The few
fragments
which remain are ferred to, and others, in the works of Meineke and
a
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a
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William Smith - 1844 - Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities - c
slaves. Others, however, suppose the name to 396 ; that he speedily obtained the favour of Dio-
have been a nickname given to him by the comic nysius, and took up his abode at his court at Syra-
poets, to express the intricacy of his musical strains, cuse, the luxury of which furnished him with the
the εκτραπέλους μυρμηκιάς, as Ρherecrates calls theme of his poem entitled Δείπνον. However
them (see below).
this may be, we know that he soon offended Diony-
He was educated, says Suidas, by Melanippides, sius, and was cast into prison ; an act of oppression
of course in that poet's own profession, that of which most writers ascribe to the wounded vanity
dithyrambic poetry, in which, if the above inter- of the tyrant, whose poems Philoxenus not on y
pretation of the allusion in the Frogs be correct, he refused to praise, but, on being asked to revise one
had already attained to considerable eminence of them, said that the best way of correcting it
before B. c. 408 ; which agrees very well with the would be to draw a black line through the whole
statement of Diodorus (l. c. ), according to which paper. Another account ascribes his disgrace to
he was at the height of his fame seven years too close an intimacy with the tyrant's mistress
later. Pherecrates also attacked him in his Galateia ; but this looks like a fiction, arising out
Cheiron, as one of the corruptors of music ; at of a misunderstanding of the object of his poem en-
least Plutarch applies to him a part of the passage ; titled Cyclops or Galateia. It appears that, after
and if this application be correct, we have another some time, he was released from prison, and re-
allusion to his name Múpung, in the mention of stored outwardly to the favour of Dionysius; but
éktpaténous uupunkies (Plut. de Mus. 30, p. 1146, either in consequence of some new quarrel, or
as explained and corrected by Meineke, Frag. Com. because he had a distrust of the tyrant's feelings
(iraec. vol. ii. pp. 326–335). In the Gerytades of towards him, he finally left his court: other accounts
Aristophanes, which was also on the prevalent cor- say nothing of his reconciliation, but simply that
ruptions of poetry and music, and which seems to he escaped from prison, and went to the country
have been acred some little time after the Frogs, of the Cythereans, where he composed his poem
though Philoxenus is not mentioned by name, Galateia (Schol. ad Aristoph. Plut. 290). Accord-
there are passages which are, to all appearance, ing to Suidas he went to Tarentum (s. v. Pofévou
parodies upon his poem entitled Δείπνον (Fr. xii. γραμμάτιον). There is a curious story related by
xiii. ed. Bergk, ap. Meineke, Frag. Com. Graec. Plutarch, that he gave up his estate in Sicily, and
vol. i. pp. 1009, 1010). In the Ecclesiazusae left the island, in order that he might not be seduced,
also, B. c. 392, there is a passage which is almost by the wealth he derived from it, into the luxury
certainly a similar parody (vv. 1167—1178 ; which prevailed around him (Plut. de l'it. Aer.
Bergk, Comment. de Relig. Comoed. Att. Antig. p. alien. p. 831). Schmidt endeavours to reconcile
213). There is also a long passage in the Phaon this statement with the former, by supposing that,
of the comic poet Plato, which seems to have been after he left the court of Dionysius, he resided for
acted in the year after the Ecclesiazusae, B. C. 391, some time on his Sicilian estate, and afterwards
professing to be read from a book, which the person gave it up, in the way mentioned by Plutarch, and
who has it calls $ofévou kaivh Tis óvaptuoia, then departed finally from the island. It is doubt-
which is almost certainly a parody on the same ful where the last years of his life were spent,
a
## p. 333 (#349) ############################################
PHILOXENUS.
333
PHILOXENUS.
whether in his native island, whither the scholiast collected by Bergk (Poët. Lyr. Gracc. 1. c. ) and by
just quoted says that he fled, or at Ephesus, where Schmidt, who has added an interesting discussion
Suidas states that he died, and whither Schmidt respecting its plan (Dithyramb. pp. 54–08). The
thinks it likely that he may have gone, as the wor- scholiast on the Plutus (l. c. ) calls this poem a
ship of Dionysus prevailed there. In this point, drama ; and several other writers call Philoxenus
however, as in so many others, we encounter the a tragic poet; but this is probably only one of
difficulty arising from the confusion of the two Phi- several instances in which the dithyrambic poets
loxeni, for the Lencadian is also said to have spent have been erroneously represented as tragedians
the latter part of his life in Ephesus.
