an ingenious Athenian artist, who invented divers mechanical instruments, as the saw, &c., and made walking statues, with their eyes rolling as if alive. He threw his brother's son out of a window, for fear he should excel him in his art, because he had invented the potter's wheel: whereupon he fled into Crete to king Minos, and carried his son Icarus along with him. There he built the celebrated labyrinth; in which he and his son were shut up, because of his having served Pasiphaë the queen in her base amours: he, however, made himself and his son wings, by which he escaped; but his son not observing his directions, fell into the sea and was drowned. He fled to Cocalus king of Egypt, who caused him to be choked in a stove, to prevent Minos's making war against him on his account. He is said to have lived about the year 2600. He made many famous works at Memphis in Egypt, where the inhabitants paid him divine honours.