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X E R 
X E N 
ral mass of waters; and that it will at length return into the 
same state, and pass through an endless series of similar re¬ 
volutions. 
XENOPHILES, an able Greek musician, who professed 
the philosophy of Pythagoras, and who lived at Athens, 
where he arrived at the great age of 105. It is Lucian who 
gives this account of his extraordinary longevity from Aris- 
toxenus. 
XENOPHON, the son of Gryllus, an Athenian, was dis¬ 
tinguished as a philosopher, commander, and historian. 
His engaging appearance whilst he was a youth induced 
Socrates to admit him into the number of his disciples. 
Under his tuition he made rapid progress in that kind of wis¬ 
dom for which his master was so eminent, and which qua¬ 
lified him for all the offices of public and private life. Hav¬ 
ing accompanied Socrates in the Peloponnesian war, and 
manifested his valour in defence of his country, he afterwards 
entered into the army of Cyrus as a volunteer ; but his en¬ 
terprise against his brother proving unfortunate, Xenophon, 
after the death of Cyrus, advised his fellow-soldiers to at¬ 
tempt a retreat into their own country rather than to surren¬ 
der themselves to the victor. His advice was regarded, and 
he was chosen as their commander. In the exercise of this 
duty he acquired by his prudence and firmness a high de¬ 
gree of honour; and the memorable adventure is related by 
himself in his “ Retreat of the Ten Thousand.” Having 
joined Agesilaus, king of Sparta, afterhis return into Greece, 
and Tought with him against the Thebans in the celebrated 
battle of Chaeronea, he displeased the Athenians by this 
alliance; and he was publicly accused for his former en¬ 
gagement in the service of Cyrus, and condemned to exile. 
Thus ignominiously treated, the Spartans took him under 
their protection, and provided for him a comfortable retreat 
at Scilluns, in Elis. In this asylum he enjoyed the plea¬ 
sures of domestic life with his wife and two children for 
several years, and availed himself of the leisure that was thus 
afforded him by writing those historical works which have 
rendered his name immortal. On occasion of a war between 
the Spartans and Eleans, he was obliged to abandon this 
agreeable retreat, and to join his son, who was settled at 
Lepreus. From hence he afterwards removed with his whole 
family to Corinth, where, in the second year of the 105th 
Olympiad (B. C. 359), his life terminated, at the age of 
about 90. As a philosopher, he was an ornament to the 
Socratic school by his integrity, piety, and moderation; and 
in his whole military conduct, he was distinguished by an ad¬ 
mirable union of wisdom and valour. As a writer, he has 
presented to succeeding ages a model of purity, simplicity, 
and harmony of language, expressing sentiments truly So¬ 
cratic. By his wife Phitesia he had two sons, Gryllus and 
Diodorus; the former of whom ended his life with military 
glory in the battle of Mantinea. The news of his son’s death 
was communicated to him whilst he was offering sacrifice; and 
upon receiving it, he took the crown from his head, uttering 
with a sigh these memorable words, “ I knew that my son 
was mortalbut when he heard that he had fought bravely, 
and died with honour, he again put on the crown, and fin¬ 
ished the sacrifice. As an historian, he may be considered in 
his “Hellenics” as the continuator of Thucydides, and as 
having brought down the affairs of Greece to the battle ot 
Mantinea. His “Cyroptedia,” or “Institution of Cyrus,” 
is generally regarded as a work of fiction rather than of 
real history, exhibiting, under the name of the elder Cyrus, 
the picture of a perfect prince, according to his own con¬ 
ception of the character. His “ Anabasis” (or Ascent) is 
an account of that memorable expedition ot the younger 
Cyrus, in which he himself appears so conspicuous. This 
work appeared under the name of Themistogenes of Syra¬ 
cuse, to whom Xenophon himself ascribes it; nevertheless it 
has been universally ascribed to Xenophon: but if this be 
the case, it must have been written from memory, long after 
the events, which are differently related by Diodorus. Among 
his political works we may enumerate his accounts of “ The 
Republic and Laws of Sparta ;” “ Of the Republic of Athens 
and its Revenues;” his “ Praise of Agesilaus;” and his 
“ Hiero, or Dialogue on Tyranny.” Of a miscellaneous class, 
he wrote a treatise on “ Oeconomies;” “On Hunting ;” and 
“ On the Office of Master of .the Horse.” The character of 
Xenophon, pourlrayed in his writings, seems to have exem¬ 
plified virtue and humanity, kind and generous feelings, and 
a considerable degree of piety blended with superstition. In 
his Anabasis he exhibits a singular degree of credulity and 
regard to celestial warnings, which, in his view of them, go¬ 
verned his conduct, and were miraculously verified by the 
event. For his preference of the Spartan to the Athenian 
government and manners, derogating from his patriotism, 
the only apology is his banishment. His style has been al¬ 
ways admired for its purity, simplicity, and clearness; and 
his works are reckoned amongst the most popular of the 
Greek classics, and have passed, collectively and separately, 
through several editions.— Laertius. Milan. Hist. Var. 