(sce Kayser, Hist. Crit. Trag. Gruec. p. 262).
It is time to dismiss these doubtful questions ; We have a few other fragments of the poems of
but still there is one tradition respecting Philoxe- Philoxenus (pp. 68, 69), and the following titles
nus, which passed into a proverb, and which must of four others of his dithyrambs, though even these
not be omitted. It is said that, after his quarrel are not free from doube-Muool, Lúpos, Kwuaotńs,
with Dionysius at Syracuse, and during his subsc-paéiww.
quent residence at Tarentum or Cythera, he received Of the character of the music to which his dithy-
an invitation from the tyrant to return to his court, mmbs were set, we have little other information
in reply to which he wrote the single letter o, than the statement that they were publicly chanted
that is, either as the ancient mode of writing ou, or, in the theatres by the Arcadian youth on certain
as some think, what Philoxenus wrote was 8, as days of the year (Aristot. Polit. viii. 7 ; Polyb.
the contracted sign for où. Hence a flat refusal iv. 20). He was, however, as we have already
was proverbially called pilofévou ypaupátlov (Suid seen, included in the attacks which the comic poets
8. o. ; Schmidt, p. 17).
made on all the musicians of the day, for their
Respecting the works of Philoxenus, Suidas re- corruptions of the simplicity of the ancient music ;
lates that he wrote twenty-four dithyrambs, and and there are several passages in Plutarch's
a genealogy of the Aeacidae. The latter poem is treatise on music, describing the nature of those in-
not mentioned by any other writer ; but another norations, in which he followed and even went
poem, which Suidas does not mention, and which beyond his master Melanippides, and in which
it is hardly likely that he reckoned among the Timotheus again vied with him (Plut. de Mus. 12,
twenty-four dithyrambs, is the Acirvov already | 29, 30, 31; Schmidt, pp. 72, 73). A curious
mentioned, which appears to have been the most story is told of his musical composition by Aris-
popular of his works, and of which we have more totle, who, in confirmation of the statement that
fragments than of any other. These fragments, the dithyramb belongs essentially to the Phrygian
which are almost all in Athenaeus, are so corrupted, mode, relates that Philoxenus attempted to com-
owing to the very extraordinary style and phraseo- pose one of his dithyrambs in the Dorian, but that
logy, which the poet purposely adopted, that Ca- it fell back by the force of its very nature into the
saubon gave up the emendation of them as hopeless proper Phrygian harmony (Aristot. Polit. viii. 7. 8
(Animado. in Ath. iv. p. 470). Contributions to 12). In an obscure passage of Pollux (Onom. iv.
their restoration have, however, been made by 9. 8. 65, ed. Bekker) the Locrian harmony is
Jacobs, Schweighauser, and Fiorillo, in their re stated to be his invention ; and the Hypodorian
spective annotations upon Athenaeus, and by has also been ascribed to him (Schmidt, pp. 73, 74).
Bergk, in the Act. Soc. Gr. Lips. ſor 1836 ; and There is a passage respecting his rhythms in
recently most of the fragments have been edited by Dionysius of Halicarnassus (de Comp. Verb. p.
Meineke (Frag. Cum. Grace. vol. iii. Epimetrum 131, Reiske).
de Philoxeni Cytherii Conrivio, pp. 635–646, We have abundant testimony to the high esteem
comp. pp. 146, 637, 638, 639, and vol. ii. p. 306), in which the ancients held Philoxenus, both during
and the whole by Bergk (Poet. Lyr. Graec. pp. his life and after his death. The most remarkable
851-860), and by Schmidt (Dithyramb. pp. 29— eulogy of him is the passage in which the comic
51), who has also added a discussion on the metre, poet Antiphanes contrasts him with the musicians
dialect, and style of the poem (pp. 52—54). The who came after him (Ath. xiv. p. 643). This, and
poem is a most minute and satirical description of the testimonies of Machon, Aelian, and others, are
à banquet, written in a style of language of which given fully by Schmidt (pp. 71, 72). Alexander
no idea can be formed without reading it, but of the Great sent for his poems during his campaigns
which the following specimen may convey some in Asia (Plut. Alex. 8, de Fort. Alex. p. 355, a. ):
slight notion (v. 9):-
the Alexandrian grammarians received him into the
TasteTanés, dit apot a' {E &yxelehrOs dplotny, canon ; and, moreover, the very attacks of the comic
poets are evidence of his eminence and popularity,
with which a line from the parody of it by Aris- and the more so in proportion to their vehemence.
