a remarkable tyrant, born at Crete, where his ambitious designs occasioned his banishment; he took refuge in Agrigentum, a free city of Sicily, and there obtained the supreme power by stratagem. The circumstance which has chiefly contributed to preserve his name in history is his cruelty; in one act of which he gave, however, an example of strict justice. It is thus related: Perillus, a brazen-founder at Athens, knowing the cruel disposition of Phalaris, contrived a new species of punishment for him to inflict on his subjects. He cast a brazen bull, bigger than the life, with an opening in the side to admit the victims; who being shut up in the body, a fire was kindled under it to roast them to death; and the throat was so contrived, that their dying groans resembled the roaring of a bull. The artist brought it to the tyrant, expecting a great reward. Phalaris admired the invention and workmanship, but ordered the inventor to be put into it to make the first trial. In allusion to which, Ovid says,

Neque enim lex agior ulla, Quam necis artifices arte perire tua.

The end of this detestable tyrant is differently related; but it is very generally believed, with Cicero, that he fell by the hands of the Agrigentines; and, as some suppose, at the instigation of Pythagoras. Ovid tells us, that his tongue was cut out; and that he was then put into the bull to perish by the same slow fire by which means he had murdered so many before. Others say that he was stoned to death; and all agree that his end was violent. He reigned, Eusebius says, 28 years; others say 16. After all, there is great uncertainty both as to his life, death, and history. Many of the circumstances related of him, as they are collected by Mr Boyle, depend upon the authenticity of those epistles which go under the name of the tyrant; and which have been justly questioned, and with great probability rejected, as the spurious production of some modern sophist. See Bentley, p. 177, col. 2. Phalaris, or Canary-grass, in botany; a genus of the trigynia order, belonging to the triandra class of plants. The calyx is bivalved, carinate, and equal in length, containing the corolla. There are ten species, of which the most remarkable are the canariensis, or manured Canary-grass; and the arundinacea, or reed Canary-grass. These are both natives of Britain. The first grows by the road-sides; and is frequently cultivated for the sake of the seeds, which are found to be the best food for the Canary and other small birds. The second grows on the banks of rivers. It is used for thatching ricks or cottages, and endures much longer than straw. In Scandinavia they mow it twice a-year, and their cattle eat it. There is a variety of this cultivated in our gardens with beautifully striped leaves. The stripes are generally green and white; but sometimes they have a purplish cast. This is commonly called painted lady-grass, or ladies' tresses.

Phalerae, among the ancient Romans, were military rewards bestowed for some signal act of bravery. Authors do not agree whether the Phalerae were a suit of rich trappings for a horse, or golden chains something like the torques, but so formed as to hang down to the breast and display a greater profusion of ornament. The last opinion appears to have the greater prevalence, but perhaps both are true.

Phalereus (Nepos), a village and port of Athens; this last neither larger nor commodious, for which reason Themistocles put the Athenians on building the Piraeus; both joined to Athens by long walls. The Phalerens lay nearer the city (Pausanias). Demetrius Phalereus, the celebrated scholar of Theophrastus, was of this place; to whom the Athenians erected above 300 statues; which were afterwards destroyed by his enemies, on his flight to Ptolemy king of Egypt (Strabo). Here Demosthenes was wont to declaim, to accustom his voice to surmount the noise and roaring of the sea; a just and lively emblem of popular assemblies.