her many admirers, and her father promised to give her in marriage
to him only who proved to be the strongest of all his competitors.
Hercules obtained the prize, and married Dejanira, by whom he had
three children, the most known of whom is Hyllus. As Dejanira was
once travelling with her husband, they were stopped by the swollen
streams of the Evenus, and the centaur Nessus offered Hercules
to convey her safe to the opposite shore. The hero consented; but
no sooner had Nessus gained the bank, than he attempted to offer
violence to Dejanira, and to carry her away in the sight of her
husband. Hercules, upon this, aimed from the other shore a poisoned
arrow at the seducer, and mortally wounded him. Nessus, as he
expired, wished to avenge his death upon his murderer; and he gave
Dejanira his tunic, which was covered with blood, poisoned and
infected by the arrow, observing that it had the power of reclaiming
a husband from unlawful loves. Dejanira accepted the present;
and when Hercules proved faithless to her bed, she sent him the
centaur’s tunic, which instantly caused his death. _See:_ Hercules.
Dejanira was so disconsolate at the death of her husband, which
she had ignorantly occasioned, that she destroyed herself. _Ovid_,
_Metamorphoses_, bks. 8 & 9.――_Diodorus_, bk. 4.――_Seneca_,
_Hercules_.――_Hyginus_, fable 34.
=Deicoon=, a Trojan prince, son of Pergasus, intimate with Æneas. He
was killed by Agamemnon. _Homer_, _Iliad_, bk. 4, li. 534.――――A son
of Hercules and Megara. _Apollodorus_, bk. 2, ch. 7.
=Dēĭdămīa=, a daughter of Lycomedes king of Scyros. She bore a son
called Pyrrhus, or Neoptolemus, to Achilles, who was disguised at
her father’s court in woman’s clothes, under the name of Pyrrha.
_Propertius_, bk. 2, poem 9.――_Apollodorus_, bk. 3, ch. 13.――――A
daughter of Pyrrhus, killed by the Epirots. _Polyænus._――――A
daughter of Adrastus king of Argos, called also Hippodamia.
=Deilēon=, a companion of Hercules in his expedition against the
Amazons. _Flaccus_, bk. 5, li. 115.
=Deilŏchus=, a son of Hercules.
=Deimăchus=, a son of Neleus and Chloris, was killed, with all his
brothers, except Nestor, by Hercules. _Apollodorus_, bk. 1, ch. 9.
――――The father of Enarette. _Apollodorus_, bk. 1, ch. 7.
=Deiŏces=, a son of Phraortes, by whose means the Medes delivered
themselves from the yoke of the Assyrians. He presided as judge
among his countrymen, and his great popularity and love of equity
raised him to the throne, and he made himself absolute, B.C. 700.
He was succeeded by his son Phraortes, after a reign of 53 years.
He built Ecbatana according to Herodotus, and surrounded it with
seven different walls, in the middle of which was the royal palace.
_Herodotus_, bk. 1, ch. 96, &c.――_Polyænus._
=Deiŏchus=, a Greek captain killed by Paris in the Trojan war. _Homer_,
_Iliad_, bk. 15, li. 341.
=Dēīŏne=, the mother of Miletus by Apollo. Miletus is often called
_Deionides_, on account of his mother. _Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_,
bk. 9, li. 442.
=Dēīŏneus=, a king of Phocis, who married Diomede daughter of Xuthus,
by whom he had Dia. He gave his daughter Dia in marriage to Ixion,
who promised to make a present to his father-in-law. Deioneus
accordingly visited the house of Ixion, and was thrown into a large
hole filled with burning coal, by his son-in-law. _Hyginus_, fables
48 & 241.――_Apollodorus_, bk. 1, chs. 7 & 9; bk. 2, ch. 4.
