Siaskas, a
peripatetic
philosopher, who resided
Tiany years at Rome with M.
Tiany years at Rome with M.
Charles - 1867 - Classical Dictionary
Pharos.
)--III.
A
poet, who wrote a poem on the expedition of Xerxes
into Greece. (Jut. , 10, 178. -- Ltmairt, ad loe )
Sotaoes, I an Athenian poet of the middle come-
dy. (Sehbtl. , Hist. Lit. Gr. , vol, 2, p. 115 )--II. A
Greek port, a native of Maronea, whose name has de-
scended to posterity covered with infamy. He was
the author of Cinedologic strains, which exceeded in
impurity anything that had gone before them. These
poems, at first called lonica, were subsequently de-
nominated Sotadica. Having, before leaving Alex-
andres, where he had been living aome lime, written a
very gross epigram on Ptolemy Philadelphus, that
prince caused him to be pursued. Sotades was seiz-
ed in the island of Caunus, enclosed in a case of
lead, and cast into the sea. (Allien , 14, p. 620, ed.
Schweigk. , vol 5, p. 247. )
Sotkr, a surname of the first Ptolemy. (Vid.
Ptolemx'iis I )
Sothis, the Egyptian name of the star Sirius.
[Vid. Sirius. )
Sotiates, a people of Gaul conquered by Caesar.
ITieir country, which formed part of Aquitania, ex-
tended along the Garumna or Garonne, and their
chief town was Sotiatum, of which some traces still
(? main at the modern Sos. (Cats. , B. G-, 3, 20. )
Sotion, a grammarian of Alexandre,! , preceptor to
Boneca, B. C. 204. (Sencc. , Ep. , 49, 50. )
Sozomen, an ecclesiaatical historian, born, accord-
ing to some, at Salamis, in the island of Cyprus, but,
according to others, at Gaza or Bethulta, in Palestine.
Ho died 450 A. D. His history extends from tho
year 324 to 439, and is dedicated to Theodosius the
Younger, being written in a style of inelegance and
mediocrity. He is chargeable with several notorious
errors in the relation of facts, and has incurred cen-
sure for his commendations of Theodorus of Mopsu-
esta, with whom originated the heresy of two persons
in Christ. His history is usually printed with that of
Socrates and the other ecclesiastical historians. The
best edition is that of Reading, Cantab, 1720, folio.
A work of Sozomen. not now extant, containing, in
two hooks, a summary account of the affairs of the
Church from the ascension of our Saviour to the de-
feat of Liciniua, was written before his history.
Sparta, a celebrated city of Greece, the capital of
Laconia. It was situated in a plain of some extent,
bounded on one side by the chain of Taygetus, on the
other by the less elevated ridge of Mount Thornax,
and through which flowed the Eurotas. In the age of
Thucydides it was an inconsiderable town, without
fortifications, presenting rather the appearance of a
collection of villages than of a regularly-planned and
? ? well-built city. The public buildings also were very
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? SPARTA.
SPARTA.
hod and sea, to the Spartans. Pausanias, guardian
of the infant son of Leonidas, gained the celebrated
victory of Plataea over the Persians (B. C. 479), at the
head of the allies. On the same day, the Grecian
army and fleet, under the command of the Spartan
king Iieotychides, and the Athenian genera! Xanthip-
pu>>, defeated the Persians, by land and sea, near My-
cale With the rise of the political importance of
Spaita. the social organization of the nation was de-
veloped. The power of the kings was gradually limit-
ed, while that of tho ephori was increased. After the
Persians had been victoriously repelled, the Grecian
states, having acquired warlike habits, carried on hos-
tilities against each other. The jealousy of Sparta
towards Athens rose to such a height, that the I. ace-
drrmoiiians. under pretence that the Persians, in case
of a renewal of the war, would find a tenable position
in Athens, opposed the rebuilding of its walls and the
fortification of the Piraeus. Themistocles, discerning
the real grounds of this proceeding, baffled the designs
of Sparta by a stratagem, and thus contributed to
increase the ill-will of that state towards Athens.
The tyrannical conduct of Pausanias alienated the
other allies from Sparta; and most of them submitted
to the command of Athens. But, while Sparta was
learning moderation, Athens became so arrogant to-
wards the confederates, that they again attached them-
selves to the former power, which now began to
make preparations in secret for a new struggle. The
Athenians, however, formally renounced the friend-
ship of Sparia, and began hostilities (B. C. 431). This
war, the Peloponnesian, ended in the ascendancy of
Sparta, and the entire humiliation of her rival (-JUS).
The rivalry of the Spartan general Lysander and the
king Pausanias soon after produced a revolution,
which delivered the Athenians from the Spartan yoke.
Tiie Spnrtans next became involved in a war with
Piisia, hy joining Cyrua the Younger in his rebellion
against his brother Artaxerxes Mnemon. The Per-
sian throne was shaken by the victories of Agesi-
bus; but Athens, Thebes, Corinth, and some of
the Pc'oponnesian states were instigated by Persian
gold to declare war against the Lacedaemonians, who
found it necessary to recall Agesilaus. The latter
defeated the Thcbans at Coroiuea; but, on the other
hand, '. he Athenian commander, Conon, gained a vic-
tory over the Spartan fleet at Cnidus, and took fifty
galley,. This war, known as the Boeotian or Co-
rinthian war, lasted eight years, and increased the rep-
utation and power of Athens by the successes of her
admiral, Conon, and her fortunate expeditions against
the Spartan coasts and the islands of the iEgean.
The arrogance of Athens again involved her in hostil-
ities with Persia; and Antalcidas (B. C. 388) conclu-
ded the peace which bears his name, and which, though
highly advantageous to Persia, delivered Sparta from
hor enemies. The ambitious designs of Sparta in
concluding this peace soon became apparent: she con-
tinued to oppress her allies, and to sow dissension in
every quarter, that she might have an opportunity of
acting as umpire. Besides other outrages, she occu-
pied, without provocation, the city of Thebes, and in-
troduced an anslocratical constitution there. Pelopi-
das delivered Thebes, and the celebrated Theban war
followed, in which Athens took part, at first against
Sparta, but afterward in her favour. The latter was
so much enfeebled by the war that she thenceforward
? ? ceased to act a distinguished part in Greece. No
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? SFA
s PE
ware nol entirely remitted even afier they had attained
10 manhood. For it was a maxim with Lvcurgus,
that no man should live for himself, but for his coun-
try. Every Spartan, therefore, was regarded as a
soldier, and the city itself resembled a great camp,
where every one had a fixed allowance, and was re-
quired to perform regular service. In order that they
might have more leisure to devote themselves to
martial pursuits, they were forbidden to exercise any
mechanical arts or trades, which, together with the
labours of agriculture, devolved upon the Helots. --
Till the seventh year the child was kept in the gy-
ittTeum, under the care of the women; from that age
to the eighteenth year they were called boys (npurq-
pec), and thence to the age of thirty youths (c(fnj6oi).
