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

LSIAS. LYSIAS. 8SASfi
and reduced him to such st:aits for provisions, that the government, his large property was confiscated,
the fortress must have quickly fallen had not the and he was thrown into prison, with a view to be put
news of the approach of Philip induced Lysias to to death. But he escaped from Athens, and took regrant a peace to the Jews on favourable terms, in fuge at Megara. (Plut. Pliot. 11. cc.) His attachment
order that he might hasten to oppose his rival. to Athens, however, was so great, that when ThraPhilip was quickly defeated, and put to death. sybulus, at the head of the patriots, marched from
(Joseph. Ant. xii. 7. ~ 2-5, 9, ~ 1-7; 1 Mac- Phyle to liberate their country, Lysias joyfully
cab. iii. iv. v. 1-35, vi. 2 Mace. x. xi. xiii.) sacrificed all that yet remained of his fortune, for
Lysias now possessed undisputed authority in the he sent the patriots 2000 drachmas and 200 shields,
kingdom; and the Romans, the only power whom and engaged a band of 302 mercenaries. Thrasyhe had cause to fear, were disposed to favour Anti- bulus procured him the Athenian franchise, as a
ochus on account of his youth, and the advantages reward for his generosity; but Archinus afterwards
they might hope to derive from his weakness. induced the people to declare it void, because it
They, however, despatched ambassadors to Syria, had been conferred without a probuleuma; and Lyto enforce the execution of the treaty formerly con- sias henceforth lived at Athens as an isoteles, occluded with Antiochus the Great;. and Lysias did cupying himself, as it appears, solely with writing
not venture openly to oppose the arbitrary pro- judicial speeches for others, and died in B. c. 378,
ceedings of these deputies, but was supposed to at the age of eighty. (Dionys. Lys. 12; Plut. 1. c.
have connived at, if he did not command, the p. 836; Phot. I.c. p. 490.)
murder of Octavius, the chief of the embassy. Lysias was one of the most fertile writers of
[LEPTINES.] He indeed immediately sent am- orations that Athens ever produced, for there were
bassadors to Rome to disclaim all participation in in antiquity no less than 425 orations which were
the deed, but did not offer to give up or punish the current under his name, though the ancient critics
assassin. Meanwhile, the young prince, Demetrius, were of opinion that only 230 of them were genuine
made his escape from Rome, where he had been de- productions of Lysias. (Dionys. Lys. 17; Plut.
tained as a hostage and landed at Tripolis in Syria. 1. e. p. 836; Phot. t. c. p. 488; Cic. Brut. 16.)
The people immediately declared in his favour; Of these orations 35 only are extant, and even
and Lysias, as well as the young Antiochus, was among these some are incomplete, and others are
seized by the populace, and given up to Demetrius, probably spurious. Of 53 others we possess only
who ordered them both to be put to death, B. c. a few fragments. Most of these orations, only one
162. (Joseph. Ant. xii. 10. ~ 1; 1 Macc. vii.; of which (that against Eratosthenes, B. c. 403) he
2 Mace. xiv. 1, 2; Appian. Syr. 46, 47; Polyb. delivered himself in court, were composed after his
xxxi. 15, 19; Liv. Epit. xlvi; Euseb. Arm. p. return from Thurii to Athens. There are, however,
166, fol. edit.) some among them which probably belong to an
5. A native of Tarsus in Cilicia, called by Athe- earlier period of his life, when Lysias treated his
naeus an Epicurean philosopher, who raised himself art more from a theoretical point of view, and they
to the position of tyrant of his native city. (Athen. must therefore be regarded as rhetorical exercises.
v. p. 215. b.) [E. H. B.] But from the commencement of the speech against
LY'SIAS (Avaias), an Attic orator, was born Eratosthenes we must conclude that his real career
at Athens in B. C. 458.; he was the son of Cepha- as a writer of orations began about B. c. 403.
lus, who was a native of Syracuse, and had taken Among the lost works of Lysias we may mention a
up his abode at Athens, on the invitation of Pericles. nmanual of rhetoric (er'Xvy0 PS7Toplic), probably one
(Dionys. Lys. 1; Plut. Vit. X. Orat. p. 835; of his early productions, which, however, is lost.
Phot. Bibl. Cod. 262, p. 488, &c.; Suid. s. v. Av- How highly the orations of Lysias were valued in
alas; Lys. c. Eratosth. ~ 4; Cic. Brut. 16.) When antiquity may be inferred from the great number
he was little more than fifteen years old, in B. c. 443, of persons that wrote commentaries upon them,
Lysias and his two (some say three) brothers joined such as Caecilius Calactinus, Zosimus of Gaza,
the Athenians who went as colonists to Thurii in Zeno of Cittium, Harpocration, Paullus Germinus,
Italy. He there completed his education under and others. All the works of these critics have
the instruction of two Syracusans, Tisias and Ni- perished. The only criticism of any importance
cias, and afterwards enjoyed great esteem among upon Lysias that has come down to us is that of
the Thurians, and even seems to have taken part Dionysius of Halicarnassus, in his rIpt. T'wv dpXaiwv
in the administration of the young republic. From- p5Tropwv ou'orvpauTorpotn, the rcv apXafwv KpiaoLs,
a passage of Aristotle (ap. Cic. Brut. 12), we learn and in his account of Lysias, to which we may add
that he devoted some time to the teaching of the remarks of Photius. According to the judgrhetoric, though it is uncertain whether he entered ment of Dionysius, and the accidental remarks of
upon this profession while yet at Thurii, or others, which are borne out by a careful examinadid not commence till after his return to Athens, tion of the orations still extant,.the diction of
where we know that Isaeus was one of his pupils. Lysias is perfectly pure, and may be looked upon
(Plut. 1. c. p. 839; Phot. Bibl. Cod. p. 490, a.) as the best canon of the Attic idiom; his language
In B. C. 411, when he had attained the age of forty- is natural and simple, but at the same time noble
seven, after the defeat of the Athenians in Sicily, and dignified. (Dionys. Lys. 2, 3, Demostl. 13;
all persons, both in Sicily and in the south of Italy, Cic. Brut. 82; Quintil. xii. 10. ~:21, comp. ix. 4.
who were suspected of favouring the cause of the 6 17); it is always clear and lucid; the copiousAthenians, were exposed to persecutions; and ness of his style does not injure its precision; nor
Lysias, together with 300 others, was expelled by can his rhetorical embellishments be considered as
the Spartan party from Thurii, as a partisan of the impairing the charming'simplicity of his style.
Athenians. He now returned to Athens;- but (Dionys. Lys. 4, &c.) His delineations of chathere too great misfortunes awaited him, for during racter are always striking and true to life. (Dionys.
the rule of the Thirty Tyrants, after the battle of Lys. 7; -Quintil. iii. 8. ~ 51; Phot. 1. c. p. 488.)
Aegospotami, he was looked upon as an enemy of But what characterises his orations above those.f
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