Poly̆cles, an Athenian in the time of Demetrius, &c. Polyænus, bk. 5.——A famous athlete, often crowned at the four solemn games of the Greeks. He had a statue in Jupiter’s grove at Olympia. Pausanias, bk. 6, ch. 1.
Polyclētus, a celebrated statuary of Sicyon, about 232 years before Christ. He was universally reckoned the most skilful artist of his profession among the ancients, and the second rank was given to Phidias. One of his pieces, in which he had represented a body-guard of the king of Persia, was so happily executed, and so nice and exact in all its proportions, that it was looked upon as a most perfect model, and accordingly called the Rule. He was acquainted with architecture. Pausanias, bks. 2 & 6.—Quintilian, bk. 12, ch. 10.——Another, who lived about 30 years after.——A favourite of the emperor Nero, put to death by Galba.
Polyclītus, an historian of Larissa. Athenæus, bk. 12.—Ælian, bk. 16, ch. 41.
Polycrătes, a tyrant of Samos, well known for the continual flow of good fortune which attended him. He became very powerful, and made himself master, not only of the neighbouring islands, but also of some cities on the coast of Asia. He had a fleet of 100 ships of war, and was so universally respected, that Amasis the king of Egypt made a treaty of alliance with him. The Egyptian monarch, however, terrified by his continued prosperity, advised him to chequer his enjoyments, by relinquishing some of his most favourite objects. Polycrates complied, and threw into the sea a beautiful seal, the most valuable of his jewels. The voluntary loss of so precious a seal afflicted him for some time, but in a few days after, he received as a present a large fish, in whose belly the jewel was found. Amasis no sooner heard this, than he rejected all alliance with the tyrant of Samos, and observed, that sooner or later his good fortune would vanish. Some time after Polycrates visited Magnesia on the Mæander, where he had been invited by Orœtes the governor. He was shamefully put to death, 522 years before Christ, merely because the governor wished to terminate the prosperity of Polycrates. The daughter of Polycrates had dissuaded her father from going to the house of Orœtes, on account of the bad dreams which she had had, but her advice was disregarded. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 14.—Strabo, bk. 14.—Herodotus, bk. 3, ch. 22, &c.——A sophist of Athens, who, to engage the public attention, wrote a panegyric on Busiris and Clytemnestra. Quintilian, bk. 2, ch. 17.——An ancient statuary.
Polycrēta, or Polycrīta, a young woman of Naxos, who became the wife of Diognetus the general of the Erythreans, &c. Polyænus, bk. 8.——Another woman of Naxos, who died through the excess of joy. Plutarch, de Mulierum virtutes.
Polycrĭtus, a man who wrote the life of Dionysius the tyrant of Sicily.—Diogenes Laërtius.
Polyctor, the husband of Stygna, one of the Danaides. Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 1.——The father of Pisander, one of Penelope’s suitors.——An athlete of Elis. It is said that he obtained a victory at Olympia by bribing his adversary Sosander, who was superior to him in strength and courage. Pausanias, bk. 5, ch. 21.
Polydæmon, an Assyrian prince killed by Perseus. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 5, fable 3.
Polydămas, a Trojan, son of Antenor by Theano the sister of Hecuba. He married Lycaste, a natural daughter of Priam. He is accused by some of having betrayed his country to the Greeks. Dares Phrygius.——A son of Panthous, born the same night as Hector. He was inferior in valour to none of the Trojans, except Hector, and his prudence, the wisdom of his counsels, and the firmness of his mind, claimed equal admiration, and proved most salutary to his unfortunate and misguided countrymen. He was at last killed by Ajax, after he had slaughtered a great number of the enemy. Dictys Cretensis, bk. 1, &c.—Homer, Iliad, bk. 12, &c.——A celebrated athlete, son of Nicias, who imitated Hercules in whatever he did. He killed a lion with his fist, and it is said that he could stop with his hand a chariot in its most rapid course. He was one day with some of his friends in a cave, when on a sudden a large piece of rock came tumbling down; and while all fled away, he attempted to receive the fallen fragment in his arms. His prodigious strength, however, was insufficient, and he was instantly crushed to pieces under the rock. Pausanias, bk. 6, ch. 5.——One of Alexander’s officers, intimate with Parmenio. Curtius, bk. 4, ch. 15.
Polydamna, a wife of Thonis king of Egypt. It is said that she gave Helen a certain powder, which had the wonderful power of driving away care and melancholy. Homer, Odyssey, bk. 4, li. 228.