Priam in the Trojan war, and had the simplicity to exchange his
golden suit of armour with Diomedes for an iron one, whence came
the proverb of _Glauci et Diomedis permutatio_, to express a foolish
purchase. He behaved with much courage, and was killed by Ajax.
_Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 6, li. 483.――_Martial_, bk. 9, ltr. 96.
――_Homer_, _Iliad_, bk. 6.――――A fisherman of Anthedon in Bœotia,
son of Neptune and Nais, or, according to others, of Polybius the
son of Mercury. As he was fishing, he observed that all the fishes
which he laid on the grass received fresh vigour as they touched the
ground, and immediately escaped from him by leaping into the sea. He
attributed the cause of it to the grass, and by tasting it, he found
himself suddenly moved with a desire of living in the sea. Upon
this he leaped into the water, and was made a sea deity by Oceanus
and Tethys, at the request of the gods. After this transformation
he became enamoured of the Nereid Scylla, whose ingratitude was
severely punished by Circe. _See:_ Scylla. He is represented like
the other sea deities, with a long beard, dishevelled hair, and
shaggy eyebrows, and with the tail of a fish. He received the gift
of prophecy from Apollo, and according to some accounts he was the
interpreter of Nereus. He assisted the Argonauts in their expedition,
and foretold them that Hercules and the two sons of Leda would one
day receive immortal honours. The fable of his metamorphosis has
been explained by some authors, who observe that he was an excellent
diver, who was devoured by fishes as he was swimming in the sea.
_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 13, li. 905, &c.――_Hyginus_, fable
199.――_Athenæus_, bk. 7.――_Apollonius_, bk. 1.――_Diodorus_, bk. 4.
――_Aristotle_, _Constitution of Delos_.――_Pausanias_, bk. 9, ch. 22.
――――A son of Sisyphus king of Corinth, by Merope the daughter of
Atlas, born at Potnia, a village of Bœotia. He prevented his mares
from having any commerce with the stallions, in the expectation
that they would become swifter in running, upon which Venus inspired
the mares with such fury, that they tore his body to pieces as he
returned from the games which Adrastus had celebrated in honour of
his father. He was buried at Potnia. _Hyginus_, fable 250.――_Virgil_,
_Georgics_, bk. 3, li. 367.――_Apollodorus_, bks. 1 & 2.――――A son of
Minos II. and Pasiphae, who was smothered in a cask of honey. His
father, ignorant of his fate, consulted the oracle to know where he
was, and received for answer, that the soothsayer who best described
him an ox, which was of three different colours among his flocks,
would best give him intelligence of his son’s situation. Polyidus
was found superior to all the other soothsayers, and was commanded
by the king to find the young prince. When he had found him, Minos
confined him with the dead body, and told him that he never would
restore him his liberty if he did not restore his son to life.
Polyidus was struck with the king’s severity, but while he stood in
astonishment, a serpent suddenly came towards the body and touched
it. Polyidus killed the serpent, and immediately a second came, who
seeing the other without motion or signs of life, disappeared, and
soon after returned with a certain herb in his mouth. This herb he
laid on the body of the dead serpent, which was immediately restored
to life. Polyidus, who had attentively considered what passed,
seized the herb, and with it he rubbed the body of the dead prince,
who was instantly raised to life. Minos received Glaucus with
gratitude, but he refused to restore Polyidus to liberty, before
he taught his son the art of divination and prophecy. He consented
with great reluctance, and when he was at last permitted to return
to Argolis his native country, he desired his pupil to spit in his
mouth. Glaucus willingly consented, and from that moment he forgot
all the knowledge of divination and healing which he had received
from the instructions of Polyidus. Hyginus ascribes the recovery
of Glaucus to Æsculapius. _Apollodorus_, bk. 2, ch. 3.――_Hyginus_,
fables 136 & 251, &c.――――A son of Epytus, who succeeded his father
on the throne of Messenia, about 10 centuries before the Augustan
age. He introduced the worship of Jupiter among the Dorians, and was
the first who offered sacrifices to Machaon the son of Æsculapius.
