a poetical composition, in use amongst the ancient Greeks. When any person of condition and quality returned home after a long absence or journey into another country, he called together his friends and fellow-citizens, and made them a speech, or rehearsed a prepared copy of verses, in which he returned solemn thanks to the immortal gods for his happy return, and ended with an address by way of compliment to his fellow-citizens. These verses formed what the Greeks call επιβατεῖον, epibaterion, from επιβαίνω, I set out. On the occasion of departure they had another analogous composition, called apobaterium.