THE 



THE 



Siems raeemofe. Shealis compreffcd, broad, fword-fliaped, 

 concealing the branches, and the he:ids of Jlomers, before ex- 

 panfion. All the heads are originally concealed in the (heath 

 of a leaf." 



This can only be the Linnian jinthijlina, a genus which 

 Mr. Brown, in his Prodr. Nov. HoU. v. i. 200, aflerts to 

 have been firft defcribed by For(kall,bnt he gives no reference 

 to the Themeda, which oraiflion has caufed us much trouble, 

 and after all, leaves the matter in fome uncertainty. Des- 

 fontaines, in his Fl.Atlant. v. 2. 380, has reformed the cha- 

 rafter of y^«/Aj/?/na, and has given a figure, t. 254, oi yi. 

 vlauca, called by fome authors Stipa paleacea, which agrees, 

 as nearly as pofTible, with Forfkall's defcription. It does 

 not appear that Vahl, Willdenow, or any other author, has 

 advened loTkemcda, except Juffieu, who has merely admitted 

 it, on FordoU's avithority, into his appendix, without exa- 

 mination or elucidation. 



We prefume here to obfervc, that every correft writer 

 ought invariably to cite the page of his author ; efpecially in 

 referring to a confufcd pofthumous work, without an index, 

 like that of Fordvall. 



THEMIS, in yinchnt Geography, a town of Africa Pro- 

 pria, fituated between Tabraca and the river Bagradas. 



Themis, in Geography, a river of Tranfylvania, which runs 

 into the Alaut, near Marienburg. 



Themis, in /IJlronoiny, a name given by fome to the third 

 fateUite of Jupiter. 



Themis, in Mythology, the daughter of Coelumand Terra, 

 or of Uranus and Titaia, the eldeft filler of Saturn, and aunt 

 of Jupiter. 



Themis, according to Diodorus, eftablifhed divination, 

 facrifices, the laws of religion, and every regulation that 

 contributed to maintain order and peace among men. She 

 alfo applied herfelf to aftrology, iffued prediftions, and after 

 iier death temples were erefted to her, in which oracles were 

 delivered. She had a temple on mount Parnanus, and an- 

 ofher in the citadel of Athens. 



THEMISCYRA, in Jncunt Geography, a town of Afia 

 Minoi", m the kingdom of Pontus, fituated in the open 

 country to which it gave name, upon the banks of the 

 river Thermodon, towards its mouth in the Euxine fea. 

 Diodorus Siculus fays that it was a royal city of the 

 Amazons, and that they founded it. 



THEMISONIUM, a town and country of Afia, in 

 Phrygia. 



THEMISSUS, a town of Afia Minor, in Caria. 

 THEMISTEAS, a promontory of Afia, in Carmania. 

 THEMISTIUS, furnamed Eupkrades, or the fine 

 fpeaker, in Biography, an Eclectic philofopher, was born 

 in an obfcure vJlage of Paphlagonia, about the year 317, 

 and having fixed his refidence at Conftantinople, taught 

 eloquence and philofophy with great reputation and fuc- 

 cefs. His difciples, both Pagan and Chriftian, were nu- 

 merous ; to the former clafs belonged Libanius, and to 

 the latter, Gregory Nazianzcn. By the emperors he was 

 highly efteemed, and they conferred upon him diftinguifhed 

 honours. In the year 355, Conftantius admitted him 

 mto the fenate ; and in return for an eloquent eulof^ium, 

 prefented him with a brazen ftatue. Julian correfponded 

 with him as a friend ; and in 362, appointed him prasfedl 

 of Conftantinople. His charafter and eloquence induced 

 other emperors to beftow upon him peculiar favours. 