_Pausanias_, bk. 4, ch. 3.――――A son of Antenor, killed by Agamemnon.
_Dictys Cretensis_, bk. 4.――――An Argonaut, the only one of the crew
who was not wounded in a battle against the Tyrrhenians. _Athenæus_,
bk. 7, ch. 12.――――A son of Imbrasus, killed by Turnus. _Virgil_,
_Æneid_, bk. 12, li. 343.――――A son of Hippolytus, whose descendants
reigned in Ionia.――――An athlete of Eubœa. _Pausanias_, bk. 6,
ch. 9.――――A son of Priam. _Apollodorus_, bk. 3.――――A physician
of Cleopatra. _Plutarch_, _Antonius_.――――A warrior in the age
of Phocion. _Plutarch_, _Phocion_.――――A physician exposed on a
cross, because Hephæstion died while under his care. _Plutarch_,
_Alexander_.――――An artist of Chios. _Pausanias._――――A Spartan.
_Pausanias._――――A grove of Bœotia. _Pausanias._――――A bay of Caria,
now the gulf of _Macri_. _Pausanias._――――An historian of Rhegium in
Italy.――――A bay and river of Libya,――――of Peloponnesus,――――of
Colchis, falling into the Phasis.
=Glautias=, a king of Illyricum, who educated Pyrrhus.
=Glicon=, a physician of Pansa, accused of having poisoned the wound
of his patron, &c. _Suetonius_, _Augustus_, ch. 11.
=Glissas=, a town of Bœotia, with a small river in the neighbourhood.
_Pausanias_, bk. 9, ch. 19.
=Glycĕra=, a beautiful woman, celebrated by _Horace_, bk. 1, odes 19,
30.――――A courtesan of Sicyon, so skilful in making garlands, that
some attributed to her the invention of them.――――A famous courtesan,
whom Harpalus brought from Athens to Babylon.
=Gly̆cĕrium=, a harlot of Thespis, who presented her countrymen with
the painting of Cupid, which Praxiteles had given her.――――The
mistress of Pamphilus in Terence’s Andria.
=Gly̆con=, a man remarkable for his strength. _Horace_, bk. 1, ltr. 1,
li. 30.――――A physician who attended Pansa, and was accused of
poisoning his patron’s wound. _Suetonius_, _Augustus_, ch. 11.
=Glympes=, a town on the borders of the Lacedæmonians and Messenians.
_Polybius_, bk. 4.
=Gnatia=, a town of Apulia, about 30 miles from Brundusium, badly
supplied with water. _Horace_, bk. 1, satire 5.
=Gnidus.= _See:_ Cnidus.
=Gnossis= and =Gnossia=, an epithet given to Ariadne, because she
lived, or was born, at Gnossus. The crown which she received from
Bacchus, and which was made a constellation, is called _Gnossia
Stella_. _Virgil_, _Georgics_, bk. 1, li. 222.
=Gnossus=, a famous city of Crete, the residence of king Minos.
The name of _Gnossia tellus_ is often applied to the whole island.
_Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 6, li. 23.――_Strabo_, bk. 10.――_Homer_,
_Odyssey_.
=Gobanitio=, a chief of the Averni, uncle to Vercingetorix. _Cæsar_,
_Gallic War_, bk. 7, ch. 4.
=Gobar=, a governor of Mesopotamia, who checked the course of the
Euphrates, that it might not run rapidly through Babylon. _Pliny_,
bk. 6, ch. 26.
=Gobares=, a Persian governor, who surrendered to Alexander, &c.
_Curtius_, bk. 5, ch. 31.
=Gobryas=, a Persian, one of the seven noblemen who conspired against
the usurper Smerdis. _See:_ Darius. _Herodotus_, bk. 3, ch. 70.
=Golgi= (ōrum), a place of Cyprus, sacred to Venus _Golgia_ and to
Cupid. _Pausanias_, bk. 8, ch. 5.
=Gomphi=, a town of Thessaly, near the springs of the Peneus, at the
foot of mount Pindus.
=Gonātas=, one of the Antigoni.
=Goniădes=, nymphs in the neighbourhood of the river Cytherus.
_Strabo_, bk. 8.
