Z O I 



lived in the time of Ptolemy Philadelphus, about the year 

 B.C. 270. His natural difpofition to depreciate eminent 

 charafters is faid to have been ftrengthened by the courfe of 

 his education, as a difciple of Polycrates, who wrote aa 

 accufation againft Socrates. This difpofition, which he was 

 in the habit of indulging, gave occafion to his being deno- 

 minated the rhetorical dog ; rhetorical, as his ftyle was ele- 

 gant, and dog, from his pradlice of fnarling. Both his 

 perfon and mind are very unfavourably exhibited by jElian ; 

 who fays of him, that being once alked, why he fpolc ill of 

 all mankind \ — he replied, " becaufe I cannot do ill to 

 them." Ambitious of gaining reputation, he endeavoured 

 to acquire it by degrading others ; and valued himfelf by 

 having ellablilbed a kind of claim to the title of " Homero- 

 maftix," or the fcourge of Homer. Suidas informs us, 

 that he wrote nine books of grammatical remarks upon this 

 poet. Plato and Ifocrates, as well as Homer, were objefts 

 of his critical feverity. Zoilus was the author of feveral 

 works ; particularly a hiftory commencing from the theo- 

 gony, and continued to the death of Philip of Macedon, 

 and a hiftory of his own city. His attack upon Homer 

 feems to have been an unpardonable offence, and threw a 

 {hade over every other good quality he poffeffed ; for if we 

 may credit Dionyfius of Halicarnaffus, he teftifies that he 

 was actuated by the love of truth, and he ranks him with 

 Ariftotle, and other eminent philologifts. But his virtues 

 and talents, whatfoever they were, could neither fecure him 

 from poverty whilft he lived, nor guard his memory from 

 reproach. Vitruvius reports, that when he vifited Alex- 

 andria, he recited his writings againft the Iliad and Odyfley 

 of Homer to king Ptolemy, which gave the king fuch of- 

 fence, that he would take no notice of him ; and afterwards, 

 when urged by indigence, he folicited charitable affiftance, 

 Ptolemy repulfed him with this contemptuous refleftion ; 

 that if Homer, who had been dead 1000 years, could by 

 his works give maintenance to many thoufand people, a 

 writer fo much his fuperior might furely maintain himfelf. 

 It is further faid, that the king was fo much difpleafed with 

 his conduft, that he treated him as if he had been guilty of 

 parricide ; and that he was put to death, as forae fay, by 

 crucifixion, and aa others fay by ftoning ; and according to 

 another account, he was burnt ahve at Smyrna. Vitruvius 

 adds, " that whichfoever of thefe was his fate, he well de- 

 ferved the punifhment." The penalty, however, if this 

 ftatement be true, feems to have been much more than ade- 

 quate to the offence, ^lian Hift. Var. Voff. Hift. 

 Graec. Gen. Biog. 



ZOISITE, in Mineralogy, Epidote, Haiiy, a mineral fo 

 called by Werner after baron Von Zois of Laybach. 



Common Zoijtte. — Its colours are yellowifh and blueifti- 

 grey ; it occurs maffive and cryftallized in very oblique 

 four-fided prifms. The cryftals are middle-fized, and deeply 

 ftreaked longitudinally. The ftrufture is lamellar, and the 

 joints parallel with the axis of the cryftal. The internal 

 luftre is fplendent ; the luftre of the crofs frafture is ghf- 

 tening, and between pearly and refinous ; it is tranflucent, 

 hard, and eafily frangible. The fpecific gravity is 3.31. 

 According to Klaproth, the conftituent parts are, 



Silex 



Alumina 



Lime 



Oxyd of iron 



42 



29 



21 



3 



95 



Z O N 



pale peach-bloffom red ; it occurs maffive. The frafture ii 

 intermediate, between earthy and fphntery ; the fragma-.ta 

 are very fharp-edged, and tranflucent on the edges ; it 15 

 rather hard and brittle. The fpecific gravity of this mineral 

 is 3.3. According to Klaproth, its conftituent parts are, 



Silex - - - 44 



Alumine - - . 32 



Lime - - - 20 



Oxyd of iron - . 2.50 



9S.50 



Friable Zoifite is of a reddifh-white colour, fpotted with 



Zolfite was firft found in Carinthia, but has fince been 

 difcovered in various parts of the continent of Europe, and 

 at Glenelg in Invernefsftiire. It is nearly allied to tremolite, 

 with which it was at firft arranged. 



ZOITIUM, in Ancient Geography, a town of the Pelo- 

 ponnefus, in Arcadia; 15 ftadia from Tricolons. Steph. 

 Byz. 



ZOK, SoKOR, in Geography. See SoKOR Zoi. 



ZOKOL, a town of Servia ; 16 miles S. of Sabatz. — 

 Alfo, a town of Bofnia ; 45 miles E. of Bofnaferai. 



ZOL Engers. See Esgers. 



ZOLCA, in Ancient Geography, a town of Afia, in 

 Galatia, which belonged to the Paphlagonians, and was 

 fituated on the coaft of the Euxine fea. Ptol. 



ZOLDO, in Geography, a town of Italy, in the Bellu- 

 nefe ; 18 miles N.W. of Belluno. 



ZOLDORF, a town of Bohemia, in the circle of Bolel- 

 law ; 6 miles W.N.W. of Jung Buntzel. 



ZOLERI, a town of the county of Tyrol; 8 miles 

 S.S.E. of Trent. 



ZOL-HUYS. See Tol-iiuys. 



ZOLLERN, a caftle of Germany, fituated on a moun- 

 tain, in the principahty of Hohenzollern, to which it gives 

 name ; 10 miles S. of Tubingen. 



ZOLLICKOFEN, a town of Switzerland, and prin- 

 cipal place of a diftrift, in the canton of Berne ; 2 miles 

 N.W. of BeiTie. 



ZOLNOK, a town of Hungary, on the river Theyffe ; 

 48 miles W.S.W. of Debriczin. » 



ZOLOGEV, a town of Ruffia, in the government of 

 Charcov ; 24 miles N.N.W. of Charcov, N. lat. 50° 20'. 

 E. long. 35° 44'. 



ZOLOTITZA, a town of RufTia, in the government 

 of Archangel, on the eaft coaft of the White fea ; 60 miles 

 N. of Archangel. 



ZOLOTONOSCHA, a town of Ruffia, in the govern- 

 ment of Kiev ; 72 miles S.S.E. of Kiev. N. lat. 49° 30'. 

 E. long. 31° 58'. — Alfo, a river of Ruffia, which runs into 

 the Dnieper, near Zolotonofcha, in the government of 

 Kiev. 



ZOLOTTA, or Szelotta, a filver coin of Turkey, 

 containing 30 paras, the para being = 3 afpers. 



ZOMBA, in Geography, a town of Africa, in the 

 kingdom of Congo ; 70 miles E. of St. Salvador. 



ZOMBAR, a town of Hungary ; 40 miles S. of Co- 

 locfa. N. lat. 45° 56'. E. long. 19° 12'. 



ZOMERAW, a town of Pruffia, in Oberland; 12 miles 

 N.E. of Bifchofswerder. 



ZOMUCHANxA, in Ancient Geography, a town of Afia, 

 in Ana. Ptol. 



ZONA, or Zona Uxoris Regit, a very fertUe country 

 of Perfia. It was fo called becaufe its revenue was deflined 

 for the accommodation of the queen. PUto. 



Zona, a word ufed by fome authors for that fpecie* 

 Cc 2 of 



