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

MELITO. MELITO. 1023
made the first, though weak attempt, which was after- siderable eminence, who lived in the second century.
wards carried out by Zeno with far more acuteness He was contemporary with Hegesippus, Dionysius
and sagacity, to prove that the foundations of all of Corinth, Apollinaris of Hierapolis, and others
knowledge derived from experience are in them- (Euseb. H. E. iv. 21).. Of his personal history
selves contradictory, and that the reality of the very little is known. The epithets Asianus and
actual world is inconceivable. The fragments of Sardensis, given to him by Jerome (De Vir. Illustr.
Melissus are collected by Ch. A. Brandis, Cornmen- c. 24), indicate the place of his episcopal charge,
tationunm Eleaticarum, pars prima, p. 185, &c., and not, so far as appears, of his birth. Polycrates of
by Mullach, Aristotelis de illelisso, Xenophane, et Ephesus, a writer of somewhat later date,. in his
Gorgia Disputationes, curm Eleaticorum philoso- letter to Victor, bishop of Rome (apud Euseb.
phorsmnfragnientis, ~c., Berol. 1846. [L. S.] H. E. v. 24), calls him " Eunuchus," but it is not
MELISSUS (MeArOOos). 1. A Theban, the son clear whether this term is to be understood literally,
of Telesiades, of the family of the Cleonymidae, or is simply expressive of his inviolate chastity.
who conquered in the chariot race at the'Nemean At what time he became bishop of Sardes is not
games, and in the pancratium at the Isthmian games. known: he probably was bishop when the controThe dates of his victories are uncertain. Pindar's versy arose at Laodiceia respecting the observance
third Isthmian ode is written to celebrate the of Easter, which occasioned him to write his book
latter of his victories. on the subject (Clem. Alexandr. apud Euseb. H. E.
2. A Greek writer, a native of Euboea, who iv. 26). This controversy arose when Servilius
wrote a work explaining various mythological Paulus was proconsul of Asia, and at the time of
stories by the facts of natural history. (Fulgent. the martyrdom of Sagaris, who is thought to have
ii. 16.) He is probably the same as the Melissus suffered in the persecution under M. Aurelius.
referred to by Palaephates (Proim.) and by Servius During the same persecution, Melito composed his
(ad Virg. Aen. iv. 146). Apologia, which, as it was addressed to Aurelius
3. A Roman writer mentioned by Pliny anlong alone, appears to have been written after the death
those from whom he drew materials for his 7th, of Lucius Verus, in A. D. 169. The Chronicon of
9th, 10th, l th. and 35th books. [C. P. M.] Eusebius places its presentation in A. D. 169-170:
MELISSUS, AE/LIUS, a distinguished Roman it must have been written then or between those
grammarian mentioned by Aulus Gellius (xviii. 6). years and A. D. 180, in which Aurelius himself died
He was the author of a work, De loquendi Pro- [AURELIUS MARCUS]. The Clhronicon Paslhale
prietate. [C. P. M.] seems to ascribe to Melito two apologies, one preMELISSUS, C., MAECE'NAS, a native of sented to Aurelius and Verus, A. D. 165, the other
Spoletium. He was of free birth, but was exposed to Aurelius alone, A. D. 169. Tillemont is disposed
in his infancy, and presented by the person who to place the Apology as late as the year 175;
found and reared him to Maecenas. Though his Pearson and Dodwell between 170 and 175; and
mother declared his real origin, he refused to leave Basnage (Annales Politic. Eccles.) and Lardner as
Maecenas. He was, however, speedily manu- late as A. D. 177. The time, place, and manner of
mitted, and obtained the fayour of Augustus, who Melito's death are not accurately and certainly
commissioned him to arrange the library in the known: from the silence-of Polycrates (apud Euseb.
portico of Octavia. At an advanced period of life 1. c.) it may be inferred that he was not a Martyr;
he commenced the composition of a collection of the place of his death may be conjectured from
jokes and witticisms. He also wrote plays of a that of his interment, which Polycrates states to
novel sort, which he called Trabeatae. (Suet. de have been Sardes; and as for the date of it, PolyIllustr. -Gramm. 21; Ov. exr Pont. iv. 16. 30.) crates, whose letter to Victor was apparently written
Suetonius, in the passage already referred to, about 196, speaks of it in a way which indicates
calls him C. Melissus, but in another place (de that it was not then recent.
Illustr. Gramm. 3), he terms him Lenaeus Melissus, The works of Melito are enumerated by Eusebius
for which it has been conjectured we ought to read (H. E. iv. 26) as follows:-l1.. IIp To0r irdaXa 8o,
Cilnius Melissus. By Pliny (HI. N. xxviii. 6..De Pascha Libri duo.. 2. flepl wroANrlas Kal nrpos. 17) he is called Maecenas Melissus. [C. P.M.] m71twry, De Recta Vivendi Ratione (s. de Recta ConME/LITE (MEMiad). 1. A nymph, one of the versatione) et de Prop7zetis. Some interpreters,
Nereides, a daughter of Nereus and Doris.. (Hom. including Rufinus, have inaccurately rendered this
Il. xviii. 42; Hes. TIeog. 246; Apollod. i. 2. ~ passage, as if it spoke of two distinct works.
7; Virg Aen. v. 825.) Jerome (De Viris Illustr. c. 24) gives the title of
2. A Naias, a daughter of the river-god Aegaeus, this work in Latin, De. Vita Prophetarum, which
who became, by Heracles, the mother of Hyllus, in his translator, the so-called Sophronius, re-translates
the country of the Phaeacians. (Apollon. Rhod. into Greek, Iepl [3ov 7rpo4qIOrT1Rov, giving reason to
iv. 538.) think that the original text of Eusebius was nrfl
3. A daughter of Erasinus of Argos, was visited USj 7~roXrslmas rev 7rpoqp-TCYv; but all the MSS.
by Britomartis. [BRITOMARTIS.] [L. S.] and the text of Nicephorus Callisti support the
MELITEUS (MeNirhTes), a son of Zeus by an common reading. 3. IIepl &ec7rlaasDe Ecclesia.
Othre'ian nymph. He was exposed by his mother 4. IepiL KcvpLamoKl, De Die Dominica. 5. I1epI Pdin a wood, lest Hera should discover the affair. aews dvOpZrov, De Natura Hominis. Rufinus
But Zeus took care that he was reared by bees, appears to have read rIep nri-rTews dvOpacrov, for he
and the boy grew up. At length he was found by renders it De Fide Hominis. 6. Hepl 7rhda-eos,
his step-brother Phagous, who took him. with him, De Creatione, or-according to Jerome, De Plassmate
and gave him the name of Meliteus, from his and according to Rufinus, De Figmento. Nicephorus
having,been reared by bees. The town of Melite Callisti, who,. like Rufinus, read nr'resfC in the
in Phthia was said to have been built by him. title of No. 5, speaks of Nos. 5 and 6 as one work,
(Anton. Lib. 13.) [L. S.] Ilep'l 7rS-Tews CvOpt7rouv,al.rAd-ews, De Fide HoME'LITO (MEAtrwv), a. Christian writer of con- minis et C1ecatione. 7. nepl ehraecojs rntoseLEs atr