob-
ably from the regard which he manifested for the mem-
ory of his father; though, according to some authori-
ties, he destroyed him by poison. He began his reign
with acts of the greatest cruelty, and he successively
sacrificed to his avarice his own mother, his wife, his
sister, and his brother. He received, in derision, the
name of Typhon. from his evil morals, and that of
Gollus, because he appeared in the streets of Alex-
andres with all the gestures of the priests of Cybele.
In the midst of his pleasures Philopator was called to
war against Antiochus, king of Syria, and at the head
of a powerful army he soon invaded his enemy's ter-
ritories, and might have added the kingdom of Syria to
Egypt if he had made a prudent use of the victories
which attended his arms. In the latter part of his
reign, the Romans, whom a dangerous war w'th Car-
tnagc had weakened, but, at the same time, roused to
superior activity, renewed, for political reasons, the
treaty of alliance which had been made with the
Egyptian monarchs. Philopator at last, weakened and
enervated by intemperance and continued debauchery,
died in the 37th year of his age, after a reign of 17
years, 204 years before the Christian era. --V. The
fifth, succeeded his father Philopator as king of Egypt,
though only in the fourth year of his age. During the
years of his minority he was under the protection of
Sosicius and of Aristomenes, by whose prudent ad-
ministration Antiochus was dispossessed of the prov-
inces of Ccelosyria and Palestine, which he had con-
quered in war. The Romans also renewed their al-
liance with him after their victories over Hinnibal,
and the conclusion of the second Punic war. This
flattering embassy induced Aristomenes to ofTtt the
care of the patronage of the young monarch to the
Romans; but the regent was confirmed in his honour-
able office, and, by making a treaty of alliance with
the people of Achaia, he convinced the Egyptians that
he was qualified to wield the sceptre and to govern
the nation. But, now that Ptolemy had reached his
14th year, according to the laws and customs of
Egypt, the years of his minority nod expired. He re-
ceived the surname of Epiphanes, or Illustrious, and
was Crowned at Alexandres with the greatest solem-
nity, and the faithful Aristomenes resigned into his
h'Tida an empire which he had governed with honour
to himself and with credit to his sovereign. Young
? ? Pi ilemy was no sooner delivered from the shackles of
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? PTOLEM. EUS.
PTOLEiVLfcLS.
? nd it was at last agreed that Physcon should marry the
queen, and that her son should succeed on the throne
at his death. The nuptials were accordingly cele-
brated, but on that very day the tyrant murdered Cle-
opatra's son in her arms. He ordered himself to be
called Euergetu, but the Alexandreans refused to do
it, and stigmatized him with the appellation of Kaktr-
fctcs, or Evil-doer, a surname which he deserved by
his tyranny and oppression. A aeries of barbarities
rendered him odious; but, as no one attempted to rid
Egypt of her tyrant, the Alexandreans abandoned their
habitations, and fled from a place which continually
streamed with the blood of their massacred fcllow-
citizens. If their migration proved fatal to the com-
merce and prosperity of Alexandres, it was of the most
essential service to the countries where they retired;
and the numbers of Egyptians that sought a safe asy-
lum in Greece and Asia, introduced among the inhab-
itants of those countries the different professions that
were practised with success in the capital of Egypt.
Physcon endeavoured to repeople the city which his
cruelty had laid desolate; but the fear of sharing the
fate of its former inhabitants prevailed more than the
promise of riches, rights, and immunities. The king,
at last, disgusted with Cleopatra, repudiated her, and
married her daughter by Phitomelor, called also Cleo-
patra. He still continued to exercise the greatest cru-
elty upon his subjects; but the prudence and vigilance
of his ministers kept the people in tranquillity, till all
Egypt revolted when the king had basely murdered all
the young men of Alexandrea. Without friends or
support it: Egypt, he fled to Cyprus, and Cleopatra,
the divorced queen, ascended the throne. In his ban-
ishment Physcon dreaded lest the Alexandreans should
also place the crown on the head of his son, by his sis-
ter Cleopatra, who was the governor of Gyrene; and
under these apprehensions he sent for the young
prince, called Memphitis, to Cyprus, and murdered him
as soon as he reached the shore. To make the bar-
barity more complete, he sent the limbs of Memphitis
to Cleopatra, and they were received as the queen was
going to celebrate her birthday. Soon after this he
invaded Egypt with an army, and obtained a victory
over the forces of Cleopatra, who, being left without
friends or assistance, (led to her eldest daughter Cleo-
patra, who had married Demetrius, king of Syria.