=Gonippus= and =Panormus=, two youths of Andania, who disturbed the
Lacedæmonians when celebrating the festivals of Pollux. _Pausanias_,
bk. 4, ch. 27.
=Gonni= and =Gonocondylos=, a town of Thessaly at the entrance into
Tempe. _Livy_, bk. 36, ch. 10; bk. 42, ch. 54.――_Strabo_, bk. 4.
=Gonoessa=, a town of Troas. _Seneca_, _Troades_.
=Gonussa=, a town of Sicyon. _Pausanias._
=Gordiæi=, mountains in Armenia, where the Tigris rises, supposed to
be the Ararat of scripture.
=Gordiānus Marcus Antonius Africanus=, a son of Metius Marcellus,
descended from Trajan by his mother’s side. In the greatest
affluence, he cultivated learning, and was an example of piety and
virtue. He applied himself to the study of poetry, and composed a
poem in 30 books upon the virtues of Titus, Antoninus, and Marcus
Aurelius. He was such an advocate for good breeding and politeness,
that he never sat down in the presence of his father-in-law Annius
Severus, who paid him daily visits, before he was promoted to the
pretorship. He was some time after elected consul, and went to take
the government of Africa in the capacity of proconsul. After he
had attained his 80th year in the greatest splendour and domestic
tranquillity, he was roused from his peaceful occupations by the
tyrannical reign of the Maximini, and he was proclaimed emperor by
the rebellious troops of his province. He long declined to accept
the imperial purple, but the threats of immediate death gained
his compliance. Maximinus marched against him with the greatest
indignation; and Gordian sent his son, with whom he shared the
imperial dignity, to oppose the enemy. Young Gordian was killed;
and the father, worn out with age, and grown desperate on account of
his misfortunes, strangled himself at Carthage, before he had been
six weeks at the head of the empire, A.D. 236. He was universally
lamented by the army and people.――――Marcus Antoninus Africanus, son
of Gordianus, was instructed by Serenus Sammoticus, who left him
his library, which consisted of 62,000 volumes. His enlightened
understanding, and his peaceful disposition, recommended him to the
favour of the emperor Heliogabalus. He was made prefect of Rome,
and afterwards consul, by the emperor Alexander Severus. He passed
into Africa, in the character of lieutenant to his father, who
had obtained that province; and seven years after he was elected
emperor, in conjunction with him. He marched against the partisans of
Maximinus, his antagonist in Mauritania, and was killed in a bloody
battle on the 25th of June, A.D. 236, after a reign of about six
weeks. He was of an amiable disposition, but he has been justly
blamed by his biographers on account of his lascivious propensities,
which reduced him to the weakness and infirmities of old age, though
he was but in his 46th year at the time of his death.――――Marcus
Antoninus Pius, grandson to the first Gordian, was but 12 years
old when he was honoured with the title of Cæsar. He was proclaimed
emperor in the 16th year of his age, and his election was attended
with universal marks of approbation. In the 18th year of his age,
he married Furia Sabina Tranquilina daughter of Misitheus, a man
celebrated for his ♦eloquence and public virtues. Misitheus was
entrusted with the most important offices of the state by his
son-in-law, and his administration proved how deserving he was of
the confidence and affection of his imperial master. He corrected
the various abuses which prevailed in the state, and restored
the ancient discipline among the soldiers. By his prudence and
political sagacity, all the chief towns in the empire were stored
with provisions, which could maintain the emperor and a large army
during 15 days upon any emergency. Gordian was not less active than
his father-in-law; and when Sapor the king of Persia had invaded the
Roman provinces in the east, he boldly marched to meet him, and in
his way defeated a large body of Goths, in Mœsia. He conquered Sapor,
and took many flourishing cities in the east from his adversary. In
this success the senate decreed him a triumph, and saluted Misitheus
as the guardian of the republic. Gordian was assassinated in the
east, A.D. 244, by the means of Philip, who had succeeded to the
virtuous Misitheus, and who usurped the sovereign power by murdering
a warlike and amiable prince. The senate, sensible of his merit,
honoured him with a most splendid funeral on the confines of Persia,
and ordered that the descendants of the Gordians should ever be free,
at Rome, from all the heavy taxes and burdens of the state. During
the reign of Gordianus, there was an uncommon eclipse of the sun, in
which the stars appeared in the middle of the day.
