If the present dedication be not in strict unison with the regulations of literary etiquette, my apology is, that in affixing to these pages the name of my best adviser and friend, I am giving utterance to feelings too sacred in their nature to be trammeled by the mere customs of the day. Nor, indeed, apart even from every consideration of duty and attachment, do I see any good reason to abandon the course which I am pursuing, or to doubt for a moment of its propriety. I might, it is true, have selected some more titled individual, and have sent forth my humble labours under more imposing auspices; but where could I have found one more ardently attached to the splendid exertions of departed intellect, or, (if a brother be allowed to express the opinion,) one better qualified to appreciate the genius and the taste of antiquity? Allow me to occupy your attention for a few moments, in relation to the work which is here presented, and the improvements, if they deserve to be so termed, which have been made in it. To the student who is desirous of an acquaintance with the general features of ancient times, the Classical Dictionary of Lempriere has always been recommended as a safe and sure guide, and so high a reputation has the work obtained, as to have passed through more than twelve editions in England and four in our own country. That it is in many respects worthy of great commendation few will deny, since, from the direct bearing which it has upon the studies of the young scholar, it cannot but prove to him a valuable auxiliary, while the man of general reading will be enabled to glean from its pages sufficient information on almost any point he may wish to investigate. That it is worthy, however, of the blind admiration which many seem to entertain for it, or can be considered as accurate in many of its details, no one who has bestowed upon it the same patient examination which I have done, will be disposed to affirm. Having had frequent occasion to refer the young student to the pages of Lempriere, I was often startled by the strange answers which a perusal of the work led him to give to questions that had been proposed, and having my atten tion thus drawn to a closer examination of the volume, I soon became convinced that it was a strange medley of valuable materials and miserable trash, of correct information and careless conjecture, and, what was far worse, that the precept of the Roman Satyrist, which no instructor of youth should for a moment lose sight of, was violated on almost every page. There seemed, indeed, to be a strange pruriency on the part of the author, and one totally irreconcileable with his sacred profession, to bring forward on many occasions what should have remained covered with the mantle of oblivion. Often, in place of stating important particulars respecting an individual or a nation, some disgusting trait of moral deformity was alone mentioned, and it was thought fit information for the youthfal student, to call his attention to things which could have no other tendency than to initiate him in the mysteries of heathen iniquity. I trust that I shall not be thought to have used too unsparing a hand in removing what was thus offensive; my only regret, indeed is, that I have allowed any portion of it to remain. Worse than idle are all the efforts of the scholar, if moral purity be a stranger to his breast, and vainly may he toil in the rich mine of antiquity, if every step exposes him to some fatal damp, which may prostrate for ever both his principles The It was with no small pleasure, therefore, that I received from a very respectable quarter, an application to edit the Classical Dictionary. Upon stating my opinion of the work, the proprietor, with great liberality, placed it entirely under my controul, and allowed me to make whatever alterations I might deem proper. incessant labour which a work of this kind required, no one can well imagine, who has not had the evil fortune, I might almost call it, of being engaged in a similar undertaking. Every leisure moment which could be obtained from the fatiguing routine of Academic instruction, and from the two elementary works which I chanced to be editing when the offer was made for the present volume, has, I need not tell you how faithfully, been bestowed upon this almost Herculean task. Application, such as this, however, could not but prove injurious to health, and long before the end of the volume was reached, I was compelled to relinquish the original plan, and make additions only where they could not in any way be omitted. The result of all this is that Lempriere's Dictionary is here offered in a far less offensive garb than heretofore, and with such alterations as I trust cannot but prove useful. The plan pursued by me has been to enclose the added portions in brackets, an arrangement which, though to some it may occasionally wear an awkward appearance, was yet the best and least ostentatious that could be devised. The number of additions, many of which constitute entire articles, is above three thousand, exclusive of simple references from one part of the volume to another. Besides these, alterations have been silently made on almost every page, in the language of the original. To some the additions may appear so numerous, as to give rise to the suspicion that many things have been altered or added in the mere spirit of correction. The answer to such is, that even now the work is highly susceptible of still further improvement, and that my chief fear is lest they who are well acquainted with these subjects censure me for having allowed so much to pass uncorrected. In making the additions of of which I have just spoken, little claim is laid to originality, if the praise of patient industry be awarded me, I shall feel myself amply compensated for the labours through which I have gone. The most important head in Lempriere's Dictionary, is that of ancient geography, and on this the largest portion of my time has been bestowed. My principal guide has been the excellent work of Mannert,* which is, I believe, little known in this country, and yet forms one of the most valuable treatises in this department of instruction. I have in almost every instance given him the preference to D'Anville, not from any wish to depreciate the merits of the latter, but from a firm conviction of the decided superiority of the German scholar. Much valuable matter has also been obtained from the geography of Malte-Brun, and from the volumes of Dr. Ree's Encyclopædia. I cannot but regret, however, that the work of Malte-Brun only came into my hands after nearly three fourths of the present volume had been put to press. The additions made to the geographical articles in Lempriere will prove, I trust, the more useful, inasmuch as the parts of the original whose place they supply were written in a manner so utterly careless and inaccurate, as, in most instances, to bid defiance to any thing short of total alteration. As far as relates to Classical criticism or controversy the best writers have been uniformly consulted, and where the limits of the volume would not admit of any extended detail, a reference has been made to such works as will furnish more ample sources of information; as often too as it was practicable, an account of the latest and best editions of Classic authors has been given, in addition to those already cited by Dr. Lempriere. The Chronological table has been retained unaltered, except that the erroneous * Geographie der Griechen und Römer, aus ihren Schriften dargestellt, von Konrad Mannert, K. Bairischer Hofrath und Prof. der Geschichte in Altdorff.