A Dialogue Concerning Oratory Or The Causes Of Corrupt Eloquence Part 16

CLUNIA, a city in the Hither Spain.

COLCHOS, a country of Asia, on the east of the Euxine, famous for the fable of the Golden Fleece, the Argonautic Expedition, and the Fair Enchantress, Medea.

COLOPHON, a city of Ionia, in the Hither Asia. One of the places that claimed the birth of Homer; now destroyed.

COMMAGENE, a district of Syria, bounded on the east by the Euphrates, on the west by Ama.n.u.s, and on the north by Mount Taurus.

COOS. See Cos.

CORCYRA, an island in the Adriatic; now _Corfou_.

CORINTHUS, a city of Achaia, on the south part of the isthmus which joins Peloponnesus to the continent. From its situation between two seas, Horace says,

_Bimarisve Corinthi mnia._

The city was taken and burnt to the ground by Mummius the Roman general, A.U.C. 608. It was afterwards restored to its ancient splendour, and made a Roman colony. It retains the name of _Corinth_.

CORMA, a river in Asia; mentioned by Tacitus only.

CORSICA, an island in the part of the Mediterranean called the Sea of Liguria, in length from north to south about a hundred and fifty miles, and about fifty where broadest. To the south it is separated from Sardinia by a narrow channel.

COS, or COOS, one of the islands called the Cyclades, in the aegean sea, famous for being the birth-place of Apelles; now _Stan Co_.

COSA, a promontory of Etruria; now _Mont Argentaro_, in Tuscany.

CREMERA, a river of Tuscany, falling into the Tiber a little to the north of Rome, rendered famous by the slaughter of the Fabii.

CREMONA, a city of Italy, built A.U.C. 536, and afterwards, in the year 822, rased to the ground by the army of Vespasian, in the war with Vitellius. It was soon rebuilt by the citizens, with the exhortations of Vespasian. It is now a flouris.h.i.+ng city in the duchy of Milan, and retains the name of Cremona.

c.u.mae, a town of Campania, near Cape Misenum, famous for the cave of the c.u.maean Sibyl.

CUSUS, a river in Hungary, that falls into the Danube.

CYCLADES, a cl.u.s.ter of islands in the aegean sea, so called from _Cyclus_, the orb in which they lie. Their names and number are not ascertained. Strabo reckons sixteen.

CYME, a maritime town of aeolia in Asia.

CYPRUS, a n.o.ble island opposite to the coast of Syria, formerly sacred to Venus, whence she was called the Cyprian G.o.ddess.

CYRENE (now called _Curin_), the capital of Cyrenaica, a district of Africa, now the _Desert of Barca_. It stood about eleven miles from the sea, and had an excellent harbour.

CYTHERA, an island situated on the coast of Peloponnesus formerly sacred to Venus, and thence her name of _Cytherea_. The island is now called _Cerigo_.

CYTHNUS, one of the islands called the Cyclades, in the aegean Sea.

CYZICUS, a city of Mysia, in the Hither Asia, rendered famous by the long siege of Mithridates, which at last was raised by Lucullus.

D.

DACIA, a country extending between the Danube and the Carpathian mountains to the mouth of the Danube, and to the Euxine, comprising a part of Upper Hungary, Transylvania, and Moldavia. The inhabitants to the west, towards Germany, were called _Daci_; those to the east towards the Euxine were called _Getae_. The whole country was reduced by Trajan to a Roman province.

DAHae, a people of Scythia, to the south of the Caspian, with the Ma.s.sagetae on the east. Virgil calls them _indomitique Dahae_.

DALMATIA, an extensive country bordering on Macedonia and Maesia, and having the Adriatic to the south.

DANDARIDae, a people bordering on the Euxine. Brotier says that some vestiges of the nation, and its name, still exist at a place called _Dandars_.

DANUBE, the largest river in Europe. It rises in Suabia, and after visiting Bavaria, Austria, Hungary, and taking thence a prodigious circuit, falls at last into the Black or Euxine sea. See Manners of the Germans, s. 1. note g.

DELOS, the central island of the Cyclades, famous in mythology for the birth of Apollo and Diana.

DELPHI, a famous inland town of Phocis in Greece, with a temple and oracle of Apollo, situate near the foot of Mount Parna.s.sus.

DENTHELIATE LANDS, a portion of the Peloponnesus that lay between Laconia and Messenia; often disputed by those states.

DERMONA, a river of Gallia Transpadana; it runs into the Ollius (now _Oglio_), and through that channel into the Po.

DIVODURUM, a town in Gallia Belgica, situate on the Moselle, on the spot where _Metz_ now stands.

DONUSA, or DONYSA, an island in the aegean sea, not far from _Naxos_.

Virgil has, _Bacchatamque jugis Naxon, viridemque Donysam_.

DYRRACHIUM, a town on the coast of Illyric.u.m. Its port answered to that of Brundusium, affording a convenient pa.s.sage to Italy.

E.

ECBATANA, the capital of Media; now _Hamedan_.

EDESSA, a town of Mesopotamia; now _Orrhoa_, or _Orfa_.

ELEPHANTINE, an island in the Nile, not far from Syene; at which last place stood the most advanced Roman garrison, _Not.i.tia Imperii_.

ELEUSIS, a district of Attica near the sea-coast, sacred to Ceres, where the Eleusinian mysteries were performed; now in ruins.

ELYMaeI, a people bordering on the gulf of Persia.

EMERITA, a city of Spain; now _Merida_ in the province of _Estramadoura_.

EPHESUS, an ancient and celebrated city of Ionia, in Asia Minor; now _Efeso_. It was the birth-place of Herac.l.i.tus, the weeping philosopher.

EPIDAPHNE, a town in Syria, not far from Antioch.

EPOREDIA, a town at the foot of the Alps, afterwards a Roman colony; now _Jurea_, or _Jura_, a city of Piedmont.

ERINDE, a river of Asia, mentioned by Tacitus only.