♦ ‘eloqence’ replaced with ‘eloquence’
=Gordium=, a town of Phrygia. _Justin_, bk. 11, ch. 7.――_Livy_, bk. 38,
ch. 18.――_Curtius_, bk. 3, ch. 1.
=Gordius=, a Phrygian, who, though originally a peasant, was raised to
the throne. During a sedition, the Phrygians consulted the oracle,
and were told that all their troubles would cease as soon as they
chose for their king the first man they met going to the temple
of Jupiter, mounted on a chariot. Gordius was the object of their
choice, and he immediately consecrated his chariot in the temple
of Jupiter. The knot which tied the yoke to the draught tree, was
made in such an artful manner that the ends of the cord could not
be perceived. From this circumstance a report was soon spread, that
the empire of Asia was promised by the oracle to him that could
untie the Gordian knot. Alexander, in his conquest of Asia, passed
by Gordium; and as he wished to leave nothing undone which might
inspire his soldiers with courage, and make his enemies believe that
he was born to conquer Asia, he cut the knot with his sword; and
from that circumstance asserted that the oracle was really fulfilled,
and that his claims to universal empire were fully justified.
_Justin_, bk. 11, ch. 7.――_Curtius_, bk. 3, ch. 1.――_Arrian_, bk. 1.
――――A tyrant of Corinth. _Aristotle_.
=Gorgāsus=, a man who received divine honours at Pheræ in Messenia.
_Pausanias_, bk. 4, ch. 30.
=Gorge=, a daughter of Œneus king of Calydon, by Althæa daughter of
Thestius. She married Andremon, by whom she had Oxilus, who headed
the Heraclidæ when they made an attempt upon Peloponnesus. Her
tomb was seen at Amphissa in Locris. _Pausanias_, bk. 10, ch. 38.
――_Apollodorus_, bks. 1 & 2.――_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 8,
li. 542.――――One of the Danaides. _Apollodorus_, bk. 2, ch. 1.
=Gorgias=, a celebrated sophist and orator, son of Carmantides
surnamed _Leontinus_, because born at Leontium in Sicily. He was
sent by his countrymen to solicit the assistance of the Athenians
against the Syracusans, and was successful in his embassy. He lived
to his 108th year, and died B.C. 400. Only two fragments of his
compositions are extant. _Pausanias_, bk. 6, ch. 17.――_Cicero_,
_Orator_, ch. 22, &c.; _De Senectute_, ch. 15; _Brutus_, ch. 15.
――_Quintilian_, bks. 3 & 12.――――An officer of Antiochus Epiphanes.
――――An Athenian, who wrote an account of all the prostitutes of
Athens. _Athenæus._――――A Macedonian, forced to war with Amyntas, &c.
_Curtius_, bk. 7, ch. 1.
=Gorgo=, the wife of Leonidas king of Sparta, &c.――――The name of the
ship which carried Perseus, after he had conquered Medusa.
