LY'COPHRON, a native of Chalcis in Eubcea, the son of Bodes, and adopted by the historian Lycus of Rhegium, was a distinguished poet and grammarian st the court of Ptolemy Philadelphus, from 8.C.;280 to 250, where be formed one of the seven poets known by the name of Pleiss. He is said by Ovid to have been killed by an arrow. (` Ibis, 531.) Lycophron wrote a great number of tragedies, the titles of many of which are preserved by Suidas ; but only one has come down to us, entitled Cassandra, or Alexandra.' This poem however cannot have any claims to be called a drama : Cassandra is the only person intro duced as speaking, and she narrates to Priam the destruction of Troy, and the subsequent adventures and misfortunes of the Grecian chiefs. But in the course of her narration she gives an account of almost all the leading events in Greek history, from the Argonautic expedition to the time of Alexander the Great. The work is written in iambic verse, and has no pretensions to any poetical merit; the style is very obscure, and the meaning of most passages very doubtful, which led Statius to describe it as the ' Latebras Lycophronis atri.' v. 3,
157.) But from the quantity of mythological and historical informa tion which it contained, and perhaps from its very obscurity, it formed a favourite study with the Greek grammarians, who wrote many com mentaries upon it, of which the most celebrated, by Tzetzes, who lived in the 12th century of the Christian era, is still extant, and affords no small assistance in making out the meaning of this difficult poem.
Tho 'Cassandra ' was printed for the first time at the Aldine press, Venice, 1513. The best editions are by Potter, Oaf., 1697, 1702; by Reichard, Leip., 1788 ; by Sebastian, Rome, 1804; and by Bachmsnu, Leip., 1833. The commentary of Tzetzee has been published with most of the editious of the Cassandra,' and has also appeared in a separate form under the superintendence of C. G. Muller, Leip., 1812. The Cassandra' has been translated into English by Lord Royston.