=Dēĭŏpēia=, a nymph, the fairest of all the 14 nymphs that attended
upon Juno. The goddess promised her in marriage to Æolus the god of
the winds, if he would destroy the fleet of Æneas, which was sailing
for Italy. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 1, li. 76.――――One of the attendant
nymphs of Cyrene. _Virgil_, _Georgics_, bk. 4, li. 343.
=Deiotărus=, a governor of Galatia, made king of that province by
the Roman people. In the civil wars of Pompey and Cæsar, Deiotarus
followed the interest of the former. After the battle of Pharsalia,
Cæsar severely reprimanded Deiotarus for his attachment to Pompey,
deprived him of part of his kingdom, and left him only the bare
title of royalty. When he was accused by his grandson of attempts
upon Cæsar’s life, Cicero ably defended him in the Roman senate.
He joined Brutus with a large army, and faithfully supported the
republican cause. His wife was barren; but fearing that her husband
might die without issue, she presented him with a beautiful slave,
and tenderly educated, as her own, the children of this union.
Deiotarus died in an advanced old age. _Strabo_, bk. 12.――_Lucan_,
bk. 5, li. 55.
=Deĭphĭla.= _See:_ Deipyle.
=Dēĭphŏbe=, a sibyl of Cumæ, daughter of Glaucus. It is supposed that
she led Æneas to the infernal regions. _See:_ Sibyllæ. _Virgil_,
_Æneid_, bk. 6, li. 36.
=Dēĭphŏbus=, a son of Priam and Hecuba, who, after the death of his
brother Paris, married Helen. His wife unworthily betrayed him, and
introduced into his chamber her old husband Menelaus, to whom she
wished to reconcile herself. He was shamefully mutilated and killed
by Menelaus. He had highly distinguished himself during the war,
especially in his two combats with Merion, and in that in which
he slew Ascalaphus son of Mars. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 6, li. 495.
――_Homer_, _Iliad_, bk. 13.――――A son of Hippolytus, who purified
Hercules after the murder of Iphitus. _Apollodorus_, bk. 2, ch. 6.
=Deĭphon=, a brother of Triptolemus, son of Celeus and Metanira.
When Ceres travelled over the world, she stopped at his father’s
court, and undertook to nurse him and bring him up. To reward the
hospitality of Celeus, the goddess began to make his son immortal;
and every evening she placed him on burning coals to purify him from
whatever mortal particles he still possessed. The uncommon growth
of Deiphon astonished Metanira, who wished to see what Ceres did to
make him so vigorous. She was frightened to see her son on burning
coals, and the shrieks that she uttered disturbed the mysterious
operations of the goddess, and Deiphon perished in the flames.
_Apollodorus_, bk. 1, ch. 5.――――The husband of Hyrnetho, daughter of
Temenus king of Argos. _Apollodorus_, bk. 2, ch. 7.
=Dēiphontes=, a general of Temenus, who took Epidauria, &c. _Pausanias_,
bk. 2, ch. 12.――――A general of the Dorians, &c. _Polyænus._
=Dēipy̆le=, a daughter of Adrastus, who married Tydeus, by whom she had
Diomedes. _Apollodorus_, bk. 1, ch. 8.
=Dēipy̆lus=, a son of Sthenelus, in the Trojan war. _Homer_, _Iliad_,
bk. 5.
=Dēipy̆rus=, a Grecian chief during the Trojan war. _Homer_, _Iliad_,
bk. 8.
=Deldon=, a king of Mysia, defeated by Crassus.
=Dēlia=, a festival celebrated every fifth year in the island of Delos,
in honour of Apollo. It was first instituted by Theseus, who, at his
return from Crete, placed a statue there, which he had received from
Ariadne. At the celebration, they crowned the statue of the goddess
with garlands, appointed a choir of music, and exhibited horse-races.
