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

HERMOCRATES. HERMOCRATES. 417
of Bloo. It can scarcely be doubted that the follow- citizens of that state at the time of thleAthenian
ing were portions of that work: IIepl raCv 3v IIa- invasion. We have no account of big early life. or
BeaL Xaeidvrwv (Westermann believes this to have rise, but his family must have been illustrious, for,
been the title of the whole work),-IIepl'rcv drrTi according to Timaeus (ap. Longin. iv. 3; comp.
Zoqcv,-n -epL'rcv NoAo6ercv,P-Biot rCv,LAoho'd- also Plut. Nie. 1), it claimed descent from the god
pcwv, of which a great portion was occupied with the Hermes, and it is evident that he was a person of
life of Pythagoras, and which also contained lives of consideration and influence in the state as early as
Empedocles, Heracleitus, Democritus, Zeno, So- B. C. 424, as he was one of the deputies sent by the
crates, Plato, Aristotle, Antisthenes, Diogenes, Syracusans to the general congress of the Greek
Stilpo, Epicurus, Theophrastus, Heracleides, De- cities of Sicily, held at Gela in the summer of that
metrius Phalereus, Chrysippus, and others,-BioL year. Thucydides, who puts a long speech into
ToCv'PnTJ-pwv, under' which, again, may be in- his mouth on that occasion, ascribes mainly to his
cluded the titles fIepl Fopyov, fIepI'IroKpdprovs, influence the resolution adopted by the assembled
1Iepl Trv'IooKPdrous Ma71OTc'v. The work seems deputies to terminate the troubles of Sicily by a
also to have contained lives of historians (Marcell. general peace. (Thuc. iv. 58, 65; Timaeus, ap.
Vit. Thuc. 18), and of poets, for we have the title Polyb. xii. Frag. Vat. 22.) In 415, when the
Ilepl'Ir7rcaivalcros. It is not improbable that the news of the impending invasion from Athens came
treatise IlepI ~V taTrpeIctcw' v ev Ia0ie'q, AoLAwv to be generally rife, though still discredited by
also belonged to the same great work, but the sub- many, Hermocrates again came forward to urge the
ject creates a suspicion that it may belong to Her- truth of the rumour, and the necessity of immemippus of Berytus. There is more uncertainty diate preparations for defence. (Thuc. vi. 32about the work IIepI Md&yv, and about several 35.) It does not appear that he at this time held
miscellaneous quotations on points of geography, any public situation or command; but in the folmusic, and astronomy. If the Hermippus whom lowing winter, after the first defeat of the SyraAthenaeus quotes under the surname of d darpoAo- cusans by the Athenians, he represented this disYIcSs (Xi. p. 478, a.) be a different person, the aster as owing to the too great number as well as
work IIepi Mtywuv and the astronomical quotations insufficient authority of their generals, and thus
would naturally be referred to him. Lastly, Sto- induced them to appoint himself, together with
baeus (Serm. 5) quotes from the work of a certain Heracleides and Sicanus, to be commanders-inHermippus, Zvua1yw?)'rsv icaAZs dvacPvsO&'avTc. chief, with full powers. (Thuc. vi. 72, 73; Plut.
ft'Opjpou. Perhaps this work should be assigned Nic. 16; Diod. xiii. 4; who, however, places their
to Hermippus of Berytus. (Vossius, de Hist. Graec. appointment too early.) He was soon after sent to
pp. ]38-140, ed. Westermann; Fabric. Bibl. Camarina, to counteract the influence of the AtheGraec. vol. iii. p. 495; Lozynski, Hermippi Smyr- nian envoys, and gain the Camarinaeans to the
naei Peripatetii Fraymenta, Bonn, 1832, 8vo.; alliance of Syracuse, but he only succeeded in inPreller, in Jahn's Jahrbuicher fur Philologie, vol. ducing them to remain neutral. (Thuc. vi. 75,
xvii. p. 159; Clinton, Fast. Hellen. vol. iii. p. 88.) According to Thucydides, Hermocrates had
518.) already given proofs of valour and ability in war,
3. Of Berytus, a grammarian, who flourished before his elevation to the command; but his first
under Trajan and Hadrian. By birth he. was a proceedings as a general were unsuccessful: his
slave, but having become the disciple of Philo great object was to prevent the Athenians from
Biblius, he was recommended by him to Herennius making themselves masters of the heights of EpiSeverus, and attained to great eminence by. his elo- polae, above the town, but they landed suddenly
quence and learning. He wrote many works, from Catana, carried the Epipolae by surprise, and
among which were an account of dreams in five commenced their lines of circumvallation. The
books (Tertull. De Anim. 46), and a book Ifepl Syracusans next, by the advice of Hermocrates,'EGoUdASos (Clem. Alex. Strom. vi. p. 291). He is began to construct a cross wall, to interrupt the
also quoted again by Clemens (Strom. i. p. 132), Athenian lines; but they were foiled in this
and by Stephanus Byzantinus, s. v.'P4aevva. project too: the Athenians attacked their counter(Suid. s. vv. "EpAm7r7ros,. Nicacydpas; Vossius, De work, and destroyed it, while they themselves
Hist. Graec. pp. 262, 263, ed. Westermann.) were repulsed in all their attacks upon the
4. There is a dialogue on astrology, in two Athenian lines. Dispirited by their ill success,
books, under the name of "Epiutnrros, which is not they laid the blame upon their generals, whom they
the name of the author but of the principal speaker. deposed, and. appointed three others in their stead.
It was printed by Fabricius (Bibl. Graec. vol. xii. (Thuc. vi. 96-103.) The arrival of Gylippus soon
p. 261, old edition; comp. vol. iv. p. 159, ed. Har- after superseded the new generals, and gave a fresh
less), and has been re-edited by O. D. Bloch. turn to.affairs; but Hermocrates, though now in a
(Hermippus, incerti auctoris Christiani Dialogus s. private situation, was not less active in the service
de Astrologia Libri II. Gr. ex apog. cod. Vatic. of his country: we hear of his heading a chosen
Havniae, 1830, 8vo.) [P. S.] band of warriors in resisting the great night attack
HERMO'CHARES. [ACONTIUS; CTESYLLA.] on the Epipolae, immediately after the arrival of
HE'RMOCLES ('EppuotcAXs); of Rhodes, a sta- Demosthenes (Diod. xiii. 11): he is also mentioned
tuary, who made the bronze statue of Combabus in as joining with Gylippus in urging the Syracusans
the temple of Hera at Hierapolis in Syria. He to try their fortune again by sea, as well as by
lived, therefore, in the reign of Antiochus II. land: and when, after the final defeat and de(Soter), about B. c. 280, and belonged, no doubt, struction of their fleets, the Athenian generals were
like Chares, to the Rhodian school of. artists, who preparing to retreat by land, it was Hermocrates
were the followers of Lysippus. (Lucian, de Dea who anticipated their purpose, and finding it imSyria, 26.) [P. S.] possible to induce his countrymen to march forth
HERMO'CRATES ('Ep.uopPTsIv). 1. Son of at once and occupy the passes, nevertheless sucHermon, a Syracusan, and one of the most eminent ceeded, by an ingenious stratagem, in causing the
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