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

36 EPIDAURUS.'EPIGENES.
origin, but born and educated at Carthage, and the according to those of Elis a son of Apolle. (Apol6son of a Carthaginian mother, his grandfather lod. ii. 1. ~ 2; Paus. ii. 26. ~ 3.) [L. S.]
having been banished by Agathocles, and having EPI'DIUS, a Latin rhetorician who taught the
settled at Carthage. (Polyb. vii. 2; Liv. xxiv. 6.) art of oratory towards the close of the republic,
He served, together with his elder brother Hippo- numbering M. Antonius and Octavianus among
crates, with much distinction in the army of his scholars. His skill, however, was not sufficient
Hannibal, both in Spain and Italy; and when, to save him from a conviction for malicious accuafter the battle of Cannae, Hieronymus of Syracuse sation (calumnia)ct. We are told that he claimed
sent to make overtures to Hannibal, that general descent from Epidius Nuncionus (the name is proselected the two brothers as his envoys to Syracuse. bably corrupt), a rural deity, who appears to have
They soon gained over the wavering mind of the been worshipped upon the banks of the Sarnus.
young king, and induced him to desert the Roman (Suetop. de Clar. Ret. 4.) [W. R.]
alliance. (Polyb. vii. 2-5; Liv. xxiv. 6-7.) C. EPI'DIUS MARULLUS. [MARULLUS.]
But the murder of Hieronymus shortly after, and: EPIDO'TES ('E7rsW's'-s), a divinity who was
the revolution: that ensued at Syracuse, for a time worshipped at Lacedaemon, and averted the anger
deranged their plans:' they: at first demanded of Zeus Hicesius for the crime committed by Paumerely a safe-conduct to return to Hannibal, but sanias. (Paus. iii. 17. ~ 8.) Epidotes, which
soon found that they could do more good by their means the " liberal giver," occurs also as a surintrigues at Syracuse, where they even succeeded name of other divinities, such as Zeus at Mantineia
in procuring their election as generals, in the place and Sparta (Paus. viii. 9. ~ 1; Hesych. s. v.), of
of Andranodorus and Themistus. But the Roman the god of sleep at Sicyon, who had a statue in
party again obtained the upper hand; and Hippo- the temple of Asclepius there, which represented
crates having been sent with a force to Leontini, him in the act of sending a lion to sleep (Paus. ii.
Epicydes joined him there, and they set at defiance 10. ~ 3), and lastly of the beneficent gods, to
the Syracusan government. Leontini was, indeed, whom Antoninus built a sanctuary at Epidaurus.
quickly reduced by Marcellus, but his cruelties (Paus. ii. 27. ~ 7.) [L. S.]
there'alienated the Syracusans, and still more the EPI'GENES- ('EFr'yev7rs), son of Antiphon, of
foreign mercenaries in their service; a disposition the demus of Cephisia, is mentioned by Plato
of which Hippocrates and Epicydes (who had made among the disciples of Socrates who were with
their escape to Erbessus) ably availed themselves, him in his last moments. Xenophon represents
induced the troops sent against them to mutiny, Socrates as remonstrating with him on his neglect
and returned at their head to Syracuse, of which of the bodily exercises requisite for health and
they made themselves masters with little difficulty, strength. (Plat. Apol. p. 33, Pkaed. p. 59; Xen.
B. C. 214. (Liv. xxiv. 21-32.) Marcellus im- Mens. iii. 12.) [E. E.]
mediately proceeded to besiege Syracuse, the EPI'GENES ('E37rnyrVs). ]. An Athenian
defence of which was conducted with ability and poet of the middle comedy. Pollux indeed (vii.
vigour by the two brothers, who had been again 29) speaks of him as ve'Cv Is KcwuLKcv, but the
appointed generals. When the Roman commander terms "middle" and "new," as Clinton remarks (F.
found himself obliged to turn the siege into a IIr. vol. ii. p. xlix.), are not always very carefully
blockade, Epicydes continued to hold the city applied. (See Arist. Eth. Nic. iv. 8. ~ 6.) Epigenes
itself, while Hippocrates conducted the operations himself, in a fragment of his play called Mvld-rmuorV
in other parts of Sicily. The former was, however, (ap. Ath. xi. p. 472, f.) speaks of Pixodarus,
unable to prevent the surprise of the Epipolae, prince of Caria, as "the king's son"; and from
which were betrayed into the hands of Marcellus; this'Meineke arigues (Hist. CGrit. Coes. G-aec. p.
but he still exerted his utmost efforts against the 354), that the comedy in question musth ave been
Romans, and co-operated zealously with the army written while Hecatomnus, the father of Pixodafrom, without under Himilco and Hippocrates. rus, was yet alive, and perhaps about B. c. 380.
After the' defeat of the latter he went in person to We find besides in Athenaeus (ix. p. 409, d.), that
meet Bomilcar, who was advancing with a' Cartha- there was a doubt among the ancients whether the
ginian fleet to the relief of the city, and hasten his play called'Apyvpiov dcpavraeids should be assigned
arrival; but, after the retreat of Bomilcar, he to Epigenes or Antiphanes. These poets therefore
seems to have regarded the fall of Syracuse as in- must have been contemporaries. [See vol. i. p. 204,
evitable, and withdrew to Agrigentum. (Liv. b.] The fragments of the comedies of Epigenes
xxiv. 33-39, xxv, 23-27.) Here he appears to have been collected by Meineke (vol. iii. p. 537;
have remained and co-operated with the Numidian comp. Poll. vii. 29; Ath. iii. p. 75, c., ix. p. 384,
Mutines, until the capture of Agrigentum (B.. a., xi. pp. 469, c., 474, a., 480, a., 486, c., 502, e.).
210) obliged him to fly with Hanno to Carthage, 2. Of Sicyon,' who has been confounded by
after which his name is not again mentioned. some with his namesake the comic poet, is men(Liv. xxvi. 40.) tioned by Suidas (s. v. Oe~'rEs) as the most ancient
2. A Syracusan, surnamed Sindon, one of the writer of tragedy. By the word " tragedy" here
lieutenants of the preceding, who were left by him we can understand only the old dithyrambic and
in command of Syracuse when he retired to Agri- satyrical rpayqvya, into'which it is possible that
gentum: he was put to death by the Roman Epigenes may have been the first to introduce
party, together with his colleagues. (Liv. xxv. other subjects than the original one of the fortunes
28.) of Dionysus, if at least'we may trust the account
3. Of Olynthus, a general under Ophellas of which we find in Apostolius, Photius, and Suidas,
Cvyrene, who took Thimbron prisoner at Teuchira. of the origin of the proverb oveiv 7rpos r'dv Ald(Arr. ap. Phot. p. 70, a.) [E. H. B.] Jvvov. This would clearly be one of the earliest
EPIDAURUS.('E7rdlavpos), the mythical foun- steps in the gradual transformation of the old
der of Epidaurus, a son of Argos and Evadne, but dithyrambic performance into the dramatic tragedy
according to Argive legends a son of PeIops, and of later times, and may tend to justify the state