They afterwards led a dance, in which they imitated, by their motions,
the various windings of the Cretan labyrinth, from which Theseus had
extricated himself by Ariadne’s assistance.――――There was also another
festival of the same name, yearly celebrated by the Athenians in
Delos. It was also instituted by Theseus, who, when he was going to
Crete, made a vow, that if he returned victorious, he would yearly
visit in a solemn manner the temple of Delos. The persons employed
in this annual procession were called _Deliastæ_ and _Theori_.
The ship, the same which carried Theseus, and had been carefully
preserved by the Athenians, was called _Theoria_ and _Delias_. When
the ship was ready for the voyage, the priest of Apollo solemnly
adorned the stern with garlands, and a universal lustration was made
all over the city. The _Theori_ were crowned with laurel, and before
them proceeded men armed with axes, in commemoration of Theseus, who
had cleared the way from Trœzene to Athens, and delivered the country
from robbers. When the ship arrived at Delos, they offered solemn
sacrifices to the god of the island, and celebrated a festival in
his honour. After this they retired to their ship, and sailed back
to Athens, where all the people of the city ran in crowds to meet
them. Every appearance of festivity prevailed at their approach, and
the citizens opened their doors, and prostrated themselves before
the Deliastæ, as they walked in procession. During this festival,
it was not lawful to put to death any malefactor, and on that
account the life of Socrates was prolonged for 30 days. _Xenophon_,
_Memorabilia_ & _Symposium_.――♦_Plato_, _Phædo_.――_Seneca_, ltr. 70.
♦ ‘Plutarch’ replaced with ‘Plato’
=Dēlia=, a surname of Diana, because she was born in Delos. _Virgil_,
_Eclogues_, poem 3, li. 67.
=Dēliădes=, a son of Glaucus, killed by his brother Bellerophon.
_Apollodorus_, bk. 2, ch. 3.――――The priestesses in Apollo’s temple.
_Homer_, _Hymn to Apollo_.
=Dēlium=, a temple of Apollo.――――A town of Bœotia opposite Calchis,
famous for a battle fought there, B.C. 424, &c. _Livy_, bk. 31,
ch. 45; bk. 35, ch. 51.
=Dēlius=, a surname of Apollo, because he was born in Delos.――――Quintus,
an officer of Antony, who, when he was sent to cite Cleopatra
before his master, advised her to make her appearance in the most
captivating attire. The plan succeeded. He afterwards abandoned his
friend, and fled to Augustus, who received him with great kindness.
Horace has addressed bk. 2, ode 3 to him. _Plutarch_, _Antonius_.
=Delmatius Flavius Julius=, a nephew of Constantine the Great, honoured
with the title of Cæsar, and put in possession of Thrace, Macedonia,
and Achaia. His great virtues were unable to save him from a violent
death, and he was assassinated by his own soldiers, &c.
=Delmĭnium=, a town of Dalmatia. _Florus_, bk. 4, ch. 12.
=Dēlos=, one of the Cyclades at the north of Naxos, was severally
called Lagia, Ortygia, Asteria, Chlamidia, Pelasgia, Pyrpyle,
Cynthus, and Cynæthus, and now bears the name of Sailles. It was
called Delos from δηλος, because it suddenly made its _appearance_
on the surface of the sea, by the power of Neptune, who, according
to the mythologists, permitted Latona to bring forth there, when she
was persecuted all over the earth, and could find no safe asylum.
_See:_ Apollo. The island is celebrated for the nativity of Apollo
and Diana; and the solemnity with which the festivals of these
deities were celebrated there, by the inhabitants of the neighbouring
islands and of the continent, is well known. One of the altars of
Apollo, in the island, was reckoned among the seven wonders of the
world. It had been erected by Apollo when only four years old, and
made with the horns of goats, killed by Diana on mount Cynthus. It
was unlawful to sacrifice any living creature upon that altar, which
was religiously kept pure from blood and every pollution. The whole
island of Delos was held in such veneration, that the Persians, who
had pillaged and profaned all the temples of Greece, never offered
violence to the temple of Apollo, but respected it with the most
awful reverence. Apollo, whose image was in the shape of a dragon,
delivered there oracles during the summer, in a plain manner, without
any ambiguity or obscure meaning. No dogs, as Thucydides mentions,
were permitted to enter the island. It was unlawful for a man to die,
or for a child to be born there; and when the Athenians were ordered
to purify the place, they dug up all the dead bodies that had been
interred there, and transported them to the neighbouring islands.