This decisive blow restored Physcon to his throne,
where he continued to reign for some time, hated by
his subjects and feared by his enemies. He died at
Alexandrea in the 67th year of his age, after a reign
of 29 years, about 116 years before Christ. This
prince, notwithstanding his cruel disposition, was a
lover of learning, and received from some the appella-
tion of Philologist. Aristarchus was his preceptor, and
be is said also to have made important additions to the
Alexandrean library, as well in original manuscripts
as in copies. --VIII. The eighth, surnamed Soter II,
succeeded his father Physcon as king of Egypt. He
had no sooner ascended the throne than his mother
Cleopatra, who reigned conjointly with him, expelled
him to Cyprus, and placed the crown on the head of
his brother Ptolemy Alexander, her favourite son.
Soter, banished from Egypt, became king of Cyprus;
and soon after he appeared at the head of a large army,
to make war against Alexander Jannteus, king of Ju-
dasa, through whose assistance and intrigue he had
been expelled by Cleopatra. The Jewish monarch
? ? was conquered, and 50,000 of his men were left on the
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? PTOLE. NLLUS.
JTOLEJLEUS.
>he elder of Lia daughters, and to ascend with her the
vacant throne. As these children wore young, the
dying monarch recommended them to the protection
and paternal care of the Romans; and accordingly
Pompey the Great was appointed by the senate to be
their patron and their guardian. Their reign was as
turbulent as that of their predecessors, and it is re-
markable for no uncommon events; only we may ob-
serve that the young queen was the Cleopatra who
*oon after became so celebrated. --XIII. The thir-
teenth, ascended the throne of Egypt conjointly with
his sister Cleopatra, whom he had married according to
the directions of his father Auletes. (Vid. Cleopatra
VII. )--XIV. Apion, king of Cyrene, was the illegiti-
mate son of Ptolemy Physcon. After a reign of twenty
years he died; and, as he had no children, he made the
Romans heirs of his dominions. The Romans pre-
sented his subjects with their independence. --XV.
Ceraunus, a son of Ptolemy Soter by Eurydice, the
daughter of Antipater. Unable to succeed to the
throne of Egypt, Ceraunus fled to the court of Seleu-
cus, where he was received with friendly marks of at-
tention. Seleucus was then king of Macedonia, an
empiro which he had lately acquired by the death of
Lysimachus in a battle in Phrygia; but his reign was
short; and Ceraunus perfidiously murdered him, and
ascended his throne 280 B. C. The murderer, how-
ever, could not be firmly established in Macedonia as
long as Arsinoe the widow, and the children of I. vsim-
achus, were alive, and entitled to claim his kingdom
as the lawful possession of their father. To rernove
tl. tse obstacles, Ceraunus made offers of marriage to
Arisnoe, who was his own sister. The queen at first
refused, but the protestations and solemn promises of
the usurper at last prevailed upon her to consent.
The nuptials, however, were no sooner celebrated than
Ceraunus murdered the two young princes, and con-
firmed his usurpation by rapine and cruelty. But now
three powerful princes claimed the kingdom of Mace-
donia as their own: Antiochus, the son of Seleucus;
Antigonus, the son of Demetrius; and Pyrrhus, the
king of Epirus. These enemies, however, were soon
removed; Ceraunus conquered Antigonus in the field
of battle, and stopped the hostilities of his two other
rivals by promises and money. He did not long re-
main inactive: a barbarian army of Gauls claimed a
tribute from him, and the monarch immediately march-
ed to meet them in the field. The battle was long and
bloody. The Macedonians might have obtained the
victory if Ceraunus had shown more prudence. He
was thrown down from his elephant, and taken prison-
er by the enemy, who immediately tore his body to
pieces. Ptolemy had been king of Macedonia only
eighteen months. {Justin, 24, ice. -- Pausan. , 10,
10. --XVI. An illegitimate son of Ptolemy Soter II. ,
or Lathyrus, king of Cyprus, of which he was tyran-
nically dispossessed by the Romans.
