MEN 
rival at this city, as they had no vifible means of fub- 
fiftence, in conformity to a law of Solon they were fum- 
moned before the court of Areopagus, to give an account 
of the manner in which they were fupported. Upon this, 
at their requeft, the keeper of one of the public prifons 
was fent for, who gave evidence, that every night thefe 
youths went among the criminals, and, by grinding with 
them, earned two drachmas, which were fufficient for 
their frugal maintenance, and enabled them to devote 
the day to the ftudy of philofophy. Struck with admi¬ 
ration at the extraordinary avidity for knowledge which 
their conduCt difplayed, the magiftrates difmifled them 
with great commendation, prefenting them at the fante 
time with two hundred drachmas. They met alfo with 
feveral other patrons, by whom they were liberally fup- 
plied with whatever was neceflary to enable them to pro- 
i'ecute their ftudies. From Athens, Menedemus, mod 
probably accompanied by his friend, went to Megara, 
where he attended upon the inftruCtions of Stilpo ; of 
whofe manner of teaching, free from all fcholaftic forms 
and arts, he exprefled his approbation by giving him the 
appellation of the liberal. Quitting Megara, Menedemus 
repaired to Elis, where he became a difciple of Phaedo, 
who had eftablifhed a fchool in that place upon the So- 
cratic model. Upon the death of Phaedo he became his 
fuccefi'or in that fchool, which he transferred from Elis to 
his native city ; whence it obtained the name of Eretrian. 
Here he taught, with high reputation, the iimple doc¬ 
trines and precepts which Phaedo had received from So¬ 
crates. In his fchool he obferved that freedom of man¬ 
ner which he commended in Stilpo: for his hearers were 
not, according to the ul'ual practice in fuch places, for¬ 
mally feated on benches around him ; but every one at¬ 
tended in whatever polture he pleafed, Handing, walking, 
or fitting. 
When Menedemus firft opened his fchool at Eretria, 
his countrymen treated him contemptuoufly, and, on ac¬ 
count of the keennefs and ardour with which he difputed, 
frequently branded him with the appellations of cur and 
madman. Afterwards, however, when his chara&er was 
better known to them, he pofleffed their efteem and con¬ 
fidence in fo high a degree, that they placed the govern¬ 
ment of the city in his hands, and employed him on fe¬ 
veral fucceflive embaflies, to Ptolemy, Lyfimachus, and 
Demetrius, kings of Macedon. Thefe trufts he difcharged 
with fidelity, and greatly to his country’s advantage; and 
with fuch difintereftednefs, that he perfuaded his confti- 
tuents to receive back one-fourth part of the two hun¬ 
dred talents which were afiigned him as an annual ftipend. 
He was greatly rel'pefited by Antigonus king of Macedon, 
who entertained a perfonal regard for him, and profefled 
himfelf one of his difciples. By the honour which he re¬ 
ceived from his intimacy with this prince, he excited the 
envy of fome of his countrymen, who accufed him of a 
defign to betray their city into the hands of Antigonus. 
To efcape the hazards arifing from the prejudice which 
this accufation created againft him, Menedemus with¬ 
drew to Oropus in Bceotia; and afterwards took refuge 
with his family under the protection of Antigonus. Here 
grief, on account of the unjuft treatment he had received, 
and difappointment at not being able to prevail on that 
prince to reftore the loft liberties of his country, preyed 
upon his fpirits, and induced him to haften his end by 
abftaining from food. He died about the 124th Olympiad, 
or 284 B. C. in the eighty-fourth year of his age. 
Menedemus ever obferved the ftriCteft moderation in 
his manner of living; and, though he gave frequent en¬ 
tertainments, at which many philofophers and men of 
diltinCtion were prefent, their fare was fimple and frugal, 
conlifting chiefly of vegetables. The principal treat which 
he was folicitous to provide, was improving converi'ation. 
Being invited to fupper one evening by a perfon who had 
covered his table with unlimited profufion, Menedemus 
filentiy reproved his folly by eating only olives. Plearing 
VOL. XV. No. 1027. 
MEN 10B 
one of his acquaintance obferve, that it mtift be a great 
liappinefs to enjoy whatever we defire; he replied, “ It is 
greater to defire nothing but what is proper for us.” 