An edict was also issued, which commanded all persons labouring
under any mortal or dangerous disease to be instantly removed to the
adjacent island called Rhane. Some mythologists suppose that Asteria,
who changed herself into a quail, to avoid the importuning addresses
of Jupiter, was metamorphosed into this island, originally called
Ortygia _ab_ ὀρτυξ, _a quail_. The people of Delos are described by
_Cicero_, _Academica_, bk. 2, chs. 16 & 18; bk. 4, ch. 18, as famous
for rearing hens. _Strabo_, bks. 8 & 10.――_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_,
bk. 5, li. 329; bk. 6, li. 333.――_Mela_, bk. 2, ch. 7.――_Pliny_, bk.
4, ch. 12.――_Plutarch_, _de Sollertia Animalium_, &c.――_Thucydides_,
bks. 3, 4, &c.――_Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 3, li. 73.――_Ptolemy_, bk. 3,
ch. 15.――_Callimachus_, _Hymn to Delos_.――_Claudian_, _Panegyricus
de Consulatu Honorii Augusti_, bk. 4.
=Delphi=, now _Castri_, a town of Phocis, situate in a valley at
the south-west side of mount Parnassus. It was also called _Pytho_,
because the serpent Python was killed there; and it received the
name of _Delphi_, from Delphus the son of Apollo. Some have also
called it _Parnassia Nape_, the _valley_ of Parnassus. It was famous
for a temple of Apollo, and for an oracle celebrated in every age
and country. The origin of the oracle, though fabulous, is described
as something wonderful. A number of goats that were feeding on mount
Parnassus came near a place which had a deep and long perforation.
The steam which issued from the hole seemed to inspire the goats,
and they played and frisked about in such an uncommon manner,
that the goat-herd was tempted to lean on the hole, and see what
mysteries the place contained. He was immediately seized with a fit
of enthusiasm, and his expressions were wild and extravagant, and
passed for prophecies. This circumstance was soon known about the
country, and many experienced the same enthusiastic inspiration.
The place was revered, and a temple was soon after erected in honour
of Apollo, and a city built. According to some accounts, Apollo was
not the first who gave oracles there; but Terra, Neptune, Themis,
and Phœbe were in possession of the place before the son of Latona.
The oracles were generally given in verse; but when it had been
sarcastically observed that the god and patron of poetry was the
most imperfect poet in the world, the priestess delivered her answers
in prose. The oracles were always delivered by a priestess called
_Pythia_. _See:_ Pythia. The temple was built and destroyed several
times. It was customary for those who consulted the oracle to make
rich presents to the god of Delphi; and no monarch distinguished
himself more by his donations than Crœsus. This sacred repository of
opulence was often the object of plunder, and the people of Phocis
seized 10,000 talents from it, and Nero carried away no less than
500 statues of brass, partly of the gods, and partly of the most
♦illustrious heroes. In another age, Constantine the Great removed
its most splendid ornaments to his new capital. It was universally
believed, and supported, by the ancients, that Delphi was in the
middle of the earth; and on that account it was called _terræ
umbilicus_. This, according to mythology, was first found out by
two doves, which Jupiter had let loose from the two extremities of
the earth, and which met at the place where the temple of Delphi
was built. _Apollonius_, bk. 2, li. 706.――_Diodorus_, bk. 16.
――_Plutarch_, _de Defectu Oraculorum_, &c.――_Pausanias_, bk. 10,
ch. 6, &c.――_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 10, li. 168.――_Strabo_,
bk. 9.
