P H I 
PHI 
33 
yellow. Found by Pallas in the mountainous fields of 
Siberia. The defcriptions of Pallas induced the younger 
Linnaeus to refer thefe four laft plants to Phaca ; but 
Pallas himfelf afterwards removed them to Aftragalus, 
where they (land in the early part of Willdenovv’s fifth 
feClion, with others in the fame predicament. 
Propagation and Culture. Thefe plants are propagated 
by feeds, fown in the place where the plants are to remain ; 
for,as the rootsftrike deep, it is difficult to tranfplant them 
fafely, efpecially when they have remained long in the 
feed-bed. The plants fhould be left about fix feet afunder, 
that there may be room to dig between them every fpring, 
which is all theculture they require, except keeping them 
dean from weeds. See Astragalus. 
PHACE'LIA, f. [fo named by Juffieu in allufion to 
the cluttered fpikes, from tpx>ceXoc, Gr. a bundle; the 
figures of both fpecies neverthelefs have racemofe flowers.] 
In botany, a genus of the clafs pentandria, order monogy- 
nia, natural order afperifoliae, Linn, (borragineae, Juff.) 
Generic characters—Calyx in five deep fegments. Co¬ 
rolla nearly bell fhaped, five-cleft, with five furrows at 
the bafe internally, whofe membranous margins embrace 
the bottom of the filaments. Stamens prominent. Style 
fliort. Stigmas two, long. Capfule of twm cells, four 
feeds, and two valves each with a partition from its 
middle, and containing one feed in each half cell. The 
herb is downy ; with alternate pinnate leaves. Flowers 
turned one way, in upright, fafciculated, terminal fpikes. 
There are two fpecies. 
1. Phacelia pinnatifida: ereCl; leaves pinnatifid ; their 
fegments cut and lobed ; fpikes moftly cloven, oblong, 
many flowered ; corolla blue ; its lobes with a nearly 
Ample margin. Native of the weftern woods of the Alle¬ 
ghany and Kentucky mountains. The ftem is round, 
alternately branched. Leaves alternate, ftalked, appa¬ 
rently fmooth. Clutters terminal, folitary, downy, of 
about feven flowers turned one way, on partial flalks half 
an inch long. Fruit globofe, crowned with the perma¬ 
nent ftyle. 
2. Phacelia fimbriata : procumbent, omewhat amen¬ 
ding ; leaves pinnatifid with fegments undivided ; fpike 
folitary, fhort; corolla white, its lobes fringed. Native 
of lofty mountains in Carolina. 
PHACOI'DES,yi A word ufed by the ancient phyficians 
to exprefs any thing that in fize and fhape approached to 
a lentil. Thus the cryftalline humour of the eye was fo 
called. 
PHACOPTISA'NA, f. A medicine often mentioned 
by the ancient writers as a nourifhing and ttrengthening 
thing : it was a ptifan with lentils. 
PH ACO'SIS, f. A black fpot in the eye, refembling a 
lentil. 
PHAS'A, in fabulous hiftory, a fow which infefted the 
neighbourhood of Cromyon. It was deftroyed by The- 
feus as he was travelling from Trcezene to Athens to 
snake himfelf known to his father. Some fuppofed that 
the boar of Calydon fprang from this fow. Phaea, ac¬ 
cording to fome authors, was no other than a woman 
who prottituted herfelf to ftrangers, whom Use murdered 
and afterwards plundered. Plut. in Thef. - 
PHAiA'CIA, an ifland of the Ionian fea, near the 
coaft of Epirus, anciently called Scheria, and afterwards 
Corcyru. The inhabitants were a luxurious and diflolute 
people, from which reafon a glutton was generally ftig- 
matized by the epithetof Phaax. When Ulyfles was (hip- 
wrecked on the coaft of Phaeacia, Alcinous was then king 
of the ifland, whofe gardens have been greatly cele¬ 
brated. 