Cato was at the
head of the forces which were sent against Ptolemy by
the senate, and the Roman general proposed to the
monarch to retire from the throne, and to pass the rest
of his days in the obscure office of high-priest in the
temple of Venus at Paphos. This offer was rejected
with the indignation which it merited, and the monarch
poisoned himself at the approach of the enemy. The
treasures found in the island amounted to the enor-
mous sum of ? 1,356,250 sterling, which were carried
to Rome by the cocquerors. --XVII. A son of Pyr-
? ? rhus, king of Epirus, by Antigone, the daughter of
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? PTOLEM. EUS
PTOLEMY US.
exists a <<. hc >>iin of Olympiodorus (m I'hira , Plot. --
Bouilland, Ttstimonia dc Ptolcmao, p. 205. ), which in-
forms us ihat Ptolemy passed 40 years of his life iv
irrtooto tov K. avu6ov (** in the wings of Canobus"),
occupied with astronomical observations, and that he
placed columns there on which he caused to be cut the
theorems of which he bad been the author. An in-
scription has come down to us which illustrates this
remark of Olympiodorus: Otui Xurf/pt KXavdwc 0ro/? -
? uaioc dfifdc kcu vito8ioti? fiaOiifiariKac, k. t. A. ,
? ' Claudius Ptolemy dedicates to the God, the Preserver,
bis mathematical principles and theses," &c. Combi-
ning this dedication with the scholium of Olympiodorus,
the Abbe Halma states, that he would be inclined to
believe the deity alluded to in the inscription to be Ca-
nobus, if the inscription did not expressly declare, far-
ther on, that the monument containing it was placed
. n the city of Canobus (iv Kai'uCu), whence he infers
hat the protecting deity is SerapiB, and that Ptolemy
made his observations in the side-buildings connected
with the temple of this god. He thinks that this posi-
tion is not in contradiction with the passage in which
Ptolemy informs us that he made them under the par-
allel of Alexandres; for, according to Halma, the city
of Alexandrea was gradually extended to Canopus,
which became a kind of suburbs to it, so that Ptole-
my, though residing at Canopus, may nevertheless be
? aid to have observed at Alexandrea, or that, observ-
ing at Canopus, he had no need of reducing his ob-
servations to the parallel of Alexandrea, by reason of
the trifling difference of latitude. A difficulty here
presents itself, of which the Abbe Halma is aware, and
which he proposes to remedy by an alteration of the
text. If Ptolemy had made his observations in the
temple of Serapis at Canopus, Olympiodorus, in place
of saying kv Trrepoic tov KavuCov, "in the wings of
(the temple of) Canobus," would have had hi irrepoic
Tijc KavuSov, "the side-buildings of (the city of) Ca-
nobus. " Halma therefore proposes to substitute the
latter reading for the former, or else to regard Canobus
a. >> the same divinity with Serapis, and to suppose that
Ptolemy observed in the temple of Canobus at Cano-
pus. This reasoning of Halma's has been attacked
by Lctronne, and ably refuted. The latter shows,
that Canopus, situate at the distance of 120 stadia, or
more than two and a half geographical miles, northeast
of Alexandrea, never made part of that capital, since
there were several places, such as Nicopolis and Ta-
posiris Parva, between the two cities; that, conse-
quently, the Scrapeum, in which Ptolemy observed,
could not have belonged to Canopus; and, finally, that
Ptolemy knew the difference in latitude between Ca-
nopus and Alexandrea, and could not confound them
together in one point. It is more probable, as Lelronne
remarks (Journal des Savans, 1818, p. 202), that
Olympiodorus was mistaken as to the place where
Ptolemy observed. It is ascertained that there was a
temple of Serapis at Canopus as well as at Alexan-
drea. (Straio, 801. ) Olympiodorus, therefore, must
have supposed that the word Scrapeum, in the author
from whom he copied his remark, belonged exclusive-
ly to the first of these cities, when it referred, in fact,
in this particular instance, to Alexandrea the capital.