topbanes, in the Ecclesiazusae may be compared The most important works upon Philoxenus are
(v. 1169):-
those of D. Wyttenbach, in his Miscellanea Doc-
λεπαδοτεμαχοσελαχογαλεο -
trinae, ii. pp. 64–72 ; Burette, Sur Philorène, in
his Remarques sur la Dialogue de Plutarche touchant
and so on through six lines, forming but one word. la Musique, in the Mém. de l'Acad. des Insc, vol.
Of the dithyrambs of Philoxenus, by far the xiii. pp. 200, &c. ; Luetke, Dissert. de Graec.
most important is his Kúkawy i Caldteia, the Dithyramb. pp. 77, &c. Berol
. 1829; L. A. Ber-
occasion of his composing which is rariously related, glein, De Philoxeno Cytherio Dithyramborum Porta,
but the most probable account has been already Götting. 1843, 8vo. ; G. Bippart, Philoxeni, Ti-
given. Aelian (V. H. xii. 44) calls it the most mothei, Telestis Dithyrambographorum Keliquiae,
beautiful of his poeins, and Hermesianax refers to Lips. 1843, 8vo. ; G. M. Schmidt, Diatribe in Dia
it in terms of the highest praise (Ath. xiii. p. 598, thyrambum Poetarumque Dithyrambicorum Reli-
e. ; Fr. 1, ed. Bach). Its loss is greatly to be quias, c. i. Berol. 1845 ; the passages already m.
lamented.
The few fragments which remain are ferred to, and others, in the works of Meineke and
a
## p. 334 (#350) ############################################
334
PHILOXENUS.
PHILUMENUS.
Bergk, on Greek Comedy ; the Histories of Greek | his recent German translation (Zusammengesctzte
Poetry, by Ulrici and Bode ; and Bernhardy, Heilmittel der Arabet, &c. p. 215). (W. A. G. )
Gesch. d. Griech. Litt. vol. ii. pp. 548—551.
PHILOʻXENUS, a painter of Eretria, the dis-
2. The other Philoxenus already referred to, the ciple of Nicomachus, whose speed in painting he
Leucadian, was the son of Eryxis, and seems him- imitated and even surpassed, having' discovered
self also to have had a son of the name of Eryxis some new and rapid methods of colouring (such, at
(Aristoph. Run. 945). He was a most notorious least, appears to be the meaning of Pliny's words,
parasite, glutton, and effeminate debauchee ; but breriores etiamnum quasdam picturas compendiarias
he seems also to have had great wit and good invenit, 11. N. xxxv. 10. 8. 36. & 22). Never-
humour, which made him a great favourite at the theless, Pliny states that there was a picture of his
tables which he frequented. The events of his which was inferior to none, of a battle of Alexan-
life are of so little importance in themselves, and der with Dareius, which he painted for king Cas-
the statements concerning him are so mixed up sander. A similar subject is represented in a celo-
with those which relate to Philoxenus of Cythera, brated mosaic found ai Pompeii, which, however,
that it is enough to refer for further information to the best critics think to have been copied, more
the works upou that poet, quoted above, especially probably, from Helena's picture of the battle of
Schneidt (p. 9, &c. ). He seems to be the same Issus (see Müller, Archäol. d. Kunst, $ 163, n. 6).
person as the Philoxenus surnamed of 11Tepvokotis, As the disciple of Nicomachus, who fiourished
and also the same as the Philoxenus of the Diomeian about B. C. 300, and as the painter of the battle
demus, both of whom are ridiculed by the comic above-mentioned, Philoxenus must have flourished
poets for their effeminacy.
under Alexander, about B. C. 330 and onwards.
