182 
PLI]!^^T's IS^ATUEAL HISTOET. 
[Book YIL 
CHAP. 37. (37.) ^TAMES OF MEN WHO HATE EXCELLED IN THE 
ARTS, ASTEOLOGT, GEAMMAE, AND MEDICINE. 
Innumerable are the men who have excelled in the various 
arts; we may, however, take a cursory survey of them, by 
citing the names of the principal ones. Berosus excelled in 
astrology ; and on account of his divinations and predictions, 
a public statue was erected in his honour by the Athenians. 
Apollodorus, for his skill as a grammarian, had public honours 
decreed him by the Amphictyonic Council of Greece. Hip- 
pocrates excelled in medicine ; before its arrival, he pre- 
dicted the plague, which afterwards came from Illyria, and 
sent his pupils to various cities, to give their assistance. 
As an acknowledgment of his merit, Greece decreed him the 
same honours as to Hercules.^^ King Ptolemy rewarded a 
similar degree of skill in the person of Cleombrotus of Ceos, 
by a donation of one hundred talents, at the Megalensian 
games, he having succeeded in saving the life of King Anti- 
ochus.^^ Critobulus also rendered himself extremely famous, 
by extracting an arrow from the eye of King Philip with so 
2^ Pliny again speaks of the great talents of Hippocrates, B. xxvi. c. 6, 
and B. xxix. c. 2. — B. 
We have an account of the origin of these games in Livy, B. xxix. c. 
U.—B. 
Cleombrotus is supposed to be the same person who is mentioned in B. 
xxix. c. 3, as Erasistratus, the grandson of Aristotle. From Suidas we 
learn that a near relative of his was called Cleombrotus, though, from his 
perplexed language, it is impossible to say whether father or uncle. The 
story to which Pliny is supposed here to refer is a curious one. Antio- 
chus, the son of Seleucus Nicator, fell in love with Stratonice, whom his 
father had married in his old age, but struggled to conceal his passion. 
The skilful physician discovered the nature of his disease ; upon which, he 
reported to Seleucus that it was incurable, for that he was in love, and it 
was impossible that his passion could be gratified. The king, greatly 
surprised, inquired who the lady was ; to which Erasistratus replied that 
it was his own wife ; whereupon Seleucus began to try and persuade him 
to give her up to his son. The physician upon this asked him if he would 
do so himself, if it were his own wife. Seleucus declared that he would ; 
upon which Erasistratus disclosed to him the truth. Seleucus not only 
gave up Stratonice to his son, but resigned to him several provinces. 
Erasistratus was one of the most famous physicians and anatomists of 
antiquity. 
It was on this occasion that a label was said to have been fastened on 
the arrow, inscribed, *'To Philip's right eye." The inhabitants were per- 
