Page:The Natural History of Pliny.djvu/184

150 pliny's KATTJEAL HISTOEY. [Book II. critus^ Eratosthenes-, Pytheas'^ Herodotus'*, Aristotle'"*, Ctesias", Artemidorus" of Epliesus, Isidorus* of Charax, and Theopompus^. 287. A few only of liis works have come down to us, published at Ox- ford in 1792, by ToreUi. 1 Born either at Astypalsea or iEgina. He was chief pUot of the fleet of Alexander duruig the descent of the Indus and the voyage to the Persian Gulf. He wrote a work called the " Alexandi-opsedia," or Edu- cation of Alexander. In his description of what he saw in India, many fables and falsehoods are said to have been uiterwoven, so much so that the work (which is now lost) is said to have resembled a fable more than a history. 2 Of Cyrene, bom B.C. 276. He was invited from Athens by Ptolemy Euergetes, to become keeper of the library at Alexandria. He was a man of most extensive erudition, as an astronomer, geographer, philosopher, historian and grammarian. .Ah of his writings have perished, with the exception of a few fragments on geograpliical subjects. 3 Of Massiha, now Marseilles, a celebrated navigator who floiu-ished about the tune of Alexander the Grreat. In his voyages he visited Britain and Thule, of which he probably gave some account in liis work " on the Ocean." He has been wrongfully accused of falsehood by Strabo. An- other work .written by him was his " Periplus," or ' Cfrcumnavigation' from Gades to the Tanais, probably, in this mstance, the Elbe. ■*• Of Hahcamassus, the father of G-recian history ; born B.C. 484. Besides his great work which has come down to us, he is supposed to have written a history of Ai'abia. ^ Probably the most learned of the Greek philosophers. His works were exceedingly numerous, and those which have smTived to us treat of natural history, metaphysics, physical science, etliics, logic, and general literature. ^ A native of Ciiidus in Caria, and private physician to Artaxerxes Mnemon, having been made prisoner by him at the battle of Cimaxa. He wrote a History of Persia in 23 books, which, with the exception of a small abridgement by Photius and a few fragments, is now lost. He also wrote a book on India. He was much censured, probably without sufficient reason, for the creduhty displayed in his works. 7 Of Epliesus, a geographer, who lived about B.C. 100. He wi'ote a Peri- plus, and a work on Geography ; a few fragments only of abridgements of these have survived. ^ Of Charax in Partliia, of which country he wrote an account which still exists. He flom-ished in the reign of Augustus. ^ Of Chios, a celebrated historian, and disciple of the orator Isocrates. His principal works were a History of Greece, and a Life of Phihp of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great.