Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 1.djvu/1012

Rh 994 DERCYNUS. 2. A Spartan, who was sent as ambassador to Pyrrhus when he invaded Sparta in B. c. 272 for the purpose of placing Cleonymus on the throne. [Chelidonis ; Cleonymus.] Plutarch records an apophthegm of Dercyllidas on tliis occasion with respect to the invader : " If he is a god, we fear him not, for we are guilty of no wrong ; if a man, we are as good as he." (Plut. ApopMh. Lac. vol. ii. p. 128, ed. Tauchn.; Plut. Pyrrh, 26, where the saving is ascribed to one Mandricidas.) [E.E.] DERCY'LLIDAS (Aep/fuWiSas), the author of a voluminous work on Plato's philosophy, and of a commentary also on the " Timaeus," neither of which has come down to us. (Fabric. BiU^ Grace, iii. pp. 95, 152, 170, ed. Harles, and the authorities there referred to.) [E. E.] DERCYLUS or DERCYLLUS (AepKiJAos, A€p/ci»A.Aos), an Athenian, was one of that em- bassy of ten, in which Aeschines and Demosthenes were included, and which was sent to Philip to treat on the subject of peace in B. c. 347. In b. c. 346, the same ambassadors appear to have been again deputed to ratify the treaty. (See the Argument prefixed to Dem. de Fals. Leg. p. 336 ; Aesch. de Fals. Leg. p. 41 ; ThirwalPs Greece^ vol. V. p. 356 ; comp. the decree ap. Dem. de Cor. p. 235; Qassioal Museunu, vol. i. p. 145.) Der- cylus was also one of the envoys in the third embassy (cTri tovs 'AfKpiKTiiovas), which was ap- pointed to convey to Philip, then marching upon Phocis, the complimentary and cordid decree of Philocnites, and to attend the Amphictyonic coun- cil that was about to be convened on the aifairs of Phocis. When, however, the ambassadors had reached Chalcis in Euboea, they heard of the de- struction of the Phocian towns by Philip, and of his having taken part entirely with the Thebans, and Dercylus returned to Athens with the alarm- ing news ; but the embassy was still desired to proceed. (Aesch. de Fals. Leg. pp. 40, 46, c. Ctes. p. 65 ; Dem. de Cor. p. 237, de Fals. Leg. pp. 360, 379.) It is perhaps the same Dercylus whom Plutarch mentions as "general of the country" (toC eTri ttjs Xwpas a-Tparnyov, in a c. 318). When Nicanor, having been called on to withdraw the Macedonian garrison from Munychia, consented to attend a meeting of the council in the Peiraeeus, Dercylus formed a design to seize him, but he becfime aware of it in time to escape. Dercylus is also said to have warned Phocion in vain of Nicanor's inten- tion of making himself master of the Peiraeeus. (Plut. Phoc. 32 ; Nep. Phoc. 2 ; Droysen, Gesch. der Naehf. Alex. p. 223.) [E. E.] DERCYLUS or DERCYLLUS (Aep/c:JAos, AepKuAAos), a very ancient Greek writer, men- tioned several times in connexion with Agias, the latter being a different person probably from the author of the No'o-Tot, with whom Meineke identi- fies him. We find the following works of Der- cylus referred to : 1. 'ApyoXiKoi. 2. 'IraXiKo.. 3. AtToAt/ca, 4. KriVets. 5. Sarupt/fa, appa- rently on the fables relating to the Satyrs. 6. flepl opuv. 7. nep2 XiQo3v. The exact period at which he flourished is uncertain. (Plut. Par. Min. 17, 38, deFluv. 8, 10, 19, 22 ; Athen. iii. p. 86, f.; Clem. Alex. Strom, i. p. 1 39, ed. Sylb. ; Schol. ad Eur. Troad. 14; Meineke, Hist. Crit. Com. Graec. p. 417.) [E. E.] DE'RCYNUS (Ae'pKwoj), a son of Poseidon and brother of Albion. (Apollod. ii. 5. § 10.) Pomponius Mela (ii. 5) calls him Bergion. [L. S.J DEUCALION. DERDAS (Ae'pSas), a Macedonian chieftain, who joined with Philip, brother of Perdiccas II., in rebellion against him. Athens entered into alliance with them, a step, it would seem, of doubtful policy, leading to the hostility of Perdiccas, and the revolt, under his advice, of Potidaea, and the foundation of Olynthus. The Athenian generals who arrived soon after those events acted for a while against Perdiccas with them. (Thuc. i. 57 — 59.) Derdas himself probably died about this time, as we hear of his brothers in his place (c. 59), one of whom Pausanias probably was. (c. 61.) ^ [A.H.C.] DERDAS (AepSas), a prince of Elyraia or Eli- meia, and probably of the same family as the cou- sin of Perdiccas II. mentioned above. As he had reason, from the example of Amyntas II. [see p. 154, b.], to fear the growing power of Olynthus, he zealously and effectually aided the Spartans in their war with that state, from b. c. 382 to 379. (Xen. Hell. v. 2, 3 ; Diod. xv. 19-23.) We learn from Theopompus {ap. Atlmi. x. p. 436, d.), that he was taken prisoner by the Olynthians, but it does not appear on what occasion ; nor is it certain whether he is the same Derdas to whom Aristotle alludes. {Polit. v. 10, ed. Bekk.) Derdas, whose sister Phila was one of the wives of Philip, was probfibly a different person, though of the same familv. (Ath. xiii. p. 557, c.) [E. E.] DERRHIA'TIS (AepprnVts), a surname of Ar- temis, which she derived from the town of Der- rhion on the road from Sparta to Arcadia. (Paus. iii. 20. § 7.) [L. S.] DESIDE'RIUS, brother of Magnentius, by whom he was created Caesar and soon after put t ) death, when the tyrant, finding that his position was hopeless, in a transport of rage, massacred all his relations and friends, and then, to avoid falling into the power of his rival, perished by his own hands. According to Zonaras, however, Dcside- rius was not actually killed, but only grievously wounded, and upon his recovery surrendered to Constantius. No genuine medals of this prince are extant. (Zonar. xiii. 9 ; Julian, Orat. frag. ; Chron. Alexand. p. 680, ed. 1615 ; Eckhel, vol. viii. p. 124.) ^ [W. R.] DESILA'US (Aeo-iAoos), a statuary, whose Doryphorus and wounded Amazon are mentioned by Pliny (xxxiv. 8. s. 1 9. § 15). There is no reason to believe, with Meyer and Miiller, that the name is a corruption of Ctcsilails ; but, on the contrary, the wounded Amazon in the Vatican, which they take for a copy of the work of Ctesilaiis, is proba- bly copied from the Amazon of Desilaiis. (Ross, Kunstblatt, for 1840, No. 12.) [Cresilas.] [P.S.] DESPOENA (AeVTTOji/a), the niling goddess or the mistress, occurs as a surname of several divini- ties, such as Aphrodite (Theocrit. xv. 100), De- meter (Aristoph. Thesm. 286), and Persephone. (Paus. viii. 37. § 6 ; comp. Persephone.) [L.S.] DEUCA'LION (AeuKoA^wv). 1. A son of Pro- metheus and Clymene. He was king in Phthia, and married to Pyrrha. When Zeus, after the treatment he had received from Lycaon, had re- solved to destroy the degenerate race of men who inhabited the earth, Deucalion, on the advice of his father, built a ship, and carried into it stores of provisions ; and when Zeus sent a flood all over Hellas, which destroyed all its inhabitants, Deuca- lion and Pyrrha alone were saved. After their ship had been floating about for nine days, it land-