In the thirtieth year the Spartan entered the period of
manhood, and enjoyed the full rights of a citizen. At
the age of seven the boy was withdrawn from the pa-
ternal care, and educated under the public eye, in com-
pany with others of the same age, without distinction
of rank or fortune. If any person withheld his son
from the care of the state, he forfeited his civil rights.
The principal object of attention, during the periods
of boyhood and youth, was the physical education,
which consisted in the practice of various gymnastic
exercises--running, leaping, throwing the discus, wres-
tling, boxing, the chase, and the pancratium. These
exercises were performed naked, in certain buildings
called gymnasia. Besides gymnastics, dancing and
the military exercises were practised. A singular cus-
tom was the flogging of boys (diamastigosis) on the
annual festival of Diana Onhia, for the purpose of in-
uring them to bear pain with firmness. (Vid. Bomon-
icae. ) To teach the youth cunning, vigilance, and
activity, they were encouraged to practise theft in cer-
tain casts; hut if delected, they were flogged, or obli-
ged to go without food, or compelled to dance round
the altar, singing songs in ridicule of themselves. The
dread of the shame consequent on being discovered
sometimes led to the most extraordinary acts. Thus
it is related that a boy who had stolen a young fox,
ai. d concealed it under his clothes, suffered it to gnaw
out his bowels rather than reveal the theft by suffer-
ing the fox to escape. Modesty of deportment was
also particularly attended to; and conciseness of lan-
guage was so much studied, that the term laconic is
mill employed to signify a short and pithy manner of
speaking. The Spartans were the only people of
Greece who avowedly despised learning, and excluded
it from the education of youth. Their whole instruc-
tion consisted in learning obedience to their superiors,
the endurance of all hardships, and to conquer or die
in war. The youth were, however, carefully instruct-
ed in a knowledge of the laws, which, not being re-
duced to writing, were taught orally. The education
of the females was entirely different from that of the
Athenians. Instead of remaining at home, as in Ath-
ens, spinning, etc. , they danced in public, wrestled
with each other, ran on the course, threw the discus,
dec. The object of this training of the women was to
give a vigorous constitution to their children. (Ency-
rlop. Americ. , vol. 11, p. 629, seqq. --Cramer's Anc.
Greece, vol. 3, p. 158, seqq. )
Spartacus, a celebrated gladiator, a Thracian by
birth, who escaped from the gladiatorial training-school
at Capua along with some of his companions, and was
soon followed by great numbers of other glsdiators.
? ? Bands of desperate men, slaves, murderers, robbers,
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? SPI
ST . 1
Mm; the surly philosopher refused to return the sa-
lute, and told him that such a feeble wretch ought to
be ashamed to live; to which Speusippus replied,
that he lived, not in his limbs, but in his mind. At
length, being wholly incapacitated by a paralytic
stroke for the duties of the chair, he resigned it to
Xenocratei. He is said to have been of a violent
temper, fond of pleasure, and exceedingly avaricious.
Speusippus wrote many philosophical works which are
now lost, but which Arisrjtle thought sufficiently val-
uable lo purchase at the expense of three talents.
From the few fragments which remain of his philoso-
phy, it appears that he adhered very strictly to the
doctrines of his master. (Enfield, History of Phi-
losophy, vol. 1, p. 243, seqq. )
Sphacteria, an island off the coast of Mycenae,
and at the entrance of the harbour of Pylos Messeni-
acus, which it nearly closed. It was also known by
the name of Sphagia, which it still retains. Sphacte-
ria is celebrated in Grecian history for the defeat and
capture of a Lacedaemonian detachment in the sev-
enth year of the Peloponnesian war. (Strabo. 359. )
Sphinx, a fabulous monster, an account of which
will be found under the article CEdipus. --The Sphinx
is not mentioned by Homer; but the legend is no-
ticed in the Theogony (v. 326), where she is called
+<<'<<. Though this legend is probably older than the
time of the first intercourse with Egypt, the Theban
monster bears a great resemblance to the symbolical
statues placed before the temples of that land of mys-
tery. In the pragmatizing days it was said (Pausan. ,
9, 26) that the Sphinx was a female pirate, who used
to land at Anthcdon, and advance to the Phicean Hill,
whence ahe spread her ravages over the country.
GCdipus, according to these expounders of mythology,
came from Corinth with a numerous army, and de-
feated and slew her. (KeightUy's Mythology, p.
341, not. ) -- The Sphinx was a favourite emblem
among the ancient Egyptians, and served, according
to some, as a type of the enigmatic nature of the
Egyptian theology. M. Maillet is of opinion that the
union of the head o( a virgin with the body of a lion
is a symbol of what happens in Egypt when the Sun
is in the signs of Leo and Virgo, and the Nile over-
flows. According to Herodotus, however, the Egyp-
tians had also their Androsphinges, with the body of
a lion and the face of a man. At the present day
there still remains, about 300 paces east of the second
pyramid, a celebrated statue of a sphinx, cut in the
solid rock. Formerly, nothing but the head, neck, and
top of the back were visible, the rest being sunk in the
sand. It was, at an expense of 800/. or 900/. (con-
tributed by some European gentlemen), cleared from
the accumulated sand in front of it under the superin-
tendence of Captain Caviglia. This monstrous pro-
duction consists of a virgin's head joined to the body
of a quadruped. The body is principally formed out
of the solid rock; the paws are of masonry, extend-
. rig forward 50 feet from the body; between the paws
(. re several sculptured tablets, so arranged as to form
a small temple; and farther forward a square altar
with horns. The length of the statue, from the fore-
part of the neck to the tail, is 125 feet. The face
has been disfigured by the arrows and lances of the
Arabs, who are taught by their religion to hold all im-
ages of men cr animals in detestation.
Spina, a city of Gallia Ciaalpina, near the entrance
? ? of the most southern branch of the Padus, called from
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? 8TA
? TAr. iBA, & city of Macedonia, Oh the upper shore of
the peninsula of Mount Athos, near its junction with
the mainland, and on the coast of the Sinus Stry-
monicus. It was a colony of Andros, as we learn
from Thucydides (4, 188), and celebrated as the birth-
pUce of Aristotle. (Diog. Lacrt. , 5, 14, scq . ) Some
trace of the ancient name is apparent in that of Slauros.