MENED'EMUS, a Cynic philofopher, was a native of 
Lampfacus, and lived under the reign of Antigonus king 
of Macedon. The peculiarities of the Cynic feCl had at 
this time been carried to an abfurd and ridiculous ex¬ 
treme. At firft, its members, being no more than fevere 
public monitors, commanded attention and refpeCt; but, 
their freedom of cenfure having now degenerated into 
fcurrility, the order was gradually finking into contempt. 
Had any circumftance been wanting to complete its dif- 
grace, the conduit of Menedemus was peculiarly adapted 
to that purpofe. In him the fpirit of the feCt degenerated 
into what can fcarcely be diltinguifhed from downright 
madnefs. D refled in a black cloak, with an Arcadian 
cap upon his head, on which were drawn the figures of 
the twelve figns of the zodiac, with tragic bufkins on his 
legs, with a long beard, and with an afhen ftaff in his 
hand, he went about like a maniac, faying, that lie was 
come from the infernal gods, to take cognizance of the 
offences of mankind, and to make a report of them. 
Diogenes Laert. lib. ii. vi. Stanleys Hill. Phil. Enfield’s 
Hijl. Phil, book ii. 
ME'NEG, a peninfula of England, in the county of 
Cornwall, bounded on the north by the river Hel; on the 
eaft, louth, and weft, by the Englifh Channel; and joined 
to the main land by an iftlunus little more than two miles 
acrofs, between the river Hel and the mouth of the Loe. 
It contains more than ten villages ; and is about eight 
miles each way, from north to fouth, and eaft to weft. 
MENEHOU'LD (St.), a town of France, and principal 
place of a diftriCt, in the department of the Marne. The 
place contains 3394, and the canton 12,820, inhabitants, 
in thirty communes. The town is fituated in a mo¬ 
rals between two rocks, on the higheft of which is a 
caftle. It is twenty-two miles eaft-north-eaft of Chalons. 
Lat. 49. 5. N. Ion. 4. 55. E. 
MENE'JRE, a town of Arabia, in Yemen: thirty-four 
miles fouth-eaft of Loheia. 
MF.NELAI'A, a feftival celebrated at Therapnse in 
Laconia, in honour of Menelaus. He had there a temple, 
where he was worlhipped, with his wife Helen, as one of 
the fupreme gods. 
MENELA'US, the fon of Atreus, and the brother of 
Agamemnon, reigned at Sparta, when Paris deprived him 
of his wife Helen. This rape occafioned the famous war 
of Troy. See Helen, vol. ix. p. 317, 18. 
MENELA'US, a celebrated mathematician who flou- 
riflied under the reign of the emperor Trajan, was of 
Grecian extraction, but a native of Alexandria. He is 
called a geometrician by Ptolemy, who informs us that 
he made aftronomical obfervations at Rome in the firft. 
year of Trajan, correfponding with the year 98 of the 
Chriftian era. He is thought to be the Menelaus whom 
Plutarch has made an interlocutor in his dialogue “ De 
Facie quas in Orbe Lunse apparet.” He was the author 
of three books “ On Spherics,” which have delcended to 
modern times through the medium of the Arabic lan¬ 
guage. Of this work father Merfenne edited the firft 
Latin verlion at Paris, in 1664, 4to. from a corrupt copy, 
with the requifite corrections, reftorations, and additional 
illuftrative propolitions. Fabricii Bill. Grcec. vol. ii. 
MENELA'US, in ancient geography, a town of Egypt, 
and capital of a nome called Menlaites by Pliny. Ac¬ 
cording to Strabo, Menelaus was not far from the nome 
of Nitria.—A town of Africa, in Marmarica, placed by 
Ptolemy in the interior of the country between Leucre 
and Gaphara. 
MENELA'US, in modern geography, a town of Africa, 
in Barca: 105 miles eaft-fouth-eaft of Curen. Lat. 32. 
10. N. Ion. 23. 10. E. 
MENE'NIUS AGRIP'PA, a celebrated Roman, who 
appealed the populace in the infancy of the confular 
D d government 