 When Jovian iflued his edift of toleration, Themiftius was 

 deputed by the fenate to exprefs its loyalty ; and on this 

 occafion he expatiated with elegance and liberality on the 

 rights of confcience, and the independence of the human 

 nnind. Of his candour and liberality, the following me- 

 5 



morable inftance is recorded by Socrates, Sozomeii, anni 

 other ecclefiaRical hiftorians. The emperor Valens, who 

 favoured the Arian party, treated the Trinitarians with 

 great fevcrity. Tliemillius, difapproving the meafures which 

 the emperor purfued, addreffed him in an eloquent fpeech, 

 ftating that the diverfity of opinions among Chriftians was 

 inconfiderable, comp.ired with that of the Pagan philofo- 

 phers ; and urging upon his attention, that tnis diverfity 

 could not be difpleafing to God, fince it did not prevent 

 men from worfhipping him with true piety. By fuch 

 arguments, Themiftius, it is faid, prevailed upon the em- 

 peror to treat the Trinitarians with greater lenity. What 

 an example does this Pagan philofopher exhibit even to 

 Chriftian divines ! In the year 376 Themiftius vifitcd Rome, 

 but though folicited to take up his abode there, he preferred 

 returning to Conftantinople. It redounds very much to the 

 honour of this philofopher, and alfo to the liberal fentiments 

 of Theodofius the Great, that during his vifit tothe Weftern 

 empire, the emperor entrufted Themiftius, notwithftandinjf 

 difference of religion, with the care and education of his 

 fon Arcadins. Themiftius was no lefs diftinguiftied by 

 gentlenefs of temper and urbanity of manners, than by hi? 

 eloquence and wifdom, and ability in the conduct of public 

 affairs. After a long courfe of civil honours, he withdrew 

 about the year 387, at an advanced age, from public bufi- 

 nefs ; and foon after died. Themiftius, the fubjeft of this 

 article, wlio does not appear to have ever deferted the Pa- 

 gan fchools, ftiould be diftinguiftied from a Chriftian deacon 

 of the fame name, who lived after the council of Chalcedon, 

 held in the year 551, and who was the head of the fe£l 

 called yfgnoels; which fee. As a philofopher, Themiftius 

 illuftrated feveral of the works of Ariftotlc, particularly the 

 Analytics, the Phyfics, and the book on the Soul, in com- 

 mentaries, written with great perfpicuity and elegance. 

 His "Orations," which were thirty-fix, and of which thirty- 

 three are ftill remaining, are ftrongly marked with the fame 

 chaTadlers. The beft editions of his Orations are thofe of 

 Petau, Gr. and Lat. Paris, 410. 1618; and of Hardouin, 

 Gr. and Lat. Paris, fol. 16S4. Fabr. Bib. Grsc. Biucker 

 by Enfield. Gibbon. Lardner's Works, vol. viii. 



THEMISTOCLES, an Athenian ftatefman and com- 

 mander, the fon of Neocles, a perfon of middle rank at 

 Athens, At a very early age he manifefted, both in his 

 amufements and in his literary purfuits, thofe views and in- 

 clinations, which marked the charafter and deftiny of his 

 maturer years. To thofe who ridiculed him on account of 

 his apparent contempt of ornamental accompliftiments, he 

 replied, " It is true, I never learned how to tune a harp, or 

 play upon a lute ; but I know how to raife a fmall ftate to a 

 great one." Ambition feems to have been his ruling paflion, 

 and he loft no opportunity of acquiring military and politi- 

 cal diftinftions. He fought popularity with a view to his 

 perfonal advancement ; and lels pure and difinterefted tn his 

 principles than Ariftides, his folicitude for the glory of his 

 country was fubfervient to his own reputation and emi- 

 nence. After the defeat of the Periian invafion by the battle 

 of Marathon, an event which interefted his feelings and roufed 

 into exercife his predominant love of glory, he forefaw that 

 the attempt might be renewed by fea as well as by land ; 

 and he therefore exerted his influence in rendering the Athe- 

 nian ftate a naval power. With this view, he induced his 

 countrymen to appropriate the revenue accruing from the 

 filver mines to the equipment of a number of galleys ; and 

 as he poffeffcd the chief authority at Athens, in confequenee 

 of the baniftiment of Ariftides, he found no obftacle to the 

 execution of his defign. In the courie of three years after 

 tliis event, the hoilile preparations of Xerxes for an expedi- 

 tion 



