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

LUCIANUS. LUCIANUS. 81'7
tonic dialogue with comedy; in other words, a dejected; but Hermes consoles him with the recombination of Plato and Aristophanes. In the flection that though some few may be convinced
Bis Accusatus, ~ 33, we have a still more complete by Damis, the great mass of the Greeks, and all
account of his style, where Dialogue personified the barbarians, will ever be of a contrary opinion.
accuses Lucian of stripping him of his tragic mask, The abuse of the stoic on finding himself worsted
and substituting a comic and satyric one; of intro- is highly natural. Much of the same tendency is
ducing scurrilous jokes, and the iambic licence; the 0eiZp eKKcAXofa, Deorum Concilium, which is in
and of mixing him up with Eupolis, Aristophanes, fact a dialogue of the gods. Momus complains of
and Menippus, the most snarling of the ancient the rabble which has been introduced into heaven,
cynics. These dialogues, which form the great not only mere mortals, but barbarians, and even
bulk of his works, are of very various degrees of apes and other beasts. In this class may also be
merit, and are treated in the greatest possible' enumerated the Ta ~rpas Kpdvov, Saturnalia, which
variety of style, from seriousness down to the contains a laugh at the ancient fable of Cronos.
broadest humour and buffoonery. Their subjects In the second class of Dialogues, namely, those
and tendency, too, vary considerably; for whilst in which the ancient philosophy is the more immesome, as it has been said, are employed in attack- diate object of attack, may be placed the following:
ing the heathen philosophy and religion, others Bi',v 7rpaio'r (Vitarun Auctio). In this humorous
are mere pictures of manners without any polemic piece the heads of the different sects are put up to
drift. For the sake of convenience, we may first sale, Hermes being the auctioneer. Pythagoras
consider those which are more' exclusively directed fetches ten minae. Diogenes, with his rags and
against the heathen mythology; next, those which cynicism, goes for two obols-he may be useful as
attack the ancient philosophy; and lastly, those in a house-dog. Aristippus is too fine a gentleman
which both the preceding objects are combined, or for any body to venture on. Democritus and
which, having no such tendency, are mere satires Heraclitus are likewise unsaleable. Socrates, with
on the manners of the day and the follies and whom Lucian seems to confound the Platonic phivices natural to mankind. losophy, after being well ridiculed and abused, is
In the first class may be placed Ipopuv0eus I bought by Dion of Syracuse for the large sum of
KaJtcaaos, Prometheus sen Caucasus, which is pro- two talents. Epicurus fetches two minae. Chryperly a dialogue of the gods, and to which it forms sippus, the stoic, who gives some extraordinary
a very fitting introduction, as it opens up the re- specimens of' his logic, and for whom there is a
lationship between gods and men, and puts Zeus great competition, is knocked down for twelve
completely in the wrong for crucifying Prometheus. minae. A peripatetic, a double person (exoteric
Though a good dialogue, it is in the grave style, and esoteric) with his physical knowledge, brings
and has little of Lucian's characteristic humour. twenty minae. Pyrrho, the sceptic, comes last,
The Oesv AidaAoyo, Deorum Dialoqi, twenty-six who, after having been disposed of, and in the
in number, consist'of short dramatic narratives of hands of the buyer, is still in doubt whether he
some of the most popular incidents in the heathen has been sold or not. From the conclusion, it apmythology. The reader, however, is generally pears that Lucian intended to include in another
left to draw his own conclusions from the story, auction the lives of other members of the comthe author only taking care to put it in the most munity; but this piece is either lost,, or was never
absurd point of view. Hence, perhaps, we may executed. The'AAteSs 4i'Avaiovv'Tes, Piscator
conclude that, like some of Lucian's more serious seu Reviviscentes, is a sort of apology for the predialogues, they were among his earlier attempts, ceding piece, and may be reckoned among Lucian's
before he had summoned hardihood enough to best dialogues. The philosophers are represented
venture on those more open and scurrilous attacks as having obtained a day's life for the purpose of
which he afterwards made. Of the same class, but taking vengeance upon Lucian, who in some degree
inferior in point of execution, are the fifteen din- makes the amende honorable by confessing that he
logue:s'of the Dei lfarini,'EvaAoL AL'Aohyot. In has borrowed the chief beauties of his writings
the last, that of Zephyr and Notes, the beautiful from them. He begs not to be condemned without
and graphic description of the rape of Europa is a trial; and it is agreed that Philosophy herself
worthy of remark, which, as Hemsterhuis observes, shall be the judge; but Lucian expresses his fears
was probably taken from some picture. In the that he shall never be able to find her abode, having
ZeS r'EheyXo6evos, Jupiter Confutatus, a bolder been so often misdirected. On their way, however,
style of attack is adopted; and the cynic proves to they meet Philosophy, who is astonished to see so
Zeus's face, that every thing being under the domi- many of her chief professors again alive, and is surnion of fate, he has no power whatever. As this prised they should be angry at her being abused,
dialogue shows Zeus's want of power, so the ZEss when she has already endured so much from.
rpayq&os, Jupiter Tragoedus, strikes at his very Comedy. It is with great difficulty that Lucianexistence, and that of the other deities. The sub- discovers Truth among her retinue, the allegorical
ject is a dispute at Athens between Timocles, a description of which personage is very good. LuStoic, and Damis, an Epicurean, respecting the cian, indeed, excels in that kind of writing. Tile
being of the gods. Anxious as to its result, Zeus philosophers now open their case against him. He
summons all the deities to hear the arguments. is charged with taking Dialogue out of their hands,
Hermes first calls the golden ones, then the and with persuading Menippus to side with him,
silver, and so forth; not according to the beauty the only philosopher who does not appear among
of their workmanship, but the richness of their his accusers. This may afford another answer to'
materials. On meeting, a squabble takes place those who would make Lucian an Epicurean.
about precedence, which is with some difficulty Under the name of Parrhesiades, Lucian advocates
quelled. Timocles then goes through his argu- his own cause; and having gained- it, becomes, in
ments for the existence of the. gods, which Damis turn, accuser. The philosophers of the. age age
refutes and ridicules. At this result, Zeus becomes summoned to the Acropolis, in the name of Virtue,
VOL. II.