LETHE. One of the rivers of Hades, of which all must drink and forget their lives on earth. Lucian, however, like other writers, does not trouble himself about this forgetfulness when it is inconvenient. There is also a river of the name in Spain, to which perhaps Charon refers in the _Voyage to the Lower World_. LETO. A Goddess loved by Zeus, and regarded with jealousy by Hera, who set the serpent Pytho to watch her, and induced the earth to refuse her a place in which to be delivered of her children. Posidon solved the difficulty by bringing up Delos from the depths of the sea and fixing it. Here Leto gave birth to Apollo and Artemis. Apollo afterwards slew Pytho. Leto was insulted by Niobe, daughter of Tantalus, proud of her seven sons and seven daughters; she was avenged by Apollo and Artemis, who shot all Niobe's children, and Niobe wept till she turned to stone. LEUCOTHEA. _See_ ATHAMAS. LOTUS. The plant of which he who ate lost all wish of returning home. LYCEUM. _See_ PERIPATETICS. LYCOPHRON. Poet and grammarian 270 B.C. His poem _Alexandra_ or _Cassandra_ consists of supposed oracles of Cassandra, 'of no poetic value, but forms an inexhaustible mine of grammatical, historical, and mythological erudition.' LYCURGUS (1). Ancient lawgiver at Sparta, who established the constitution and training that gave Sparta its military pre-eminence, 884 B.C. LYCURGUS (2). Attic orator, a warm supporter of Demosthenes. LYNCEUS. One of the Argonauts; could distinguish small objects at nine miles. LYSIMACHUS. One of Alexander's generals, succeeded to Thrace on the division of the Macedonian empire. His wife Arsinoë made him believe that his son Agathocles was plotting against him, and he put him to death. LYSIPPUS. A great sculptor, of Sicyon, in the time of Alexander. MAEANDRIUS. Secretary to Polycrates, tyrant of Samos, to whose power he succeeded in 522 B.C. MAGI. A priesthood among the Medes and Persians, founded by Zoroaster. MAIA. Mother of Hermes. MALTHACE. Stock name for a courtesan. MANDROBULUS. Of Samos. He found a great treasure, his gratitude for which was expressed at the time with an offering of a golden sheep, on the first anniversary of the event with a silver one, on the second with a copper, and on the third with none at all. MARATHON. A village in Attica, the scene of a great victory of the Athenians over the Persians in 490 B.C. MARGITES. Hero of a comic epic poem, formerly supposed to be Homer's. His name became proverbial for stupidity. _Marsyas_. A Phrygian Satyr, who challenged Apollo to a musical contest, and being defeated by him was flayed alive. MAUSOLUS. King of Caria, 377-353 B.C. His wife Artemisia raised a splendid monument to him after his death.