=Gorgŏnes=, three celebrated sisters, daughters of Phorcys and Ceto,
whose names were Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa, all immortal except
Medusa. According to the mythologists, their hairs were entwined
with serpents, their hands were of brass, their wings of the colour
of gold, their body was covered with impenetrable scales, and their
teeth were as long as the tusks of a wild boar, and they turned to
stones all those on whom they fixed their eyes. Medusa alone had
serpents in her hair, according to Ovid, and this proceeded from
the resentment of Minerva, in whose temple Medusa had gratified the
passion of Neptune, who was enamoured of the beautiful colour of her
locks, which the goddess changed into serpents. Æschylus says that
they had only one tooth and one eye between them, of which they had
the use each in her turn; and accordingly it was at the time that
they were exchanging the eye, that Perseus attacked them, and cut
off Medusa’s head. According to some authors, Perseus, when he went
to the conquest of the Gorgons, was armed with an instrument like
a scythe by Mercury, and provided with a looking-glass by Minerva,
besides winged shoes, and a helmet of Pluto, which rendered all
objects clearly visible and open to the view, while the person who
wore it remained totally invisible. With weapons like these, Perseus
obtained an easy victory; and after his conquest, returned his arms
to the different deities whose favours and assistance he had so
recently experienced. The head of Medusa remained in his hands;
and after he had finished all his laborious expeditions, he gave it
to Minerva, who placed it on her ægis, with which she turned into
stones all such as fixed their eyes upon it. It is said, that after
the conquest of the Gorgons, Perseus took his flight in the air
towards Æthiopia; and that the drops of blood which fell to the
ground from Medusa’s head were changed into serpents, which have
ever since infested the sandy deserts of Libya. The horse Pegasus
also arose from the blood of Medusa, as well as Chrysaor with his
golden sword. The residence of the Gorgons was beyond the ocean
towards the west, according to Hesiod. Æschylus makes them inhabit
the eastern parts of Scythia; and Ovid, as the most received opinion,
supports that they lived in the inland parts of Libya, near the lake
of Triton, or the gardens of the Hesperides. Diodorus and others
explain the fable of the Gorgons, by supposing that they were a
warlike race of women near the Amazons, whom Perseus, with the help
of a large army, totally destroyed. _Hesiod_, _Theogony_ & _Shield
of Heracles_.――_Apollonius_, bk. 4.――_Apollodorus_, bk. 2, chs. 1
& 4, &c.――_Homer_, _Iliad_, bks. 5 & 11.――_Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 6,
&c.――_Diodorus_, bks. 1 & 4.――_Pausanias_, bk. 2, ch. 20, &c.
――_Aeschylus_, _Prometheus Bound_, act 4.――_Pindar_, _Pythian_,
odes 7 & 12; _Olympian_, poem 3.――_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 4,
li. 618, &c.――_Palæphatus_, _on the Daughters of Phorcys_.
=Gorgŏnia=, a surname of Pallas, because Perseus, armed with her shield,
had conquered the Gorgon, who had polluted her temple with Neptune.
=Gorgŏnius=, a man ridiculed by Horace for his ill smell. _Horace_,
bk. 1, satire 2, li. 27.
=Gorgŏphŏne=, a daughter of Perseus and Andromeda, who married
Perieres king of Messenia, by whom she had Aphareus and Leucippus.
After the death of Perieres, she married Œbalus, who made her mother
of Icarus and Tyndarus. She is the first whom the mythologists
mention as having had a second husband. _Pausanias_, bk. 4, ch. 2.
――_Apollodorus_, bk. 1, chs. 2 & 3.――――One of the Danaides.
_Apollodorus_, bk. 2, ch. 1.
=Gorgŏphŏnus=, a son of Electryon and Anaxo. _Apollodorus_, bk. 2,
ch. 4.
=Gorgŏphŏra=, a surname of Minerva, from her ægis, on which was the
head of the Gorgon Medusa. _Cicero._
=Gorgus=, the son of Aristomenes the Messenian. He was married, when
young, to a virgin, by his father, who had experienced the greatest
kindnesses from her humanity, and had been enabled to conquer seven
Cretans who had attempted his life, &c. _Pausanias_, bk. 4, ch. 19.
――――A son of Theron tyrant of Agrigentum.――――A man whose knowledge
of metals proved very serviceable to Alexander, &c.
=Gorgythion=, a son of Priam, killed by Teucer. _Homer_, _Iliad_,
bk. 8.
=Gortuæ=, a people of Eubœa, who fought with the Medes at the battle
of Arbela. _Curtius_, bk. 4, ch. 12.
=Gortyn=, =Gortys=, and =Gortȳna=, an inland town of Crete. It was
on the inhabitants of this place that Annibal, to save his money,
practised an artifice recorded in _Cornelius Nepos_, _Hannibal_,
ch. 9.――_Pliny_, bk. 4, ch. 12.――_Lucan_, bk. 6, li. 214; bk. 7,
li. 214.――_Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 11, li. 773.
