THE 
been written for the purpose of elucidating the philosophy of 
Plato; and his discourses, treating of geometry, arithmetic, 
music, astronomy, and the harmony of the universe, may 
serve to throw some light upon the Pythagorean system. 
Part only of his work, “ De iis quae Mathematicis ad Platonis 
lectionem utilia sunt,” or that which relates to arithmetic 
and music, has been published. The remainder, which 
pertained to astronomy and geometry, is said to have been 
preserved in the Ambrosian library, at Milan. Ptolemy 
refers to his astronomical observations. Brucker by En¬ 
field. Montucla Hist, des Math. 
Another mathematician of the same name belonged to the 
Alexandrian school, and flourished about A. D. 365. 
THEQPHANES, a Greek historian and poet. About the 
commencement of the Mithridatic war, he is supposed to 
have come to Rome in his youth; and when Pompey was 
appointed to the chief command against Mithridates, he 
took Theophanes with him to record his exploits. The most 
important of his writings, was a “ History of the Wars of 
the Romans, in different Countries under the Command of 
Pompey.” Of this work there remain only five fragments, 
quoted by Strabo, Plutarch, and Stobaeus; but Plutarch is 
supposed to have made great use of his authority in his life 
of Pompey, though he does not speak favourably of his 
character. Of the poetry of Theophanes, which was cele¬ 
brated in his time, there remain only two epigrams, inserted 
in the Anthologia Vossius. 
THEOPHANES (George), a Constantinopolitan Greek, of 
a rich and noble family, married young, but from supersti¬ 
tious motives lived in a state of celibacy. He afterwards 
became a monk. At the general council held in 787, he 
was present, and was treated with respect. When Nicepho- 
rus, patriarch of Constantinople, was exiled by the emperor 
Leo the Armenian, Theophanes paid him extraordinary 
honours, and was himself banished to the isle of Samo- 
thrace, where he died in 818. His chronicle, commencing 
where that of Syncellus terminated, was extended to the 
commencement of the reign of Michael Curopalata. This 
was printed at Paris, with the Latin version and notes of F. 
Goar, under the care of Combesis, in 1665, fol. It is va¬ 
luable for its facts, but displays the credulity and weak judg¬ 
ment of a superstitious mind. Vossius. 
THEOPHANES (Prokopovitch), the son of Proco¬ 
pius, archbishop of Novogorod, a learned Russian histo¬ 
rian, and miscellaneous writer, was born at Koif in the 
year 1681, and having studied under his uncle Theophanes 
at the Bratskoi convent in Kiof, travelled into Italy in his 
eighteenth year. His works were sermons and theological 
tracts, a treatise on rhetoric, and rules for composing Latin 
and Slavonian poetry, Latin verses, and more especially the 
Life of Peter the Great, terminating with his battle of 
Pultawa. Coxes Travels in Russia. 
THEOPHANIA [Qeo<paveia, formed from the Gr. of ©ec?, 
God, and cpcavafl appear ], in Antiquity, a festival observed 
by the Delphians upon the day on which Apollo first mani¬ 
fested himself to them. 
THEOPHILUS, emperor of Constantinople, was the son 
of Michael the Stammerer, and succeeded his father in 829. 
See Rome. 
THEOPHRASTA [so named in honour of the celebrated 
Grecian philosopher and botanist, Theophrastus Eresius], 
in Botany, a genus of the class pentandria, order monogynia, 
natural order of apocinese, (Juss.) —Generic Character. 
Calyx: perianth one-leaved, five-parted, permanent; seg¬ 
ments oblong, ciliate at the edge. Corolla one-petalled, 
permanent; tube length of the calyx, bell-shaped; segments 
oblong, erect, spreading. Stamina; filaments five, below the 
middle of the tube, inserted into a membrane which sur- 
rqunds the bottom internally, shorter than the corolla. An¬ 
thers acuminate. Pistil: germ roundish. Style length of 
the stamens, thick. Stigma blunt, perforated. Pericarp: 
fruit large, roundish, corticose, one-celled, many-seeded. 
