The history of this Dionysius Cato is unknown; and it has been hotly disputed whether he were a Heathen or Christian; but he is _at least_ as old as the fourth century of the Christian era, being mentioned by Vindicianus, chief physician in ordinary to the emperor, in a letter to Valentinian I., A.D. 365. In the illustrations of _The Baptistery_, Parker, Oxford, 1842, which are re-engraved from the originals in the _Via Vitae Eternae_, designed by Boetius a Bolswert, the figure of "Occasion" is always drawn with the hair hanging loose in front, according to the distich. E. A. D. _Time when Herodotus wrote_ (vol. ii., p. 405.; Vol. iii., p. 30.)--The passage in Herodotus (i. 5.) is certainly curious, and had escaped my notice, until pointed out by your correspondent. I am unable at present to refer to Smith's _Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology_; but I doubt whether the reading of the poem or title, in Aristotle's _Rhetoric_ (II. 9. Sec. 1.), has received much attention. In my forthcoming translation of the "Pseudo-Herodotean Life of Homer" prefixed to the _Odysseia_ (Bohn's _Classical Library_), note 1., I have thus given it:-- "This is the exposition of the historical researches of Herodotus of _Thurium_," &c. Now Aristotle makes no remark on the passage as being unusual, and it therefore inclines me to think that, at the time of that philosopher and critic, both editions were in use. The date of the building of Thurium is B.C. 444, and Herodotus was there at its foundation, being then about forty years of age. Most likely he had published a smaller edition of this book before that time, bearing the original date from Halicarnassus, which he revised, _enlarged_, corrected, and _partly re-wrote_ at Thurium. I think this would not be difficult to prove; and I would add that this retouching would be found more apparent at the beginning of the volume than elsewhere. This may be easily accounted for by the feeling that modern as well as ancient authors have, viz., that of laziness and inertness; revising the first 100 pages carefully, but decreasing from that point. But to return: Later editors, I conceive, erased the word Thurium used by Herodotus, who was piqued and vexed at his native city, and substituted, or restored, Halicarnassus; not, however, changing the text. A learned friend of mine wished for the bibliographical history of the classics. I told him then, as I tell the readers of the "NOTES AND QUERIES" now, "Search for that history in the pages of the classics themselves; extend to them the critical spirit that is applied to our own Chaucer, Shakspeare, and Milton, and your trouble will not be in vain. The history of any book (that is the general history of the gradual development of its ideas) is written in its own pages." In truth, the prose classics deserve as much attention as the poems of Homer. KENNETH R. H. MACKENZIE. January 20. 1851.