ch. 8.――――A naval station of Elis in Peloponnesus. _Pausanias_,
bk. 4, ch. 23.――――A mountain of Arcadia, with a small town on its
declivity, which received its name from Cyllen. Mercury was born
there; hence his surname of _Cylleneius_, which is indiscriminately
applied to anything he invented, or over which he presided. _Lucan_,
bk. 1, li. 663.――_Horace_, epode 13, li. 13.――_Pausanias_, bk. 8,
ch. 17.――_Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 8, li. 139.――_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_,
bk. 13, li. 146; _Ars Amatoria_, bk. 3, li. 147.
=Cyllēnēius=, a surname of Mercury, from his being born on the mountain
of Cyllene.
=Cyllyrii=, certain slaves at Syracuse. _Herodotus_, bk. 7, ch. 155.
=Cylon=, an Athenian who aspired to tyranny. _Herodotus_, bk. 5, ch. 71.
=Cyma=, or =Cymæ=, the largest and most beautiful town of Æolia,
called also _Phriconis_, and _Phricontis_, and _Cumæ_. _See:_ Cumæ.
_Livy_, bk. 37, ch. 11.――_Cicero_, _Flaccus_, ch. 20.――_Herodotus_,
bk. 1, ch. 149.
=Cymodŏce=, =Cyme=, and =Cymo=, one of the Nereides. _Hesiod_,
_Theogony_, li. 255.――_Virgil_, _Georgics_, bk. 4, li. 388.
=Cymōlus= and =Cimōlus=, an island of the Cretan sea. _Ovid_,
_Metamorphoses_, bk. 7, li. 463.
=Cymŏthoe=, one of the Nereides, represented by _Virgil_, _Æneid_,
bk. 1, li. 148, as assisting the Trojans with Triton after the storm
with which Æolus, at the request of Juno, had afflicted the fleet.
=Cynara=, one of Horace’s favourites. Bk. 4, ode 1, li. 4.
=Cynægīrus=, an Athenian, celebrated for his extraordinary courage.
He was brother to the poet Æschylus. After the battle of Marathon,
he pursued the flying Persians to their ships, and seized one of
their vessels with his right hand, which was immediately severed by
the enemy. Upon this he seized the vessel with his left hand, and
when he had lost that also, he still kept his hold with his teeth.
_Herodotus_, bk. 6, ch. 114.――_Justin_, bk. 2, ch. 9.
=Cynæthium=, a town of Arcadia, founded by one of the companions of
Æneas. _Dionysius of Halicarnassus._
=Cynāne=, a daughter of Philip king of Macedonia, who married Amyntas
son of Perdiccas, by whom she had Eurydice. _Polyænus_, bk. 8.
=Cynāpes=, a river falling into the Euxine. _Ovid_, bk. 4, _ex Ponto_,
ltr. 10, li. 49.
=Cynaxa.= _See:_ Cunaxa.
=Cyneas.= _See:_ Cineas.
=Cynesii= and =Cynetæ=, a nation on the remotest shores of Europe,
towards the ocean. _Herodotus_, bk. 2, ch. 33.
=Cynethussa=, an island in the Ægean sea. _Pliny_, bk. 4, ch. 12.
=Cynia=, a lake of Acarcania. _Strabo_, bk. 16.
=Cynĭci=, a sect of philosophers founded by Antisthenes the Athenian.
They received this name _à caninâ mordacitate_, from their canine
propensity to criticize the lives and actions of men, or because,
like dogs, they were not ashamed to gratify their criminal desires
publicly. They were famous for their contempt of riches, for their
negligence of their dress, and the length of their beards. Diogenes
was one of their sect. They generally slept on the ground. _Cicero_,
bk. 1, _De Officiis_, chs. 35 & 41.
=Cynisca=, a daughter of Archidamus king of Sparta, who obtained the
first prize in the chariot-races at the Olympic games. _Pausanias_,
bk. 3, ch. 8.
=Cyno=, a woman who preserved the life of Cyrus. _Herodotus_, bk. 1,
ch. 110.
=Cynocephăle=, a town of Thessaly, where the proconsul Quintius
conquered Philip of Macedon, and put an end to the first Macedonian
war, B.C. 197. _Livy_, bk. 33, ch. 7.
=Cynocephăli=, a nation of India, who have the head of a dog, according
to some traditions. _Pliny_, bk. 7, ch. 2.
