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

PELOPIDAS. PELOPIDAS. 179
others, Philomache, the daughter of Amphion, by his property, remarking, in answer to the remonwhom he became the father of Acastuis, Peisidice, strances of some of his fiiends, that money was cerPelopeia, Hippothoe and Alcestis. (Apollod. i. 9. tainly useful to such as were lame and blind.
~ 8, &c.) Besides these daughters of Pelias (Pe- Hence, of course, he could not fail to be a marked
liades), several others are mentioned, such as Me- man in any political commotion, and, accordingly,
dusa (Hygin. Fab. 24), Amphinome, Evadne on the seizure of the Cadmeia by Phoebidas, in
(D)iod. iv. 53), Asteropaea and Antinoe. (Paus. B. c. 382, he was obliged to flee from Thebes, and
viii. ]. ~ 2.) The Peliades were represented on took refuge, with his fellow-exiles, at Athens.
the chest of Cypselus, where however the name of Here he was the chief instigator and counsellor of
Alcestis alone was written. (Paus. v. 17. ~ 4; the enterprise by which democracy was restored to
comp. Hom. 11. ii. 715; Ov. Trist. v. 5. 55.) Thebes, and which Plutarch tells us the Greeks
After the murder of their father, they are said to called " sister to that of Thrasybulus." In the exehave fled from Iolcus to Mantineia in Arcadia, cution of it also he bore a prominent part: it was
where their tombs also were shown. (Paus. viii. by his hand that LEONTIADES fell; and, being
11. ~ 2.) Jason, after his return from Colchis, made Boeotarch with Mellon and Charon, he sucgave Alcestis in marriage to Admetus, Amphinome ceeded in gaining possession of the Cadmeia before
to Andraemon, and Evadne to Canes (Diod. iv. the arrival of succours from Sparta (B. C. 379).
53), though according to the common story, Pelias From this period until his death there was not a
himself gave Alcestis to Admetus. [ALCESTIs.] year in which he was not entrusted with some imAfter Pelias had taken possession of the kingdom portant command. In B. c. 378, he and Gorgidas,
of Iolcus, he sent Jason, the son of his step-brother his fellow-Boeotarch,irl-uced Sphodrias, the Spartan
Aeson, to Colchis to fetch the golden fleece, and as harmost at Thespiae, to invade Attica, and thus
he did not anticipate his return, he despatched succeeded in embroiling Athens with Lacedaemon
Aeson and his son Promachus. After the return [GoncIDAs]; and in the campaigns against the
of Jason, Pelias was cut to pieces and boiled by his Lacedaemonians in that and the two following years
own daughters, who had been told by Medeia that he was actively occupied, gradually teaching his counin this manner they might restore their father to trymen to cope fearlessly with the forces of Sparta,
vigour and youth. His son, Acastus, held solemn which had ever been deemed so formidable. The
funeral games in his honour at Iolcus, and expelled successes occasionally gained by the Thebans during
Jason and Medeia from the country. (Apollod. i. this period (slight in themselves, but not unimpor9. ~ 27, &c.; Tzetz. ad Lyc. 175; Ov. Met. vii. tant in the spirit which they engendered) Pelopi297, &c.; comp. JASON, MEDEIA, ARGONAUTAE.) das shared with others; but the glory of the battle
Pelias is further mentioned as one of.the first who of Tegyra, in B. c. 375, was all his own. The
celebrated the Olympian games. (Paus. v. 8. ~ i.) town of Orchomenus in Boeotia, hostile to Thebes,
2. A son of Aeginetes and a descendant of La- had admitted a Spartan garrison of two moras, and
cedaemonius, is mentioned by Pausanias (vii. 18. during the absence of this force on an expedition
~ 4). [L. S.] into Locris, Pelopidas formed the design of surprising
PELIGNUS, JU'LIUS, procurator of Cappa- the place, taking with him for the purpose only the
docia in the reign of Claudius, A. D. 52. (Tac. A nn. Sacred Band and a small body of cavalry. When he
xii. 49.) arrived, however, he found that the absent garrison
PELLEN (lhsAX-h7), a son of Phorbas and had been replaced by fresh troops from Sparta, and he
grandson of Triopas, of Argos, was believed by the saw, therefore, the necessity of retreating. On his
Argives to have founded the town of Pellene in march back, he fell in, near Tegyra, with the two
Achaia. (Paus. vii. 26. ~ 5.) [L. S.] moras which formed the garrison at Orchomenus, rePELLO'NIA, a Roman divinity, who was be- turning from Locris under the polemarchs Gorgoleon
lieved to assist mortals in warding off their enemies. and Theopompus. In spite of the inferiority of his
(August. De Civ. Dei, iv. 21; Arnob. Adv. Gent. numbers, Pelopidas exhibited great coolness and
iv. 4.) [L. S.] presence of mind; and when one, running up to
PELOPEIA. (IleAIJrela.) 1. A daughter of him, exclaimed, " We have fallen into the midst of
Pelias. (Apollod. i. 9. ~ 10; Apollon. Rhod. i. the enemy," his answer was,," Why so, more than
326.) they into the midst of us?" In the battle which
2. A daughter of Amphion and Niobe. (Apol- ensued, the two Spartan commanders fell at the
lod. iii. 5. 6.; Schol. ad Eurip. P/soen. 159.) first charge, and the Thebans gained a complete
3. A daughter of Thyestes. (Schol. ad Eurzp. victory. Plutarch might well call this the prelude
Orest. 14; Hygin. Fab. 88; Aelian, V. I. xii. of Leuctra, proving as it did that Sparta was not
42.) invincible, even in a pitched battle and with the
4. The mother of Cycnus and Ares. (Apollod. advantage of numbers on her side. At Leuctra
ii. 7. ~ 7; comp. CvcNUs.) [L. S.] (B. c. 371) Pelopidas joined Epaminondas in urging
PELO'PIDAS (Ileho7r'ias), the Theban gene- the expediency of immediate action; he raised the
ral and statesman, son of Hippoclus, was descended courage of his countrymen by the dream with
from a noble family and inherited a large estate, which he professed to have been favoured, and by
of which, according to. Plutarch, he made a liberal the propitiatory sacrifice which he offered in obeuse, applying his money to the relief of such as dience to it [SCEDASUS], and the success of the
were at once indigent and deserving. He lived day was due in a great measure to him and to the
always in the closest friendship with Epaminondas, Sacred Band, which he commanded. In B. C. 369,
to whose simple frugality, as he could not persuade he was one of the generals of the Theban force
him to share his riches, he is said to have assimi- which invaded the Peloponnesus, and he united
lated his own mode of life. The disinterested with Epaininondas in persuading their colleagues
ardour which marked his friendship was conspi- not to return home till they had carried their arms
cuous also in his zealous attention to public affaiirs. into the territory of Sparta itself, though they
This he even carried so far as to neglect and impair would thus be exceeding their legal term of office.
2