DIONYSIuS I., a7.15-ny-si-uS, Or THE ELDER, horn 43o B.c., rapidly rose from being a clerk, by his exploits in the Syracusan wars with Carthage, to be supreme general of Syracuse, ; he fortified Ortygla as his residence, in creased the army and won it over by largesses, seized supreme power, and succeeded in sub jugating the rest of Sicily, repelling the Car thaginians, and annexing a considerable por tion of southern Italy. He was odious for his cruelty, putting many of his subjects to death, and imprisoning many in the subterranean prison, Lautdmiiv, which he caused to be cut out of the solid rock near Epipdlw, and he plundered the temples. He died 367. 2. Dto NVSIUS IL, or THE YOUNGER, son and suc cessor (367 B.c.) of (I), became the creature of his dissolute flatterers : for a time he was re claimed by his popular brother-in-law, Dion, and Plato (whom, by Dion's advice, he had in vited to his court), but he soon banished Dion, and refused to recoil him, though Plato in terested himself very much in his favour. Dion returned from Greece, 357, at the head of a force, and Dionysius, unable to hold out, sailed to Italy, 356, and took up his residence at Locri (the birthplace of his mother, Doris), where he seized the supreme power, but was ejected for his cruelties, 346, and again re covered Syracuse, from which, however, he had to sail, 343, after being besieged by Tinto I8on and obliged to surrender the citadel : he became a schoolmaster at Corinth. 3. Of
licrernassus, critic and historian, came to Rome, where he studied Greek and Latin writers on Roman history, and became in timate with the leading Literati: he wrote the history of Rome, 'Powatxii 'Apxato5o7., to 264 Lc., in twenty-two books (of which only i.—xi. are extant), and excellent commentaries and rhetorical works, some of which exist ; he died 7 B.C. 4. Of Hiraclea, a philosopher, pupil of Zeno, starved himself 279 B.C. 5. PERIEGETES, Wrote an extant geographical treatise in Greek hexameters, A.D. 300. 6. AREppAGITA, dr-e-1313a-ge-fa, an early Christian writer at Athens. 7. THRAX, or the Rhodian (from living at Rhodes), a grammarian and critic, 8o B.C. : he was a native of Thrace. 8. See LoNGINuS.