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

ANIC1AS. NICIAS. 1las
belong to Nicetas, and his opinion has been very character, and'his aversion to all dangerous innogenerally adopted, although the matter seems to be vations, he was naturally brought into connection
involved in great doubt. (Gennadius, de Viris with the aristocratical portion of his fellow-citizens.
Illustr. 22; Schbinemann, Bibliotlieca Patrunm He was several times associated with' Pericles,
Lat. vol. ii. ~ 17.) [W. R.] as strategus; and his great prudence and high
NICE'TAS or NICAEAS was, as we have character gained for him considerable influence.
noticed above, bishop of Aquileia in the middle On the death of Pericles he came forward more
of the fifth century. His remains have been care- openly as the opponent of Cleon, and the other
fully collected from various sources by Mai in the demagogues of Athens; but from his military
"Scriptorum Veterum Nova Collectio e Vaticanis reputation, the mildness of his character, and the
Codicibus edita," 4to. Rom. 1833, vol. vii. p. 314- liberal use which he made of his great wealth, he
340. They consist of four short tracts:- 1. De was looked upon with respect, and some measure
Ratione Fidei. 2. De Spiritus Sancti Potentia. 3. of attachment, by all classes of the citizens. His
De diversis Appellationibus Domino nostro Jesu timidity led him to buy off the attacks of the
Chbristo convenientibus. 4. Eaplanatio Symboli Isabita sycophants. This feature of his character was
ad competentes, together with six fragments of a few ridiculed by more than one comic poet of the day.
lines each. The splendour with which he discharged the office
NIcETAs, who was bishop of Treves in the of choregus exceeded anything that had been seen
middle of- the sixth century, does not fall within before. On one occasion, when charged with the
the limits of this:work. [W. R.] conduct of the Theoria to Delos, he made a reNICE'TAS (NKtcTra.s), a physician, to whom is markable display of his wealth and munificence.
addressed one of the letters of Theophylactus, To prevent the confusion which usually ensued
archbishop of Bulgaria (Ep. 55). He is there when the Chorus landed at Delos amidst the crowd
styled "Physician to the King," and must have of spectators, he landed first at Rheneia; and
lived in the eleventh century after Christ. He is, having had a bridge prepared before he left Athens,
perhaps, the same person as the compiler of a col- it was thrown across the channel between Rheneia
lection of surgical treatises, who is supposed to and Delos, in the course of the night, and by dayhave lived at Constantinople at the end of the break it was ready, adorned in the most sumpeleventh or the beginning of the twelfth century tuous manner with gilding and tapestry, for the
after Christ. It contains extracts fiom the works orderly procession of the Chorus. After the
of Hippocrates, Soranus, Rufus, Galen, Oribasius, ceremonies were over he consecrated a brazen palm
Paulus Aegineta, and other writers of less note; tree to Apollo, together with a piece of land, which
and is to be found in MS. in the Libraries at he purchased at the cost of 10,000 drachmae,
Paris (Codd. 2247, 2248), and Florence. Of the directing that the proceeds of it should be laid out
Laurentian MS., which is very ancient and valu- by the Delians iih sacrifices and feasts; the only
able, a full account is given by Bandini in his condition which he annexed being, that they
catal. Cod. Grace. Biblioth. Laurent. (vol. iii. p. 53, should pray for the blessing of the god upon the
&c. cod. 7), where he has also inserted a con- founder. His strong religious feeling was perhaps
plete list of the chapters contained in the volume, as much concerned in this dedication, as his desire
to the number of five hundred and eighteen. of popularity. It was told of him that he sacriA part of the contents of this MS. was published ficed every day, and even kept a soothsayer in his
at Florence, 1754 fol. by Antonio Cocchi, with house, that he might consult the will of the gods
the title:- "Graecorum Chirurgici Libri: Sorani not only about public affairs, but likewise:respectunus de Fracturarum Signis, Oribasii duo de ing his own private fortunes. Aristophanes ridiFractis et de Luxatis, e Collectione Nicetae," cules him rather severely in the Equites for his
&c. &c. The editor has added a Latin translation, timidity and superstition (1. 28, &c., 80, 112, 358).
and some valuable notes. The Commentary of The excessive dread which Nicias entertained of
Apollonius Citiensis on Hippocrates "'De Articulis" informers led him to keep as much as possible in
was extracted from this collection. [APOLLONIUS, retirement. He made himself difficult of access;
p. 245]. (See Choulant's Handb. der Bucher- and the few friends who were admitted to his prikunde fdr die Aeltere Medicin; Dietz's Preface: to vacy industriously spread the belief that he devoted
his Scoliao in Hippocr. et Gal.) [W. A. G.] himself with such untiring zeal to the public interNI'CIAS (NuKeas), historical. 1. A native of ests, as to sacrifice enjoyment, sleep, and even
Gortyn, in Crete. He was connected with the health, in the service of the state. His characterAthenians by the ties of proxenia, and it was at istic caution was the distinguishing feature of his
his request that the reinforcements sent to Phor- military career. He does not seem to have dismion, when engaged on the west of Greece in B.. played any very great ability, still less anything
429, were ordered to stop on their way at Crete, like genius, in the science of strategy; but he was
to attack Cydonia. (Thuc. ii. 85.) cautious and wary, and does not appear on a single
2. The father of Hagnon, the Athenian general. occasion to have been guilty of any act of remiss(Thuc. ii. 58.) ness, unless it were in the siege of Syracuse.
3. One of the most celebrated of the Athenian Hence his military operations were almost inva'
generals engaged during the Peloponnesian war. riably successful, In B. c. 427 he led an expediHe was the son of Niceratus, from whom he tion against the island of Minoa, which lies ininherited a large fortune, derived mainly from the front of Megara, and took it. (Thuc. iii. 51.)
silver' mines at Laureium, of which he was a very In the following year he led an armament of sixty
large lessee, employing in them as many as 1000 triremes, with 2000 heavy-armed soldiers, against
Bslaves. (Xen. Meoe. ii. 5. ~ 2, de Vect. 4. ~ 14; the island of Melos. He ravaged the island, but
Athen. vi. p. 272, e.) His property was valued the town held out; and the troops being needed
at 100 talents. (Lys. pro A4rist. Bonis, p. 648.) for an attack upon Tanagra, he withdrew, and,
From this cause, combined with his unambitious after ravaging the coast of: Locris, returned h]onle.
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