Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 4.djvu/785

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CAL—CAL
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the Battiadoe, whence by Ovid and others he is called Battiades. He flourished under Ptolemies Philadelphia and Euergetes, and probably succeeded Zeuodotus as chief librarian of the famous Alexandrian library, an office he held from about 2GO B.C. till his death, which took place about 240 B.C. He was regarded, according to Quintilian, as the prince of Greek elegiac poets. His style is elegant and nervous, yet his excellences are rather the result of excessive elaboration than of genuine poetic power : hence Ovid (Am., i. 15) says of him Quamvis ingenio non valet, arte valet. Perhaps the Hymn to Apollo should be excepted from this criticism. Callimachus was a learned critic and grammarian, and the instructor of Eratosthenes, Aristo phanes of Byzantium, and Apollonius Rhodius. He wrote in prose and in verse on a great variety of subjects; but his only existing works are six hymns, seventy-three epigrams, and some fragments of elegies. Of the various imitations of Callimachus by the Roman poets, the small

poem by Catullus, De coma Berenices, is the most celebrated.


Among the numerous editions of his works the following may be noticed : By Gnevius with Spanheim s Commentary, Utrecht, 1697 ; by Ernesti, Leyden, 1761 ; by Bloomfield, Lond., 1815 ; by Volzer, Lips. 1817 ; Fragmcntn, by Nseke, 1844 ; Hymni ct Epi- c/rammata, by Meineke, 1861; Callimachca, by Schneider, i. (Hymni), 1870, ii., 1847.

CALLIMACHUS, an architect and statuary, the in ventor of the Corinthian column, was probably a native of Corinth. He is said to have derived the idea of the Corinthian capital from observing an acanthus plant sur rounding a tile-covered basket which had been placed over a tomb. His era is uncertain ; but as the Corinthian column was used in 396 B.C., by Scopas, the architect of the temple of Athena Alea at Tegea, he must have lived before that time. Though Callimachus worked admirably in marble he is said to have spoiled his original conceptions by excessive elaboration, which rendered his style artificial. (Plin., N. 1L, xxxiv. 8, s. 19.)

CALLIOPE, the muse of epic poetry. She was so named from the sweetness of her voice, and was the last of the nine sisters. Her distinguishing office was to record heroic actions ; and she is represented with a tablet and style, or a roll of paper in her hand. See Muses.

CALLIRRHOE, in Greek legend, was a daughter of the river god Achelous, and became the wife of Alcmason, who had wandered from Argos to be purified in the water of the Achelous from the crime of having killed his mother Eriphyle. He had taken with him from Argos the ill- omened necklaca and peplos of Harmonia, with which his mother had been misled by Polynices, but he had left them in Arcadia. Callirrhoe pressed so hard to obtain them that he was compelled to go for that purpose to Phegeus, the king of Psophis in Arcadia, with whom he had left them. While returning he was waylaid by Phegeus and killed. Callirrhoe now implored the gods to cause her two young sons to grow at once to manhood to avenge their father s death. This was granted, and her sons slew Phegeus with his two sons, and returning with the necklace and peplos, dedicated them at Delphi.

CALLISTHENES, a philosopher of Olynthus, and a relation and pupil of Aristotle, through whose recommendation he was appointed to attend Alexander in his Asiatic expedition, 334 B.C. He had the imprudence to censure the conqueror s adoption of Oriental customs, inveighing especially against the servile ceremony of adoration. Having by the boldness of his censures rendered himself highly obnoxious to the king, he was accused of being privy to a treasonable conspiracy; and after being kept in chains for seven months he died, either by torture, or of a disease arising from excessive obesity. Callisthenes wrote an account of Alexanders expedition, a history of Greece, and other works, all of which have perished.

CALLISTO, in Greek Mythology, an Arcadian nymph, who was transformed into a bear as a penalty for having born to Zeus a son, Areas, from whom the Arcadians, or bear-people, derived their name (Ovid, Metam., ii. 4G8, fol.) Areas, when hunting, encountered the bear Callisto, and would have shot her, had not Zeus with swift wind carried up both to the skies, where he placed them as a constellation. Artemis, as goddess of hunting, was styled Callisto in Arcadia, and had the symbol of a bear.

CALLISTRATUS, an Athenian orator, whose eloquence made such an impression on Demosthenes that he resolved to devote himself to oratory. On account of the surrender of Oropus to the Thebans Callistratus, despite his magnifi cent defence, was condemned to death, 361 B.C. He fled to Methoue in Macedonia, where it is said he founded the city of Datum, afterwards Philippi. Having returned to Athens, he was put to death.

CALLISTRATUS, an Athenian poet, whose works have nearly all perished. He is now only known as the author of the hymn in honour of Harmodius and Aristogiton, who fell in their attempt to put down the dynasty of the Pisistratidse at Athens. This ode, which is contained in Athenseus, has been beautifully translated by Thomas Moore.

CALLOT, Jacques (1593-1635), a French engraver,

was born in 1593 at Nancy in Lorraine, where his father was a herald at arms. He early discovered a very strong predilection for art, and at the age of twelve quitted home without his father s consent, and set out for Rome, where he intended to prosecute his studies. Being utterly destitute of funds he joined a troop of Bohemians, and arrived in their company at Florence. In this city he had the good fortune to attract the notice of a gentleman of the court, who supplied him with the means of study; but he removed in a short time to Rome, where, however, he was recognized by some relatives, who immediately compelled him to return home. Two years after this, and when only fourteen years old, he again left France contrary to the wishes of his friends, and reached Turin before he was over taken by his elder brother, who had been despatched in quest of him. As his enthusiasm for art remained undiminished after these disappointments, he was at last allowed to accompany the duke of Lorraine s envoy to the Papal court. His first care was to study the art of design, of which in a short time he became a perfect master. Philip Thomasin instructed him in the use of the graver, which, however, he ultimately abandoned, substituting the point as better adapted for his purposes. From Rome he went to Florence, where he remained till the death ol Cosmo II., the Maecenas of these times. On returning to his native country he was warmly received by the then duke of Lorraine, who admired and encouraged him. As his fame was now spread abroad in various countries of Europe, many distinguished persons gave him commissions to execute. By the Infanta Isabella, sovereign of the Low Countries, he was commissioned to engrave a design of the siege of Breda; and at the request of Louis XIII. he- designed the siege of Rochelle, and the attack on the Isle of Pfe. When, however, in 1631, he was desired by that monarch to execute an engraving of the siege of Nancy, which he had just taken, Callot refused, saying, " I would rather cut off my thumb than do anything against tho honour of my prince and of my country ; " to which Louis replied that the duke of Lorraine was happy in possessing such subjects as Callot. Shortly after this he returned to his native plac?,, from which the king failed to allure him with the offer of a handsome pension. He died in 1635 at

the a<*e of forty-two. He engraved in all about 1 600 pieces,