Tjc error of Olympiodorus, moreover, is the easier to
lj! explained, from the circumstance of the Scrapeum
at Canopus having become at one time a celebrated
teat of the New-Platonists, and having acquired great
? ? distinction on this account among the last apostles of
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? PTOI. EM EUS.
FfOLEM. CTJS.
reisluu into Latin. Another translation was made
Irom the Arabic text into Latin by Gerard of Cremo-
na, an astronomer of the twelfth century, who estab-
lished himself for some time at Toledo, in order to
learn the Arabic language. He did not understand it
perfectly, and was therefore unable to translate cer-
tain technical terms, which he was consequently com-
pelled to leave in the original language. His classical
arudition could not have been very profound, since he
was unacquainted with Hipparchus, whom he every-
where calls Abrachir, as the Arabic translator had
iloae. --It was not until the fifteenth century that a
manuscript of the original Greek was discovered, from
which the astronomer, John Miiller, better known by
the name of Regiomontanus, made his Latin abridg-
ment. About the same period, George of Trebisond
made a Latin translation from this original, but a very
unfaithful one. --The Alexandreans called the work of
Ptolemy which we have just been considering the
Great Astronomer, Meyac aarpovd/ioc, in contradis-
tinction to another collection which they called the
Little Astronomer, Mt/tooc aarpovopoc, and which was
composed of the works of Theodosius of Tripolis; the
Data, Optics, Catoptrics, 67c, of Euclid; the works
of Autolycus. Aristarchus of Samos, Hypsiclcs, &c. --
The best and most useful edition of the Almagest is
that of Halma, Paris, 1813-1828, 2 vols. 4to. It
contains a new French version, and notes by Delam-
bre. --2. The second work of Ptolemy, as we have
arranged it, is the Xlpoxtipoi Kavdvrc. This is a col-
lection of Manual Tables intended for makers of al-
manacs, to facilitate their calculations, and which
are often only extracts from the Almagest. Halma
gave the editio princeps of this work in the first vol-
ume of his edition of Theon's Commentary, which he
published in 1822. --3. TerpiCibTioc, ij 2vvra! ;ic pad-
tlfiarinq (" Telrahiblus, or Mathematical Syntaxis"),
in four books, consisting of astronomical predictions.
It is commonly cited under the title of Quadripartitum.
Some critics consider this work as unworthy of Ptole-
ny, and supposititious. Proclus hjs made a para-
phrase of it. The latest edition is that of Melancthon,
Basil, 1553, 8vo. --4. Kapizoc ("Fruit"), that is, one.
Hundred astrological propositions collected from the
works of Ptolemy. It is usually cited under the title
->( Centum Dicta. It is published with the Quadn-
yarlilum. --5. Quaete dn/. avioi' aaripuv Kai ovvayuyij
ixion/taotC/v ("Appearances of the fixed stars, and a
rollection of the things indicated by them1'). This is a
? sficcies of almanac, giving the rising and setting of
the stars, the prognostics of the principal changes of
temperature, &c. The work is intended for all cli-
mates; and, to make it answer this end. and prove
jseful to all the Greeks spread over the surface of the
globe, Ptolemy gives the appearance of the stars for
rive parallels at once, namely, Syene, Lower Egypt,
Rhodes, the Hellespont, and the Pontus Euxinus.
The best edition is that of Halma, Paris, 1820, 4lo.
It was preceded by the edition of Ideler, Bcrol. , 1819.
