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

MITHAECUS. MITHRIDATES. 1093
to have continued in this position throughout the and'Otioiroda 2icehAKi4. The latter is also referred
four years of the war, and to have rendered im- to by Plato (Gorg. p. 518, b.). [C. P. M.]
portant services to his allies. After the close of the MITHRAS (M[0pas), the god of the sun among
war (B.C. 168) he was sent back by Aemilius the Persians. (Xenoph. Cyrop. vii. 5. ~ 53; Strab.
Paullus to Africa; but the ships in which his xv. p,. 732.) About the time of the Roman emtroops were embarked were dispersed by a storm, perors his worship was introduced at Rome, and
many of them wrecked, and he himself compelled thence spread over all parts of the empire. The
to take refuge at Brundusium. Here he was re- god is commonly represented as a handsome youth,
ceived with the utmost distinction, the quaestor, wearing the Phrygian cap and attire, and kneeling
L. Stertinius, being immediately despatched by the on a bull which is thrown on the ground, and
senate.to bear him magnificent presents, and to whose throat he is cutting. The bull is at the
provide both him and his troops with all that they same time attacked by a dog, a serpent, and a
required. (Liv. xlii. 29, 35, xlv. 14; Val. Max. scorpion. This group appears frequently among
v. 1. ~ 1, who writes the name Musicanes.) He ancient works of art, and a fine specimen is preprobably died before his father, as we hear nothing served in the British Museum. [L. S.]
of him after. the death of Masinissa. [E. H. B.] MITHRE'NES (MiOp4?7rs) or MITHRI'NES.
MISE'NUS (Morvo's). 1. A companion of (MLOptIls), commander of the Persian force which
Odysseus. (Strab. i. p. 26, v. p. 245.) garrisoned the citadel of Sardes. After the battle
2. A steersman of Aeneas (Vict. De Orig. Gent. of the Granicus (B. c. 334) Mithrines surrendered
Rom. 9), and,according to Virgil,at first a companion voluntarily to Alexander, and was treated by him
of Hector, and afterwards trumpeter of Aeneas; with great distinction. After the battle of Gauhe died at Cumae, where Cape Misenum derived gamela (B. C. 331) Alexander appointed him satrap
its name from him. (Virg. Aen. vi. 162, &c. 235.) of Armenia. (Arrian, i. 17, iii. 16.) [C. P. M.]
His being called Aeolides arose from the legendary MITHRIDA'TES or MITHRADA'TES (Miconnection between the Aeolian and Campanian Opsld7rW or MlOpaUdT7Is), a common name among
Cumae. [L. S.] the Medes and Persians, appears to have been deMISITHEUS, called TIMESICLES (TimrlcAis) riived from Mitra or Mitkra, the Persian name for
by Zosimus (i. 16, 17), apparently a Greek, by ex- the sun, and the root da, signifying "to give,"
traction at least, was distinguished for learning, which occurs in most of the Indo-Germanic laneloquence, and virtue, and his daughter Sabinia guages. It therefore signifies "given by the sun,"
Tranquillina became the wife of the third Gordian. and corresponds to a large class of names in
That amiable prince appointed his father-in-law different languages of the Indo Germanic family.
praefect* of the praetorians, and acting in obedience Thus in Sanskrit we find the names, Devadatta,
to his wise counsels, effected many important re- Haradatta, Indradatta, Sormadatta, &c. (i. e. given
forms in the royal household, more especially by by the gods, by Hara or Siva, by Indra, by Soma
discarding the eunuchs, who, since the days of or the moon, &c.); in Greek, the names Theodotus,
Elagabalus, had exercised most foul and corrupt Diodotus, Zenodotus, Herodotus, &c.; and in Perinfluence in the palace, being notoriously in the sian, the names, Hormisdates, "given by Ormnuzd,"
habit of disposing of all the highest appointments, P/lerendates, "given by Behram," &c.
both civil and military, to the best bidder. The The name of Mithridates is written in several
admirable arrangements for the support of the im- ways. Mithridates is the form usually found in
perial troops on the exposed frontiers, the judicious the Greek historians; but on coins, and sometimes
regulations introduced with regard to various details in writers, we find Mithradates, which is probably
in the service, and the success which attended the the more correct form. We also meet with Mlitraoperations in the East against Sapor, until Misi- dates (Mlrpa&T7rs, Herod. i. 110), and in Tacitus
theus was cut off by disease, or by the treachery of (Ann. xii. 10) a corrupted form Meherdates. (Pott,
his successor Philippus, seem to indicate that he Etymologisc1he Forsc/lungen, vol. i. p. xlvii. &c.
must have been trained as a soldier and accustomed Rosen, in Journal of Education, vol. ix. pp. 334,
to important commands, but we know nothing posi- 335.)
tively of his early history. Even his name, as it MITHRIDA'TES (Mie0prtr,7s). 1..An eunuch
stands repeatedly in Capitolinus, is a matter of who was one of the personal attendants of Xerxes,
doubt, for scholars have, not without reason, hesi- and enjoyed a high place in the favour of that
tated to believe that such an ill-omened appellation monarch, but joined with Artabanus in the con(God-hater) could ever have been borne by any in- spiracy to assassinate him (B. c. 465), and enabled
dividual of eminence, in an age when superstition the latter to effect his purpose by giving him adupon such points was so strong. The inscription mission into the king's bedroom. (Diod. xi. 69.)
(Gruter, ccccxxxix. 4) quoted to uphold the text 2. A Persian of high rank, who accompanied the
of the Augustan historian, but which seems in youngerCyrus on his expedition against Artaxerxes.
reality to have been-copied from his pages, is open He is termed by Xenophon one of the most
to strong suspicion, in addition to which Zosimus, attached friends of that prince; but after the death
as we have marked.above, twice terms this per- of Cyrus he went over together with Ariaeus, to
sonage TLnoL7KCAjS. Among various conjectures, the Persian king. He was one of those who prethe substitution of Timesitheus, a name found both sented themselves to the Greeks after the arrest
in Herodotus and Xenophon, and, under its Doric and death of their generals, and endeavoured to
form, Timasitheus, in Livy and Valerius Maxi- prevail on them to surrender their arms. He again
mus, seems to be the most probable. (Capitolin. made his appearance just as they were preparing
Gordian. Tres, 23, &c.; GORDIANUS III.; PHI- to set out on their march, and held a private conLIPPUS I.) [W. R.] ference with their leaders, but failed in the attempt
MITHAECUS (Ml0aucos), the author of some to induce them to abandon their project. The next
treatises on cookery, quoted by Athenaeus (vii. p. day he consequently attacked them on their march
325, xii. p. 516, iii. p. 112), entitled'OapTvrssdF and caused them some loss; but was repulsed in a
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