PHI 
P H I 
off to draw the figures and make the model of that part 
of the temple. 
Mr. Bankes, whofe difcoveries in Arabia we have men¬ 
tioned in the la ft page of our preceding volume, has lately 
vifited (we might almoft fay difcovered) a place called the 
Holy Illand of Flowers, the Coptic name of which we do 
not recollect; but the illand is fituated in the Nile, be¬ 
tween Philoe and Elephantine. In this fequeftered fpot 
no llrariger is permitted to enter except as a pilgrim. 
Here a number of unburied mummies are ftill to be feen, 
without coffins, and placed only in their cerements, as if 
denied the rites of fepulture. We therefore conceive, 
that it might be from the cuftom of burying the good in 
this illand, that the ftory of Charon, and the ferrying of 
the river Styx, took its rife. 
PHILQLA'US, [formed of the Gr. (pAo?, and Aao?, 
people.] A denomination under which ZEfculapius was 
honoured in a temple at Afopus, in Laconia. 
PHILOLA'US, a Pythagorean philofopher,who flourilh- 
ed in the ioift Olympiad, or about 375 years B.C. was a 
native of Crotona, but afterwards refided at Heraclea. 
He became a difciple of Archytas, and was a contemporary 
with Plato. Thefe circumftances, for which we have the 
teftimony of Diogenes Laertius, Aulus Gellius, Jamblicus 
in his life of Pythagoras, and others, fliow that Plutarch 
mull be incorreft when lie relates, that our philofopher 
was one of the few Pythagoreans who efcaped from the 
lioufe burnt by Cylon, as that deed happened during the 
life-time of Pythagoras, who died nearly feventy years 
before Plato was born. Philolaus was the perfon by whofe 
means the Pythagorean doftrine was firll divulged, not- 
withftanding the oath which he mull have taken, as a 
member of that left, to keep their myfleries fecret. For 
it was from him that Plato purchafed the written records 
of the Pythagorean fyllem; among which, probably, were 
the writings of Titnaeus, which furnilhed Plato with the 
materials for the Dialogue bearing the name of that phi¬ 
lofopher. 
Philolaus fell a facrifice to political jealoufy, for aim¬ 
ing, or for being fufpedled of aiming, at the polfeffion of 
defpotic power in the government ot his country. Of his 
doctrine our readers will be able to form fome idea, from 
the fummary which Enfield has taken from Brucker. 
“ Philolaus treated the dodlrine of Nature with great 
fubtlety, but at the fame time with great obfcurity ; re¬ 
ferring every thing that exifts to mathematical principles. 
He taught that reafon, improved by mathematical learn¬ 
ing, is alone capable of judging concerning the nature of 
things; that the whole world coniills of infinite and 
finite; that, number fublifts by itfelf, and is the chain 
which by its power fuftains the eternal frame of things; 
that thejnonad is not the foie principle of all things, but 
that the Unary is neceffary to furnilh materials from 
which all fublequent numbers may be produced; that 
the world is one whole, which has a fiery centre, about 
which the celeftial fpheres revolve ; heaven, the fun, the 
planets, the earth, and the moon; that the fun has a 
vitreous furface, whence the fire diffufed through the 
world is reflected, rendering the mirror from which it is 
reflected vifible ; that all things are preferved in harmony 
by the law of neceffity; and that the world is liable to 
deftruftion, both by fire and by water. From this fum¬ 
mary of the doflrine of Philolaus it appears probable, 
that, following Timteus, whofe writings he poffeffed, he 
fo far departed from the Pythagorean fyllem as to conceive 
two independent principles in nature, God and matter ; 
and that it was from the fame fource that Plato derived 
his doclrine upon this fubjedt.” It has been faid, that to 
Philolaus ought to be afcribed the invention of that true 
fyllem of the world which Copernicus afterwards revived. 
But that fuch a llatementis erroneous, maybe concluded 
from the unqueftionable evidence which we have, that 
Pythagoras was taught that fyllem in Egypt. This erro¬ 
neous hypothefis, however, induced Bullialdus to place 
Vol. XX. No. 1354. 
