the father of pastoral poetry, was born at Syracuse in Sicily. Two of his poems ascertain his age; one addressed to Hiero king of Syracuse, who began his reign about 275 years before Christ; and the other to Ptolemy Philadelphus king of Egypt. Hiero, though a prince distinguished in arms and political wisdom, does not seem to have been a patron of learning. This is supposed to have given birth to the 16th Idyllium. From Syracuse Theocritus went to Alexandria, where he seems to have found a magnificent patron in Ptolemy Philadelphus, if we may judge from the panegyric which he composed on that prince (the 17th Idyllium). It has been said that Theocritus was strangled by Hiero, but we have not found evidence of this.

The compositions of this poet are distinguished, among the ancients, by the name of Idylliums, in order to express the smallness and variety of their natures: they would now be called Miscellanies, or Poems on several Occasions. The first nine and the eleventh are confessed to be true pastorals, and hence Theocritus has usually passed for nothing more than a pastoral poet; yet he is manifestly robbed of a great part of his fame, if his other poems have not their proper laurels. For though the greater part of his Idylliums cannot be called the songs of shepherds, yet they have certainly their Theodolite, their respective merits. His pastorals ought to be considered as the foundation of his credit; upon this claim he will be admitted for the finisher as well as the inventor of his art, and will be acknowledged to have excelled all his imitators as much as originals usually do their copies.

The works of this poet were first published in folio by Aldus Manutius at Venice in 1495. A more elegant and correct edition was printed by Henry Stephens at Paris in 1566. An edition was published at Leipzig in 1765, with valuable notes by the learned Reiske. But what will most highly gratify the admirers of pastoral poetry, is an edition published in 1770, 2 vols. 4to, by Mr Thomas Warton. It is accompanied by the scholia of the best editors, and the different readings of 15 MSS.