=Cynophontis=, a festival of Argos, observed during the dog days. It
received its name ἀπο του κυνας φονειν, _killing dogs_, because they
used to kill all the dogs they met.
=Cynortas=, one of the ancient kings of Sparta, son of Amyclas and
Diomede. _Pausanias_, bk. 3, ch. 1.
=Cynortion=, a mountain of Peloponnesus. _Pausanias_, bk. 2, ch. 27.
=Cynos=, a town of Locris.――――Another in Thessaly, where Pyrrha,
Deucalion’s wife, was buried.
=Cynosargres=, a surname of Hercules.――――A small village of Attica of
the same name, where the Cynic philosophers had established their
school. _Herodotus_, bks. 5 & 6.
=Cynossēma= (_a dog’s tomb_), a promontory of the Thracian Chersonesus,
where Hecuba was changed into a dog, and buried. _Ovid_, bk. 13,
_Metamorphoses_, li. 569.
=Cynosūra=, a nymph of Ida in Crete. She nursed Jupiter, who changed
her into a star which bears the same name. It is the same as the
Ursa Minor. _Ovid_, _Fasti_, bk. 3, li. 107.
=Cynthia=, a beautiful woman who was mistress to _Propertius_.――――A
surname of Diana, from mount Cynthus, where she was born.
=Cynthius=, a surname of Apollo, from mount Cynthus.
=Cynthus=, a mountain of Delos, so high that it is said to overshadow
the whole island. Apollo was surnamed _Cynthius_, and Diana
_Cynthia_, as they were born on the mountain, which was sacred to
them. _Virgil_, _Georgics_, bk. 3, li. 36.――_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_,
bk. 6, li. 304; _Fasti_, bk. 3, li. 346.
=Cynūrenses=, a people of Arcadia. _Pausanias_, bk. 8, ch. 27.
=Cynus=, a naval station of Opus. _Pausanias_, bk. 10, ch. 1.
=Cypărissi= and =Cyparissia=, a town of Peloponnesus, near Massenia.
_Livy_, bk. 32, ch. 31.――_Pliny_, bk. 4, ch. 5.
=Cypărissus=, a youth, son of Telephus of Cea, beloved by Apollo.
He killed a favourite stag of Apollo’s, for which he was so sorry
that he pined away, and was changed by the god into a cypress tree.
_Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 3, li. 680.――_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 10,
li. 121.――――A town near Delphi. _Mela_, bk. 2, ch. 3.
=Cyphăra=, a fortified place of Thessaly. _Livy_, bk. 32, ch. 13.
=Cypriānus=, a native of Carthage, who, though born of heathen parents,
became a convert to christianity, and the bishop of his countrymen.
To be more devoted to purity and study, he abandoned his wife; and
as a proof of his charity, he distributed his goods to the poor. He
wrote 81 letters, besides several treatises, _De Dei gratiâ_, _De
virginum habitu_, &c., and rendered his compositions valuable by
the information which he conveys of the discipline of the ancient
church, and by the soundness and purity of his theology. He died
a martyr, A.D. 258. The best editions of Cyprian are that of Fell,
folio, Oxford, 1682, and that reprinted Amsterdam, 1700.
=Cyprus=, a daughter of Antony and Cleopatra, who married Agrippa.
――――A large island in the Mediterranean sea, at the south of Cilicia,
and at the west of Syria, formerly joined to the continent near
Syria, according to Pliny. It has been anciently called _Acamantis_,
_Amathusia_, _Aspelia_, _Cerastis_, _Colonia_ or _Colinia_, _Macaria_,
and _Spechia_. It has been celebrated for giving birth to Venus
surnamed _Cypris_, who was the chief deity of the place, and to
whose service many places and temples were consecrated. It was
anciently divided into nine kingdoms, and was for some time under
the power of Egypt, and afterwards of the Persians. The Greeks made
themselves masters of it, and it was taken from them by the Romans.
Its length, according to Strabo, is 1400 stadia. There were three
celebrated temples there, two sacred to Venus, and the other to
Jupiter. The inhabitants were given much to pleasure and dissipation.
_Strabo_, bk. 16.――_Ptolemy_, bk. 5, ch. 14.――_Florus_, bk. 3, ch. 9.
――_Justin_, bk. 18, ch. 5.――_Pliny_, bk. 12, ch. 24; bk. 33, ch. 3;
bk. 36, ch. 26.――_Mela_, bk. 2, ch. 7.