Siaskas, a peripatetic philosopher, who resided
Tiany years at Rome with M. Piso. (Cic , dr. Oral. ,
1, 22. --Id. , Fin. , 5, 3, et 25. )
Stasixus, an early poet of Cyprus, the author, ac-
lording to some, of the Cyprian Epics, which others
ascribe tc Hegesias. This poem, entitled in Greek ru
Kvnota lirf, was in eleven books, and comprehended
for its subject the whole period from tho nuptials of
Peleus and Thetis to the time when Jupiter resolved
to excite the quarrel between Achilles and Agamem-
non. It would appear from a passage in Herodotus
(2, 117), that this poem was ascribed by some to Ho-
mer. The Hymn to Venus is thought to have formed
part of the Cyprian Epics. We have only a few
verses otherwise remaining of the poem. (Schbll,
Hitt. Lit. Gr. , vol. I, p. 166, teq. )
Statira, I. the sister and wife of Darius, taken
captive by Alexander, who treated her with the utmost
respect. She died in childbed, end was buried by the
conqueror with great magnificence. (Pint. , Vit. Alex.
--Consult, however, the remarks of Bougainville, as
to the accuracy of Plutarch's statement respecting the
cause of her death, Mem. de I'Acad, dtt Inner. , vol.
25, p. 34, scqq. )--II. The eldest daughter of Da-
rius, taken in marriage by Alexander. 'The nuptials
were celebrated at Susa with great magnificence.
She appears to have changed her name to Arsinoe
after this union. This is Droysen's conjecture, which
seems happily to explain the variations in the name
which we find in Arrian (7, 4), compared with Pho-
tiua (p. 686, teq. ) and other authors. (ThirlwalCt
Greece, vol 7, p 77. ) She was murdered by Rox-
lna, who was aided in this by Perdiccas. (Plul. , Vit.
Alex. , sub fin. )--III. A wife of Artaxerxes Mnemon,
poisoned by her mother-in-law. Queen Parvsatis.
(PliU. , Vit. Arlax. )--lV. A sister of Miihradates the
Great, celebrated for the fortitude with which she met
her end, when Mithradates, after his defeat by Lucul-
lus, sent Hacchides, the eunuch, with orders to put his
wives and sistors to death. (Plul. , Vit. Lucull. )
Statius. Pubi. Iu8 Papimus, a Latin epic poet, born
at Neapohs A. D. 61, and descended from a family
that came originally from Epirus. His father, who
was distinguished by bis talent for poetry, taught at
Neapolis the Greek and Latin languages and litera-
ture. Statius received his education at Rome, his
father having, gone with him to this city, where he be-
came one of the preceptors of the young Domitian.
This prince fixed his attention on the son of his in-
structed who had been recommended to him by Paris,
a celebrated comedian, and a favourite of Domitian.
Statius, who was very poor, had sold to this actor his
tragedy of Agave, which Paris published as his own
composition Out of gratitude, he invited the poet to
a grand imperial banquet. --Statius gained the prize
three times in the Alban games, but was defeated in
the Capitoline. At the age of nineteen years he mar-
ried the widow of a musician; her name was Claudia;
a. id he extols, in many of his productions, her abilities
and virtues. Disgusted at last, as he himself informs
us, at the luxury of the Romans, he retired, a year be-
? ? fore his death, to a small estate in the vicinilv of Na-
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? 3TH
STI
be Empsvor Justinian. This work was known by the
? tie Kepi lloXeuv, de Urbibus, but that. jf the original
mas Etlfuid; bonce it has been inferred that the au-
thor s intention was to write a geographical work. It
seems that Stephanus, who is usually quoted by the
title of Stephanus Byzantinus, or Stephanus of Byzan-
tium, Dot only gave in his original work a catalogue
of countries, cities, nations, and colonies, but, as op-
portunity offered, he described the characters of dif-
ferent nations, mentioned the founders of cities, and
related the mythological traditions connected with
each place, mingled with grammatical and etymologi-
cal remarks. All this appears not in the meager
abridgment of Hermolaus. We have a fragment,
however, remaining of the original work relative to
Dodona. The best edition of Stephanus is that of
Berkell, completed by Gronovius, L. Bat. , 1688, fol.
There is a very recent edition of the text by Weater-
mann. Lips , 1839, 8vo. (Seholl, Hist. Lit. Gr. , vol.
T, p. 36. )
Stesichorus, a Greek lyric poet, born at Himera,
in Sicily, and who flourished about 570 B. C. He
lived in the time of Phalaris, and was contemporary
with Sappho, AIcsbus, and Pittacus. (Clinton, Fast.
Hellen. , p. 5. ) His special business was the training
and directing of choruses, and he assumed the name
of Stesichorus, or " leader of choruses," his original
name being Tisias. This occupation must have re-
mained hereditary in his family in Himera; a younger
Stesichorus of Himera came, in Olympiad 73. 1 (B. C
485), to Greeco as a poet (Marm. , Par. , ep. 60);
and a third Stesichorus of Himera was victor at
Athens in Olympiad 102. 3 (B. C. 370). The eldest
of them, Stesichorus-Tisias, made a great change in
the artistical form of the chorus. He it was who first
broke the monotonous alternation of the strophe and
antistrcphe through a whole poem, by the introduc-
tion of the epode, differing in meaaure, and by this
means made the chorus stand still. The chorus of
Stesichorus seems to havo consisted of a combination
of several rows or members of eight dancers; the
. lumber eight appears, indeed, from various traditions,
to have been, as it were, consecrated by him. The
musical accompaniment was the cithara. On his ar-
rangement of the strophe, antistrophe, and epode, was
founded the Greek proverb, "the three things of Ste-
sichorus" (rci rpia Ln/ffiropov). His compositions,
which consisted of hymns in honour of the gods, odes
in praise of heroes, lyrico-epic poems, such as an 'IXiov
n-ipatc (" Destruction of Troy"), an Orestiad, &. C. ,
were written in the Doric dialect, and are all now lost
except a few fragments. Stesichorus possessed, ac-
cording to Dionysius, all the excellences and graces of
Pindar and Simonides, and surpassed them both in
the grandeur of his subjects, in which he well pre-
served the characteristics of manners and persons;
and Quintilian represents him as having displayed the
sublimity of his genius by the selection of weighty
topics, such as important wars and the actions of
great commanders, in which he sustained with his lyre
the dignity of epic poetry. Accordingly, Alexander
the Great ranks him among those who were the proper
study of princes. He was the inventor of the fable
of the horse and the stag, which Horace and some
other poets have imitated, and this he wrote to pre-
vent his countrymen from making an alliance with
Phalaris. Ttit j<<sl collections of the fragments of
? ? Stesichorus are given by Blomfjcld, in the Museum
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? STO
STR
*iacojrses. On moral topics Slilpo is said to have
taught, that the highest felicity consists in a mind free
from the dominion of passion, a doctrine similar to
that of the Stoics. (Enfield's His'ory of Philosophy,
toI. 1, p. 202. )
Stob<<os, Joannes, a native of Stohi, in Macedonia,
whence his name Stobauis. The particulars of his
life are unknown, and we are even ignorant of the
age in which he lived. All that can lie said of his era
is, that he was subsequent to Hieroclrs of Alexandres,
since he has left us extracts from his works; and as
he cites no more recent writer, it is probable that he
lived not long after him. Stobasus had read much;
he had acquired the habit of reading with a pen in his
hand, and of making extracts from whatever seemed
to him remarkable. Having made a large collection
of these extracts, he arranged them in systematic or-
der for the use of his son, whose education seems to
have constituted the father's principal employment.