PHAE'DO, or Ph^don, a difciple of Socrates, was 
defcended from an illuftrious family at Elis; but, being 
deprived of his patrimony in early life, he was fold for a 
flave at Athens. Socrates, who difcovered fomething 
very promifing in his countenance, redeemed him. p'rom 
this time Phsedo became a difciple of Socrates, and de¬ 
voted himfelf to the diligent ftudy of moral philofophy 
Vol. XX. No. 1348. 
under his inflruftion ; and he adhered to the laft to his 
matter with the mod affectionate attachment. Phsedon, 
after the death of Socrates, returned to Elis, where he 
inftituted a fchool after the Socratic model, called the 
Elian School, which was continued by Pliftanus, an Elian, 
and afterwards by Menedemus of Eretria, whence it ob¬ 
tained the name of the Erelrian fchool. The preceptors 
of the Eliac or Eretriac fchools ftudioufly avoided and 
ftrenuoufly oppofed the fophiftical fooleries of the Mega- 
ric fed, and adhered clofely to the Ample doflrines and 
ufeful precepts which they had received from Socrates. 
(See Menedemus, vol. xv. p. 100.) Plato, as a mark of 
his refpedf for our philofopher, gave the name of Phaedo 
to one of his “ Dialogues.” Enfield's Hifi. Phil. vol. i. 
PH/E'DR A, in fabulous hiftory, a daughter of Minos 
and Pafiphae, who married Thefeus, by whom file be¬ 
came mother of Acamas and Demophoon. They had 
lived for fome time in conjugal felicity, when Venus, who 
hated all the defcendants of Apollo, becaufe that god 
had difcovered her amours with Mars, infpired Phaedra 
with an unconquerable paifion for Hippolytus, the fon of 
Thefeus by the Amazon Hippolyte. This fhameful pai¬ 
fion Phaedra long attempted to ttifle, but in vain; and 
therefore, in the abfence of Thefeus, fhe addrefled Hip¬ 
polytus with all the impatience of a lover. Hippolytus 
reje&ed her with horror and difdain ; but Phaedra, in- 
cenfed on account of the reception (he had met, refolved 
to punifh his coldnefs and refufal. At the return of 
Thefeus fhe accufed Hippolytus of attempts upon her 
virtue. The credulous father liftened to the accufation, 
and, without hearing the defence of Hippolytus, he ba- 
niflied him from his kingdom, and implored Neptune, 
who had promifed to grant three of his requefts, to pu- 
nifli him in fome exemplary manner. As Hippolytus fled 
from Athens, his horfes were fuddenly terrified bya huge 
fea-monfter, which Neptune h.ad fent on the fhore. He 
was dragged through precipices and over rocks, and he 
was trampled under the feet of his horfes, and cruftied 
under the wdieels of his chariot. When the tragical end 
of Hippolytus was known at Athens, Phsedra cotifefted 
her crime, and hung herfelf in defpair, unable to furvive 
one whofe death her wickednefs and guilt had occafioned. 
The death of Hippolytus, and the infamous paifion of 
Phaedra, are the fubjeCf of one of the tragedies of Euri¬ 
pides and of Seneca. Phaedra was buried at Trcezene, 
where “her tomb was ftill to be feen in the age of the geo¬ 
grapher Paufanias, near the temple of Venus, which fhe 
had built to render the goddefs favourable to her inceftu- 
ous paflion. There was near her tomb a myrtle, whofe 
leaves were all full of fmall holes: and it was reported 
that Phaedra had done them with a hair-pin, when the 
vehemence of her paflion had rendered her melancholy 
and almoft defperate. She was reprefented in a painting 
in Apollo’s temple at Delphi, as fufpended in the air, 
while her After Ariadne flood near to her, and fixed her 
eyes upon her. Pint, in Thef. 
PhJe'DRUS, a Latin fabulift, u\as a native of Thrace, 
probably brought to Rome at an early age in the condi¬ 
tion of a flave. He came into the fervice of the emperor 
Auguftus, by whom he was enfranchifed, as appears from 
the title, prefixed to his work, of “ Augufti Libertus.” 
Of his life nothing more is known, except that in the 
reign of Tiberius he was a fufferer under the injuftice and 
tyranny of Sejanns, whom he furvived. As he affirms 
himfelf to have been one who was little folicitous for the 
amaffing of wealth, it may be prefumed that his fortune 
was moderate. When he died does not appear; but there 
are reafons for fuppofing that he attained an advanced 
age. Phaedrus was the author of five books of Fables 
compofed in Iambic verfe, and with great purity of ftyle 
and neatnefs of expreffion, though with a fimplicity 
which, to one accuftomed to modern vivacity, would 
often appear flat and infipid. The matter of his fables is 
generally borrowed from AEfop, but he intermixes (lories 
or hittory-pieces of his own. This work appears to have 
K been 
