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

460 POLYCRATES. POLYDAMNA.
discharged with the utmost fidelity and integrity; p. 150, n.; R. Rochette, Lettre a il1. Selorn, pp;
he secured the island for Ptolemy Epiphanes, the 389-390.)
infant son and successor of Philopator, and on his 2. An engraver of precious stones, known by an
return to Alexandria about B. c. 196, he brought inscription on a gem representing Eros and Psy che.
with him a considerable sum of money for the use (Mariette, Traite, dc. vol. i. p. 421; R. Rochette,
of the monarch. He was received at Alexandria Lettre 2 ME. Scholn, p. 149.) LP. S.]
with great applause, and forthwith obtained great POLY'CRITUS (IIoAUKpLToS), of Mendae in
power in the kingdom; but as he advanced in Sicily, wrote a work on Dionysius, the tyrant of
years, his character changed for the worse, and he Syracuse, which is referred to by Diogenes Laurtius
indulged in every kind of vice and wickedness. (ii. 63). Aristotle likewise quotes a work by Po\Wre are ignorant of his subsequent career, in con- lycritus on Sicilian affairs, in poetry (Mirab. Aussequence of the loss of the later books of Polybius; cult. 1 1 2), which is probably the same work as the
but we learn from a fragment of the historian that one referred to by Diogenes. It is doubtful
it was through his evil advice that Ptolemy took whether this Polycritus is the same person as the
no part in military affairs, although he had reached Polycritus who wrote on the East, and whose work
the age of twenty-five. (Polyb. v. 64, 65, 82, 84, is referred to by Strabo (xv. p. 735), Plutarch
xviii. 38, xxiii. 16.) (Alex. 46), Antigonus of Carystus (c. 150, or 135,
POLY'CRATES (rlohvKpd'7ns), an Athenian ed. Westermann), and as one of the writers from
rhetorician and sophist of some repute, a contempo- whom Pliny compiled the 1 1th and 12th books of
rary of Socrates and Isocrates, taught first at Athens his Natural History.
and afterwards at Cyprus. He is mentioned as the POLY'CRITUS (loAXi.pp7-os), a physician at
teacher of Zoilus. HIe is named along with some the court of Artaxerxes Mnemon, king of Persia,
of the most distinguished orators of his time by in the fourth century B.c. (Plut. Artax. 21).
Dionysius of Halicarnassus (de ILaeo, c. 8, de Denz. He was a native of Mende in Macedonia, and not
Eloc. c. 20), who, however, finds great fault with a " son of Mendaeus," as Fabricius states (BiNl.
his style. He wrote, 1. An accusation of So- Gr. vol. xiii p. 376, ed. vet.). [W. A. G.]
crates (OcaT7qyopia WIoCpaiTOVS), which is said by POLY'CRITUS (IOAoKcptTros), a mythical arsome writers to have been the speech delivered by chitect, mentioned by the Pseudo-Plutarch, in conMelitus at the trial of Socrates; but as it contained nection with the story of Poemander. ( Quaest.
allusion to an event which occurred six years after Graec. 37, p. 299, c.) [P. S.]
the death of the philosopher, it would seem to have POLYCTOR (rIoAhUecwp). 1. A son of Aebeen simplya declamation on the subject composed gyptus and Caliande. (Apollod. ii. 1. ~ 5.)
at a subsequent period. (Diog. Laert. ii. 38, 39, 2. A son of Pterelaus, prince of Ithaca. A place
with the note of Menagius; Aelian, V. H. xi. 10, in Ithaca, Polyctorium, was believed to have dewith the note of Perizonius; Isocr. Busiras, ~ 4, rived its name from him. (Hom. Od. xvii. 207;
&c.; Quintil. ii. 17. ~ 1, iii. 1. ~ 11; Suidas, s v. Eustath. ad Honz. p. 1815.)
loAvKipars.) 2. BOV0aPLoS'AwroAoyia. The There is one more mythical personage of this
oration of Isocrates, entitled Busiris, is addressed name. (Hom. Od. xviii. 298.1 [L. S.]
to Polycrates, and points out the faults which the POLYDAMAS (IoAu3cLuas), a son of Panlatter had committed in his oration on this subject. thous and Phrontis, was a Trojan hero, a friend of
3.'EtyicioY O~paeav~omzov (Schol. ad Arist. Rhet. Hector, and brother of Euphorbus. (Hom. Il. xi.
p. 48). 4. Iep1'Appope8-iLwv, an obscene poem on 57, xvi. 535, xvii. 40.) [L. S.]
love, which he published under the name of the POLY'DAMAS (flovXvadyas). 1. Of Scopoetess Philaelnis, for the purpose of injuring her tussa in Thessaly, son of Nicias, conquered in the
reputation (Athen. viii. p. 335, c. d.). It is doubt- Pancratium at the Olympic games, in 01. 93, B.C.
ful whether the above-mentioned Polycrates is 408. His size was immense, and the most marthe same as the Polycrates who wrote a work on vellous stories are related of his strength, how he
Laconia (AarcYwvKci) referred to by Athenaeus (iv. killed without arms a huge and fierce lion on
p. 139, d.). Spengel supposes that the rhetorician mount Olympus, how he stopped a chariot at full
Polycrates is the author of the Paneyyric on gallop, &c. His reputation led the Persian king,
flelen, which has come down to us as the work of Dareius Ochus, to invite him to his court, where lihe
Gorgias. (Westermann, Gesclichte der Griech. performed similar feats. (Etseb.'EXA. oh. p. 41;
lBeredtsankeit, ~ 50, n. 22.) Pans. vi. 5, vii. 27. ~ 6, who calls him IovuAvsXias;
POLY'CRATES (rIoAuvcpairTs). 1. A statuary, Diod. Fraym. vol. ii. p. 640, ed. Wesseling;
whom Pliny mentions among those who made Lucian, Quomodo Hist. conscrib. 35, et alibi;
athletes et armatos et venatores sacrificantesque (II. Suidas, s. v. loAhvpas; Krause, Olympia, p. 360.)
N. xxxiv. 8. s. 19. ~ 34). There is a fragment of 2. Of Pharsalus in Thessaly, was entrusted by
a Hermes in the Villa Mattei, bearing the muti- his fellow-citizens about B. c. 375, with the supreme
lated inscription, government of their native town. Polydamas
formed an alliante with Sparta, with which state
TIMO~EO: AOH.... his family had long been connected by the bonds
EIOATYKP........... of public hospitality; but he soon after entered
into a treaty with Jason of Pherae. The history
on which slight basis Visconti rests the hypothesis of this treaty is related elsewhere [Vol. II. p. 554,
that Polycrates was an Athenian artist, contern- b.]. On the murder of Jason in B. C. 370, his
porary with Timotheus, and that the Hermes in brother Polyphron, who succeeded to his power,
question was a copy of a bronze statue of Timo- put to death Polydamas and eight other most distheus by Polycrates. A simpler hypothesis would tinguished citizens of Pharsalus. (Xen. Hell. vi.
be to complete the inscription thus, Tid0eeos'A077- 1. ~ 2, &c. vi. 4. ~ 34.)
vaeos aveirlce, IIoVKpi77i-s enrolei. (Ml1onum. Mat- POLYDAMNA (-IohAdayva), the wife of king
tei. vol. iii. n. 118; Visconti, Icon. -Grecque, vol. i. Thon in Egypt; she gave Helen a remedy by