This was the origin of a collection in four books,
which he published under the title of 'kv8oX6ytov Ik-
Aoyuv, airotpdeyaaruv, viro6ijKuv (" An Anthology of
Extracts, Sentences, and Precepts"). This work has
come down to us, but under a form somewhat differ-
ent, and which has consequently embarrassed the com-
mentators. We have three books of extracts made
by Stobseus, but they are given in the manuscripts as
two distinct works: one composed of two books, the
other ol a single one. The former is entitled "Phys-
ical, Dialectic, and Moral Selections," the latter
"Discourses. " There exists, however, some confu-
sion in this respect in the manuscripts. Some, which
contain merely the Ecloga? or Extracts, call them the
first and second books of Stobxus, without any more
particular designation. Others give both works the
title of Anthology. --In the Eclogre and Discourses,
Stobeus appears to have proposed to himself two dif-
ferent objects. The Ecloga; form, so to speak, an his-
torical work, because they make us acquainted with
toe opinions of ancient authors on questions of a phys-
ical, speculative, and moral nature, whereas the Dis-
courses constitute merely a moral work. It is on ac-
count of this diversity that some critics have thought
that the Eclogas never formed part of the Anthology,
but originally made a separate work, and that the third
and fourth books of the Anthology are lost. This hy-
pothesis, however, seems at variance with the account
that Photius gives of the Anthology of Stobsus.
"The first book," says he, "is entirely physical; the
commencement of the second is strictly philosophical
(koymoc), but the greater part is moral. The third
and fourth books are aitnost entirely devoted to moral
and political subjects. " It would seem from this that
it is wrong to divide the extracts of Stobseus into two
works, and that we possess actually, under two titles,
his Anthology in four books, excepting that the copy-
ists have united the third and fourth books into one. --
It is from Photius also that we learn the object which
Stobxus had in view when he made these selections,
for we have not the beginning of the first book, where
no doubt it was stated. Stobseus had devoted this
part to a eulogium on philosophy, which was followed
by an historical sketch of the ancient schools, end of
their doctrines in relation to geometry, music, and
arithmetic: of this chapter we have only the end, in
which the subject of arithmetic is treated. The object
of Stohasus, according to Photius, was to erect a col-
? ? umn which might serve as a landmark to his son Sep-
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? 8TRAB0
STRABO
Arabia. At i subsequent period, Strabo travelled
over Greece, Macedonia, and Italy with the exception
of Cisalpine Gaul and I. iguria. It is important to
determine the extent of Strabo's travels, that we may
know when he speaks as an eyewitness, and when
he merely copies the accounts of his predecessors, or
gives the narratives of oilier travellers. At an ad-
vanced period of life he compiled a work on Geogra-
phy (I"fuypaQind), in seventeen bonks, which has come
down to us complete, with the exception of the seventh
book, which is imperfect. --It is remarkable that, du-
t. ng a space of near five hundred years, from the time
of Herodotus to that of Strabo, so little should have
been added to the science of geography. The con-
quests of the Romans westward did certainly bring
them acquainted with parts of Europe hitherto little
known; but in the East, neither the Macedonian nor
the Roman expeditions seem to have brought much to
light that was before unknown of the state of Asia;
while in Africa, as Rennell justly observes, geography
lost ground. In the course of this period, indeed,
many writers on this subject appeared; but, whatever
were their merits (and the merits even of the most
eminent among them seem to be not highly rated by
Strabo), it is certain that they are all lost. We may
collect, indeed, from a curious circumstance little
known or regarded, that no complete or systematic
work on geography at that time existed: for it appears
from two or three of Cicero's letters to Aniens, that he
once entertained thoughts of writing a treatise himself
on the subject. He was deterred, however, he says,
whenever he considered it, by the magnitude of the
undertaking, and by perceiving how severely even
Eratosthenes had been censured by the writers who
succeeded him. In fact, he was probably restrained by
a consciousness of his own incompetency in point of
ccience, of which he makes a pretty broad confession to
hie friend; and whoever values the reputation of Cice-
ro cannot regret that it was never risked on a system
of geography, to be got up, as he himself hints it was
intended to be, during a short summer tour among his
country-houses in Italy. --It is not, however, merely
to the respective character of the two individuals that
we must attribute the inferiority of the geography of
Herodotus, in all essential requisites, to that of Strabo.
Much undoubtedly is owing to the manners and com-
nexion of the times in which they respectively lived.
The former -came to the task with few materials sup-
ilied to his hands. Everything was to be collected
iy his own industry, without the aid of previous his-
tory, without political documents or political authori-
ty. The taste, moreover, and the habits of the people
for whom he wrote, which must ever have a powerful
influence over the composition of any writer, demanded
other qualities than rigid authenticity, and a judicious
selection of facts. It should be remembered that he
wis hardly yet emerged from the story-lclling age;
tho pleasure of wondering had not yet been superse-
ded by the pleasure of knowing; and the nine deities
who give name to his books might be allowed to im-
part some share of their privilege of fiction, when-
ever sober truth has been insufficient to complete or
adorn his narrative. Before the age of Augustus,
however, an entire revolution had been effected in the
intellectual habits and literary pursuits of men. The
world had become in a manner, what it now is, a read-
ing world. Books of every kind were to he had in
? ? every place. Accordingly, it became the chief busi-
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? STHABU.