♦ ‘illustrous’ replaced with ‘illustrious’
=Delphĭcus=, a surname of Apollo, from the worship paid to his
divinity at Delphi.
=Delphīnia=, festivals at Ægina, in honour of Apollo of Delphi.
=Delphīnium=, a place in Bœotia, opposite Eubœa.
=Delphis=, the priestess of Delphi. _Martial_, bk. 9, ltr. 43.
=Delphus=, a son of Apollo, who built Delphi, and consecrated it to
his father. The name of his mother is differently mentioned. She is
called by some Celæno, by others Melæne daughter of Cephis, and by
others Thyas daughter of Castalius, the first who was priestess of
Bacchus. _Hyginus_, fable 161.――_Pausanias_, bk. 10, ch. 6.
=Delphȳne=, a serpent which watched over Jupiter. _Apollodorus_,
bk. 1, ch. 6.
=Delta=, a part of Egypt, which received that name from its resemblance
to the form of the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet. It lies
between the Canopian and Pelusian mouths of the Nile, and begins
to be formed where the river divides itself into several streams.
It has been formed totally by the mud and sand, which are washed
down from the upper parts of Egypt by the Nile, according to ancient
tradition. _Cæsar_, _Alexandrine War_, ch. 27.――_Strabo_, bks. 15
& 17.――_Herodotus_, bk. 2, ch. 13, &c.――_Pliny_, bk. 3, ch. 16.
=Demădes=, an Athenian, who, from a sailor, became an eloquent orator,
and obtained much influence in the state. He was taken prisoner
at the battle of Cheronæa by Philip, and ingratiated himself into
the favour of that prince, by whom he was greatly esteemed. He was
put to death, with his son, on suspicion of treason, B.C. 322. One
of his orations is extant. _Diodorus_, bks. 16 & 17.――_Plutarch_,
_Demosthenes_.
=Demænetus=, a rhetorician of Syracuse, enemy to Timoleon. _Cornelius
Nepos_, _Timoleon_, ch. 5.
=Demagŏras=, one of Alexander’s flatterers.――――An historian, who wrote
concerning the foundation of Rome. _Dionysius of Halicarnassus_,
bk. 1.
=Demarāta=, a daughter of Hiero, &c. _Livy_, bk. 24, ch. 22.
=Demarātus=, the son and successor of Ariston on the throne of Sparta,
B.C. 526. He was banished by the intrigues of Cleomenes his royal
colleague, as being illegitimate. He retired into Asia, and was
kindly received by Darius son of Hystaspes king of Persia. When
the Persian monarch made preparations to invade Greece, Demaratus,
though persecuted by the Lacedæmonians, informed them of the
hostilities which hung over their head. _Herodotus_, bk. 5, ch. 75,
&c.; bk. 6, ch. 50, &c.――――A rich citizen of Corinth, of the family
of the Bacchiadæ. When Cypselus had usurped the sovereign power
of Corinth, Demaratus, with all his family, migrated to Italy, and
settled at Tarquinii, 658 years before Christ. His son Lucumon was
king of Rome, under the name of Tarquinius Priscus. _Dionysius of
Halicarnassus._――――A Corinthian exile at the court of Philip king of
Macedonia. _Plutarch_, _Alexander_.
=Demarchus=, a Syracusan put to death by Dionysius.
=Demarēta=, the wife of Gelon. _Diodorus_, bk. 15.
=Demariste=, the mother of Timoleon.
=Dēmātria=, a Spartan mother, who killed her son because he returned
from a battle without glory. _Plutarch_, _Instituta Laconica_.
=Demetria=, a festival in honour of Ceres, called by the Greeks
_Demeter_. It was then customary for the votaries of the goddess
to lash themselves with whips made with the bark of trees. The
Athenians had a solemnity of the same name, in honour of Demetrius
Poliorcetes.
=Dēmētrias=, a town of Thessaly. The name was common to other places.