-In the year 1819,6 vols. the last of which was in three parts, had appeared. The work must now probably be completed, and should consist of at least 9 volumes, making 11 in all. mode of computation established by Dr. Lempriere, has been rectified in a note at the end of the table, for the substance of which I am indebted to the Classical Geography of Dr. Butler, the learned editor of Æschylus. The table of meagures, &c. have also been retained. In addition to all that has been said, it is deemed necessary to state that in order to make room for the new matter, much useless lumber has been thrown out of the work. Of what possible value can it be to the scholar to learn merely of one individual that he was 66 a soldier," of another that he was "a sailor," of a third that he was 66 a man of Peloponnesus?" or what good end can it answer to crowd a book with the name of every petty village of Greece, unless that name be associated with some feature of her history? and yet all this was done in the original work on almost every page, to the continual exclusion of valuable and interesting matter. In the remarks which I have made respecting the work of Dr. Lempriere, I have been actuated solely by a sense of duty, not by any wish to deprive his memory of the honours which have been conferred upon it. To borrow the idea of the great critic of antiquity, he deserves rather to be commended for what he has done, than to be censured for what he has left undone. Far be it from me, therefore, to rob him in any way of the praises which are his due, -Ille habeat secum, servetque sepulcro !” I have only to observe that if in any part of my present labours I shall be found to have fallen into those errors for which I have ventured to blame others, there may be some excuse for me in the fact, that by far the greater portion of what has been added was required at a very short notice, and the labours of one day generally went to supply the press on the next. Nor do I think that I can close better than in the words of a modern scholar, "Lectores igitur etiam atque etiam oro, serio animadvertant quæ sit operis moles, quæ difficultas, quæ tandem molestia. Nisi aliqua in re gravius sit et pervicacius admissum, levioribus vitiis et queis humana parum cavit natura pro comperto habeo vere eruditos veniam daturos; et quod uspiam in commune litterarum bonum diligentius aut felicius navatum repererint, æquis illud accepturos animis et fausto omine prosecuturos." I remain, Dear Brother, Your's Affectionately, CHARLES ANTHON. A CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE, From the Creation of the World to the Fall of the Roman Empire in the west and in the east. B. C. THE world created in the 710th year of the Julian period The deluge The tower of Babel built, and the confusion of lan- Celestial observations are first made at Babylon The kingdom of Sicyon established The birth of Abraham The kingdom of Argos, established under Inachus The deluge of Ogyges, by which Attica remained The kingdom of Athens begun under Cecrops, who B. C. The kingdom of Athens ends in the death of Codrus 1070 2234 Division of the kingdom of Judah and Israel 2188 Elias the prophet taken up into heaven 2059 1571 1556 Phidon, king of Argos, is supposed to have invented scales and measures, and coined silver at Ægina. Carthage built by Dido years 1041 1004 986 975 907 896 884 1822 1764 869 1728 Fall of the Assyrian empire by the death of Sardana- 820 814 1582 The kingdom of Lydia begins, and continues 249 797 The triremes first invented by the Corinthians 780 779 Corabus conquers at Olympia, in the 28th Olympiad from the institution of Iphitus. This is vulgarly called the first Olympiad, about 23 years before the foundation of Rome 776 The Ephori introduced into the government of Lace 1493 The first Olympic Games celebrated in Elis by the The five books of Moses written in the land of Moab, The Eleusinian Mysterics introduced at Athens by dæmon by Theopompus 760 Isaiah begins to prophesy 757 1453 The decennial archons begin at Athens, of which Charops is the first 754 1452 Rome built on the 20th of April, according to Varro, 753 750 1406 1356 The Isthmian games first instituted by Sisyphus, king The era of Nabonassar king of Babylon begins 747 749 732 of Corinth 1326 The Argonautic expedition. The first Pythian games celebrated by Adrastus, king of Argos 1263 Gideon flourishes in Israel 1245 The kingdom of Israel finished by the taking of Samaria by Salmanasar, king of Assyria. The first eclipse of the moon on record March 19, according to Ptolemy 721 Candaules murdered by Gyges, who succeeds to the 718 Olympic games celebrated by Hercules The rape of Helen by Theseus, and, 15 years after, by Paris 1232 Tarentum built by the Parthenians 707 703 Troy taken after a siege of 10 years. Æneas sails Alba Longa built by Ascanius The return of the Heraclidæ into Peloponnesus. 80 The kingdom of Sicyon ended 1213 The second Messenian war begins, and continues 14 years, to the taking of Ira, after a siege of 11 years. About this time flourished the poets Tyrtaus and Archilochus 1184 1124 The government of Athens intrusted to annual archons Alba destroyed Cypselus usurps the government of Corinth, and keeps 625 68-1 665 6.59 it for 30 years Byzantium built by a colony of Argives or Athenians 658 1104 Cyrene built by Battus 630 1095 The Scythians invade Asia Minor, of which they 1088 keep possession for 28 years 624 In the following table, I have confined myself to the more easy and convenient eras of before, (B. C.) and after, (A. D.) Christ. For the sake of those, however, that do not wish the exclusion of the Julian period, it is necessary to observe, that, as the first year of the Christian era always falls on the 4714th of the Julian years, the number required either before or after Christ, will easily be discovered by the application of the rules of subtraction or addition. The era from the foundation of Rome (A. U. C.) will be found with the same facility by recollecting that the city was built 753 years before Christ; and the Olympiads can likewise be recurred to by the consideration, that the conquest of Corabus (B. C. 776,) forms the first Olympiad, and that the Olympic games were celebrated after the revolution of four years. [This remark respecting the mode of computing the Greek Olympiads, may lead to an error of considerable magnitude. A note is given on this subject at the end of the Chronological table.] |