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

624 ISAACUS. ISAEUS.
both to help the Bulgarians against the Greeks, more reasaon to believe that he wrote "'De Cogitaand the Greeks against the Bulgarians.' tionibus," the Greek text of which, with a Latin
Isa.ic was so terrified by the emperor's march translation, was published by Petrus Possinus, in
through his dominions, and the success of the other his Ascetica. Several other productions of Isaac
crusaders in Syria and Palestine, that he sent an are extant in MS. in the library of the Vatican and
ambassador to Saladin offering him his alliance in other libraries. (Cave, Hist. Lit. vol. i. p. 434against the Latins, which, however, Saladin de- 435; Fabric. Bibl. Gr'aec. vol. xi. p. 214, &c.)
clined, because Isaac demanded the restitution of 6. Surnamed SYRUS, lived in the middle of the
*the holy sepulchre. Besides Bulgaria, Isaac lost sixth century, and was bishop of Niniveh, but abdithe island of Cyprus, where Alexis Comnenus had cated and retired to a convent, of which he was
made himself independent, but was deprived of his afterwards chosen abbot. After having lived several
conquest by Richard Coeur de Lion of England years' in that convent he went to Italy and died
(1191), who in 1192 ceded it to king Guido of near Spoleto. It is probable that he is the author
Jerusalem; and Cyprus was never again united of the work De Contemts Mundi, which is mentioned
to the Byzantine empire. Isaac, continuing to in the preceding article. He also wrote 87 Se?make himself despised and hated by the Greeks, a mones Ascetici, which some attribute to the preceding.
rebellion broke out at Constantinople while he was Isaac, and which are extant in MS. in Greek, in
hunting in the mountains of Thrace; and Alexis, the the imperial library at Vienna. Some Homilies of
younger:brother of Isaac, was raised to the throne. this Isaac are extant in MS. in the Bodleian and
On this news, Isaac fled without daring to im- other libraries. It is probable that Isaac wrote
plore the assistance of any one. Arrived at Stagyra originally in Syriac. (Cave, Hist. Litt. vol. i. p.
in Macedonia, he was arrested and brought before 519-520; Fabric. Bibl. G-raec. vol. xi. p. 215, &c.)
Alexis, who ordered his eyes to be put out, and 7. TZETZES. [TZETZES.] [W. P.]
confined him in a prison (1195). [ALEXIS III.] ISAEUS ('IoraZos). 1. One of the ten Attic
Alexis, the. son of Isaac, fortunately escaped, fled orators, whose orations were contained in the Alexto Italy, and succeeded in rousing the Latin andrian canon. The time of his birth and death
princes to a war against Alexis III., which resulted is unknown' but all accounts- agree in the statement
in the. capture of Constantinople in 1203, and the that he flourished (DIXuaae) during the period berestoration of the blind Isaac, who reigned, together tween the Peloponnesian war and the accession of
with his son' [ALEXIS IV], till the following year, Philip of Macedonia, so that he lived between
1204, when Alexis IV. was dethroned and killed B. c. 420 and 348. (Dionys. Isaeus, 1; Plut.. Vit.
by Alexis Ducas Murzuphlus [ALEXIS V.], who X. Orat. p. 839; Anonym. y?'os'Iaaiov.) Ha
usurped the' throne, and kept it during two months, was a son of Diagoras, and was' born at Chalcis or,
when he, in his turn, was deposed by the Latins. as some say, at Athens, probably only because he
Murzuphlus spared the life of Isaac, who, however, came to Athens at an early age, and. spent the
did not long survive the melancholy fate of his greater part of his life there. He was instructed
youthful and spirited son. (Nicetas, Isaacius An- in oratory by Lysias and Isocrates (Phot. Bibl.
gelus; Isaacins et Alexis filius; the Latin authori- Cod. 263; Dionys. Plut. 11. cc.) He was afterwards
ties quoted under Alexis III., IV., V.] [W. P.] engaged in writing judicial orations for others, and
ISAACUS, literary. 1. Of ANTIOCH. [See established a rhetorical school at Athens, in which
No. 5.]. Demosthenes. is said to have been his pupil. Suidas
2. ARGYRUS. [ARGYRUS.] states that Isaeus instructed him gratis, whereas
3. Of ARMENIA, catholicus or patriarch of Ar- Plutarch relates that he received 10,000 drachmas
menia Magna, lived in. the middle of the twelfth (comp. Plut. de Glor.i At/s. p. 350; c.; Phot. I. c.);
century, and wrote Orationes Invectivae II. adversus and. it.is further said that Isaeus composed for
Ar-menos, published in Greek and Latin, and with Demosthenes the speeches'against his guardians,
notes in Combefisius, Auctuar. Nov. Bibl. vol. ii. or at least assisted him in'the composition. All
p. 317, &c., and by Galland. Bibl. Patr, vol. xiv. particulars about his life are unknown, and were sop. 411, &c. (Cave, Hist. Litt. vol. ii. p. 227; even in the time of Dionysius, since Hermippus,
Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. xi. p. 123, &c.) who had written an account of the disciples of Iso4. Of NINIVEH. [See No. 6.]. crates, did not mention Isaeus at all.
5. Surnamed SRuvs, because he was a native of' In antiquity there were sixty-four orations which
Syria, was first monk and afterwards priest at bore the name of Isaeus,'but fifty only were recogAntioch, and died'about A. D. 456. He wrote nised as genuine by the ancient critics. (Plut.
in Syriac, and perhaps also in Greek, different Vit. X. Orat. 1. c.) Of these only eleven have
works and treatises on theological matters, several come down to us; but we possess fragments and
of them to oppose the writers of the Nestorians and the titles of 56 speeches ascribed to him. The
Eutychians. His principal work is De Contentu eleven extant are all on subjects connected with
/lIundi, de Operatione Corporali et sui A bjectione disputed inheritances; and Isaeus appears to have
Liber, published in the second edition of the Or- been particularly well acquainted with the laws
thodoxographi, Basel,.1569; in the Bibl. Patr. relating to inheritance. (lIp1 KAx.pov.) Ten of
Colon. vol. vi.; in the B. P. Paris, vol. v.; in the these orations had been known ever since the reB. P. Novissimza Lugdun. vol. xi.'; and in Gal- vival of letters, and were printed in the collections
land. Bibl. Patr. vol. xii. In all these collections of Greek orators; but the eleventh, nIepl 7oe0 Meit is printed.in Greek, with a Latin translation, but YetcXeovs icAxpou, was first published in 1785, from
the Greek text also seems to be a translation from a Florentine MS., by Th. Thyrwitt, London,
the Syriac. It is very doubtful whether this work 1785, 8vo.; and afterwards in the G6tting. Bibliotl;
was written by Isaac, the subject of this notice, or fJir alte Lit. und Kunst for 1788, part iii., and by
by another Isaac, the subject of the following article. J. C. Orelli, Ziirich, 1814, 8vo. In 1815 A. Mai
Neither Trithemius nor Gennadius (De Script. discovered the greater half of the oration of Isaeus,
Ecces.) attribute the, work to our Isaac. There is nIepl T70 KAeWv6I,Uou KXApouV,which lie published at