Chiron, a centaur, half a man and half a horse, son of Philyra and Saturn, who had changed himself into a horse, to escape the inquiries of his wife Rhea. Chiron was famous for his knowledge of music, medicine, and shooting. He taught mankind the use of plants and medicinal herbs: and he instructed in all the polite arts the greatest heroes of his age; such as Achilles, Æsculapius, Hercules, Jason, Peleus, Æneas, &c. He was wounded on the knee by a poisoned arrow, by Hercules, in his pursuit of the centaurs. Hercules flew to his assistance; but as the wound was incurable, and the cause of the most excruciating pains, Chiron begged Jupiter to deprive him of immortality. His prayers were heard, and he was placed by the god among the constellations, under the name of Sagittarius. Hesiod, Shield of Heracles.—Homer, Iliad, bk. 11.—Pausanias, bk. 3, ch. 18; bk. 5, ch. 19; bk. 9, ch. 31.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 2, li. 676.—Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 5; bk. 3, ch. 13.—Horace, epode 13.
Chloe, a surname of Ceres at Athens. Her yearly festivals, called Chloeia, were celebrated with much mirth and rejoicing, and a ram was always sacrificed to her. The name of Chloe is supposed to bear the same signification as Flava, so often applied to the goddess of corn. The name, from its signification (χλοη, herba virens), has generally been applied to women possessed of beauty and of simplicity.
Chloreus, a priest of Cybele, who came with Æneas into Italy, and was killed by Turnus. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 11, li. 768.——Another, &c.
Chloris, the goddess of flowers, who married Zephyrus. She is the same as Flora. Ovid, Fasti, bk. 5.——A daughter of Amphion, son of Jasus and Persephone, who married Neleus king of Pylos, by whom she had one daughter and 12 sons, who all, except Nestor, were killed by Hercules. Homer, Odyssey, bk. 11, li. 280.—Pausanias, bk. 2, ch. 21; bk. 9, ch. 36.——A prostitute, &c. Horace, bk. 3, ode 15.
Chlorus, a river of Cilicia. Pliny, bk. 5, ch. 27.——Constantine, one of the Cæsars, in Diocletian’s age, who reigned two years after the emperor’s abdication, and died July 25, A.D. 306.
Choarīna, a country near India, reduced by Craterus, &c.
Choaspes, a son of Phasis, &c. Flaccus, bk. 5, li. 585.——An Indian river. Curtius, bk. 5, ch. 2.——A river of Media, flowing into the Tigris, and now called Karun. Its waters are so sweet, that the kings of Persia drank no other, and in their expeditions they always had some with them which had been previously boiled. Herodotus, bk. 1, ch. 188.—Ælian, Varia Historia, bk. 12, ch. 40.—Tibullus, bk. 4, poem 1, li. 141.—Pliny, bk. 6, ch. 27.
Chobus, a river of Colchis. Arrian.
Chœrades and Pharos, two islands opposite Alexandria in Egypt. Thucydides, bk. 7, ch. 33.—— Others in the Euxine sea.——An island in the Ionian sea, or near the Hellespont. Theocritus, Idylls, poem 13.
Chœrĭlus, a tragic poet of Athens, who wrote 150 tragedies, of which 13 obtained the prize.——An historian of Samos.——Two other poets, one of whom was very intimate with Herodotus. He wrote a poem on the victory which the Athenians had obtained over Xerxes, and on account of the excellence of the composition, he received a piece of gold for each verse from the Athenians, and was publicly ranked with Homer as a poet. The other was one of Alexander’s flatterers and friends. It is said the prince promised him as many pieces of gold as there should be good verses in his poetry, and as many slaps on his forehead as there were bad; and in consequence of this, scarce six of his verses in each poem were entitled to gold, while the rest were rewarded with castigation. Plutarch, Alexander.—Horace, bk. 2, ltr. 1, li. 232.