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

344 ARISTOTELES.
piler, according to others by Philoponus, edited
by J. Nunnesius, together with an old Latin
translation of the same, with some additions
(Vetus translatio); 4. The short Greek biography,
by an anonymous writer, published by Menage
(Anonymus Menagii in Diog. Laert. v. 35, vol. ii.
p. 201, ed. Meibom.), with which the article in
Suidas coincides;5. Hesychius Milesius. These
ancient biographies will be found all together in the
first vol. of Buhle's edition of Aristotle. Among
the more modern biographies, we need mention
only the works of Guarinus of Verona (A. D. 1460,
Vita Aristotelis, appended to his translation of
Plutarch's biographies); Patritius (Discussiones
Peripateticae, Basil. 1581), a passionate opponent
of Aristotle and his philosophy; Nunnesius (in
his commentary on Ammonius, Vita Aristotelis,
Lugd. 1621); Andreas Schott (Vitae comparatae
Aristotelis et Demosthenis, Augustae Vindelic. 1603,
4to); Buhle, in the first part of his edition of
Aristotle, and in Ersch and Gruber's Encyclopiidie,
v. p. 273, &c.; Blakesley's Life of Aristotle; and
the work entitled Aristotelia by the writer of this
article.* [A. S.]
ARISTO'TELES ('Apitro'Tr ss). 1. Of Sicily,
a rhetorician who wrote against the Panegyricus
of Isocrates. (Diog. Laert. v. 35.) Some modern
critics attribute to him, on very insufficient
grounds, the rTeYcv crvvaywcy-q, which is printed
among the works of Aristotle.
2. Of Athens, an orator and statesman, under
whose name some forensic orations were known in
the time of Diogenes Laertius (v. 35), which were
distinguished for their elegance.
3. Of Cyrene, is mentioned by Diogenes
Laertius (v. 35) as the author of a work rkpl
r1oifTiKrj0s.
4. Of Argos, a megaric or dialectic philosopher.
(Plut. Arat. 3, 44; Diog. Laert. ii. 113.) He
belonged to the party at Argos which was hostile
to Cleomenes of Sparta, and after Cleomenes had
taken possession of the town, Aristoteles contrived to get it again into the hands of the Achaeans.
(Polyb. ii. 53; Plut. Cleom. 20.)
5. The author of a work Ipep nlhAovaosyoi,
which is completely lost. (Diog. Laert. v. 35.)
6. The author of a work on the Iliad, which is
likewise lost. (Diog. Laert. v. 35.)
7. There are apparently three Peripatetic philosophers of the name of Aristoteles. The first is
mentioned as a commentator of his great namesake
(Syrian. Metaphys. xii. 55); the second, a son of
Erasistratus, is mentioned by S. Empiricus (adv.
Math. p. 51); and the third, a Mytilenaean, was
one of the most distinguished speculative philosophers in the time of Galen. (De Consuetud. p. 553,
ed. Paris.)
8. Of Chaleis in Euboea, who is mentioned as
the author of a work on Euboea. (Hiept Evoias,,
Harpocrat. s. v."Apyovpa; Schol. ad Apollon. Rhod.
i. 558.) Some critics have been inclined to think
that this Aristoteles is not a distinct person, and
that the work on Euboea ascribed to him is only
another name for the Esvfoeav TroXt-reia of the great
philosopher Aristotle. But there is no reason for
such a supposition.
Ancient writers make mention of many more

ARISTOXENUS.
persons of the name of Aristoteles, respecting
whom no particulars are known. Diogenes enumerates eight, including the great philosopher, and
Jonsius (de Script. Histor. Phil. i. 12) no less than
thirty-two persons of this name. [L. S.]
ARISTOTI'MUS ('Apio-Tdoqros),became tyrant
in Elis with the help of Antigonus Gonatas, and
after reigning for six months in the most cruel
manner, was killed by Hellanicus, Cylon, and
others. (Paus. v. 5. ~ 1; Plut. de Mulier. Virt.
p. 251, &c.)
ARISTO'XENUS ('Aptiro'evos), a philosopher
of the Peripatetic school. The date of his birth is
not known; but from the account of Suidas, and
from incidental notices in other writers, we learn
that he was born at Tarentum, and was the son of
a learned musician named Spintharus (otherwise
Mnesias). (Aelian, II. A. ii. 11.) He learnt music
from his father, and having been afterwards instructed by Lamprus of Erythrae and Xenophilus the
Pythagorean, finally became a disciple of Aristotle
(Gell.iv. 11; Cic. Tusc. Disp. i. 18), whom he appears
to have rivalled in the variety of his studies, though
probably not in the success with which he prosecuted them. According to Suidas, he produced
works to the number of 453 upon music, philosophy,
history, in short, every department of literature.
He gained so much credit as a scholar of Aristotle,
that it was expected, at least by himself, that he
would be chosen to succeed him; and his disgust
at the appointment of Theophrastus caused him
afterwards to slander the character of his great
master. This story is, however, contradicted by
Aristocles (ap. Euseb.Praep. Evang. xv. 2), who asserts that he never mentioned Aristotle but with the
greatest respect. We know nothing of his philosophical opinions, except that he held the soul to
be a harmony of the body (Cic. Tusc. Disp. i. 10,18;
Lact. Instit. vii. 13, de Opif. Dei, c. 16), a doctrine
"which had been already discussed by Plato (in the
Phaedo) and combated by Aristotle. (De An. i. 4.)
It is only in his character as a musician that
Aristoxenus appears to have deserved and acquired
a reputation for real excellence; and no considerable remains of his works have come down to us
except three books of dpiovuciK orrotxEZa, or rather,
as their contents seem to shew, fragments of two or
three separate musical treatises. (See Burney, Hist.
of Music, vol. i. p. 442.) They contain less actual
information on the theory of Greek music than the
later treatises ascribed to Euclid, Aristeides Quintilianus, and others; but they are interesting from
their antiquity, and valuable for their criticisms
on the music of the times to which they belong.
Aristoxenus, at least if we may trust his own account, was the first to attempt a complete and systematic exposition of the subject; and he aimed at
introducing not only a more scientific knowledge,
but also a more refined and intellectual taste than
that which prevailed among his contemporaries,
whom he accuses of cultivating only that kind of
music which was capable of sweetness. (Aristox.
p. 23, ed. Meibom.) He became the founder of
a sect or school of musicians, called, after him,
Aristoxeneans, who were opposed to the Pythagoreans on the question whether reason or sense
should furnish the principles of musical science
and the criterion of the truth of its propositions. Pythagoras had discovered the connexion
between musical intervals and numerical ratios;
and it had been found that the principal concords

* The above article was written in German by
Prof. Stahr, expressly for this work, and has been
translated into English by Mr. C. P. Mason.