--6. Ilfpi''KvaXijpiiaroc (" Of the Analemma"). The
Analemma was a species of sundial, and in this work
we have at: exposition of the whole gnomonic theory
of the Greeks--7. Tiro6V<<f ruv nXavu/itvuv ("Hy-
pothesis of the Planets"). The latest edition is that
of Halma, Paris, 1820, 4to. -- 8. 'KnXuaic iiuciavciar
a^aipac (" Planisphere"). This work exists only in
in Arabic version, by Moslem, and a Latin translation
? ? made from this. It is a treatise on what is called ste-
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? PTOLEM. EUS.
PTOLEM. EUS
calculation, ISO degrees; and in this way be believed
he had discovered the extent of one half of tho globe.
The fact, however, is, that be was acquainted with
only 125 degrees. His error, consequently, is nearly a
third, namely, ono sixth by reason of the mistake hr
commits relative to the measurement of a degree ss
above mentioned, and about a sixth as the result of
euHs in geometric distances. With regard to lati-
tudes, a large number of whicr were based on astro-
comical determinations, the errors committed by Ptol-
tmy are very unimportant; and the latitude, for exam-
ple, which he gives to the southern point of Spain is
so exact, as to lead us to imagine that observations
had been made in this quarter by some of his prede-
cessors. --Strabo bad limited to 42 degrees the lati-
tude of the known part of the earth (situate between
the I2ih and 54th degree of north latitude). Ptole-
my, on the other hand, makes SO degrees, from 16?
south latitude to 63? north; and yet he believed that
he knew only about a quarter more than the earlier
geographers, because these allowed 700 stadia to a
degree, which makes nearly 30,000 stadia altogether;
whereas Ptolemy, admitting only 500 stadia, found
the sum total to be 40,000. --Marinus and Ptolemy
darived some information respecting the easternmost
parts of Asia from the Itineraries of a Macedonian
trader, who had sent his factors on overland journeys
from Mesopotamia, along Mount Taurus, through In-
dia, and even to the distant capital of the Seres.
These journeys must have been prosecuted very soon
after the time of Alexander the Great, under the first
two monarchs of the dynasty of the Seleucidse; since
it is not probablo '. hat, after the defection of the Bac-
trians and Parthians, a route remained open through
these countries to the traffic of the Greeks. Ptolemy
thus could hardly have gained much information re-
specting these lands from the narratives of overland
travellers. The communication by sea, however, be-
tween Egypt and India, became frequent in the time
of the Ptolemies. Strabo speaks of fleets that sailed
for India, and, in the time of Pliny, the coast of the
country this side of the Ganges was perfectly well
known. The navigators of the West, however, did
not go beyond this stream. It was supposed that
from this point the shore of Asia bent directly to the
north, and joined the eastern extremity of Taurus.
At a later period navigators went beyond the mouths
of the Ganges, and, to lluir great astonishment, found
that the land redescended towards the south, and
formed a large gulf (Bay of Bengal--Sinus Gangcti-
cus). They pushed their adventurous career still far-
ther: taking their departure from the southern part
of the western peninsula of India, they crossed the
gulf in a straight line, and reached the coast of Siam
and the peninsula of Malacca; this last they called
the Golden Chersonese, a proof of the profitable trade
which was there carried on by them. Having doubled
'. he extremity of this second peninsula, they entered
on a new gulf (that of Siam -Magnus Sinus). From
the eastern coast of the Golden Chersonese they
passed in a southern direction, and reached a large
continent, on the shore of which was situate the city
of Katligara. This country was probably the Isle of
. Borneo. The discoverer of this country was called
Alexander. (Ptol. , Geogr. , 2, 14. ) Ptolemy, who,
as well as this adventurer, believed that the coast was
a prolongation of that which formed the Gulf of Siam
? ? (the coast of Cambodia), founded thereon his hypoth-
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? PTOLEM-fEUS.
