POLYÆNUS, the name of many famous men recorded in ancient writers. Among them was Julius Polyænus, of whom we have some Greek epigrams extant
tant in the first book of the Anthologia. The Polyænus whom it most concerns us to know about, is the author of the eight books of the Stratagems of Illustrious Commanders in War. He was probably a Macedonian, and perhaps a soldier in the early part of his life; but of this there is no certainty. He was undoubtedly a rhetorician and a pleader of causes; and appears, from the dedication of his work to the emperors Antoninus and Verus, to have lived towards the latter part of the second century. The Stratagemata were published in Greek by Isaac Casaubon, with notes, in 1589, 12mo; but no good edition of them appeared till that of Leyden, 1690, in 8vo. The title page runs thus: Polyæni Stratagematum libri octo, Justo Vulceio interprete, Paneratius Maasvicius recensuit, Isaaci Casauboni nec non suas notas adjecit.
We have in this work the various stratagems of above 300 captains and generals of armies, chiefly Greeks and barbarians; for the Romans seldom used such finesse; and Polyænus has shown further, that he was not well versed in Roman affairs. A great number of these stratagems appear to us to be ridiculous or impracticable; and neither the generals, or even common soldiers of our days, would be found simple enough to be caught by them. Few of this order are capable of reading Polyænus's Stratagems; and if they were, they would reap little benefit from it. The book is useful to such as study the Greek language and antiquity; for many things will be found in it, illustrating the customs and opinions of ancient times. The sixth and seventh books are imperfect.
Polyænus composed other works besides the Stratagemata. Stobæus has produced some passages out of a book De Republica Macedonum; and Suidas mentions a piece concerning the Thebans, and three books of Tacitus. If death had not prevented, he would have written Memorabilia of the Emperors Antoninus and Verus: for he makes a promise of this in the preface to his sixth book of Stratagems. Casaubon, in the dedication of Polyænus to Mornæus, calls him an elegant, acute, and learned writer.