Menecrates

• A poet of Ephesus, who wrote of husbandry, Varr. R. R. 1, 1, 9.—
• II A freedman of Pompey, Plin. 35, 18, 58, § 200.

(Μενεκράτης), a freedman of Sextus Pompeius, was sent out by him as commander of a large squadron of ships, in B. C. 38, to act against Calvisius Sabinus (Octavian's admiral) and MENAS, the renegade. The fleets came to an engagement off Cumae, and Menecrates had the advantage over the enemy in manoeuvring; but burning with hatred against Menas, he attacked and grappled with the ship in which he sailed, and though disabled by a severe wound, continued to encourage his men until he saw that the enemy was on the point of capturing his vessel He then threw himself overboard and perished. (D. C. 48.46; Appian, App. BC 5.81, 82.) [E.E]

(Μενεκράτης).

1. A comic poet, mentioned only by Suidas, who says δράματα αὐτοῦ Μανέκτωρ ἢ Ἑρμιονεύς, where the plural δράματα suggests the alteration of ἢ to καί Μανέκτωρ, is obviously an abbreviation of Μάνης Ἕκτωρ, a title which seems to belong to the Middle Comedy. (Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. ii. p. 469; Meineke, Hist. Crit. Com. Graec. p. 493.)

2. Of Smyrna, the author of two epigrams in the Greek Anthology (Brunck, Anal. vol. i. p. 476; Jacobs, Anth. Graec. vol. i. p. 227), is not improbably the same as Menecrates of Ephesus, a poet mentioned by Varro, de Re Rustica, 1.1. (See Jacobs, Anth. Graec. vol. xiii. pp. 916, 917.) [P.S]

a sculptor, of whom we only know, what shows him, however, to have been a very eminent artist, that he was the teacher of Apollonius and Tauriscus, the sculptors of the celebrated group of the Farnese Bull. (Plin. Nat. 36.5. s. 4.10.) [P.S]

(Μενεκράτης).

1. a Syracusan physician at the court of Philip, king of Macedon, B. C. 359-336. He seems to have been a successful practitioner, but to have made himself ridiculous by calling himself "Jupiter," and assuming divine honours. (Suid. s. v. Μενεκράτης.) He once wrote a letter to Philip, beginning Μενεκράτης Ζεὺσς Φιλίππῳ Χαίρειν, to which the king wrote back an answer in these words, Φίλιππος Μενεκράτει ὑγιαίνειν. * According to Plutarch, it was Agesilaus from whom he got this answer to his letter. (Vita Ages. 21, vol. vi. p. 29, ed. Tauchn.; Apophthegm. Reg. et Imper. vol. ii. p. 52, Apophthegm. Lacon. vol. ii. p. 109.) (Athen. 7.289; Ael. VH 12.51.) He was invited one day by Philip to a magnificent entertainment, where the other guests were sumptuously fed, while he himself had nothing but incense and libations, as not being subject to the human infirmity of hunger. He was at first pleased with his reception, but afterwards, perceiving the joke, and finding that no more substantial food was offered him, he left the party in disgust (Athen, Aelian, l.c.)

2. Tiberius Claudius Quirina (Κουίρεινα † That is, belonging to the Tribus Quirina.) Menecrates, a physician mentioned in a Greek inscription (Gruter, Inscript. p. 581.9), is no doubt the same person who is frequently quoted by Galen. He lived in the former part of the first century after Christ, and was physician to some of the emperors, probably to Tiberius and Claudins. He enjoyed a great reputation, and composed more than 150 medical works, of which only a few fragments remain. He was the inventor of the wellknown plaister called diachylon (i. e. διὰ Χυλῶν), and his directions for preparing it were put into verse by Damocrates. (Galen, de Compos. Medicom. sec. Gen. 7.9, 10, vol. xiii. pp. 995, &c.) In consequence of his having observed how easily the signs and contractions used in medical formulae were mistaken by careless transcribers, he wrote the quantities, &c. in his prescriptions at full length; but Galen tells us (l.c.) that his carefulness did not much benefit posterity, as his works were afterwards written with the usual contractions. The Menecrates Zeophletensis (or native of Zeophleta?) quoted by Caelius Aurelianus (De Morb. Chron. 1.4, p. 323) may be the same person as the preceding. [W.A.G]

(Μενεκράτης). (1) A Syracusan physician at the court of Philip, king of Macedon, B.C. 359-336. He made himself ridiculous by calling himself “Zeus,” and assuming divine honours. There is a tale that he was invited one day by Philip to a magnificent entertainment, where the other guests were sumptuously fed, while he himself had nothing but incense and libations, as not being subject to the human infirmity of hunger. He was at first pleased with his reception; but afterwards, perceiving the joke and finding that no more substantial food was offered him, he left the party in disgust (Athen. p. 289).

(2) Tiberius Claudius Menecrătes, a physician mentioned by Galen, composed more than 150 medical works, of which only a few fragments remain.