PUB
lea. The translation of Angeb was reprinted, with
corrections made from a manuscript of the Greek text,
by Calderitio, Roma>, 1478, fot. Twenty-seven maps
accompany this edition, which appears to hare been
printed by Arnold Pannartz. This is the second work,
with a dale, that is accompanied with engravings on
copper. In 1482, Donis, a German monk, and a good
astronomer for his time, gave a new edition to the world,
printed by Hull, al Ulin, in folio. It has fewer mis-
takes in the figures than those which preceded it, but
just as many in the names. Several editions followed,
but all swarming with errors. The celebrated Pico
de Mirandola sent to Essler, at Strasbourg, a Greek
manuscript of Ptolemy's work, by the aid of which
that scholar gave a new edition, not in the translation
of Angelo, but in another, very literal and somewhat
barbarous, by Philesius. Essler made many changes
in this version, and, to justify himself, generally added
the Greek term to the Latin He placed in it 46
maps cut on wood. Brunei calls this edition one of
little value; in this he is mistaken. The edition we
have just spoken of was reprinted at Strasbourg in
1520, and also in 1522. A new translation, made by
the celebrated Piraltheymer, appeared in 1525, from
the Strasbourg press, fol. It contains fifty maps
cut on wood--The first Greek edition was that of
Erasmus, printed from a manuscript which Theobald
Fcttich, a physician, had sent him, and which issued
from the press of Froben, at Bale. 1633, in 4to. The
manuscript was a very good one, but, through the fault
of the printer, a great number of errors were allowed
to creep in among the figures. Not having a suffi-
cient quantity of the peculiar type or mark which in-
dicated i. he employed in its place the letter r, which
signifies J. He made use, also, of the same letter
on many occasions to designate f ? The fraction j
is marked by yo, but the manuscript often places the o
above the y, and in a smaller character. The compos-
itor, not attending to this, contented himself with put-
ting in its place y alone, which is equivalent to j.
The confusion resulting from such a course is appa-
rent, and the only mode to remedy the evil is to have
recourse to the Latin editions which appeared pre-
vious to 1533. The Bale edition was reprinted by
Wechel, at Paris. 1546, 4lo. --Michael Servetus (Vil-
Innovanus) retouched the translation of Pirckheymer, af-
ter a manuscript, and published it, with fifty maps cut on
-vood, al Lyons, in 1530, and again, with corrections
ind additions, in the same city, in 1541. These two
:diiions of Ptolemy play a conspicuous part in the
nistory of religious fanaticism; Calvin derived from
them one of his grounds of accusation against Serve-
tus. He was charged with having added to the de-
scription that accompanies the map of Palestine, a
passage which contradicts what Moses says respecting
the fertility of that country. The interpolated pas-
sage docs actually exist, but it was added by Phrisius,
who took charge of the edition of 1522 --The last im-
pression of the Greek text was in 1618 and 1619, in
S vols. 4to, from the Amsterdam press, by Bertius.
Many faults of the previous editions are corrected in
this one, by the aid of a Heidelberg manuscript, but the
same errors in the figures si ill remain, and, to aug-
ment the confusion, the editor has placed beside them
those of the Latin editions, which often differ widely.
The only recent edition of the mathematical part of
Ptolemy's Geography is that of Halma. containing
? ? only ihe first I }ok and the latter part of the seventh,
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? PUB
PUP
protecting the rights or the people (ptpulum and colo,
Poplicola, Publicola). Niebuhr dissents from this ety-
mology in the following remarks: "We cannot agree
with the Greek Dionysius and Plutarch in translating
Publicola as a compound term by dn/iOKnd^, 'tho
protoctorof the people;' but we must recognise there-
in the old Latin form of the adjective with a superflu-
ous termination, which is sometimes mistaken for a
diminutive, sometimes for a compound. It is equiva-
lent lo Pubttcus, in the sense of dii/iortKoc. Thus
Septula is not the diminutive, but synonymous with
Sctrvus. and jEquicolus is nothing but JZi/uus or
JEquicus; Votsculns nothing but Volscus. " {Roman
History, vol. 1, p. 360, Waller's trans. )
Pubi. ii. Ia Lf. x, I. a law proposed by Publilius the
Dictator, A. U.
