This
disease was not congenital nor produced by natural causes, for he had
been a fine boy and showed considerable ability, but Olympias
endeavoured to poison him, and destroyed his intellect by her drugs.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 394: On the subject of serpent worship, see in Smith's
'Dictionary of the Bible,' art.: 'Serpent,' and 'Brazen Serpent.']
[Footnote 395: The Greek month Hekatombaeon answers to the last half of
our July and the first half of August.]
[Footnote 396: Cf. Horace, _Carm._ iii. 22.]
[Footnote 397: Reciters of epic poems, the cantos of which were called
'rhapsodies.']
[Footnote 398: The same indifference to athletic sports, as practised
in Greece, is mentioned in the Life of Philopoemen. The pankratium is
sometimes called the pentathlum, and consisted of five contests, the
foot-race, leaping, throwing the quoit, hurling the javelin, and
wrestling. No one received the prize unless he was winner in all. In
earlier times boxing was part of the pentathlum, but hurling the
javelin was afterwards substituted for it.]
[Footnote 399: In Greek, this word is properly applied to the slave
whose duty it was to attend a boy to and from school, and generally to
keep him out of mischief. He was not supposed to teach him.]
[Footnote 400: The literal meaning of this word is "bull's head." It
is conjectured that this refers to the mark with which the horse was
branded, not to his appearance.
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