STRABO.
sistance. The proportion of the length of the gnomon
to that of its meridian shadow at the solstice and the
equinoxes, afforded the-principal method of determin-
ing the distance of places from the equator, and these
were, indeed, under a clear sky, a bright sun, and con-
tinued opportunities of repeating observations, laid
down, in many instances, more nearly to the truth
than could be expected from eo simple and so rude an*
instrument. Still, however, they were liable to great
ancartainty. The penumbra at the extremity of the
? W :nv made the proportions doubtful. The semi-di
amrti1!
poet, who wrote a poem on the expedition of Xerxes
into Greece. (Jut. , 10, 178. -- Ltmairt, ad loe )
Sotaoes, I an Athenian poet of the middle come-
dy. (Sehbtl. , Hist. Lit. Gr. , vol, 2, p. 115 )--II. A
Greek port, a native of Maronea, whose name has de-
scended to posterity covered with infamy. He was
the author of Cinedologic strains, which exceeded in
impurity anything that had gone before them. These
poems, at first called lonica, were subsequently de-
nominated Sotadica. Having, before leaving Alex-
andres, where he had been living aome lime, written a
very gross epigram on Ptolemy Philadelphus, that
prince caused him to be pursued. Sotades was seiz-
ed in the island of Caunus, enclosed in a case of
lead, and cast into the sea. (Allien , 14, p. 620, ed.
Schweigk. , vol 5, p. 247. )
Sotkr, a surname of the first Ptolemy. (Vid.
Ptolemx'iis I )
Sothis, the Egyptian name of the star Sirius.
[Vid. Sirius. )
Sotiates, a people of Gaul conquered by Caesar.
ITieir country, which formed part of Aquitania, ex-
tended along the Garumna or Garonne, and their
chief town was Sotiatum, of which some traces still
(? main at the modern Sos. (Cats. , B. G-, 3, 20. )
Sotion, a grammarian of Alexandre,! , preceptor to
Boneca, B. C. 204. (Sencc. , Ep. , 49, 50. )
Sozomen, an ecclesiaatical historian, born, accord-
ing to some, at Salamis, in the island of Cyprus, but,
according to others, at Gaza or Bethulta, in Palestine.
Ho died 450 A. D. His history extends from tho
year 324 to 439, and is dedicated to Theodosius the
Younger, being written in a style of inelegance and
mediocrity. He is chargeable with several notorious
errors in the relation of facts, and has incurred cen-
sure for his commendations of Theodorus of Mopsu-
esta, with whom originated the heresy of two persons
in Christ. His history is usually printed with that of
Socrates and the other ecclesiastical historians. The
best edition is that of Reading, Cantab, 1720, folio.
A work of Sozomen. not now extant, containing, in
two hooks, a summary account of the affairs of the
Church from the ascension of our Saviour to the de-
feat of Liciniua, was written before his history.
Sparta, a celebrated city of Greece, the capital of
Laconia. It was situated in a plain of some extent,
bounded on one side by the chain of Taygetus, on the
other by the less elevated ridge of Mount Thornax,
and through which flowed the Eurotas. In the age of
Thucydides it was an inconsiderable town, without
fortifications, presenting rather the appearance of a
collection of villages than of a regularly-planned and
? ? well-built city. The public buildings also were very
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? SPARTA.
SPARTA.
hod and sea, to the Spartans. Pausanias, guardian
of the infant son of Leonidas, gained the celebrated
victory of Plataea over the Persians (B. C. 479), at the
head of the allies. On the same day, the Grecian
army and fleet, under the command of the Spartan
king Iieotychides, and the Athenian genera! Xanthip-
pu>>, defeated the Persians, by land and sea, near My-
cale With the rise of the political importance of
Spaita. the social organization of the nation was de-
veloped. The power of the kings was gradually limit-
ed, while that of tho ephori was increased. After the
Persians had been victoriously repelled, the Grecian
states, having acquired warlike habits, carried on hos-
tilities against each other. The jealousy of Sparta
towards Athens rose to such a height, that the I. ace-
drrmoiiians. under pretence that the Persians, in case
of a renewal of the war, would find a tenable position
in Athens, opposed the rebuilding of its walls and the
fortification of the Piraeus. Themistocles, discerning
the real grounds of this proceeding, baffled the designs
of Sparta by a stratagem, and thus contributed to
increase the ill-will of that state towards Athens.
The tyrannical conduct of Pausanias alienated the
other allies from Sparta; and most of them submitted
to the command of Athens. But, while Sparta was
learning moderation, Athens became so arrogant to-
wards the confederates, that they again attached them-
selves to the former power, which now began to
make preparations in secret for a new struggle. The
Athenians, however, formally renounced the friend-
ship of Sparia, and began hostilities (B. C. 431). This
war, the Peloponnesian, ended in the ascendancy of
Sparta, and the entire humiliation of her rival (-JUS).
The rivalry of the Spartan general Lysander and the
king Pausanias soon after produced a revolution,
which delivered the Athenians from the Spartan yoke.
Tiie Spnrtans next became involved in a war with
Piisia, hy joining Cyrua the Younger in his rebellion
against his brother Artaxerxes Mnemon. The Per-
sian throne was shaken by the victories of Agesi-
bus; but Athens, Thebes, Corinth, and some of
the Pc'oponnesian states were instigated by Persian
gold to declare war against the Lacedaemonians, who
found it necessary to recall Agesilaus. The latter
defeated the Thcbans at Coroiuea; but, on the other
hand, '. he Athenian commander, Conon, gained a vic-
tory over the Spartan fleet at Cnidus, and took fifty
galley,. This war, known as the Boeotian or Co-
rinthian war, lasted eight years, and increased the rep-
utation and power of Athens by the successes of her
admiral, Conon, and her fortunate expeditions against
the Spartan coasts and the islands of the iEgean.
The arrogance of Athens again involved her in hostil-
ities with Persia; and Antalcidas (B. C. 388) conclu-
ded the peace which bears his name, and which, though
highly advantageous to Persia, delivered Sparta from
hor enemies. The ambitious designs of Sparta in
concluding this peace soon became apparent: she con-
tinued to oppress her allies, and to sow dissension in
every quarter, that she might have an opportunity of
acting as umpire. Besides other outrages, she occu-
pied, without provocation, the city of Thebes, and in-
troduced an anslocratical constitution there. Pelopi-
das delivered Thebes, and the celebrated Theban war
followed, in which Athens took part, at first against
Sparta, but afterward in her favour. The latter was
so much enfeebled by the war that she thenceforward
? ? ceased to act a distinguished part in Greece. No
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? SFA
s PE
ware nol entirely remitted even afier they had attained
10 manhood. For it was a maxim with Lvcurgus,
that no man should live for himself, but for his coun-
try. Every Spartan, therefore, was regarded as a
soldier, and the city itself resembled a great camp,
where every one had a fixed allowance, and was re-
quired to perform regular service. In order that they
might have more leisure to devote themselves to
martial pursuits, they were forbidden to exercise any
mechanical arts or trades, which, together with the
labours of agriculture, devolved upon the Helots. --
Till the seventh year the child was kept in the gy-
ittTeum, under the care of the women; from that age
to the eighteenth year they were called boys (npurq-
pec), and thence to the age of thirty youths (c(fnj6oi).
