PROTAGORAS, ,fird-teig'-e-ras, one of the most celebrated sophists, born at Abdera, in Thrace, about 48o B.C., was at first a porter, and then became a disciple of Democritus. He taught in various cities, and was the first sophist to receive pay for teaching. He had numerous pupils, and is said to have amassed a large fortune in his forty years of tuition. He was impeached by Pythoderus, one of the Four Hundred at Athens, 455, for impiety, when his book on the gods, in which he declared his inability to know whether they existed or not, was condemned n he burnt, and according to the philosopher himself was banished. He some, very soon after. He was one of the best sophists, and Plato had a very favourable opinion of him. His famous tenet was, rid IMO V u peamoc, Man is the Measure of all things; i.e., that there is a perpetual implica tion of subject with object, or that every object is relative to a correlative subject. PROTESTLAUS, originally Iblreus, son of Iphiclus and Astyriche, and brother of Jason's mother, Alcunede, and hus band of Acastus's daughter Laodamia (q.v.), was a native of Phylac8, in Thessaly, from which, or front being grandson of Phylacus, he was called Phyladius or Phillcidides. He led several Thessalian states against Troy, and was the first Greek to set foot on its shores, when he was at once killed by &fleas or Hector ; and near his tomb, Prothila'i Tur'ris, on the Trojan shore, certain trees grew to a great height, but withered as soon as they were of sufficient height to be visible from Troy, and again grew up, suffering the same vicissitude.
PROTEUS, ,pr,-teus, an old marine god, tended Neptune's flocks of seals, for which he was rewarded with the gift of prophecy. Any one who wished to consult him had to seize him at midday, when he came ashore to sleep in the shade of the rocks ; hut as soon as he was caught he assumed every imaginable shape, as a tiger, lion, fire, whirlwind, or torrent, to terrify his assailant and compel his release ; but if firmly held he resumed his proper form, and gave the desired information. Among those who consulted him were Aristmus, Menelaus, Hercules, &c. According to some, he was originally a king (Cetes) of Egypt, whose two sons, TelegUnus and Polyenus (or Tmolus), were killed by Hercilles, and who had several daughters, Cabira, IdothEa, Rhetia, &c. Homer places his home in the isle Pharos, a day's journey from the Nile ; but Virgil in the isle Carp'ithos (Prott'i col:I/dna), between Rhodes and Crete.