=Cypsĕlĭdes=, the name of three princes as descendants of Cypselus,
who reigned at Corinth during 73 years. Cypselus was succeeded by
his son Periander, who left his kingdom, after a reign of 40 years,
to Cypselus II.
♦=Cypsĕsus=, a king of Arcadia, who married the daughter of Ctesiphon,
to strengthen himself against the Heraclidæ. _Pausanias_, bk. 4,
ch. 3.――――A man of Corinth, son of Eetion and father of Periander.
He destroyed the Bacchiadæ, and seized upon the sovereign power,
about 659 years before Christ. He reigned 30 years, and was succeeded
by his son. Periander had two sons, Lycophron and Cypselus, who
was insane. Cypselus received his name from the Greek word κυψελος,
_a coffer_, because when the Bacchiadæ attempted to kill him, his
mother saved his life by concealing him in a coffer. _Pausanias_,
bk. 5, ch. 17.――_Cicero_, _Tusculanæ Disputationes_, bk. 5, ch. 37.
――_Herodotus_, bk. 1, ch. 114; bk. 5, ch. 92, &c.――_Aristotle_,
_Politics_.――――The father of Miltiades. _Herodotus_, bk. 6, ch. 35.
♦ ‘Cysĕsus’ replaced with ‘Cypsĕsus’
=Cyraunis=, an island of Libya. _Herodotus_, bk. 4, ch. 195.
=Cyrbiāna=, a province of the Elymæans.
=Cyre=, a fountain near Cyrene.
=Cyrēnaĭca=, a country of Africa, of which Cyrene is the capital.
_See:_ Cyrene.
=Cyrēnaĭci=, a sect of philosophers who followed the doctrine of
Aristippus. They placed their _summum bonum_ in pleasure, and
said that virtue ought to be commended because it gave pleasure.
_Diogenes Laërtius_, _Aristotle_.――_Cicero_, _de Natura Deorum_,
bk. 3.
=Cyrēne=, the daughter of the river Peneus, of whom Apollo became
enamoured. He carried her to that part of Africa which is called
_Cyrenaica_, where she brought forth Aristæus. She is called by
some daughter of Hypseus, king of the Lapithæ and son of the Peneus.
_Virgil_, _Georgics_, bk. 4, li. 321.――_Justin_, bk. 13, ch. 7.
――_Pindar_, _Pythian_, li. 9.――――A celebrated city of Libya, to
which Aristæus, who was the chief of the colonists settled there,
gave his mother’s name. Cyrene was situate in a beautiful and
fertile plain, about 11 miles from the Mediterranean sea, and it
became the capital of the country, which was called _Pentapolis_, on
account of the five cities which it contained. It gave birth to many
great men, among whom were Callimachus, Eratosthenes, Carneades,
Aristippus, &c. The town of Cyrene was built by Battus, B.C. 630,
and the kingdom was bequeathed to the Romans, B.C. 97, by king
Ptolemy Appion. _Herodotus_, bks. 3 & 4.――_Pausanias_, bk. 10, ch.
13.――_Strabo_, bk. 17.――_Mela_, bk. 1, ch. 8.――_Pliny_, bk. 5, ch. 5.
――_Tacitus_, _Annals_, bk. 3, ch. 70.
=Cyriades=, one of the 30 tyrants who harassed the Roman empire in the
reign of Gallienus. He died A.D. 259.
=Cyrillus=, a bishop of Jerusalem, who died A.D. 386. Of his writings,
composed in Greek, there remain 23 _catecheses_, and a letter to the
emperor Constantine, the best edition of which is by Milles, folio,
Oxford, 1703.――――A bishop of Alexandria, who died A.D. 444. The best
edition of his writings, which are mostly controversial, in Greek,
is that of Paris, folio, 7 vols., 1638.
=Cyrne=, a place of Eubœa.
=Cyrnus=, a driver in the games which Scipio exhibited in Africa, &c.
_Silius Italicus_, bk. 16, li. 342.――――A man of Argos, who founded
a city of Chersonesus. _Diodorus_, bk. 5.――――A river that falls into
the Caspian sea. _Plutarch_, _Pompey_.――――An island on the coast
of Liguria, the same as Corsica; and called after Cyrnus the son of
Hercules. _Virgil_, _Eclogues_, poem 9, li. 30.――_Pausanias_, bk. 10,
ch. 17.
=Cyrræi=, a people of Æthiopia.
=Cyrrhadæ=, an Indian nation.
=Cyrrhes=, a people of Macedonia, near Pella.