In the thirtieth year the Spartan entered the period of
manhood, and enjoyed the full rights of a citizen. At
the age of seven the boy was withdrawn from the pa-
ternal care, and educated under the public eye, in com-
pany with others of the same age, without distinction
of rank or fortune. If any person withheld his son
from the care of the state, he forfeited his civil rights.
The principal object of attention, during the periods
of boyhood and youth, was the physical education,
which consisted in the practice of various gymnastic
exercises--running, leaping, throwing the discus, wres-
tling, boxing, the chase, and the pancratium. These
exercises were performed naked, in certain buildings
called gymnasia. Besides gymnastics, dancing and
the military exercises were practised. A singular cus-
tom was the flogging of boys (diamastigosis) on the
annual festival of Diana Onhia, for the purpose of in-
uring them to bear pain with firmness. (Vid. Bomon-
icae. ) To teach the youth cunning, vigilance, and
activity, they were encouraged to practise theft in cer-
tain casts; hut if delected, they were flogged, or obli-
ged to go without food, or compelled to dance round
the altar, singing songs in ridicule of themselves. The
dread of the shame consequent on being discovered
sometimes led to the most extraordinary acts. Thus
it is related that a boy who had stolen a young fox,
ai. d concealed it under his clothes, suffered it to gnaw
out his bowels rather than reveal the theft by suffer-
ing the fox to escape. Modesty of deportment was
also particularly attended to; and conciseness of lan-
guage was so much studied, that the term laconic is
mill employed to signify a short and pithy manner of
speaking. The Spartans were the only people of
Greece who avowedly despised learning, and excluded
it from the education of youth. Their whole instruc-
tion consisted in learning obedience to their superiors,
the endurance of all hardships, and to conquer or die
in war. The youth were, however, carefully instruct-
ed in a knowledge of the laws, which, not being re-
duced to writing, were taught orally. The education
of the females was entirely different from that of the
Athenians. Instead of remaining at home, as in Ath-
ens, spinning, etc. , they danced in public, wrestled
with each other, ran on the course, threw the discus,
dec. The object of this training of the women was to
give a vigorous constitution to their children. (Ency-
rlop. Americ. , vol. 11, p. 629, seqq. --Cramer's Anc.
Greece, vol. 3, p. 158, seqq. )
Spartacus, a celebrated gladiator, a Thracian by
birth, who escaped from the gladiatorial training-school
at Capua along with some of his companions, and was
soon followed by great numbers of other glsdiators.
? ? Bands of desperate men, slaves, murderers, robbers,
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? SPI
ST . 1
Mm; the surly philosopher refused to return the sa-
lute, and told him that such a feeble wretch ought to
be ashamed to live; to which Speusippus replied,
that he lived, not in his limbs, but in his mind. At
length, being wholly incapacitated by a paralytic
stroke for the duties of the chair, he resigned it to
Xenocratei. He is said to have been of a violent
temper, fond of pleasure, and exceedingly avaricious.
Speusippus wrote many philosophical works which are
now lost, but which Arisrjtle thought sufficiently val-
uable lo purchase at the expense of three talents.
From the few fragments which remain of his philoso-
phy, it appears that he adhered very strictly to the
doctrines of his master. (Enfield, History of Phi-
losophy, vol. 1, p. 243, seqq. )
Sphacteria, an island off the coast of Mycenae,
and at the entrance of the harbour of Pylos Messeni-
acus, which it nearly closed. It was also known by
the name of Sphagia, which it still retains. Sphacte-
ria is celebrated in Grecian history for the defeat and
capture of a Lacedaemonian detachment in the sev-
enth year of the Peloponnesian war. (Strabo. 359. )
Sphinx, a fabulous monster, an account of which
will be found under the article CEdipus. --The Sphinx
is not mentioned by Homer; but the legend is no-
ticed in the Theogony (v. 326), where she is called
+<<'<<. Though this legend is probably older than the
time of the first intercourse with Egypt, the Theban
monster bears a great resemblance to the symbolical
statues placed before the temples of that land of mys-
tery. In the pragmatizing days it was said (Pausan. ,
9, 26) that the Sphinx was a female pirate, who used
to land at Anthcdon, and advance to the Phicean Hill,
whence ahe spread her ravages over the country.
GCdipus, according to these expounders of mythology,
came from Corinth with a numerous army, and de-
feated and slew her. (KeightUy's Mythology, p.
341, not. ) -- The Sphinx was a favourite emblem
among the ancient Egyptians, and served, according
to some, as a type of the enigmatic nature of the
Egyptian theology. M. Maillet is of opinion that the
union of the head o( a virgin with the body of a lion
is a symbol of what happens in Egypt when the Sun
is in the signs of Leo and Virgo, and the Nile over-
flows. According to Herodotus, however, the Egyp-
tians had also their Androsphinges, with the body of
a lion and the face of a man. At the present day
there still remains, about 300 paces east of the second
pyramid, a celebrated statue of a sphinx, cut in the
solid rock. Formerly, nothing but the head, neck, and
top of the back were visible, the rest being sunk in the
sand. It was, at an expense of 800/. or 900/. (con-
tributed by some European gentlemen), cleared from
the accumulated sand in front of it under the superin-
tendence of Captain Caviglia. This monstrous pro-
duction consists of a virgin's head joined to the body
of a quadruped. The body is principally formed out
of the solid rock; the paws are of masonry, extend-
. rig forward 50 feet from the body; between the paws
(. re several sculptured tablets, so arranged as to form
a small temple; and farther forward a square altar
with horns. The length of the statue, from the fore-
part of the neck to the tail, is 125 feet. The face
has been disfigured by the arrows and lances of the
Arabs, who are taught by their religion to hold all im-
ages of men cr animals in detestation.
Spina, a city of Gallia Ciaalpina, near the entrance
? ? of the most southern branch of the Padus, called from
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? 8TA
? TAr. iBA, & city of Macedonia, Oh the upper shore of
the peninsula of Mount Athos, near its junction with
the mainland, and on the coast of the Sinus Stry-
monicus. It was a colony of Andros, as we learn
from Thucydides (4, 188), and celebrated as the birth-
pUce of Aristotle. (Diog. Lacrt. , 5, 14, scq . ) Some
trace of the ancient name is apparent in that of Slauros.
