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

834 SIMONIDES. SIMONIDES.
arising upon the Athenians," in an epigram (No. vailing sentiment, that the poet was the beloved
187), which we may suppose to have been in- servant of the gods, who would interpose to prescribed upon the base of the statues set up to Har- serve him from injury, or to avenge his wrongs; as
snodius and Aristogeiton after the expulsion of in the cases of Arion, saved by the dolphin, and
Hippias, B. c. 510. (Paus. i. 8. ~ 5.) Ibycus, avenged by the cranes. That some, overIt was probably the next period of his life which whelming and general calamity, amounting to an
Simonides spent in Thessaly, under the patronage almost total extinction, befell the family of the
of the Aleuads and Scopads, whose names, accord- Scopads about this time, is evident from the threne
ing to Theocritus (Id. xvi. 34) were only preserved composed for them by Simonides (No. 46), and
from oblivion by the beautiful poems in which the from the absence of any mention of them in those
great Ceian bard celebrated the victories gained by events connected with the Persian invasion, in
their swift horses in the sacred games. Of these which the Aleuads took so prominent a part
poems we still possess a considerable portion of the (Herod. vii. 6); not to mention the testimony of
celebrated Epinician Ode, on the victory of Scopas Phavorinus (ap. Stob. Serns. c. cv. 62) and other
with the four-horsed chariot (No. 13), which is writers, which is perhaps derived only from the
preserved and commented upon by Plato in the threne itself (Schn. p. xiii.). Schneidewin suggests
Protagoras; and fragments of the Threnes on the an ingenious explanation of the story, but congeneral destruction of the Scopads (No. 46), and ceived in too rationalistic a spirit to be hastily adon the Aleuad Antiochus (No. 48); and it is ueitted; namely, that Scopas, whose tyrannical
not improbable that the magnificent Lament of character is shown, both by the story itself and by
Dan&at (No. 50) was a Threne composed for one the apologetic tone in which Simonides speaks of
of the Alenuads. If we may believe Plutarch, the him in his Ode, was so odious to the people, that
poet was obliged to confess that the charms of his they plotted his destruction by undermining the
song failed to humanise the rugged spirits of the building in which he was about to hold the festival
Thessalians,'AuLaOe'TrTEpoL yap EIaC-v, cW's ur' tu6o in commemoration of his victory at the games; but
E4atrraacrOat (Plut. de Aud. Poet. p. 15, c.). Even that they saved Simonides, by a timely warning,
the tyrants whom he celebrated are said to have on account of his sacred character as a poet.
grudged him his just reward. (Sozom. H. E. p. 4.) Schneidewin quotes, in confirmation of this view
Respecting these relations of the poet to the ty- of the case, the testimony of Phanias of Eresos
rants of Thessaly, a most interesting story is told (ap. Ath. x. p. 438, e.), who placed the death of
by several of the ancient writers. The best form of Scopas under the head of the Destruction of Tyit is probably that which Cicero gives, on the autho- rants through Revenge. (Schn. p. xv.)
rity of Callimachus (de Orat. ii. 86). At a banquet Whether in consequence of this calamity, or on
given by Scopas, when Simonides had sung a poem account of the impending Persian invasion, or for
which he had composed in honour of his patron, some other reason, Simonides returned to Athens,
and in which, according to the custom of the poets and soon had the noblest opportunity of employing
(in their Epinician Odes), he had adorned his com- his poetic powers in the celebration of the great
position by devoting a great part of it to the events of the Persian wars. At the request of
praises of Castor and Pollux, the tyrant had the Miltiades, he composed an epigram for the statue
meanness to say that he would give the poet only of Pan, which the Athenians dedicated after the
half of the stipulated payment for his Ode, and battle of Marathon (No. 188). In the following
that he might apply for the remainder, if he chose, year, in the archonship of Aristeides, B. c. 489, he
to his Tyndarids, to whom he had given an equal conquered Aeschylus in the contest for the prize
share of the praise. It was not long before a which the Athenians offered for an elegy on those
message was brought to Simonides, that two young who fell at Marathon (Fr. 58, Epig. 149). Ten
men were standing at the door, and earnestly de- years later, he composed, at the request of the
manding to see him. He rose from his seat, went Amphictyons, the epigrams which were inscribed
out, and found no one; but, during his absence, the upon the tomb of the Spartans -who fell at Therbuilding he had just left fell down upon the ban- mopylae, as well as an encomium on the same
queters, and crushed to death Scopas and all his heroes (Epig. 150-155, Fr. 9); and he also celefriends, whom we may suppose to have laughed brated the battles of Artemisium and Salamis, and
heartily at his barbarous jest. And so the Dioscuri the great men who commanded in them (Fr. 2-8,
paid the poet their half of the reward for the Ode. Epig. 157-160, 190-194). He lived upon inCallimachus, in a fragment which we still possess, timate terms with Themistocles, and a good story
puts into the poet's mouth some beautiful elegiac is told of the skill with which the statesman reverses in celebration of the event (Fr. 71, Bentley). buked the immoderate demands of the poet (Plut.
It is not worth while to discuss the variations Tlhem. 5; Praecept. Polit. p. 807, a.; Reg. et Imp.
upon the story as related by other writers, and Apophtth. p. 185, c.; for another story see Cic. Fin.
especially by Quintilian (xi. 2. ~ 11; comp. Val. ii. 32). One of his epigrams (No. 197) was written
Max. i. 8; Aristeid. Orat. iv. p. 584; Phaed. Fab. on the occasion of the restoration of the sanctuary
iv. 24; Ovid. 1b. 513, 514, &c.; see Schneidewin, of the Lycomidae by Themistocles. Respecting
pp. xi. foll.). It appears that the Ode believed to the enmity between Simonides and the poet Timohave been sung on this occasion was that same creon of Rhodes, see Schneidewin, p. xviii.
Epinician Ode to which allusion has been already The battle of Plataeae (B. c. 479) furnished
made, and of which we possess the half relating to Simonides with another subject for an elegy (Fr.
Scopas himself, though we have lost the other half, 59; comp. Epig. 199), and gave occasion for the
which referred to the Dioscuri. celebrated epigram (No. 198), which he composed
That the story is altogether fabulous can by no for Pausanias, who inscribed it on the tripod dedimeans be maintained; although, in the form in cated by the Greeks at Delphi out of the Persian
which it has now come down to us, it must be spoils; but which, oni account of its arrogant
classed with those legends which embodied the pre- ascription of all the honour of the victory to Pau