=Cyrrhestĭca=, a country of Syria near Cilicia, of which the capital
was called _Cyrrhum_. _Pliny_, bk. 5, ch. 23.――_Cicero_, _Letters to
Atticus_, bk. 5, ltr. 18.
=Cyrrhus= and =Cyrus=, a river of Iberia in Asia.
=Cyrsīlus=, an Athenian, stoned to death by his countrymen, because
he advised them to receive the army of Xerxes, and to submit to the
power of Persia. _Demosthenes_, _de Coronâ_.――_Cicero_, bk. 3, _de
Officiis_, ch. 11.
=Cyrus=, a king of Persia, son of Cambyses and Mandane, daughter
of Astyages king of Media. His father was of an ignoble family,
whose marriage with Mandane had been consummated on account of the
apprehensions of Astyages. _See:_ Astyages. Cyrus was exposed as
soon as born; but he was preserved by a shepherdess, who educated
him as her own son. As he was playing with his equals in years, he
was elected king in a certain diversion, and he exercised his power
with such an independent spirit, that he ordered one of his play
companions to be severely whipped for disobedience. The father of
the youth, who was a nobleman, complained to the king of the ill
treatment which his son had received from a shepherd’s son. Astyages
ordered Cyrus before him, and discovered that he was Mandane’s son,
from whom he had so much to apprehend. He treated him with great
coldness; and Cyrus, unable to bear his tyranny, escaped from his
confinement, and began to levy troops to dethrone his grandfather.
He was assisted and encouraged by the ministers of Astyages, who
were displeased with the king’s oppression. He marched against
him, and Astyages was defeated in a battle, and taken prisoner,
B.C. 559. From this victory the empire of Media became tributary
to the Persians. Cyrus subdued the eastern parts of Asia, and made
war against Crœsus king of Lydia, whom he conquered, B.C. 548.
He invaded the kingdom of Assyria, and took the city of Babylon
by drying the channels of the Euphrates, and marching his troops
through the bed of the river, while the people were celebrating
a grand festival. He afterwards marched against Tomyris the queen
of the Massagetæ, a Scythian nation, and was defeated in a bloody
battle, B.C. 530. The victorious queen, who had lost her son in
a previous encounter, was so incensed against Cyrus, that she cut
off his head, and threw it into a vessel filled with human blood,
exclaiming, _Satia te sanguine quem sitisti_. Xenophon has written
the life of Cyrus; but his history is not perfectly authentic. In
the character of Cyrus he delineates a brave and virtuous prince,
and often puts in his mouth many of the sayings of Socrates. The
chronology is false; and Xenophon, in his narration, has given
existence to persons whom no other historian ever mentioned. The
_Cyropædia_, therefore, is not to be looked upon as an authentic
history of Cyrus the Great, but we must consider it as showing
what every good and virtuous prince ought to be. _Diodorus_, bk. 1.
――_Herodotus_, bk. 1, ch. 75, &c.――_Justin_, bk. 1, chs. 5 & 7.
――――The younger Cyrus was the younger son of Darius Nothus, and the
brother of Artaxerxes. He was sent by his father, at the age of 16,
to assist the Lacedæmonians against Athens. Artaxerxes succeeded to
the throne at the death of Nothus; and Cyrus, who was of an aspiring
soul, attempted to assassinate him. He was discovered, and would
have been punished with death, had not his mother Parysatis saved
him from the hands of the executioner by her tears and entreaties.
This circumstance did not in the least check the ambition of Cyrus;
he was appointed over Lydia and the sea coasts, where he secretly
fomented rebellion, and levied troops under various pretences.
