in Ancient Geography, a maritime town of Thrace, not far from the mouth of the river Nessus, on the east side. The Abderites, or Abderitani, were very much derided for their want of wit and judgment: yet their city has given birth to several eminent persons; as Protagoras, Democritus, Anaxarchus, Hecataeus the historian, Nicenetus the poet, and many others, who were mentioned among the illustrious men. In the reign of Lysimachus, Abdera was afflicted for some months with a most extraordinary disease:1 this was a burning fever, whose crisis was always on the seventh day, and then it left them; but it so distracted their imaginations, that they fancied themselves players. After this, they were ever repeating verses from some tragedy, and particularly from the Andromeda of Euripides, as if they had been upon the stage; so that many of these pale meagre actors were pouring forth their tragic exclamations in every street. This delirium continued till the winter following; which was a very cold one, and therefore fitter to remove it. Lucian, who has described this disease, endeavours to account for it in this manner: Archelaus, an excellent player, acted the Andromeda of Euripides before the Abderites, in the height of a very hot summer. Several had a fever at their coming out of the theatre; and as their imaginations were full of the tragedy, the delirium which the fever raised perpetually represented Andromeda, Perseus, Medusa, &c. and the several dramatic incidents, and called up the ideas of those objects, and the pleasure of the representation, so strongly, that they could not forbear imitating Archelaus's action and declamation: And from these the fever spread to others by infection.