a poet of some note in the declining ages of Greek literature, was a native of Egypt; but the rest of his history is very obscurely known. "All that can be determined in relation to our author's age," says Merrick, "is that he lived between the reigns of [Alexander] Severus and Anastasius, the former of whom died at the beginning of the third century, and the latter at the beginning of the sixth." His writings were numerous, and several of them are mentioned by Suidas. One of these is described as Marathoniaca; a poem, which apparently related to the victory at Marathon. Another of his poems was founded on the story of Hippodamia; and a third, which is more frequently mentioned, was a lipogrammatic, or letter-dropping, Odyssey. "It is generally believed," as Merrick states, "that the poem was divided into as many books as there are letters in the Greek alphabet, and that in the first book there was no word which had an alpha in it; in the same manner he is thought to have proceeded through the whole work, leaving out in each book that letter by which the number of it was distinguished." The fantastic plan of this poem is well known to the English reader, from one of Addison's papers on false wit, Spectator, No. 59. All the works of Tryphiodorus have however perished, with the exception of his poem on the destruction of Troy, Ἀλεξάνδρου, which consists of 681 hexameter verses.

The first edition of this poem was printed by Aldus, in an octavo volume which has no date, and which likewise includes the two poems of Quintus Calaber and Coluthus. That of Tryphiodorus was reprinted in several collections, and not unfrequently in a separate form. An edition, accompanied with a translation into Latin verse, and some annotations, was published by Jamotius, Lutet. 1557, 8vo. The poem was afterwards published with a double version, in prose and verse, by N. Frischlinus, and the castigation of Rhodomannus, Francof. 1588, 4to. The Greek text was edited by H. Rumpius, Hamb. 1617, 8vo. A good edition, containing the metrical version of Frischlinus, and the select notes of previous editors, added to some of his own, was published by James Merrick, Oxon. 8vo. He likewise translated the poem into English verse, and besides adding copious notes, prefixed an elaborate "Dissertation on the Life and Writings of Tryphiodorus." The imprimatur of his version is dated in 1739, that of the Greek and Latin edition in 1741; but no date appears in either of the title-pages. The Greek text, with a Latin version, Salviini's translation into Italian verse, and select annotations, was edited by Bandini, Florent. 1765, 8vo. Another edition of Tryphiodorus was accompanied with a poetical translation into Italian verse by A. T. di Villa, Modena, 1774, 8vo. Two editions, with various illustrations, were published by Thomas Northmore, Lond. 1791, 8vo, Lond. 1804, 8vo. A splendid edition, including a few emendations and critical notes, was more recently superintended by Schäfer, Lipsae, 1808, fol.