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

632 ISOCRATES. ISOCRATES.
~2. A daughter of Oedipus by Jocaste; or, ac: Theramenes. (Dionys. Isocr,?t. l; Plut. Vit. X.
cording to others, by Eurygeneia. (Apollod. iii. Orat. p. 836; Suidas, s. v.'IaotcKpaclr'; Anonym.
5. ~ 8; Pauns. ix. 5. ~ 5; Soph. Antig. 1, &c., Oed. Bios'IoroKpaT-., in Westermann's Bwioypdrqot, p.
Col. 321; Eurip. Phoen. 56.) [L. S.] 253; Phot. Bibl. Cod. 260.) Isocrates was na-: ISME'NIAS ('IhOlevlas), a Theban, of the party turally timid, and of a weakly constitution, for which
adverse to Rome and friendly to Macedonia. When reasons he abstained from taking any direct part
he was chosen Boeotarch, a considerable number of in the political affairs of his country, and resolved
the opposite faction were driven into exile, and to contribute towards the development of eloquence
condemned to death by him in their absence. by teaching and writing, and thus to guide others
These men met, at Larissa in Thessaly, the Roman in the path for which his own constitution unfitted
commissioners, who were sent into Greece in B.C. him. According to some accounts, he devoted
171, preparatory to the war with Perseus; and on himself to the teaching of rhetoric for the purpose
being upbraided with the alliance which Boeotia of ameliorating his circumstances, since he had lost
had made with the Macedonians, they threw the his paternal inheritance in the war against the
whole blame on Ismenias. Shortly after they ap Lacedaemonians. (Plut. 1. c. p. 837; Phot. Bibl.
peared before the commissioners at Chalcis; and God. 1. c. 176; Isocrat. de Permut. ~ 172.) He
here Ismenias also presented himself, and proposed first established a school of rhetoric in the island of
that the Boeotian nation should, collectively submit Chios, but his success does not appear to have been
to Rome. This proposal, however, did not at all very great,'for he is said to have had only nine
suit Q. Marcius and his colleagues, whose object pupils there. He is stated, however, to have exerted
was to divide the Boeotian towns, and dissolve their himself in another direction, and to have regulated
confederacy. They therefore treated Ismenians with the political constitution of' Chios, after the model
great contumely; and his enemies being thereby of that of Athens. After this he returned to
emboldened to attack him, he narrowly escaped Athens, and there opened a school of rhetoric. He
death by taking refuge at the Roman tribunal. met with the greatest applause, and the number of
Meainwhile, the Roman party entirely prevailed at his pupils soon increased to 100, every one of
Thebes, and sent an embassy to the Romans at whom paid him 1000 drachmae. In addition to
Chalcis, to surrender their city, and -to recal the this, he made a large income by writing orations;
exiles. Ismenias was thrown into prison, and, thus Plutarch (I. c. p. 838) relates that Nicocles,
after some time, was put to death, or (as we may king of Cyprus, gave Isocrates twenty talents for
perhaps understand the words of Polybius) com- the oration 7rps NucoKA'a. In this manner he
mitted suicide. (Liv. xlii. 38, 43, 44; Polyb. gradually acquired a considerable property, and he
xxvii. 1, 2.) [E. E.] was several times called upon to undertake the exISME'NIAS ('Icinwvfcav), a painter of Chalcis, pensive trierarchy; this happened first in B. c. 355,
who painted the pedigree of the Athenian orator but being ill, he excused himself through his son
Lycurgus on a tablet, which was deposited in the Aphareus. In 352 he was called upon again, and
Erechtheium. (Pseud. Plut. Vit. X. Orat. p. 843, in order to silence the calumnies of his enemies, he
e.) [P. S.] performed it in the most splendid manner. The
ISME'NIUS ('Ic'invios). 1. A son of Apollo oration urepl dviTsJecws 7rps ltvazcaxov refers to
and Melia, who is said to have given his name to that event, though it was written after it. In his
the Boeotian river which was before called Ladon earlier years Isocrates lived in the company of
or Cadmus. (Hesych. s. v.; Paus. ix. 10. ~ 5.) Athenian hetaerae (Plut. i. c. p. 839; Athen. xiii.
2. A surname of Apollo at Thebes, who had a p. 592), but at a later period he married Plathane,
temple on the river Ismenus. (Paus. ii. 10. ~ 4, the widow of the sophist Hippias, whose youngest
iv. 27. ~ 4, ix. 10. ~~ 2, 5.) The sanctuary of the son, Aphareus, he adopted. Isocrates has the
god, at which the Daphnephoria was celebrated, great merit of being the first who clearly saw the
bore the name of Ismenium, and was situated out- great value and objects of oratory, in its practical
side the city. [L. S.] application to public life and the affairs of the
ISME'NUS ('IouwAvos), a son of Asopus and state. At the same time, he endeavoured to base
Metope, from whom the Boeotian river Ladon was public oratory upon sound moral principles, and
believed to have derived its name of Ismenus. thus to rescue it from the influence of the sophists,
(Apollod. iii. 12. ~ 6.) The little brooks Dirce who used and abused it for any and every purpose;
and Strophie, in the neighbourhood of Thebes, are for Isocrates, although educated by the most emithered',re called daughters of Ismenus. (Callim. ilent sophists, was the avowed enemy of all soHymn. in Del. 77; comp. Eurip. Baecch. 519; Diod. phistry. He was, however, not altogether free from
iv. 72.) According to other traditions, Ismenus their influence; and what is most conspicuous in
was a son of Amphion and Niobe, who when struck his political discourses is the absence of all pracby the arrow of Apollo leaped into a river near tical knowledge of real political life, so that his fine
Thebes, which was called Ismenus, after him. theories, though they were unquestionably well:(Apollod. iii. 5. ~ 6; Plut. de Fluv. 2.) [L. S.] meant, bear a strong resemblance to the visions of
ISO'CRATES (?'Io0cpdcTs). 1. A celebrated an enthusiast. The influence which he exercised
Attic orator and rhetorician, was the son of Theo- on his country by his oratory must have been'dorus, andborn at Athens in B. C. 436. Theodorus limited, since his exertions were confined to his
*was a man of considerable wealth, and had a manu- school, but through his school he had the greatfacture of flutes or musical instruments, for which est possible influence upon the development of'the son was often ridiculed by the comic poets of the public oratory; for the most eminent statesmen,
time; but the father made good use of his property, philosophers, orators, and historians of the time,
in procuring for the young Isocrates the best educa- were trained in it, and afterwards developed each in'tion that could be obtained; the most celebrated his particular way the principles they had imbibed
sophists are mentioned among his teachers, such as in his school. No ancient rhetorician had so many
Tisias, Gorgias, Prodicus, and also Socrates and disciples that afterwards shed lustre on their