101 
the name of Philolaus at the head of two of his works, 
which were written to illullrate and confirm that fyllem. 
Philolaus taught the divifion of the tone in mulic, by 
which the dielis or leimma refulted on one fide, and on 
the other the apotome of near a quarter of atone; the 
apotome is the refidue of a tone major, after thefciffon of 
the leimma. He called the number 8 geometric harmony , 
as comprehending all the ratios of fimple concords; for 
the 6th minor being five to eight, has only 8 for its great- 
eft term, or rather as it contains the greatell fyllem of 
three oftaves, the ancients did not enumerate the minor. 
Stanley's Hi ft. Phil. Part ix. Enfield's Hift. Phil. vol. i. 
PHILOL'OGER, f. [from philology.'] One whofe chief 
ftudy is language; a grammarian; a critic.— Philologers 
and critical difcourfers, who look beyond the fhell and 
obvious exteriors of things, will not be angry with our 
narrowerexplorations. Brown. —You expedt that I lliould 
difcourfe of this matter like a naturalift, not a philologer. 
Boyle. 
PHILOLOG'IC, or Philological, adj. Critical; 
grammatical.—Studies, called philological, are hiftory, 
language, grammar, rhetoric, poefy, and criticifm. Watts. 
—He who pretends to the learned profeffions, if he doth 
not arife to be a critic himfelf in philological matters, 
lliould frequently converfe with dictionaries, paraphrafts, 
commentators, or other critics, which may relieve any 
difficulties. Watts. —Menage, the greatell name in France 
for all kinds of philologic learning. War-burton's Pref. to 
Shaliefpeare. 
PHILQL'OGIST, J'. (fee Philologer.) A critic; a 
grammarian.—Of a later age, and a harlher ftyle, was 
Martianus Capella, if he did not deferve the name rather 
of a philologijl than of a philofopher. Harris's Hermes. 
To PHILOL'OGIZE, v. n. To oiler criticifms.—Nor 
is it here that we delign to enlarge, as thofe who have 
philologized on this occafion. Evelyn. 
PHILOL'OGY, f. [from the Greek (piXuo, to love, and 
^oyo;, difcourfe.] Criticifm; grammatical learning.— Phi¬ 
lology is a kind of univerfal literature, converlant about 
all the fciences, See. their rife, progrefs, authors who have 
cultivated them, See. Chambers. —See the article Lan¬ 
guage, vol. xii. 
My lady maiftres, dame Philology, 
Gave me a gift, in my neft when I lay, 
To learne al language. Shelton's Poems. 
PHI'LOMATH, or Philoma'thes, f. [from the Gr. 
< piXeu , to love, and |U,a0)j<7i;, learning.] A lover of 
learning.: generally uled in flight contempt.—Modern 
enthufiafts and crazy philomaths. Bibliotli. Bibl. —Aik 
my friend l’Abbe Saliier to recommend to you fomc 
meagre philomath, to teach you a little geometry and 
allronomy. Ld. Chejlerfield. 
Are there not philomaths of high degree, 
Who, always dumb before, lhall fpeak for thee ? 
C/iurchill's Candidate. 
PHILOM'ATHY,/. Love of learning. 
PHILOME'DA, [in mythology.] One of the names 
of Venus. 
PHIL'OMEL, or Philome'la, f. [fee the following 
article.] The nightingale: 
Time drives the flocks from field to fold, 
When rivers rage and rocks grow cold, 
And philomel becometh dumb. Shaliefpeare. 
Admires the jay the infeCl’s gilded wings, 
Or hears the hawk, when philomela fings ? - Pope. 
PHILOME'LA, in fabulous hiftory, was a daughter of 
Pandion king of Athens, and filler to Procne; who had 
married Tereus king of Thrace. Procne, feparated from 
Philomela, to whom fhe was much attached, fpent her 
time in great melancholy tili fhe prevailed upon her hul- 
band to go to Athens and bring her jifter to Thrace. 
D d Tereus 
