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

A ETIIAPUS. MIETHODIUS. 1065
opposed it. (Cic. ad Famro. xv. 21. ~ 2.) This is, METIIARME (Meadp/un), a daughter of king
however, mere conjecture,- for the name of the Pygmalion, and wife of Cinyras. (Apollod. iii.
colleague of Trebonius is not even mentioned in 14. ~ 3; comp. CINYaRAS.):[L. S.]
the passage of Cicero referred to above. Cicero METHO'DIUS (Me60W6os). 1. Surnamed the
speeaks (ad Att. iv. 7. ~ 2), ill B. C. 56, soon after APOSTLE of Bohemia, enjoys great reputation in
his return from exile, of a Metellus who had lately the history of the church as well as of the fine.
died, and who had always acted badly towards arts. He lived in the ninth century of'our era,
him. As this Metellus cannot be any of the cele- was a native of Thessalonica, and went to Conbrated persons of that name, Drumann supposes stantinople, where he entered a convent of the
him to have been the colleague of Trebonius. order of St. Basilius Cyrillus.' For some time he
-27. L. CAECILIUS METELLUS CRETICUS, a son lived in Rome, and devoted himself to painting, in
probably of No. 24 (comp. Cic. Verr; iii. 68), was which he rose to such celebrity that, after his
tribune of the plebs, B. c. 49, and, true to the here- return to Constantinople, he received an invitation
ditary principles of his family, distinguished him- from Bogoris, king of Bulgaria, to repair to his
self by his warm support of the aristocracy. He court at Nicopolis.' The king being fond of picdid not fly from Rome on the approach of Caesar tures representing battles and the like bloody subwith Pompey and the rest of his party, but re- jects, requested him to execute something more
mained behind in the city. He also showed his terrible for him than he had ever seen before; and
courage in attempting to prevent Caesar from upon this suggestion, Methodius painted the Last
taking possession of the sacred treasury, and only Judgment with such effect, that Bogoris, whose
gave way upon being threatened with death. mind had already a turn for the Christian religion,
(Plut. Caes. 35, Pomp. 62; Dion Cass. xli. 17; entreated the skilful monk to baptize him forthwith,
Appian, B.C. ii. 41; Caes. B. C. i. 33; Lucan, iii. and thus enable him to find pardon with God on
114, &c.; Cic. ad Att. x. 4, 8.) Hie soon after- the day ofthelastjudgment. This was exactly what
wards left Rome, and was at Capua at the begin- Methodius had in view when he chose'that subject.
ning of March, when Pompey was on the point of The conversion of the king was followed by that
leaving Italy. Cicero mentions Clodia as his of the army; and in a short time the whole nation
mother-in-law, who may perhaps have been the adopted the Christian religion. At that period
-wife of Metellus, consul B. C. 60. [No. 20.] Christianity was daily losing ground in Asia, where
(Cic. ad Att. ix. 6. ~ 3.) the influence of Mohammedanism became overThere was a Metellus who fought on the side of. whelming;but the losses in the South were more
Antony in the last civil war, was taken- pri- than balanced by the victories of the Cross in the
soner at the battle of Actium, and whose life was North, obtained through the noble zeal of the
spared by Octavian at the intercession of his son, Greek clergy, among whom our Methodius and (his
who had fought on the side of the latter. (Appian, brother?) Cyrillus,'were then the most luminous
B. C. iv. 42.) The elder.of these Metelli may stars. Shortly afterthe conversion of the Bulgarians,
have been the tribune of B. C. 49; but this is only which took place in 853 and the following years
conjecture. (perhaps only in 861), Methodius was sent into
28. M. CAECILIUS METELLUS, son probably of the countries north of the Danube, where he disNo. 25, is mentioned by Cicero in B. C. 60 (ad played the greatest activity among the Siavonian
Att. ii. 1. ~ ] ). See No. 25. population of Pannonia and the adjacent countries:
29. Q. CAECILIUS METELLUS CRETICUS, consul he resided there in the quality of archbishop of
A. D. 7 with A. Licinius Nerva, was probably Pannonia, and he repaired thither as early as 859,
grandson of No. 23, and son of No. 26, if the or at least not later than 863. He is said to have
latter ever existed. (Dion Cass. Iv. 30; Fasti.) assisted Cyrillus in inventing the Slavonian alpha30. L. (CAECILIUS) METELLUS, a triumvir of bet, which is the parent of the present Russian
the mint, whose name is only known from coins, a and Servian alphabets; and he was active in
specimen of which is annexed. The obverse has translating the whole of the Bible and several
the head of Apollo, with (L.) METEL. A. ALB. S. F.: liturgical books into the Slavonian languages. In
the reverse, a man sitting on shields, whom 878 he was summoned by pope John VIII. to
Victory is crowning from behind, with c. MAL., and come to Rome, and to show cause why he should
beneath, ROMA. It thus appears that the col- not be punished for having translated the mass
leagues of this Metellus were A. Albinus and C. into Slavonian, and introduced it in that form into
Iialleolus. (Eckhel, vol. v. p. 279.) the churches of his diocese; but it appears he did
not obey the summons. About 890 Methodius
~h rAd converted duke Borziwoi of Bohemia, who soon
afterwards becamue king of Magna Moravia, to
~/@ i_ /i s- ~ the Christian religion; and now all the Bohemians and Moravians, many millions in num-'
ber, submitted likewise to the rite of baptism.
There are, however, doubts as to the conversion
of Bohemia by Methodius, respecting which'
the reader will find more information in the
COIN.OF L. METELLUS. sources quoted below. The time of the death of
Methodius is not exactly known, but thus much
METHAPUS (MeWacros), an Athenian who is is certain, that he died after 893, and perhaps
said to have introduced at Thebes the worship of in the beginning of the tenth century, at a very
the Cabeiri. He was much skilled in all kinds of advanced age. In later years he -was canonised.'
mnysteries and orgies, and made several alterations The Greeks and Slavonians celebrate him on the
in the mysteries at Andania. (Paus. iv. 1. ~ 5; 1 1th of May; but in the Martyrologium the day
Welcker, Die Aeschyl. Tril. p. 270.)'[L.S.] is the 9th of March. As to his proficiency in