At last he took the field with an army of 100,000 barbarians, and
13,000 Greeks under the command of Clearchus. Artaxerxes met him
with 900,000 men near Cunaxa. The battle was long and bloody, and
Cyrus might have perhaps obtained the victory, had not his uncommon
rashness proved his ruin. It is said that the two royal brothers
met in person, and engaged with the most inveterate fury, and their
engagement ended in the death of Cyrus, 401 years B.C. Artaxerxes
was so anxious of its being universally reported that his brother
had fallen by his hand, that he put to death two of his subjects for
boasting that they had killed Cyrus. The Greeks, who were engaged
in the expedition, obtained much glory in the battle; and after
the death of Cyrus, they remained victorious in the field without
a commander. They were not, however, discouraged, though at a
great distance from their country, and surrounded on every side
by a powerful enemy. They unanimously united in the election of
commanders, and traversed all Asia, in spite of the continual
attacks of the Persians; and nothing is more truly celebrated in
ancient history than the bold retreat of the 10,000. The journey
that they made from the place of their first embarkation till their
return, has been calculated at 1155 leagues, performed in the space
of 15 months, including all the time which was devoted to take
rest and refreshment. This retreat has been celebrated by Xenophon,
who was one of their leaders, and among the friends and supporters
of Cyrus. It is said, that in the letter he wrote to Lacedæmon to
solicit auxiliaries, Cyrus boasted his philosophy, his royal blood,
and his ability to drink more wine than his brother without being
intoxicated. _Plutarch_, _Artaxerxes_.――_Diodorus_, bk. 14.――_Justin_,
bk. 5, ch. 11.――――A rival of Horace, in the affections of one of his
mistresses, bk. 1, ode 17, li. 24.――――A poet of Panopolis, in the
age of Theodosius.
=Cyrus= and =Cyropŏlis=, a city of Syria, built by the Jews in honour
of Cyrus, whose humanity in relieving them from their captivity they
wished thus to commemorate.
=Cyrus=, a river of Persia, now _Kur_.
=Cyta=, a town of Colchis, famous for the poisonous herbs which it
produced, and for the birth of Medea. _Flaccus_, bk. 6, li. 693.
――_Propertius_, bk. 2, poem 1, li. 73.
=Cytæis=, a surname of Medea, from her being an inhabitant of Cyta.
_Propertius_, bk. 2, poem 4, li. 7.
=Cythēra=, now _Cesigo_, an island on the coast of Laconia in
Peloponnesus. It was particularly sacred to the goddess Venus,
who was from thence surnamed _Cytheræa_, and who rose, as some
suppose, from the sea, near its coasts. It was for some time under
the power of the Argives, and always considered as of the highest
importance to maritime powers. The Phœnicians had built there a
famous temple to Venus. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 1, li. 262; bk. 10,
li. 5.――_Pausanias_, bk. 3, ch. 33.――_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 4,
li. 288; bk. 15, li. 386; _Fasti_, bk. 4, li. 15.――_Herodotus_,
bk. 1, ch. 29.
=Cythĕræa=, a surname of Venus.
=Cythēris=, a certain courtesan, much respected by the poet Gallus, as
well as by Antony.
=Cythēron.= _See:_ Cithæron.
=Cythērun=, a place of Attica.
=Cytherus=, a river of Elis. _Pausanias_, bk. 6, ch. 22.
=Cythnos=, now _Thermia_, an island near Attica, famous for its cheese.
It has been called _Ophiousa_ and _Dryopis_. _Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_,
bk. 5, li. 252.
=Cytineum=, one of the four cities called Tetrapolis in Doris.
_Strabo_, bk. 9.――_Thucydides_, bk. 1, ch. 107.
=Cytissorus=, a son of Phryxus, &c. _Herodotus_, bk. 7, ch. 197.
=Cytōrus=, now _Kudros_, a mountain and town of Galatia, built by
Cytorus son of Phryxus, and abounding in box-wood. _Catullus_,
poem 4, li. 13.――_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 4, li. 311.――_Strabo_,
bk. 11.――_Virgil_, _Georgics_, bk. 2, li. 437.
=Cyzĭcum=, or =Cyzicus=, an island of the Propontis, about 530 stadia
in circumference, with a town called Cyzicus. Alexander joined it
to the continent by two bridges, and from that time it was called
a peninsula. It had two harbours called Panormus and Chytus, the
first natural, and the other artificial. It became one of the most
considerable cities of Asia. It was besieged by Mithridates, and
relieved by Lucullus. _Florus_, bk. 3, ch. 5.――_Pliny_, bk. 5, ch.
32.――_Diodorus_, bk. 18.
=Cyzĭcus=, a son of Œneus and Stilba, who reigned in Cyzicus. He
hospitably received the Argonauts, in their expedition against
Colchis. After their departure from the coast of Cyzicus, they
were driven back in the night, by a storm, upon the coast; and
the inhabitants seeing such an unexpected number of men, furiously
attacked them, supposing them to be the Pelasgi, their ancient
enemies. In this nocturnal engagement, many were killed on
both sides, and Cyzicus perished by the hands of Jason himself,
who honoured him with a splendid funeral, and raised a stately
monument over his grave. _Apollodorus_, bk. 1, ch. 9.――_Flaccus._
――_Apollonius._――_Orpheus._――――The chief town of the island of
Cyzicum, built where the island is joined by the bridges to the
continent. It has two excellent harbours, called Panormus and Chytus.
