THEOCRITUS, a celebrated Greek poet, was born at Syracuse, but lived at the court of Egypt in the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus, about the 285th year before the Christian era. It is said that at his return to Syracuse, venturing to speak ill of Hiero king of that city, he was put to death by his order. There are still extant Theocritus's Idylliums in the Doric dialect, which are masterpieces in their kind, written with admirable simplicity, and filled with inexpressible beauties. The best edition of them is that of Oxford, in 1699, 8vo.