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

1016 THALELAEUS. THALES.
because he is said to have been at the conference published in Meerman's Thesaurus, iii. and v.t
at Sirmium, which is usually placed in this year, and since by'Heimbach, Basil. i. 323-424.
and because the name of Thalassius, praefectus It is sometimes said that Thalelaeus wrote a
praetorio, occurs in a law dated A. D. 357. But commentary on the Novellae, but this notion is
Tillemont has shown that the conference at Sir- only founded on a mistake of a copyist, who in a
mium ought probably to be referred to the year scholium of the Basilica on Nov. 115. c. 5. ~ 1, has
351; and as Ammianus expressly places -the written Thalelaeus for Theodorus. There appears
death of Thalassius in A. D. 353, the Thalassius also to be no ground for the opinion that Thalelaeus
mentioned in the law may have been praefectus translated the Pandect, or that he wrote a compraetorio of Illyricum. The matter is discussed mentary on it. (Mortreuil, Histoire du Droit B1yby Tillemont, Histoire des Enmpereurs, vol. iv. zantin, vol. i.) [G. L.]
note xxix. sur Constance. THALELAEUS (OaNEhalos) or THALLEThis Thalassius appears to have written some LAEUS (OahhAXXazos), Saint, a physician, who
work on the history of his own times, as Suidas was born near Mount Lebanon in Phoenicia of
(s. v. ~esdpAos) quotes his testimony respecting Christian parents, and received his medical educahis contemporary Theophilus. tion from a physician named Macarius, who had
2. A monk, lived in the deserts of Libya, about attained the dignity of Archiater. He displayed
A. D. 662. There are extant four hecatontades of on all occasions great zeal in favour of Christianity,
Thalassius addressed to the presbyter Paulus, and and acquired considerable reputation by his meentitled IIspl &yarr ic al EytCpaTeIas Kmeal'rSl Kar& dical skill, so that some of his cures were said to
mvov 7roAihrElac, De caritate, vitae continentia et be miraculously performed. He attended on the
mrentis reyinzine, which are printed in all the Biblio- heathen with as much care as on Christians, and
thecae Patrlmn. (Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. xi. pp. 113, was particularly charitable towards the poor.
114.) During the persecution carried on against the
THALEIA or THALIA (OaXeta, OaAia). 1. Christians in the short reign of the emperors
One of the nine Muses, and, at least in later times, Carinus and Numerianus, Thalelaeus was seized
regarded as the Muse of Comedy. (Hes. Theog. by Tiberius the governor of Edessa in Mesopo77.) She became the mother of the Corybantes tamia, from whose hands he is said to have been
by Apollo. (Apollod. i. 3. ~ 4; Plut. Syizpos. miraculously delivered. He was afterwards taken
ix. 14.) before Theodorus, the governor of Aegae in Cilicia,
2. A daughter of Nereus and Doris. (Hom. II. by whom he was exposed to various tortures, and
xviii. 39; Hes. Theog. 248; Virg. Georg. iv. 338, at last put to death, A. D. 284. His constancy.,en. v. 826.) and his wonderful deliverances converted several
3. A daughter of Hephaestus, and by Zeus, the of the bystanders, and among the rest his former
mother of the Palici. (Serv. ad Aen. ix. 584; Steph. tutor Macarius. His memory is celebrated by the
Byz. s. v. 7raXaic.) Romish Church on May 20. (Acta Sanctoramn,
4. One of the Charites. (Hes. T/leog. 909; May 20. vol. v. p. 178.) [W. A. G.]
Apollod. i. 1. ~ 3; Paus. ix. 35. ~ 1.) [L. S.] THALES (OaAXs), the Ionian philosopher,
THALELAEUS (OaXst'atos), a jurist, lived in was born at Miletus in the 35th Olympiad, acthe time of Justinian, and was a professor of law, cording to Apollodorus (Diog. Laert. i. 37). He
and probably at Constantinople, though there is no is said (Herod. i. 74) to have predicted the eclipse
evidence for that. Ile is mentioned among the of the sun, which happened in the reign of the
Antecessores, to whom the Constitution Omznem, &c. Lydian king Alyattes (according to Oltmann's
is addressed; but he was not employed with Tri- calculations, in the Abhandl. der KdInigl. Akademic;e
bonian and others upon the compilation of any of der Wissenschaften in Berlin, 1812, 1813, in the
Justinian's law books. Thalelaeus had a high re- year B. C. 609), and under Croesus to have maputation: he was called the "eye of jurisprudence," naged the diversion of the course of the Halvs
(:ris voK/Se iipOaAyXgs). His great work was a (Herod. i. 75), and later, in order to unite and
Greek commentary on the Code of Justinian, which strengthen the Ionians when threatened by the
was divided into three parts. The first and most Persians, to have instituted a federal council in
extensive part is a kind of introduction to a know- Teos (Ib. 170). These statements, and the menledge of the text of the Code, which is properly tion of Thales in the books of Xenophanes and
called rb rAarTros, a name sometimes given, but Heracleitus (Diog. Lairt. i. 33) accord very well
perhaps incorrectly, to the whole commentary. The with the reckoning of Apollodorus, which may
second part consisted of a literal Greek version have been founded on the statement of Demetrius
(carTa iroS'as) of the constitutions which existed in Phalereus, that Thales received the appellation of
Latin hi the Code, or of an extract only from the Sage in the time of the Athenian archon Dathose which had been copied in Greek into the masits (Diog. Laert. i. 22). They confirm at the
same collection. The third part consists of observa- same time the statements respecting the long
tions on the Greek and Latin Constitutions. duration of his life, which extended to 78, or even
The commentary of Thalelaeus is the most im- 90 years (Diog. LaErt. i. 38). In the different lists
portant of all that has been written upon the con- of the seven sages his name seems to have stood
stitutions contained in the Code. He was not at the head (Diog. Laert. i. 41, &c. 22; comp. Cic.
satisfied with taking the constitutions as they Acad. ii. 37), and, as his wisdom is said to have
appear in the Code, but he consulted the texts of shown itself in political sagacity, so also it maunithe original constitutions; for instance, he gives the fested itself in prudence in acquiring wealth (Arist.
constitution I. (Cod. 2. tit. (9) 10, De Errore.4d- Eth. ANic. i. 1, comp. Diog. Laitrt. i. 26). And,
vocat.) more complete than it is in the Corptls generally speaking, the above honourable designaJuris; and upon Constit. I. (Cod. 2. tit. 9. De tion which was given to those seven men, denoted,
Advoc. Fisci), he quotes a text of Paulus, which is not scientific inquirers, but men of sound underfound nowhere else. This commentary was first standing, and famed for their legislative talents, tas