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

LASTHENES. LASUS. 723:
LARS TOIU'MNIUS, [TOLUMNIUS.] death, by that monarch. An anecdote related by
LA'RTIA (ENS, patrician, distinguished at Plutarch shows that Lasthenes was resident at the
the beginning of the republic through two of its court of Philip at a subsequent period. (Dem. de
members, T. Lartius, the first dictator, and Sp. Clsers. p. 99, Philipp. iii. p. 128, De Cor. p. 241,
Lartius, the companion of Horatius on the wooden De Fals. Legg. pp. 425, 426, 451; Diod. xvi. 53;
bridge. The name soonafter disappearsentirelyfrom Plut. Apopthh. p. 178. See also Thirlwall's Greece
the annals. The Lartii were of Etruscan origin, as vol. v. p. 315.)
their name clearly shows. The Etruscan word 2. A Cretan, who furnished Demetrius Nicator
Lars means Lord, with which it is perhaps etymo- with the body of mercenaries with which he landed
logically connected. It is spelt on Etruscan sepul- in Syria to wrest that kingdom from the hands of
chral inscriptions either Larth, Lart, Laris, or else the usurper Alexander Balas. It appears that
Laree (Miller, Etrusc. vol. i. pp. 408, 409). Lasthenes himself accompanied the young prince;
Hence the various ways of spelling the name. and when Demetrius was established on the throne
Livy has it always Lartius, Dionysius has Acicos was appointed by him his chief minister, and the
and MApytos; all three spellings occur on Latin supreme direction of all affairs placed in his hands.
inscriptions (comp. Index Rom. of Gruter's The- Hence the blame of the arbitrary and tyrannical
saurus Inscr.). The Lartii, according to Dionysius, conduct by which Demetrius speedily alienated the
bore the surname FLAVUS. [W. I.] affections of his subjects is imputed in great meaLA'RTI US LICI'NIUS, a contemporary of the sure to the minister. It was Lasthenes also who,
elder Pliny, was praetor in Spain, and subsequently by persuading the king to disband the greater part
the governor (legates) of one of the imperial pro- of his troops, and retain only a body of Cretan
vinces. He died before Pliny. (Plin. H. N. xix. mercenaries, lost him the attachment of the army,
2. s. 11, xxxi. 2. s. 18.) This must be the same and thus unintentionally paved the way for his
person as the Largius Licinius, spoken of by the overthrow by Tryphon. (Joseph. xiii. 4. ~~ 3, 9;
younger Pliny (Ep. ii. 14, iii. 5), who says that 1 Macc. xi.; Diod. Exec. Vales. xxxiii. p. 593, and
his uncle, when he was in Spain, could have sold Vales. ad loca)
his common place-book (Electoren Commentarii) 3. A Cretan who took a prominent part into Licinius, for 400,000 sesterces. If an inscrip- urging his countrymen to resist the attack of M.
tion in Gruter (p. 186) be genuine, Lartius must be Antonius in B. c. 70. On this account, when the
the correct form of the name. Cretans, after the defeat of Antonius, sent an emLARVAE. [LEMURxs.] bassy to Rome to excuse their past conduct, and
LARUNDA, or LARA, a daughter of Ahnon, sue for peace, one of the conditions imposed by the
was a nymph who denounced to Juno that there was senate was the surrender of Lasthenes and Panares,
some connexion between Jupiter and Juturna; as the authors of their offence. (Diod. Exe. Legat.
hence her name is connected with aoe~Tv. Jupiter xl. pp. 631, 632; Appian, Sic. 6; Dion Cass.
punished her by depriving her of her tongue, and Fragms. 177.) These terms were rejected by the
condemning her to be conducted into the lower Cretans; and in the war that followed against Q.
world by Mercury; but on the way thither Mer- Metellus (B. c. 68) Lasthenes was one of the princury fell in love with her, and afterwards she gave cipal leaders. Together with Panares, he assembled
birth to two Lares. (Ov. Fast. ii. 599, &c.; Auson. an army of 24,000 men, with which they mainMonosyll. de Diis, 9.) Hartung (Die Relig. der tained the contest against the Roman army for
IAtm. ii. p. 204) infers from Lactantius (i. 20) that near three years: the excellence of the Cretans as
Larunda is identical with Muta and Tacita. [L. S.] archers, and their great personal activity, giving
LARYMNA (AcipvpuYa), a daughter of Cynus, them many advantages in desultory warfare. At
from whom the Boeotian town of Lary is said to have length, however, Lasthenes was defeated by Mederived its name. (Paus. vi. 21. ~ 7.) [L. S.] tellus near Cydonia, and fled for refuge to Cnossus,
LA'SCARIS, THEODO'RUS. [THEODORUS.] where, finding himself closely pressed by the.
LASSUS. [LAsvs.] Roman general, he is said to have set fire to, his
LASTHENEIA (A-tOeYreLa), a native of Man- own house, and consumed it with all his valuables.
tineia, in Arcadia, mentioned by Iamblichus (Vit. After this he made his escape from the city, and
Pytlh. 36) as a follower of Pythagoras. Diogenes took refuge in Lyttus, but was ultimately compelled
Lairtius (iii. 46, iv. 2), on the other hand, speaks to surrender, stipulating only that his life should
of her as a disciple of the Platonic philosophy, be spared. Metellus intended to retain both Laswhich is confirmed by other authorities. (Clemens thenes and Panares as prisoners, to adorn his tri-,
Alex. Strom. iv. p. 619; Athen. xii. p. 546, vii. umph, but was compelled to give them up byi
p. 279.) [C. P. M.] Pompey, under whose protection the Cretans had
LA'STHENES (AaeOsr71s). 1. An Olynthian, placed themselves. (Diod. 1. c.; Appian,'Sic. 6.
who, together with Euthycrates, is accused by ~~ 1, 2; Ph!legon, ap. Phot. p. 84, a; Dion Cass.
Demosthenes of having betrayed his country to xxxvi. 2; Vell. Pat ii. 34.) [E. H. B.]
Philip of Macedon, by whom he had been bribed. LASUS (Adao), one of the principal Greek
It appears that he was appointed to command the lyric poets, was a native of Hermione, in Argolis,.
cavalry belonging to Olynthus in B. C. 348, when and the son of Chabrinus or (according to SchneiPhilip directed his arms against the city; but dewin's emendation) Charminus. He is celebrated
availed. himself of the opportunity to betray into as the founder of the Athenian school of dithythe hands of the king a body of 500 horse, which rambic poetry, and as the teacher of Pindar. He
were made prisoners without resistance. After the was contemporary with Simonides (Aristoph. Vesp.
fall of Olynthus, Philip naturally treated with neg- 1410, and Schol.), like whom, and other great
lect the traitors, of whom he had no longer any poets of the time, he lived at Athens, under the.
need; blut it seems to have been erroneously in- patronage of Hipparchus. Herodotus mentions his
ferred from an expression of Demosthenes, that detection of Onomacritus in a forgeryoforaclesunder
they were positively ill treated; or even put to the name of Musaeus, in consequence'of which Hip-'3, 2