=Gortȳnia=, a town of Arcadia in Peloponnesus. _Pausanias_, bk. 8,
ch. 28.
=Gotthi=, a celebrated nation of Germany, called also Gothones,
Gutones, Gythones, and Guttones. They were warriors by profession,
as well as all their savage neighbours. They extended their power
over all parts of the world, and chiefly directed their arms
against the Roman empire. Their first attempt against Rome was on
the provinces of Greece, whence they were driven by Constantine.
They plundered Rome, under Alaric, one of their most celebrated
kings, A.D. 410. From becoming the enemies of the Romans, the Goths
gradually became their mercenaries; and as they were powerful and
united, they soon dictated to their imperial masters, and introduced
disorder, anarchy, and revolutions in the west of Europe. _Tacitus_,
_Annals_, bk. 2, ch. 2, &c.
=Gracchus Tiberius Sempronius=, father of Tiberius and Caius Gracchus,
twice consul, and once censor, was distinguished by his integrity
as well as his prudence and superior ability, both in the senate and
at the head of the armies. He made war in Gaul, and met with much
success in Spain. He married Sempronia, of the family of the Scipios,
a woman of great virtue, piety, and learning. _Cicero_, _On Oratory_,
bk. 1, ch. 48. Their children, Tiberius and Caius, who had been
educated under the watchful eye of their mother, rendered themselves
famous for their eloquence, seditions, and an obstinate attachment
to the interests of the populace, which at last proved fatal to
them. With a winning eloquence, affected moderation, and uncommon
popularity, Tiberius began to renew the Agrarian law, which had
already caused such dissensions at Rome. _See:_ Agraria. By the
means of violence, his proposition passed into a law, and he was
appointed commissioner, with his father-in-law Appius Claudius and
his brother Caius, to make an equal division of the lands among the
people. The riches of Attalus, which were left to the Roman people
by will, were distributed without opposition; and Tiberius enjoyed
the triumph of his successful enterprise, when he was assassinated
in the midst of his adherents by Publius Nasica, while the populace
were all unanimous to re-elect him to serve the office of tribune
the following year. The death of Tiberius checked for a while the
friends of the people; but Caius, spurred by ambition and furious
zeal, attempted to remove every obstacle which stood in his way by
force and violence. He supported the cause of the people with more
vehemence, but less moderation than Tiberius; and his success served
only to awaken his ambition, and animate his resentment against
the nobles. With the privileges of a tribune, he soon became the
arbiter of the republic, and treated the patricians with contempt.
This behaviour hastened the ruin of Caius, and in the tumult he
fled to the temple of Diana, where his friends prevented him from
committing suicide. This increased the sedition, and he was murdered
by order of the consul Opimius, B.C. 121, about 13 years after the
unfortunate end of Tiberius. His body was thrown into the Tiber,
and his wife was forbidden to put on mourning for his death. Caius
has been accused of having stained his hands in the blood of Scipio
Africanus the younger, who was found murdered in his bed. _Plutarch_,
_Parallel Lives_.――_Cicero_, _Catiline_, ch. 1.――_Lucan_, bk. 6,
li. 796.――_Florus_, bk. 2, ch. 17; bk. 3, ch. 14, &c.――――Sempronius,
a Roman, banished to the coast of Africa for his adulteries with
Julia the daughter of Augustus. He was assassinated by order of
Tiberius, after he had been banished 14 years. Julia also shared
his fate. _Tacitus_, _Annals_, bk. 1, ch. 53.――――A general of the
Sabines, taken by Quinctius Cincinnatus.――――A Roman consul, defeated
by Annibal, &c. _Cornelius Nepos_, _Hannibal_.
=Grādīvus=, a surname of Mars among the Romans, perhaps from
κραδαινειν, _brandishing a spear_. Though he had a temple without
the walls of Rome, and though Numa had established the Salii, yet
his favourite residence was supposed to be among the fierce and
savage Thracians and Getæ, over whom he particularly presided.
_Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 3, li. 35.――_Homer_, _Iliad_.――_Livy_, bk. 1,
ch. 20; bk. 2, ch. 45.
=Græci=, the inhabitants of Greece. _See:_ Græcia.