Siaskas, a peripatetic philosopher, who resided
Tiany years at Rome with M. Piso. (Cic , dr. Oral. ,
1, 22. --Id. , Fin. , 5, 3, et 25. )
Stasixus, an early poet of Cyprus, the author, ac-
lording to some, of the Cyprian Epics, which others
ascribe tc Hegesias. This poem, entitled in Greek ru
Kvnota lirf, was in eleven books, and comprehended
for its subject the whole period from tho nuptials of
Peleus and Thetis to the time when Jupiter resolved
to excite the quarrel between Achilles and Agamem-
non. It would appear from a passage in Herodotus
(2, 117), that this poem was ascribed by some to Ho-
mer. The Hymn to Venus is thought to have formed
part of the Cyprian Epics. We have only a few
verses otherwise remaining of the poem. (Schbll,
Hitt. Lit. Gr. , vol. I, p. 166, teq. )
Statira, I. the sister and wife of Darius, taken
captive by Alexander, who treated her with the utmost
respect. She died in childbed, end was buried by the
conqueror with great magnificence. (Pint. , Vit. Alex.
--Consult, however, the remarks of Bougainville, as
to the accuracy of Plutarch's statement respecting the
cause of her death, Mem. de I'Acad, dtt Inner. , vol.
25, p. 34, scqq. )--II. The eldest daughter of Da-
rius, taken in marriage by Alexander. 'The nuptials
were celebrated at Susa with great magnificence.
She appears to have changed her name to Arsinoe
after this union. This is Droysen's conjecture, which
seems happily to explain the variations in the name
which we find in Arrian (7, 4), compared with Pho-
tiua (p. 686, teq. ) and other authors. (ThirlwalCt
Greece, vol 7, p 77. ) She was murdered by Rox-
lna, who was aided in this by Perdiccas. (Plul. , Vit.
Alex. , sub fin. )--III. A wife of Artaxerxes Mnemon,
poisoned by her mother-in-law. Queen Parvsatis.
(PliU. , Vit. Arlax. )--lV. A sister of Miihradates the
Great, celebrated for the fortitude with which she met
her end, when Mithradates, after his defeat by Lucul-
lus, sent Hacchides, the eunuch, with orders to put his
wives and sistors to death. (Plul. , Vit. Lucull. )
Statius. Pubi. Iu8 Papimus, a Latin epic poet, born
at Neapohs A. D. 61, and descended from a family
that came originally from Epirus. His father, who
was distinguished by bis talent for poetry, taught at
Neapolis the Greek and Latin languages and litera-
ture. Statius received his education at Rome, his
father having, gone with him to this city, where he be-
came one of the preceptors of the young Domitian.
This prince fixed his attention on the son of his in-
structed who had been recommended to him by Paris,
a celebrated comedian, and a favourite of Domitian.
Statius, who was very poor, had sold to this actor his
tragedy of Agave, which Paris published as his own
composition Out of gratitude, he invited the poet to
a grand imperial banquet. --Statius gained the prize
three times in the Alban games, but was defeated in
the Capitoline. At the age of nineteen years he mar-
ried the widow of a musician; her name was Claudia;
a. id he extols, in many of his productions, her abilities
and virtues. Disgusted at last, as he himself informs
us, at the luxury of the Romans, he retired, a year be-
? ? fore his death, to a small estate in the vicinilv of Na-
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? 3TH
STI
be Empsvor Justinian. This work was known by the
? tie Kepi lloXeuv, de Urbibus, but that. jf the original
mas Etlfuid; bonce it has been inferred that the au-
thor s intention was to write a geographical work. It
seems that Stephanus, who is usually quoted by the
title of Stephanus Byzantinus, or Stephanus of Byzan-
tium, Dot only gave in his original work a catalogue
of countries, cities, nations, and colonies, but, as op-
portunity offered, he described the characters of dif-
ferent nations, mentioned the founders of cities, and
related the mythological traditions connected with
each place, mingled with grammatical and etymologi-
cal remarks. All this appears not in the meager
abridgment of Hermolaus. We have a fragment,
however, remaining of the original work relative to
Dodona. The best edition of Stephanus is that of
Berkell, completed by Gronovius, L. Bat. , 1688, fol.
There is a very recent edition of the text by Weater-
mann. Lips , 1839, 8vo. (Seholl, Hist. Lit. Gr. , vol.
T, p. 36. )
Stesichorus, a Greek lyric poet, born at Himera,
in Sicily, and who flourished about 570 B. C. He
lived in the time of Phalaris, and was contemporary
with Sappho, AIcsbus, and Pittacus. (Clinton, Fast.
Hellen. , p. 5. ) His special business was the training
and directing of choruses, and he assumed the name
of Stesichorus, or " leader of choruses," his original
name being Tisias. This occupation must have re-
mained hereditary in his family in Himera; a younger
Stesichorus of Himera came, in Olympiad 73. 1 (B. C
485), to Greeco as a poet (Marm. , Par. , ep. 60);
and a third Stesichorus of Himera was victor at
Athens in Olympiad 102. 3 (B. C. 370). The eldest
of them, Stesichorus-Tisias, made a great change in
the artistical form of the chorus. He it was who first
broke the monotonous alternation of the strophe and
antistrcphe through a whole poem, by the introduc-
tion of the epode, differing in meaaure, and by this
means made the chorus stand still. The chorus of
Stesichorus seems to havo consisted of a combination
of several rows or members of eight dancers; the
. lumber eight appears, indeed, from various traditions,
to have been, as it were, consecrated by him. The
musical accompaniment was the cithara. On his ar-
rangement of the strophe, antistrophe, and epode, was
founded the Greek proverb, "the three things of Ste-
sichorus" (rci rpia Ln/ffiropov). His compositions,
which consisted of hymns in honour of the gods, odes
in praise of heroes, lyrico-epic poems, such as an 'IXiov
n-ipatc (" Destruction of Troy"), an Orestiad, &. C. ,
were written in the Doric dialect, and are all now lost
except a few fragments. Stesichorus possessed, ac-
cording to Dionysius, all the excellences and graces of
Pindar and Simonides, and surpassed them both in
the grandeur of his subjects, in which he well pre-
served the characteristics of manners and persons;
and Quintilian represents him as having displayed the
sublimity of his genius by the selection of weighty
topics, such as important wars and the actions of
great commanders, in which he sustained with his lyre
the dignity of epic poetry. Accordingly, Alexander
the Great ranks him among those who were the proper
study of princes. He was the inventor of the fable
of the horse and the stag, which Horace and some
other poets have imitated, and this he wrote to pre-
vent his countrymen from making an alliance with
Phalaris. Ttit j<<sl collections of the fragments of
? ? Stesichorus are given by Blomfjcld, in the Museum
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? STO
STR
*iacojrses. On moral topics Slilpo is said to have
taught, that the highest felicity consists in a mind free
from the dominion of passion, a doctrine similar to
that of the Stoics. (Enfield's His'ory of Philosophy,
toI. 1, p. 202. )
Stob<<os, Joannes, a native of Stohi, in Macedonia,
whence his name Stobauis. The particulars of his
life are unknown, and we are even ignorant of the
age in which he lived. All that can lie said of his era
is, that he was subsequent to Hieroclrs of Alexandres,
since he has left us extracts from his works; and as
he cites no more recent writer, it is probable that he
lived not long after him. Stobasus had read much;
he had acquired the habit of reading with a pen in his
hand, and of making extracts from whatever seemed
to him remarkable. Having made a large collection
of these extracts, he arranged them in systematic or-
der for the use of his son, whose education seems to
have constituted the father's principal employment.