Fair. Bib. Grcec. Brucker's Philos, by Enfield. 
XEQUETE PEQUE, a village of South America, in the 
province of Sana, in Peru, about a mile from the river of the 
same name. It is on the road from Valles to Lima. 
XERANTHEMUM [from fij oo$, dry, and uv9o<;, afiower], 
in Botany, a genus of the class syngenesia, order polygamia 
superflua, natural order of compositse diseoidea, corymbi- 
feree (Juss.) -—Generic Character. Calyx common, imbri¬ 
cate; scales lanceolate; the inmost longer than the disk, 
membranaceous, shining, forming a coloured ray, and 
crowning the compound flower. Corolla compound, un¬ 
equal ; corollets hermaphrodite, numerous, tubular in the 
disk. Females fewer, tubular in the circumference—Proper 
of the hermaphrodites funnel-form, much shorter than th§ 
calyx ; border five-cleft, spreading. Females tubular, length 
of the hermaphrodite, five-cleft, less regular.—Stamina in 
the hermaphrodites : filaments five, very short. Anther cy¬ 
lindrical, tubular, almost the length of the corollet. Pistil 
in the hermaphrodite: germ short. Style filiform, longer 
than the stamens. Stigma bifid. In the females: germ as 
in the hermaphrodites. Style filiform, length of the herma¬ 
phrodites. Stigma simple, club-shaped. Pericarp none. 
Calyx scarcely changed. Seeds in the hermaphrodites ob¬ 
long, crowned with a five-cleft, acute calycle. In the fe¬ 
males similar to the hermaphrodites. Receptacle flatfish, ? 
chaffy.— Essential Character. Calyx imbricate, rayed, 
with the ray coloured. Down bristle-shaped. Receptacle 
chaffy. 
I.-—Receptacle chaffy. Down five-bristled. 
1. Xeranthemum annuum, annual xeranthemum, or im¬ 
mortal flower.—Calyx-scales obtuse, scariose, the interior 
ones of the ray lanceolate, obtuse, spreading. Root annual. 
Stalk two feet high, slender, stiff and branching, covered 
with a white down, and channelled the whole length. It 
varies with white and purple, double and single flowers.— 
Native of the south of Europe. 
2. Xeranthemum inapertum.—Calyx-scales acute, mem¬ 
branaceous at the edge, the interior ones of the ray lanceo¬ 
late, acute, converging. The stalks of this do not rise more 
than a foot high, and do not branch so much as the pre¬ 
ceding. The leaves are narrower, and the whole plant is 
very hoary. The flowers are not half so large ; but the scales 
of the calyx are very neat and silvery.—Native chiefly of 
Austria; the second of Italy, Switzerland, and the south of 
France. 
3. Xeranthemum Orientale.—Calyx-scales roundish, sca¬ 
riose, the interior ones of the ray ovate, acuminate, erect; 
chaffs of the seed-down ovate, awned, longer than the ca¬ 
lyx. This rises about the same height as the first sort.—. 
Found in Armenia by Tournefort. 
II.—Receptacle naked. Down hairy. 
4. Xeranthemum vestitum, or upright xeranthemum.— 
Shrubby, erect; leaves sessile, lanceolate-linear, woolly- 
tomentose, sharpish; the floral ones appendicled, with a 
membrane at the tip; branches one-flowered. The whole 
plant 
