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

380 PIXODARUS. PLACITUS.
Of the proverbial maxims of practical wisdom, try. Pixodarus obtained possession of the throne.
which were current under the names of the seven by the expulsion of his sister ADA, the widow and
wise men of Greece, two were ascribed to Pittacus, successor of her brother IDRIEUS, and held it withnamely, XaAevrov o0A&olv e4s evat, and KaLpov out opposition for a period of five years, B. c. 340
yvsOL0. The former furnishes the subject of an ode -335. He cultivated the friendship of Persia,
of Simonides, of which Plato has a very ingenious, gave his daughter in marriage to a Persian named
though sophistical'discussion, in his Protagoras (p. Orontobates, whom he even seems to have admitted
338, e.; Bergk, Poet. Lyr. Graec. p. 747). Others to some share in the'sovereign power during his
of his celebrated sayings are recorded by Diogenes own lifetime. But he did not neglect to court
(i. 77, 78). the alliance of other powers also, and endeavoured
Pittacus was very celebrated as an elegiac poet. to secure the powerful friendship of Philip king of
According to Diogenes (i. 79), he composed as Macedonia, by offering the hand of his eldest
many as six hundred elegiac verses, forming a col- daughter in marriage to Arrhidaeus, the bastard
lection of didactic statements concerning the laws, son of the Macedonian monarch. The discontent
addressed to his fellow-citizens. The only extant of the young Alexander at this period led him to
fragment of his poetry is the few lines preserved offer himself as a suitor for the Carian princess
by Diogenes (i. 78), who says that they were the instead of his natural brother -an overture which
most celebrated of his verses:- was eagerly embraced by Pixodarus, but the indignant interference of Philip put an end to the
"ExorTa 8e7'rTov (or'dJa) Kai too'Kov cpapE'rpav whole scheme. Pixodarus died - apparently a
reiXeiEY erl lpwTa KaK6dv natural death —some time before the landing of
iro-rdv yap ot6v4 yAwoor.a Ll-a o'rOarOS Alexander in Asia, B. c. 334: and was succeeded
AaAeZ SLXO4v0ov oXov Ka Kaplin Yvdk-1a. by his son-in-law Orontobates. (Diod. xvi. 74;
Arr. Anab. i. 23. ~ 10; Strab. xiv. pp. 656, 657;
(Schneidewin, Delect. Poes. Graec. p. 260; Bergk, Plut. Alex. 10.)
Poist. Lyr. Graec. p. 568.) [P. S.] The name is very variously written in the MSS.
PLTTHEUS (rILrOevs), a son of Pelops and and editions of Arrian and Plutarch: the latter,
Dia, was king of Troezene, father of Aethra, for the most part, have llso'3wpos (Sintenis, ad
and grandfather and instructor of Theseus. (Schol. Plut. 1. c.; Ellendt, ad Arr. 1. c. ), but the correctad Pind. 01. i. 144, Euri-p. Hippol. 11, Med. ness of the form IJh6S6apos is attested both by his
683; Paus. ii. 30. ~ 8, i. 27. ~ 8; Apollod. coins, which resemble those of his predecessors
iii. 15. ~ 7; Strab. viii. p. 374.) When Theseus Maussolus and Idrieus in their type and general
married Phaedra, Pittheus took Hippolytus into design, and by a fragment of the contemporary
his house. (Paus. i. 22.- ~ 2.) His tomb and the comic poet Epigenes (ap. Athen. xi. p. 472 f.),
chair on which he had sat in judgment were from which we learn that the penultima is short.
shown at Troezene down to a late time. (Paus. ii. It would appear from this fragment, that Pixodarus
31. ~ 3.) He is said to have taught the art of had been sent on an embassy to Athens during the
speaking, and even to have written a book upon lifetime of his father Hecatomnus. [E. H. B.]
it. (ii. 31. ~ 4; comp. THESEUS.) Aethra as
his daughter is called Pittheis. (Ov. Heroid.
x. 31.)
PITYREUS (Mlrvupevs), a descendant of Ion
and father of Procles, was the last king in Peloponnesus before the invasion of the Dorians. (Paus.
ii. 26. ~ 2, vii. 4. ~ 3.) [L. S.]
PITYS (IITvs), a nymph beloved by Pan, was -
changed into a fir tree. (Lucian, Dial. Deor. 22.
4; Virg. Eclog. vii. 24, with Voss's note.) [L. S.] COIN OF PIXODARUS.
PIUS, a surname of several Romans. 1. Of
the emperor Antoninus [ANTONINUS]. 2. Of a' PLACI'DIA, GALLA. [GALLA, No. 3.]
senator Aurelius, who lived at the commencement PLACI'DIUS VALENTINIA'NUS. [VAof the reign of Tiberius (Tac. Ann. i. 75). 3. Of LENTINIANUS.]
L. Cestius [CESTIUS]. 4. Of Q. Metellus, consul PLA'CIDUS, one of the generals of Vespasian
B. C. 80, by whom it was handed down to his in the war against the Jews, frequently mentioned
adopted son Metellus Scipio. [METELLUS, Nos. by Josephus. ( Vit. 43, 74, B. J. iii. 7. ~~ 3, 34, iv.
19, 22.] 1. ~ 8, &c.)
PIXO'DARUS (MItAcrsapos). 1. Son of Maus- PLA/CIDUS, JU'LIUS, the tribune of a
solus, a Carian of the city of Cindys, who was cohort of Vespasian's army, who dragged Vitellius
married to the daughter of Syennesis, king of out of the lurking-place in which he had concealed
Cilicia. Having taken part in the great revolt himself. (Tac. Hist. iii. 85; comp. Dion Cass.
of his countrymen and the Ionians against the lxv. 20; Suet. Vitell. 16.)
Persian king (B. C. 490), he advised the Carians PLA'CITUS, SEX., the author of a short
boldly to cross the Maeander, and engage the Per- Latin work, entitled " De Medicina (or MIedisian general Daurises with that river in their rear: camnentis) ex Animalibus," consisting of thirtybut this counsel, though regarded by Herodotus four chapters, each of which treats of some animal
as the best that could be given, was not followed, whose body was supposed to possess certain
and the Carians were defeated in two successive medical properties. As might be expected, it
battles. (Herod. v. 118.) contains numerous absurdities, and is of little or
2. Prince or king of Caria, was the youngest of no value or interest. The author has been somethe three sons of Hecatomnus, all of whom succes- times confounded with other persons of the name
sively held the sovereignty of their native coun- of Sextus (see Fabric. Bibl. Gr. vol. xii. p. 613,