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

MENEDEMUS, MENEDEMUS. 1037
position entered into friendly relations with Aga- and take refuge in the sanctuary of Amphiaraus,
thocles; notwithstanding which the latter took an at Oropus. But some golden vessels belonging to
opportunity to make himself master of Crotona, by the temple having been lost while he was there, the
a sudden and treacherous attack. (Id. xxi. Exc. Boeotians compelled him to leave it. He then beHoesch. p. 490.) This must have been about 295 took himself to the court of Antigonus, where he
B. c. shortly after died of grief. According to another
2. A general of the Rhodians, who, during the account, he went from Eretria to Antigonus for the
siege of Rhodes by Demetrius Poliorcetes (B. c. purpose of inducing him to interfere to establish
305-304), intercepted and took many ships that the freedom of his native city; but not succeeding,
-were bringing provisions and supplies to Deme- starved himself to death in the 74th year of his
trius, including one containing presents for the age, probably about the year B. c. 277.
king himself from Phila, which were immediately As a teacher, his intercourse with his disciples
sent to Ptolemy in Egypt. (Diod. xx. 93; Plut. was marked by the entire absence of all formality
Demetr. 22.) and restraint, though he seems to have been noted
3. A friend and attendant of Lucullus, who.was for the sternness with which he rebuked all kinds
thought to have saved the life of that general during or dissoluteness and intemperance; insomuch, that
the war against Mithridates, by refusing to admit the fear of incurring his censure seems occaa Scythian chief named Olthacus into the tent sionally to have acted as a salutary check. He
where Lucullus was sleeping. (Plut. Lucull. 16; lived with his friend Asclepiades, between whom
Appian. Mithr. 79.) [E. H. B.] and himself there existed an intimacy which resemMENEDE'MUS (Mev',877os), literary. 1. A bled that of Pylades and Orestes. For the latter
Greek philosopher, a native of Eretria, the son of a part of his life, at any rate, he seems to have lived
man named Cleisthenes, who, though of noble in considerable affluence. Athenaeus (x. p. 419)
birth, belonging to the family of the Theopropidae, and Diogenes Lairtius give a somewhat curious
was poor, and worked for a livelihood either as a account of the convivial usages established at his
builder or as a tent-maker, both which trades were entertainments. Menedemus was twice married.
learnt and practised by Menedemus. According He and Asclepiades married daughter and mother.
to Diogenes Laertius, he seized the opportunity His first wife he divorced when he rose to distincafforded by his being sent on some military service tion in the government of Eretria, that he might
to Megara to hear Plato, and- abandoned the ariny marry one of rank and wealth, though the manageto addict himself to philosophy. But it may be ment of the household was still left to the former
questioned whether he was old enough to have wife, whom Asclepiades married, his first wife'
heard Plato before the death of the latter; if the being dead. By his wife Oropia, Menedemus had
duration of his life as given by Diogenes is accu- three daughters. He was remarkable in his old
rate, it would have been impossible, for at the time age for his bodily strength and vigour. He is reof Plato's death he would have been only about ported to have been of a somewhat superstitious
four years old. Ritter considers the account to turn of mind.
have arisen from a confusion of names. According Epicrates, in a passage quoted by Athenaeus
to the story in Athenaeus (iv. p. 168), he and his (ii. p. 59), classes Menedemus with Plato and
friend Asclepiades got their livelihood as millers, Speusippus; but it appears, from Diogenes Lairworking during the night, that they might have tius, that his opinion of Plato and Xenocrates was
leisure for philosophy in the day. Menedemus not very high. Of Stilpo he had a great ad.
and his friend Asclepiades afterwards became dis- miration.
ciples of Stilpo at Megara. From, Megara they Of the philosophy of Menedemus little is known,
went to Elis, and placed themselves under the except that it closely resembled that of the Megainstruction of some disciples of Phaedo. On his rian school. [EUCL'EIDES.] Its leading feature
return to Eretria Menedemus established a school was the dogma of the oneness of the' Good, which
of philosophy, which was called the Eretriac. He he carefully distinguished from the Useful.
did not, however, confine himself to philosophical All distinctions between virtues he regarded as
pursuits, but took an active part in the political merely nominal. The Good and the True he looked
affairs of his native city, and came to be the lead- upon as identical. In dialectics he- rejected all
ing man in the state, though at first he had been merely negative propositions, maintaining that
regarded with contempt and dislike. He went on truth could be predicated only of those which
various embassies to Ptolemaeus (probably Ptole- were affirmative, and of these he admitted only
maeus Ceraunus), to Lysimachus, and to Deme- such as were identical propositions. He was a
trius, and seems to have done his native city good keen and vehement disputant, frequently arguing,
service by procuring for it a remission of part of the if we may believe Antigonus Carystius, as quoted
tribute paid to Demetrius, and opposing the ma- by Diogenes, till he was black in the face. In his
chinations of' his emissaries. At some period of elocution he was not easy to be understood. He
his life he visited Cyprus, and greatly incensed the never committed any of his philosophical doctrines
tyrant Nicocreon by the freedom of his remarks. to writing. (Diog. La6rt. ii. 125-144; Athen.
The story of his having been in Egypt and having 1. c.; Cic. Academ. ii. 42; Plut. De Adul. el
something to do with the making of the Septuagint Amnici Disc. p. 55, c.; Strab. ix. p. 393, c.; Ritter,'version, which is found in Aristeas, is no doubt Geschichte der Philosophie, book vii. c. B.)'
erroneous. He was in high favour with Antigonus 2. A Cynic philosopher, or rather fanatic, a disGonatas, and induced the Eretrians to address to ciple of Colotes of Lampsacus. He used to go
him a public congratulation after his victory over about garbed as an Erinnys, proclaiming himself
the Gauls. This led to his being suspected of the a sort of spy from the infernal regions. (Diog.
treacherous intention of betraying Eretria into the Ladrt. vi. 102.) Suidas (s. v. cpalos) relates the
power of Antigonus. According to one account, same of Menippus, probably by mistake.
these suspicions induced him to quit Eretria secretly 3. If the text of Aulus Gellius be correct (xiii