lius, about A. D. 130 or 150. Dionysius wrote a great number of pieces, enumerated by Suidas and his commentator Eustathius: but his "Periegesis," or survey of the world, is the only one we have remaining; and it would be superfluous to say, that this is one of the most exact systems of ancient geography, when it has been already observed, that Pliny himself proposed it for his pattern. It is written in Greek hexameters; but some think that Dionysius is no more to be reckoned a poet, than any of those authors who have included precepts in numbers, for the sake of assisting the memory. Yet, although his book is more valuable for matter than manner, it has been thought that he had a genius capable of more sublime undertakings, and that he constantly made the Muses the companions, though not the guides, of his travels. As proofs of this, we are referred to his descriptions of the island of Lucca, inhabited by departed heroes; of the monstrous and terrible whales in Taprobana; of the poor Scythians that dwelt by the Meotic lake; to the account of himself, when he comes to describe the Caspian sea, and of the swans and bacchanals on the banks of Cayster, which shew him to have possessed no small share of poetic spirit.

The "Periegesis" has been published several times with and without the commentaries of Eustathius; but the neatest edition is that printed by Thwaites, at Oxford in 1697;.the best and most useful that enlarged and improved with notes and illustrations by Hill, Lond, 1688 and 1708. Dr. Wells's "Dionysii Geographia emendata," 1707, 8vo, has been often reprinted, and is held in estimation; Dr. John Free translated it in his "Tyrocinium Geographicum Londinense."1

DIONYSIUS (HALICARNASSENSIS), a historian and critic of antiquity, was born at Halicarnassus, a town in Caria; which is also memorable for having before produced Herodotus. He came to Rome soon after Augustus had put an end to the civil wars, which was about 30 years before Christ; and continued there, as he himself relates, twentytwo years, learning the Latin tongue, and making all necessary provision for the design he had conceived of writing the Roman history. To this purpose he read over, as

Vossius de Hist. Græc.-Dodwell's Dissert. de Dionysio, in vol. IV. Geog. Minor. Hudsoni,-Fabr, Bjbl. Græc.-Saxii Onomast.

he tells us, all the commentaries and annals of those Romans who had written with any reputation about the antiquities and transactions of their state; of such as old Cato, Fabius Maximus, Valerius Antias, Licinius Macer, and others; but owns, after all, that the conferences he had with the great and learned men at Rome upon this subject, were almost as serviceable to him as any thing he had read. His history is entitled "Of the Roman antiquities," and was comprised in twenty books, of which only the first eleven are now extant. They conclude with the time when the consuls resumed the chief authority of the republic, after the government of the decemviri; which happened 312 years after the foundation of Rome. The entire work extended to the beginning of the first Punic war, ending where Polybius begins his history, which is about 200 years later. Some have imagined that Dionysius never ended his work, but was prevented by death from composing any more than eleven books out of the twenty which he had promised the public; but this is contrary to the express testimony of Stephanus, a Greek author, who quotes the 16th and 17th books of Dionysius's Roman antiquities; and Photius, in his Bibliotheca, says, that he had read all the twenty, and had seen the compendium or abridgment which Dionysius made of his own history into five books, but which is now lost. The reputation of this historian stands very high on many accounts, notwithstanding the severe attacks made on him by Mr. Hooke, in his "Observations, &c." on Middleton and Chapman, &c. 1750, 4to. As to what relates to chronology, all the critics have been apt to prefer him even to Livy himself: and Scaliger declares, in his animadversions upon Eusebius, that we have no author remaining, who has so well observed the order of years. He is no less preferable to the Latins on account of the matter of his history; for his being a stranger was so far from being prejudicial to him, that on this single consideration he made it his business to preserve an infinite number of particulars, most curious to us, which their own authors neglected to write, either because, by reason of their familiarity, they thought them below notice, or that all the world knew them as well as themselves. His style and diction, however, although pure, insomuch that many have thought him the best author to be studied by those who would attain a perfect knowledge of the Greek tongue, is not so elegant or lively as

that of Livy, to whom he has been compared in historic merit.