3. A poet of Siphnus, mentioned in a passage of The words of Pliny, “ Cassandro regi,” iſ taken
Pollux (iv. 66), where however the name seems literally, would show that the date of his great
to be a false reading for Theosenides (Meineke, picture must have been after B. C. 317 or 315,
Hist. Crit. Com. Graec. p. 89 ; Schmidt, p. 22). for from one of those two years the reign of Cas-
4. A celebrated Alexandrian grammarian, who sander must be dated. (Clinton, F. H. vol. ii. po
taught at Rome, and wrote on Homer, on the Ionic 236. )
(P. S. )
and Laconian dialects, and several other gramma- PHILO'XENUS, C. AVIANUS, recom-
tical works, among which was a Glossary, which was mended by Cicero to the proconsul Acilius, B. C.
edited by H. Stephanus, Paris, 1573, fol. ; also in 46. (Cic. ad Fam. xiii. 35. )
Bonav. Vulcan. Thesaur. Lugd. Bat. 1600, fol. , by PHILOZOE. [TLEPOLEMUS]
Labbeus, with Cyril's Glossary, Paris, 1679, fol. ; PHI'LTEAS (PLATéas), of Calacte, an historical
and in the London edition of Stephanus's Thesaurus, writer, the author of a work in the lonic dialect,
vol. ix. 1826. (Suid. s. v. ; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. entitled Našiand, of which the t. . ird book is quoted
vol. vi. pp. 193, 376, 634 ; Osann, in his Philemon, by Tzetzes (Schol. ad Lyophr. 633). He is also
pp. 321, &c. ; Schmidt, p. 22. )
mentioned in a passage of Eustathius (ad Hom. p.
5. The author of an epigram in the Greek An- 1885. 51), where, however, the name is corrupted
thology, on Tlepolemus, the son of Polycritus, who into Philetas, and Eudocia, copying the error,
gained an Olympic victory in Ol. 131, B. c. 256 places the Nafiaká among the works of Philetas of
(Paus. v. 8). This must, therefore, be somewhere Cos (Violar. p. 424). That Philteas is the true
about the date of the poet, of whom nothing more is form of the name is clear from a passage in the
known. (Brunck, Anal. vol. ii. p. 58 ; Jacobs, Etymologicum Magnum (p. 795. 12), which, how-
Anth. Graec. vol. ii. p. 58, vol. xiii. p. 937. ) ever, contains another error, in the words o Kalous
6. A geographical writer, who seems to have been uevos ioTopinós, where the Cod. Leid. has ó kal-
the author of a work on rivers. (Schol. ad Lycophr. labaios, and the true reading is no doubt ó Kanak-
Cassand. 1085, 1185 ; Cyrilli Lexicon, ap. Cramer, Talos, which should probably also be substituted
Anecd. Paris, vol. iv. p. 184. )
for ekte Karlivos in the passage of Eustathius (see
7. A Persian by birth, who afterwards was Meineke, Anal. Alex. pp. 351-353). (P. S. )
made a bishop, A. D. 485, and became one of the first PHI'LTIAS, a vase painter, whose name occurs
leaders of the iconoclasts (Schmidt, p. 23). (P. S. ] on two of the cases in the Canino collection, in the
PHILO'XENUS (Inbevos), an Aegyptian forms MITIAS and "IVTIAS, which Raoul-Rochette
surgeon, who, according to Celsus (De Medic. vii. and Gerhard at first read Phintias, but which most
Praef. p. 137), wrote several valuable volumes on sur antiquaries, including R. Rochette, now read Phila
gery. He is no doubt the same person whose medical tias. (R. Rochette, Lekre à M. Schorn, p. 55, 2d
formulae are frequently quoted by Galen, and who ed. )
(P. S. )
is called by him Claudius Philoxenus. (De Compos. PHILU'MENUS (Pulovuevos), a Greek phy,
Medicam. sec. Gen. ii. 17, iii. 9, vol. xvi. pp. 539, sician, mentioned by an anonymous writer in Dr.
645. ) As he is quoted by Asclepiades Pharmacion Cramer's “ Anecdota" (Anecd. Graeca Paris, vol. iv.
(ap. Gal. De Compos. Medicam. sec. Loc. iv. 7, p. 196) as one of the most eminent members of his
vol. xii. p. 731 ; De Compos. Medicam. sec. Gen. profession.
