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

752 LEONIDAS. LEONIDAS.
Leonidas went into exile to Tegea.* When the Macedoni.ans in Lycaonia (Polyaen. iv. 6).' It iS,
misconduct of Agesilaus, the uncle of Agis, had led, possible that he may have left the service of Antinot long after, to his restoration (B. C. 240), he gonus for that of Ptolemy, in which case he may
listened to the entreaties of Cheilonis, and spared be identified with the one immediately below.
the life of her husband, Cleombrotus, contenting 5. A general of Ptolemy Soter, who sent him in
himself with his banishment; but he caused Agis B. C. 31 0 to- dislodge from the maritime towns of
to be put to death, though he owed his own' life to Cilicia the garrisons of Antigonus, which, it was
the protection he had afforded him in his flight to alleged, the treaty of the preceding year required
Tegea. Archidamus, the brother of Agis, fled him to withdraw. Leonidas was successful at first,
from Sparta: Agiatis, his widow, was forced by but Demetrius Poliorcetes, arriving soon after, deLeonidas into a marriage with his son, Cleomenes; feated him and regained the towns (Diod. xx. 19).
and it seems doubtful whether the child Euryda- Suidas tells us (s.. Av. 7ujrptos Jd'APrTLov) that
midas, her son by Agis, was allowed to bear the Ptolemy, after having restored freedom to the Greek
name of king. At any rate the whole of the royal cities, left Leonidas in Greece as governor. He
power (such as it was, in a selfish oligarchy, of may perhaps be referring to Ptolemy's expedition
which he was the tool) remained with Leonidas; to Greece in B.C. 308, with the professed object of
and Plutarch tells us that he utterly neglected vindicating the liberty of the several states there
public affairs, caring for nothing but a life of ease (see Diod. xx. 37; Plut. Dem. 15), and the name
and' luxury. He died about B. C. 236, and was Leonidas may be intended for Cleonidas. But
succeeded by his son, Cleomenes III. (Plut. the whole statement in Suidas is singularly conAgis, 3, 7, 10-12, 16-21, Cleorn. 1-3; Paus. fused. [E. E.]
iii. 6; Clinton, F. H. vol. ii. p. 217; Droysen, LEO'NIDASor LEO'NIDES, literary. 1. Of
flellenismus, vol. ii. pp. 295, 296, 384, &c., Tarentum, the author of upwards of a hundred epi445.) [E. E.] grams in the Doric dialect. His epigrams formed a
LEO'NIDAS or LEO'NIDES (Aeovl8as, Ae- part of the Garland of Meleager. In Brunck's Anacov(Sis), historical. I. A general of the Byzantines, lee/a, some of the epigrams ascribed to Leonidas of
who, when the citizens, during a siege of their Tarentum belong properly to Leonidas of Alexandria;
town, flocked to the taverns instead of manning and on the other hand, some, which are found in
the walls, established a number of wine-shops on other parts of the Anthology, should be restored to
the ramparts themselves, and so kept his men, with Leonidas of Tarentum. Jacobs (Ant/h Graec. vol.
some difficulty, at their posts (Ael. V. H. iii. 14; xiii. pp. 909, 910) points out the necessary corAthen. x. p. 442,'c.). ie may have been the same rections; and Meineke (Delect. Poet. Anth. Graee.
Leonides whom Athenaeus mentions as a writer on pp. 24-52) has re-edited and re-arranged the
fishing (Athen. i. p. 13, c.). epigrams of this writer, the number of which he
2. A noble youth, a citizen of Heracleia on the makes 108. The epigrams are chiefly inscriptions
Pontus, was one of those who put to death the for dedicatory offerings and works of art, and,
tyrant Clearchus, B. C. 353. He is also called though not of a very high order of poetry, are
Leon. [LEON, No. 1, p. 741, b.] usually pleasing, ingenious, and in good taste.
3. A kinsman of Olympias, the mother of Alex- Bernhardy: not unhappily characterises them as
ander the Great, was entrusted with the main being "in a sharp lapidary style" (Grundriss. d.
superintendence of Alexander's education in his Griech. Litt. vol. ii. p. 1055). All that we know
earlier years, apparently before he became the of the poet's date is collected from his epigrams,
pupil of Aristotle. Leonidas was a man of austere and the indications are not very certain. He seems,
character, and trained the young prince in hardy however, to have lived in the time of Pyrrhus
and self-denying habits. Thus, he would even ex- (Jacobs, 1. c.). From one of the epigrams ascribed
amine the chests which contained' his pupil's bed- to him (No. 100, Br. and Jac., No. 98, Meineke),
ding and clothes, to see whether Olympias: had and which may either have been written after his
placed any thing there that might minister to lux- death, or by himself for his own epitaph, we learn
ury. There were two excellent cooks (said Alex- that he was born at Tarentum, and after many
ander afterwards) with which Leonidas had fur- wanderings during which the Muses were his
nished him,-a night's march to season his breakfast,' chief solace, he died and Was buried at a distance
and a scanty breakfast to season his dinner. On from his native land.
one occasion, when Alexander at a sacrifice was 2. Of'Alexandria, was born, as he informs us
throwing large quantities of incense on the fire, (Ep. 8), on the banks of the Nile, whence he went
"be more sparing of it," said Leonidas," till you to Rome (Ep. 27), and there taught grammar for
have conquered the country where it grows." a long time without attracting any notice, but ultiAlexander sent him afterwards from Asia 600 mately he became very popular, and obtained the
talents' weight of incense and myrrh, "that he patronage of the imperial family. His epigrams show
might no longer be penurious" (so ran the message) that he flourished under Nero, and probably down
"iu his offerings to the gods." (Plut. Alex. 22, to the reign of Vespasian. In the Greek Antho25, Reg. et Imp. Apoph. Alex. 4, 9.) It may be logy, forty-three epigrams are ascribed to him, but
questioned whether the rough'discipline of Leonidas some of these belong to Leonidas of Tarentuli.
wasnot carried further than was altogether beneficial The epigrams of Leonidas of Alexandria are of a
to Alexander's character (see Plut. Alex. 7;'Thirl- very low order of merit. Several of them are diswall's Greece, vol. vi. p. 90, note 3). tinguished by the petty conceit of having an equal
4. A general of Antigonus, who, in B. C. 320, number of letters in each distich; these are called
repressed by a skilful stratagem the revolt of 3000 Iduscs qa l7rLyplz/qLa'ca. (Jacobs, Anth. Graec. vol.
- - ~~ is:~oneossly stated,' xiii. pp. 908-909; Meineke, Prolusio ad utrius* It is erroneously stated, in Vol. I. p. 691, that que Leonidae Carmina, Lips. 1791; Fabric. Bi)/.
his daughter Cheilonis accompanied him thither. Graec. vol. iv. pp. 479-480.)
See Plut. Aqis, 17. 3. Of Byzantium, the son of Metrodorus, who