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

MIMNERMUS. MINDARIUS. 1089
seven sages (about B. c. 600). He was a contem- change which Mimnermus made in the character
porary of Solon, who, in an extant fragment of one of elegiac poetry. (Comp. Propert. i. 9. 11.)
~of his poems, addresses him as still living (Diog. Mimnermus is the oldest poet who mentioned an
La6hrt. i. 60; Bergk, Poetae Lyrici Graeci, p. 331). eclipse of the sun, and spoke of it as a threatening
No other biographical particulars respecting him and mournful sign. (Plut. De Facie in Orbe Lunae,
have come down to us, except what is mentioned p. 931, e.) He is also the earliest authority that
in a fragment of Hermesianax (Athen. xiii. p. we have for the mythus that the sun, after setting
597) of his love for a flute-player named Nanno, in the west, is carried round the earth in a golden
who does not seem to have returned his affec- bowl, the work of Hephaestus, by the river
tion. Oceanus back again to the east. (Athen. xi. p.
The numerous compositions of Mimnermus 470, a.) In his account of the voyage of Jason,
(Suidas, who calls him Mlueptuvos, says eypa-4e also, he removed the dwelling of Aeetes to the
/3ieka 7roAAhd) were preserved for several centuries, shores of Oceanus.
comprised in two books, until they were burnt, The fragments of Mimnermus have been several
together with most of the other monuments of the times published, in the collections of Stephens,
erotic poetry of the Greeks, by the Byzantine Brunck, Gaisford, Boissonade, and Bergk. There
monks. A few fragments only have come down to is a separate edition by Bach, Lips. 1826. They
us; sufficient, however, when compared with the have been translated by Stollberg, Herder, Seckennotices contained in ancient writers, to enable us dorf, A. W. v. Schlegel, and others. (Fabric.
to form a tolerably accurate judgment of the nature Bibl. Graec. vol. i. p. 733; K. O. Miiller, History
of his poetry. These fragments belong chiefly to of the Literature of Ancient Greece, p. 115, &c.;
a poem entitled Nanno, and addressed to the flute- Bode, Gesch.' der Hellen. Dichtkunst, vol. ii. pp.
player of that name. The compositions of Mirn- 173, 175, 247, &c.) [C. P. M.]
nermus form an epoch in the history of elegiac MINA'TIA GENS, plebeian, and of very little
poetry. Before his time the elegy had been de- note. On coins we find mention of an M. Minavoted chiefly either to warlike and national, or to tius Sabinus, who was a legate underCn. Pompey,
convivial and joyous subjects. Archilochus had, the younger, in Spain (Eckhel, vol. v. p. 253), and
indeed, occasionally employed the elegy for strains one of the ancestors of Velleius Paterculus was
of lamentation, but Mimnermus was the first who called Minatius Magius. [MAGIUS, No. 3.]
systematically made it the vehicle for plaintive, MI'NDARUS (Mtvsapos), a Lacedaemonian,
mournful, and erotic strains. The threnetic origin was sent out in B. C. 411, to succeed Astyochus in
of the elegy, the national temperament and social the office of Admiral. In the same year, having
condition of the Asiatic Ionians, and the melan- reason to believe that the Phoenician ships, procholy feelings with which they must have regarded mised by Tissaphernes, would never be forthcoming,
their subjection to the Lydians, rendered this he listened to the invitation of Pharnabazus, and
change easy and natural; and the elegiac poems of sailed from Miletus to the territory of the latter
Mimnermus may be looked upon as a correct ex- satrap on the Hellespont, having managed to esponent of the general tone of feeling which marked cape the notice of the Athenian fleet, which was
his age and people. Though warlike themes were aware of his intention and had removed from Samos
not altogether unnoticed by him (the war between to Lesbos with the view of preventing its execuGyges and the Smyrnaeans was one topic of this tion. At Sestos he surprised the Athenian squadkind which he dwelt upon), he seems to have r6n there, which escaped with difficulty and with
spoken of valorous deeds more in a tone of regret, the loss of four ships. The Athenians, however,
as things that had been, than with any view of under Thrasyllus and Thrasybulus followed him to
rousing his countrymen to emulate them. The the north from Lesbos, and defeated him in the
instability of human happiness, the helplessness of Hellespont, off Cynossema. After the -battle, Minman, the cares and miseries to which life is ex- darus sent to Euboea to Hegesandridas for reinposed, the brief season that man has to enjoy him- forcements, and in the meantime we find him furself in, the wretchedness of old age, are plaintively nishing aid to the Aeolians of Antandrus in their
dwelt upon by him, while love is held up as the insurrection against the garrison of Tissaphernes in
only consolation - that men possess, life not being their town. Soon after we hear of him offering
worth having when it can no longer be enjoyed. sacrifices to Athena, at Ilium, whence he hastened
The latter topic was most frequently dwelt upon, to the aid of DORIEUS, who.had been engaged with
and as an erotic poet he was held in high estima- a superior number, of Athenian ships. A battle
tion in antiquity. (Hor. Epist. ii. 2. 100; Pro- ensued and continued doubtful, till the arrival of
pert. i. 9. 11.) From the general character of his reinforcements under Alcibiades gave the victory
poetry he received the name -ALyvcrl'Ld7s or to the Athenians.'But the latter, having despatched
Atcvaaara'ds S. He was a flute-player as:well as a a large portion of their fleet to different quarters to
poet (Strab. iv. p. 643; Hermesianax, ap. Athen. collect money, were left in the Hellespont with a
1. c.), and, in setting his poems to music, made use force of. no more than forty ships, and Mindarus,
of the plaintive melody called the Nomos Kradias. whose squadron now amounted to sixty, prepared
Since the character which Mimnermus gave -to to attack them; but they moved away by night
elegiac poetry remained ever after its predominant from Sestos to Cardia, where they were joined by
characteristic, he is sometimes erroneously spoken Alcibiades with five galleys, and soon after by
of as the inventor of the elegy. The passage of Thrasybulus and Theramenes, each with twenty...Hermesianax, where he says of Mimnermus,'s sWith this force they sailed to Cyzicus (whither
ebPerTo iroAAov dvas'rAs.HXoa Kal euaxaroO 7r5ev'5' the Peloponnesians had removed from Abydus),
arda revreauepov, which has' frequently been un- and there surprised them. The latter, however,
derstood as conveying the same assertion, has been having drawn up their ships close together near the
more correctly interpreted, by throwing greater shore, made a vigorous resistance: but Alcibiadea.
stress on' the word /eaAatcov, as referring to the sailed round with twenty triremes to a different
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