This was the origin of a collection in four books,
which he published under the title of 'kv8oX6ytov Ik-
Aoyuv, airotpdeyaaruv, viro6ijKuv (" An Anthology of
Extracts, Sentences, and Precepts"). This work has
come down to us, but under a form somewhat differ-
ent, and which has consequently embarrassed the com-
mentators. We have three books of extracts made
by Stobseus, but they are given in the manuscripts as
two distinct works: one composed of two books, the
other ol a single one. The former is entitled "Phys-
ical, Dialectic, and Moral Selections," the latter
"Discourses. " There exists, however, some confu-
sion in this respect in the manuscripts. Some, which
contain merely the Ecloga? or Extracts, call them the
first and second books of Stobxus, without any more
particular designation. Others give both works the
title of Anthology. --In the Eclogre and Discourses,
Stobeus appears to have proposed to himself two dif-
ferent objects. The Ecloga; form, so to speak, an his-
torical work, because they make us acquainted with
toe opinions of ancient authors on questions of a phys-
ical, speculative, and moral nature, whereas the Dis-
courses constitute merely a moral work. It is on ac-
count of this diversity that some critics have thought
that the Eclogas never formed part of the Anthology,
but originally made a separate work, and that the third
and fourth books of the Anthology are lost. This hy-
pothesis, however, seems at variance with the account
that Photius gives of the Anthology of Stobsus.
"The first book," says he, "is entirely physical; the
commencement of the second is strictly philosophical
(koymoc), but the greater part is moral. The third
and fourth books are aitnost entirely devoted to moral
and political subjects. " It would seem from this that
it is wrong to divide the extracts of Stobseus into two
works, and that we possess actually, under two titles,
his Anthology in four books, excepting that the copy-
ists have united the third and fourth books into one. --
It is from Photius also that we learn the object which
Stobxus had in view when he made these selections,
for we have not the beginning of the first book, where
no doubt it was stated. Stobseus had devoted this
part to a eulogium on philosophy, which was followed
by an historical sketch of the ancient schools, end of
their doctrines in relation to geometry, music, and
arithmetic: of this chapter we have only the end, in
which the subject of arithmetic is treated. The object
of Stohasus, according to Photius, was to erect a col-
? ? umn which might serve as a landmark to his son Sep-
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? 8TRAB0
STRABO
Arabia. At i subsequent period, Strabo travelled
over Greece, Macedonia, and Italy with the exception
of Cisalpine Gaul and I. iguria. It is important to
determine the extent of Strabo's travels, that we may
know when he speaks as an eyewitness, and when
he merely copies the accounts of his predecessors, or
gives the narratives of oilier travellers. At an ad-
vanced period of life he compiled a work on Geogra-
phy (I"fuypaQind), in seventeen bonks, which has come
down to us complete, with the exception of the seventh
book, which is imperfect. --It is remarkable that, du-
t. ng a space of near five hundred years, from the time
of Herodotus to that of Strabo, so little should have
been added to the science of geography. The con-
quests of the Romans westward did certainly bring
them acquainted with parts of Europe hitherto little
known; but in the East, neither the Macedonian nor
the Roman expeditions seem to have brought much to
light that was before unknown of the state of Asia;
while in Africa, as Rennell justly observes, geography
lost ground. In the course of this period, indeed,
many writers on this subject appeared; but, whatever
were their merits (and the merits even of the most
eminent among them seem to be not highly rated by
Strabo), it is certain that they are all lost. We may
collect, indeed, from a curious circumstance little
known or regarded, that no complete or systematic
work on geography at that time existed: for it appears
from two or three of Cicero's letters to Aniens, that he
once entertained thoughts of writing a treatise himself
on the subject. He was deterred, however, he says,
whenever he considered it, by the magnitude of the
undertaking, and by perceiving how severely even
Eratosthenes had been censured by the writers who
succeeded him. In fact, he was probably restrained by
a consciousness of his own incompetency in point of
ccience, of which he makes a pretty broad confession to
hie friend; and whoever values the reputation of Cice-
ro cannot regret that it was never risked on a system
of geography, to be got up, as he himself hints it was
intended to be, during a short summer tour among his
country-houses in Italy. --It is not, however, merely
to the respective character of the two individuals that
we must attribute the inferiority of the geography of
Herodotus, in all essential requisites, to that of Strabo.
Much undoubtedly is owing to the manners and com-
nexion of the times in which they respectively lived.
The former -came to the task with few materials sup-
ilied to his hands. Everything was to be collected
iy his own industry, without the aid of previous his-
tory, without political documents or political authori-
ty. The taste, moreover, and the habits of the people
for whom he wrote, which must ever have a powerful
influence over the composition of any writer, demanded
other qualities than rigid authenticity, and a judicious
selection of facts. It should be remembered that he
wis hardly yet emerged from the story-lclling age;
tho pleasure of wondering had not yet been superse-
ded by the pleasure of knowing; and the nine deities
who give name to his books might be allowed to im-
part some share of their privilege of fiction, when-
ever sober truth has been insufficient to complete or
adorn his narrative. Before the age of Augustus,
however, an entire revolution had been effected in the
intellectual habits and literary pursuits of men. The
world had become in a manner, what it now is, a read-
ing world. Books of every kind were to he had in
? ? every place. Accordingly, it became the chief busi-
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? STHABU.
STRABO.
sistance. The proportion of the length of the gnomon
to that of its meridian shadow at the solstice and the
equinoxes, afforded the-principal method of determin-
ing the distance of places from the equator, and these
were, indeed, under a clear sky, a bright sun, and con-
tinued opportunities of repeating observations, laid
down, in many instances, more nearly to the truth
than could be expected from eo simple and so rude an*
instrument. Still, however, they were liable to great
ancartainty. The penumbra at the extremity of the
? W :nv made the proportions doubtful. The semi-di
amrti1!