The former is naturally large and beautiful, and the other owes
all its conveniences to the hand of art. The town is situate partly
on a mountain, and partly in a plain. The Argonauts built a temple
to Cybele in the neighbourhood. It derives its name from Cyzicus,
who was killed there by Jason. The Athenians defeated near this
place their enemies of Lacedæmon, assisted by Pharnabazus, B.C.
410. _Florus_, bk. 3, ch. 5, &c.――_Strabo._――_Apollonius_, bk. 1.
――_Propertius_, bk. 3, poem 22.――_Flaccus_, bk. 2, li. 636.
D
=Daæ=, =Dahæ=, or =Dai=, now the _Dahistan_, a people of Scythia, who
dwelt on the borders of the Caspian sea. _Silius Italicus_, bk. 13,
li. 764.――_Lucan_, bk. 7, li. 420.――_Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 1, li. 728.
=Daci= and =Dacæ=, a warlike nation of Germany, beyond the Danube,
whose country, called _Dacia_, was conquered by the Romans under
Trajan, after a war of 15 years, A.D. 103. The emperor joined the
country to Mœsia, by erecting a magnificent bridge across the Danube,
considered as the best of his works, which, however, the envy of his
successor Adrian demolished. Dacia now forms the modern countries of
_Walachia_, _Transylvania_, and _Moldavia_. _Lucan_, bk. 2, li. 53.
=Dacĭcus=, a surname assumed by Domitian on his pretended victory over
the Dacians. _Juvenal_, satire 6, li. 204.
=Dacty̆li=, a name given to the priests of Cybele, which some derive
from δακτυλος, _finger_, because they were 10, the same number as
the fingers of the hands. _Pausanias_, bk. 1, ch. 8.
=Dadicæ=, a people of Asiatic Scythia. _Herodotus_, bk. 3, ch. 91.
=Dædăla=, a mountain and city of Lycia, where Dædalus was buried
according to _Pliny_, bk. 5, ch. 27.――――A name given to Circe, from
her being _cunning_ (δαιδαλος), and like Dædalus, addicted to deceit
and artifice. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 7, li. 282.――――Two festivals
in Bœotia. One of these was observed at Alalcomenos by the Platæans,
in a large grove, where they exposed in the open air pieces of
boiled flesh, and carefully observed whither the crows that came
to prey upon them directed their flight. All the trees upon which
any of these birds alighted were immediately cut down, and with
them statues were made called _Dædala_, in honour of Dædalus.――――The
other festival was of a more solemn kind. It was celebrated every
60 years by all the cities of Bœotia, as a compensation for the
intermission of the smaller festivals, for that number of years,
during the exile of the Platæans. Fourteen of the statues, called
Dædala, were distributed by lot among the Platæans, Lebadæans,
Coroneans, Orchomenians, Thespians, Thebans, Tanagræans, and
Chæroneans, because they had effected a reconciliation among the
Platæans and had caused them to be recalled from exile, about the
time that Thebes was restored by Cassander the son of Antipater.
During this festival, a woman in the habit of a bride-maid
accompanied a statue, which was dressed in female garments, on
the banks of the Eurotas. This procession was attended to the
top of mount Cithæron, by many of the Bœotians, who had places
assigned them by lot. Here an altar of square pieces of wood
cemented together like stones, was erected, and upon it were thrown
large quantities of combustible materials. Afterwards a bull was
sacrificed to Jupiter, and an ox or heifer to Juno, by every one
of the cities of Bœotia, and by the most opulent that attended.
The poorest citizens offered small cattle; and all these oblations,
together with the Dædala, were thrown in the common heap and set
on fire, and totally reduced to ashes. They originated in this:
When Juno, after a quarrel with Jupiter, had retired to Eubœa, and
refused to return to his bed, the god, anxious for her return, went
to consult Cithæron king of Platæa, to find some effectual measure
to break her obstinacy. Cithæron advised him to dress a statue in
woman’s apparel, and carry it in a chariot, and publicly to report
that it was Platæa the daughter of Asopus, whom he was going to
marry. The advice was followed, and Juno, informed of her husband’s
future marriage, repaired in haste to meet the chariot, and was
easily united to him, when she discovered the artful measures he
made use of to effect a reconciliation. _Pausanias_ & _Plutarch_.