Seeds oblong, shining, fastened to a fleshy juicy receptacle 
■which is situated at the base.— Essential Character. Co- 
T H E 935 
rolla bell-shaped, with oblong, erect, spreading segments. 
Fruit one-celled, very large, roundish, many-seeded. 
1. Theophrasta Americana.—Leavesrepand-toothed, sharp¬ 
ish. Stem frutescent, one or two feet high, erect, leafy from 
the middle to the top. Racemes short, terminating, from the 
middle of the terminating leaves, many-flowered; peduncles 
numerous, curved, short, one-flowered. Seeds black, hard, 
fastened at the base but free above.—Native of South Ame¬ 
rica; in dry coppices of Hispaniola. 
2. Theophrasta longifolia.—Leaves mucronate-toothed, 
acuminate.—This is very like the preceding, but yet it is dis¬ 
tinct, in having the leaves attenuated at both ends, with the 
teeth acute and mucronate.—Native of America, at the Ca- 
raccas. 
THEOPHRASTICS, a name given to the followers of 
Paracelsus, from his name Theophrastus. 
THEOPHRASTUS, a distinguished Greek philosopher, 
the favourite pupil of Aristotle, and nominated by him as 
his successor in the school of the Lyceum, was born at 
Eresium, a maritime town of Lesbos, in the second year of 
the 102d Olympiad, B. C. 371. His first rudiments of edu¬ 
cation were received under Alcippus in his own country, 
and being sent by his father to Athens, he became first a 
disciple of Plato and afterwards of Aristotle. After he un¬ 
dertook the Peripatetic school in the year B, C. 323, his 
reputation was so distinguished, that the number of his 
scholars was about 2000. His erudition and engaging man¬ 
ners recommended him to the notice of Cassander and 
Ptolemy: by the former he was invited to Macedon, and by 
the latter to Egypt; and among the Athenians he was so 
great a favourite, that, when he was accused by one of his 
enemies of teaching impious doctrines, the accuser could 
not without difficulty escape the punishment which he en¬ 
deavoured to bring upon Theophrastus. Theophrastus is no 
less highly celebrated for his generosity and public spirit, 
than for his industry, learning, and eloquence. He is said 
to have twice saved his country from the oppression of 
tyrants; and he contributed liberally towards defraying 
the expence of public meetings held by philosophers for 
learned and ingenious conversation. In the public schools 
he appeared, after the manner of Aristotle, in an elegant 
dress, and was very attentive to the graces of elocution : and 
hence it is said he obtained the appellation of Theophrastus, 
the divine speaker. Towards the close of life, which was 
prolonged to the age of 85 years, he became very infirm, 
and was conveyed to the school in a carriage. In contem¬ 
plating the shortness of life, he expressed great regret; com¬ 
plaining that long life was granted to stags and crows, to 
whom it was of little value, but was denied to man, who, if it 
were of longer duration, might attain the summit of science : 
whereas now, as soon as he arrives within sight of it, he is 
taken away. His last advice to his disciples was, that since 
it is the lot of man to die as soon as he begins to live, they 
should take greater pains to enjoy life as it passes, than to 
acquire posthumous fame. 
Few of his works, of which Diogenes Laertius enume¬ 
rates more than 200, have reached our time: of these, the 
most famous is entitled “ Characters,” describing different 
moral classes of men, such as the flatterer, the impudent, the 
discontented, the garrulous, the superstitious, &c.; so distin¬ 
guished and described, as to shew great knowledge of man¬ 
kind. Of his other works on natural history, the principal 
are his “ History of Plants,” in nine books, which Haller 
has particularly recommended to the notice of botanical 
students; “ On the Causes of Plants,” relating chiefly to the 
natural and artificial means of bringing them to maturity; 
to agriculture and horticulture; to the tastes and odours of 
vegetables; “ On Stones;” “On Winds;” “On Fire;” 
“ On Honey;” “On the Signs of Fair Weather, and of 
Tempests and Rain;” “ On Animals which change their 
Colour;” “ On Animals which are born suddenly;” “ On 
Fish which live out of Water.” Theophrastus ranks amongst 
the most distinguished of the ancients for comprehensive 
genius and diligent inquiry into nature. The last edition of 
