A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

ALEXANDER.
p. 198), and also under another person, whose
name he does not mention, but to whose son
Cosmas he dedicates his chief work (xii. i. p. 313),
which he wrote out of gratitude at his request.
He was a man of an extensive practice, of a very
long experience, and of great reputation, not only
at Rome, but wherever he travelled in Spain,
Gaul, and Italy (i. 15, pp. 156, 157), whence he
was called by way of eminence " Alexander the
Physician." Agathias speaks also with great praise
of his four brothers, Anthemius, Dioscorus, Metrodorus, and Olympius, who were all eminent in their
several professions. Alexander is not a mere compiler, like Aetius, Oribasius, and others, but is an
author of quite a different stamp, and has more the
air of an original writer. He wrote his great work
(as he tells us himself, xii. 1, p. 313) in an extreme
old age, from the results of his own experience,
when he could no longer bear the fatigue of practice. His style in the main, says Freind, is very
good, short, clear, and (to use his own term, xii. 1,
p. 313) consisting of common expressions; and
though (through a mixture of some foreign words
occesioned perhaps by his travels) not always perfectly elegant, yet very expressive and intelligible.
Fabricius considers Alexander to have belonged to..the sect of the Methodici, but in the opinion of
Freind this is not proved sufficiently by the passages adduced. The weakest and most curious
)art of his practice appears to be his belief in:harms and amulets, some of which may be quoted
is specimens. For a quotidian ague, " Gather
in olive leaf before sun-rise, write on it with comnon ink ra, pot, a, and hang it round the neck"
xii. 7, p. 339); for the gout, " Write on a thin
late of gold, during the waning of the moon, ide
IPE, ýt6p, (Pp, Te', C a, W/V, aE, Aou, xp', ye, ýE,
5V, and wear it round the ankles; pronouncing also
(, 'WV, -e, Sped, /taiv, xw/"ic" (xi. 1, p. 313),
r else this verse of Homer (II. A. 95),
"TeTpieX t 8' dyopo), tV i d i' a'ErovaU iero yeea,
bhile the moon is in Libra; but it is much better
she should be in Leo." (Ibid.) In exorcising
to gout (ibid. p. 314) he says, " I adjure thee by
te great name 'Iaco aeagcO," that is, n'nrS
IR:12,n and a little further on, " I adjure thee
T:
j the holy names 'Iawc,:acadO, 'Aweald; 'EAcdH,".at is, N1 ^.ri ^ n' rr; from
T i'n: T -: T
hich he would appear to have been either a Jew
a Christian, and, from his frequently prescribing
uine's flesh, it is most probable that he was a
iristian. His chief work, entitled FB'PXMa'IarptcK
noIca1seca, Libri Duodecim de Re MIedica, first
peared in an old, barbarous, and imperfect Latin
Inslation, with the title Alexandri Yatros Prac-:, c., Lugd. 1504, 4to., which was several times
)rinted, and corrected and amended by Albanus
rinus, Basil. 1533, fol. It was first edited in
eek by Jac. Goupylus, Par. 1548, fol., a beautiand scarce edition, containing also Rhazae de
stilentia Libellus ex Syrorum LingCua is Graecams
nslatus. It was published in Greek with a new
tin translation by Jo. Guinterus Andernacus,
sil. 1556, 8vo., which is a rare and valuable
tion. Quinter's translation has been several
es reprinted, and is inserted by H-. Stephens in
lMedicae Artis Principes, Paris, 1567, fol.; it
forms part of Haller's Collection of Medical
iters, Lausann, 1772, 8vo. 2 vols. The other

ALEXANDER. 127
work of Alexander's that is still extant is a short
treatise, IlepL 'EAmivOwu, De Lunbricis, which was
first published in Greek and Latin by Hieron. Mercurialis, Venet. 1570, 4to. It is also inserted in his
work De Morbis Puerorum, Francof. 1584, 8vo., and
in the twelfth volume of the old edition of Fabricius,
Bibliotheca Graeca; the Latin translation alone is
included in Haller's Collection mentioned above.
An Arabic translation is mentioned by Dr. Sprenger
in his dissertation De Origiinibus ilredicinae Arjdicae sub Khalifatu, Lugd. Bat. 1840, 8vo.; and
also by J. G. Wenrich, De Aiuctorumn Graecoraun
Versionibus et Commentariis S., riacis, Arabicis,
Armeniacis, Pe'sicisque, Lips. 1842, 8vo.
Alexander seems also to have written several
other medical works which are now lost. He expresses his intention of writing a book on Fractures,
and also on Wounds of the Head. A treatise on
Urine written by him is alluded to by Joannes
Actuarius (De Urin. Dficer. c. 2. p. 43), and lie
himself mentions a work of his on Diseases of the
Eyes, which was translated into Arabic. (Sprenger,
Wenrich,.c.) The other medical treatise on Pleurisy, which is said to have been also translated into
Arabic, was probably only the sixth book of his
great work, which is entirely devoted to the consideration of this disease. A very full account of
the life and works of Alexander Trallianus was
published at London, 1734, 8vo., by Edward Milward, M. D., entitled " Trallianus Reviviscens; or,
an Account of Alexander Trallian, one of the Greek
Writers that flourished after Galen: shewing that
these Authors are far from deserving the imputation of mere compilers," &c. Two other medical
works which are sometimes attributed to Alexander
Trallianus (viz. a Collection of Medical and Physical Problems, and a treatise on Fevers) are noticed
under ALEXANDER APHRODISIENSIS. (Freid's
Hist. of Physic, whose words have been sometimes
borrowed; Fabricius, Bibl. Graec. vol. xii. p. 593,
sq. ed. vet.; Haller, Bibliotheca Medicinae lPracti/cae, tom. i.; Sprengel, Hist. de la M/edt. torn. ii.;
Isensee, Geschichte der iMledicin; Choulant, HIIadbuch dier Biicherkunde fuir die Aeltere Mledicin.)
[W. A. G.]
ALEXANDER ('AAEhavFpos), of TricnHoNi, v
in Aetolia, was commander of the Aetolians in
B.. c218 and 219. HIe attacked the rear of the
army of Philip on his return from Thermus, Ihut
the attempt was unsuccessful, and many Aetolians
fell. (Polyb. v. 13.) [L. S.]
ALEXANDER ZEBINA or ZABINAS
('AAeavapos Zagivas), the son of a merchant
named Protarchus, was set up by Ptolemy Physcon,
king of Egypt, as a pretender to the crown of the
Greek kingdom of Syria shortly after the death of
Antiochus Sidetes and the return of Demetrius
Nicator from his captivity among the Parthians.
(n.c. 128.) Antioch, Apamea, and several other
cities, disgusted with the tyranny of Demetrius,
acknowledged the authority of Alexander, who
pretended to have been adopted by Antiochus
Sidetes; but he never succeeded in obtaining
power over the whole of Syria. In the earlier
part of the year 125 he defeated Demetrius, who
fled to Tyre and was there killed; but in the middle of the same year Alexander's patron, the king
of Egypt, set up against him Antiochus Grypus, a
son of Demetrius, by whom he was defeated in
battle. Alexander fled to Antioch, where he
attempted to plunder the temple of Jupiter, in order