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

PERSAEUS.'PERSAEUS. 203
Perperna acted apparently in concert with Serto- for himself, he was appointed to a chief command
rius, he and the other Roman nobles who accom- in Corinth, and hence he is classed by Aeliln
panied him were jealous of the ascendency of the (V. H. iii. 17), among those philosophers who
latter, and at last were mad enough to allow their have taken an active part in public affairs. Acjealousy and pride to destroy the only man who cording to Athenaeus (iv. p. ]62, c), who has no
could have restored them to political power. In high opinion of his morality, his dissipation led to
B. C. 72, Perperna and his friends assassinated Ser- the loss of Corinth, which was taken by Aratus
toriiis at a banquet. His death soon brought the the Sicyonian, B.c. 243. Pausanias (ii. 8, vii. 8)
war to a close. Perpernra was completely defeated states that he was then slain. Plutarch doubtfully
in the first battle which he fought with Pompey represents him as escapingto Cenchreae. But this
after the death of Sertorius, and was taken prisoner. may have been to put into his mouth when alive,
Anxious to save his life, he offered to deliver up to what Athenaetls says of him when dead, that he
PPompey the papers of Sertorius, which contained who had been taught by Zeno to consider philoletters from many of the leading men at Rome, sophers as the only men fit to be generals, had
inviting Sertorius to Italy, and expressing a desire been forced to alter his opinion, being corrected by
to change the constitution which Sulla had esta- a Sicyonian youth.
blished. But Pompey refused to see him, and NVe find a list of his writings in Ladrtius, in
commanded him to be put to death, and the letters which we are startled to find O)viaeTc. Athenaeus
to be burnt. (Appian, B. C. i. 107, 110, 113- (iv. 140, p. 6, e) agrees with Lagrtius, in attribut115; Plut. Pomp 10, 20, Sert. 15, 25-27; Liv. ing to him a work, entitled rloXLTei AacoKWimK.
Epit. 96; Eutrop. vi. 1; Flor. iii. 22; Oros. v. He also gives a general view of the contents of a
23; Vell. Pat. ii. 30; Sall. Hist. lib. ii. iii.; Cic. work bearing his name, entitled ZvjTrorlKol
Verr. v. 58.) Ala'AoyoL (iv. p. 162, e.). But that the favourite
PERPE'TULTS, P. TI'TIUS, consul A. D. 237 pupil of Zeno, and the trusted friend of Antigonus
with L. Ovinius Rusticus Cornelianus. for many years, could have written such a work as
PERSAEUS (Frepor7os), surnamed Cittieus he describes, seems incredible. He very probably
(KLTTEL6Se), from his native town Cittium, in the did write a book bearing the title'T7rop~vjralTa
south of Crete, was a favourite disciple of Zeno, vur67rOTIKa (as stated by La'rtius), on the model
the stoic, who was also of Cittium. Suidas (s. v.) of the ov,.Tr'ciov of Plato; hence the rIepil Frao
states that he was also named Dorotheis. and that and Iespl'EpQcrwv,, mentioned by Ladrtius as sepahis father's name was Demetrius. Diogenes La- rate treatises of Persaeus. But, being the friend'rtius mentions that it was doubtful whether he of Antigonus, he was deemed to be an enemy to
was merely an intimate friend of Zeno's, or Greek freedom; hence the inveterate enmity of Mewhether, after having been the slave of Antigonus nedemus (I)iog. Laert. ii. 143), and hence spurious
Gonatas, and tutor to his son Alcyoneus, and then productions of a contemptible character were propresented by that monarch to Zeno as a copyist, he bably assigned to him. Lipsius, however (Alianethad been freed by the philosopher. The opinion duct. ad Sioic. P'hilosopLs. xii. 1), seems to be of an
that he had been Zeno's slave prevails extensively opinion quite the reverse. Suidas and Eudocia
in later writers, as in A. Gellius (ii. 18). But the (p. 362) state that he wrote a history, which may
notion is contradicted by the general current of his refer to his political writings. He also wrote,
life, and seems to have originated in a remark of according te Lai'rtins, against the laws of Plato.
Bion Borysthenites. Bion having seen a bronze Of his philosophical opinions, we know hardly
statue of Persaeus,bearing the inscription, tIepeoaov anything. It is reasonable to conjecture that he adZ7,vwvos KiLTia. remarked that this was a mistake, hered closely to the tenets of Zeno. Accordingly,
for HIepoaZov Zrjwlos osicrTse'a. (Athen. iv. p. we find him, on one occasion, convicting Ariston
162, d.) But from the sal nigyrum which charac- of inconsistency in not adhering in practice to his
terises Bion's sayings, this seems nothing more dogma, that the wise man was opinionless (do'aooathan a sneer at the servility which he thus insinu- ros). We find him, however, if we can trust
ated that Persaeus, with whom he had come into LaS'rtius, agreeing with Ariston in his doctrine of
rivalry at the court of Antigonus, manifested in his indfeflrence (darapopia), and himself convicted of
demeanour to Zeno. Indeed, if Persaeus had actually inconsistency by Antigonus -an incident which
been Zeno's slave, the sarcasm would have been has been ingeniously expanded by Themistius.
pointless. We learn from Diogenes Lairtius, that (Orat. xxxii. p. 358. ) Cicero (de Net. Dcor. i.
Zeno lived in the same house with Persaeus, and 15, where the old reading was Perseos) censures
he narrates an incident, which certainly supports an opinion of his that divinity was ascribed not
the insinuation of Bion. The same story is told only to men who had improved the arts of life, but
by Athenaeus (xiii. p. 607, a. b.), on the authority even to those material substances which are of
of Antigonus the Carystian, somewhat differently, use to mankind. MIeursius (de Cppro, ii. p. 167)
and not so much to Zeno's credit. Persaeus was in thinks that this is taken from a work of his
the prime of life in the 130th Olympiad, B. c. 260. entitled'HKOcal;XOXai mentioned by Lairtius.
Antigonus Gonatas had sent for Zeno, between Minucius Felix (Ociav. p. 22, ed. Lugd. Bat. 1652),
B. C. 277 and 27] (Clinton, F. H. vol. ii. p. 368, alludes also to this opinion, but he seems to have
note i), when the philosopher was in his eighty- derived his kinowledge from Cicero, as the illusfirst year. Zeno excused himself, but sent Per- trations are Roman, and not Greek, as we might
saeus and Philonides, with whom went also have expected. Dio Clirysostom (Orat. liii.) states
the poet Aratus, who had received instructions that following the examn-ple of Zeno, Persaeus, while
from Persaeus at Athens. Persaeus seems to commenting on Homer, did not discuss his general
have been in high favour with Antigonus, and merits, but attempted to prove that he haid written
to have guided the monarch in his choice of cKaa'i osdv, and not scaod dhA-0Elai. (Comp.
literary associates, as we learn from a sneer of Diog. Lae'rt. vii., with Lipsilis, Meursilus. li. or., and
Bioni's, recorded by Lae'rtius. At last, unhappily Fabric. Bibl. Grace. vol. iii. p. 570.) [W. M. G.]