Besides the Roman Antiquities, there are other writings of his extant, critical and rhetorical. His most admired piece in this way is "De structura Orationis," first printed by Aldus at Venice in 1508, which has undergone several impressions since, with a Latin version joined to it; the last and best by Upton, printed at London in 1702. Several other compositions of the same kind, as his "Vita Isæi et Dinarchi ;" "Judicium de Lysia ;" "Homeri vita;" "De Priscis Scriptoribus;" "De antiquis Oratoribus," of which Rowe Mores published an edition in 1749, reprinted in 1781, after his death, with additional notes taken from his copy of Hudson's edition of Dionysius. All these shew Dionysius to have been a man of taste in the belles lettres, and of great critical exactness; and nothing can more clearly convince us of the vast reputation and high authority he possessed at Rome among the learned, than Pompey's singling him out to give a judgment of the first Greek historians, and especially of Herodotus and Xenophon. There is extant a letter of his upon this subject, written to Pompey, at Pompey's own request; and if there be any thing exceptionable in that letter, or in the other critical and rhetorical pieces of Dionysius, it is, that he was too rigorous in his criticisms, and contended too obstinately for perfection in an historian or orator. His finding fault with Plato upon his rigid principles, was one of the occasions of the letter which Pompey wrote to him and we see by his answer, that though, to gratify Pompey, he professes himself an admirer of Plato, he does not forbear to prefer Demosthenes to him; protesting, that it was only to give the whole advantage to the latter, that he exercised his censure against the former. Nevertheless it appears, that at another season he spared Demosthenes no more than the rest; so prone was his inclination to find fault, merely because writers did not, in their works, come up to that ideal perfection which he had conceived in his mind. The best edition of all Dionysius's works is that by Hudson, at Oxford, 1704, in 2 vols. fol. His Roman History was translated into English by Edward Spelman, esq. 1757, 4 vols. 4to, with considerable fidelity and elegance, and illustrated with some dissertations, by which it appears that Mr. Spelman had devoted much time and study to his favourite author, as well

as to his subject; but he has likewise bestowed very unnecessary pains in exhibiting the defects of the French translators.1

DIONYSIUS (HALICARNASSENSIS), junior, flourished, according to Suidas, under the emperor Adrian, and wrote twenty-six books of the "History of Musicians," in which he celebrated not only the great performers on the flute and cithara, but those who had risen to eminence by every species of poetry. He was, likewise, author of five books, written in defence of music, and chiefly in refutation of what is alleged against it in Plato's Republic. Aristides Quintilianus has also endeavoured to soften the severity of some animadversions against music in the writings of Cicero; but though time has spared the defence of this author, yet it does not indemnify us for the loss of that which Dionysius junior left behind him; as testimonies are still remaining of his having been a much more able writer than Aristides Quintilianus.

The loss of the entire works of this writer is severely felt by all musical historians, but particularly by those who seek information concerning the music and musicians of the ancient Greeks.2

DIONYSIUS (AREOPAGITA) was born at Athens, and educated there. He went afterwards to Heliopolis in Ægypt; where, if we may believe some writers of his life, he saw that wonderful eclipse which happened at our Saviour's passion, and was urged by some extraordinary impulse to cry out, "Aut Deus patitur, aut cum patiente dolet;" Either God himself suffers, or condoles with him who does. At his return to Athens he was elected into the court of Areopagus, from whence he derived his name of Areopagite. About the year 50 he embraced Chris-. tianity, and, as some say, was appointed first bishop of Athens by St. Paul, and consecrated by his hands. Of his conversion we have this account in Acts xvii. preaching at Athens, was brought before the Areopagus, to give account of himself and his doctrine. He harangued in that court, taking occasion to speak against the prevailing idolatry of the place, from an altar which he found with this inscription, "To the unknown God." The event

Paul,

1 Fabric. Bibl. Græc.-Vossius de Hist. Græc.-Dibdin's Classics-and Clarke's Bibliographical Dictionary.-Saxii Onomast.

2 Suidas.-Rees's Cyclopædia,

of which preaching was, as the sacred historian tells us, that "certain men clave unto him, and believed; among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them." He is supposed to have suffered martyrdom; but whether under Domitian, Trajan, or Adrian, is not certain.

The works ascribed to this Dionysius, printed at Cologne in 1536, at Antwerp, 1634, and at Paris, 1644, 2 vols. fol. are generally allowed to be spurious, and probably were written in the fifth or sixth century, as they abound with the mystical trifles of the Plotinian school."

DIONYSIUS, bishop of Corinth, flourished under the reigns of Marcus Antoninus and Commodus; and is supposed to have suffered martyrdom about the year 178. We know little more of him than what appears from some of his epistles, preserved by Eusebius: from which we learn, that he was not only very diligent in his pastoral care over the flock committed to him, but that he extended this care likewise to the inhabitants of all other countries and cities. He wrote a letter to the Lacedæmonians, in which he exhorts them to peace and concord; another to the Athenians, in which he recommends purity of faith and evangelical holiness; a third to the Nicomedians, to guard them against the heresy of Marcion; a fourth to the churches of Crete; a fifth to the churches of Pontus; a sixth to the Gnossians, in which he admonishes Pinytus, their bishop, not to impose too severely upon the brethren the heavy burden of continence, but to consider the frailties and infirmities of the flesh; a proof that monastic austerities were beginning at this early period of the church. He wrote also a seventh letter to the Romans, in which he mentions the famous epistle of Clemens to the Corinthians; which, as we learn from him, was wont at that time to be publicly read in their churches. He re

commends to them also to continue a charitable custom, which, from their first plantation, they had always practised; namely, to send relief to divers churches throughout the world, and to assist particularly those who were condemned to the mines; a strong proof, says a recent historian, both that the Roman church continued opulent and numerous, and that they still partook much of the spirit of Christianity. None of these epistles are now

Cave.-Dupin.-Lardner's Works.-Saxii Onomast.