of the five dialects, or forms of speech, which prevailed among the Greeks. It was first used by the Lacedaemonians, and particularly by those of Argos; and thence it passed into Epirus, Libya, Sicily, and the islands of Rhodes and Crete. Pindar used the Doric dialect in his poems, as did also Archimedes and Theocritus, who were both Syracusans.

In strictness, however, we should rather define Doric the manner of speaking peculiar to the Dorians, and which afterwards came to prevail among the Lacedaemonians and other states. Some even distinguish between the Lacedaemonian and Doric; but in reality, setting aside a few peculiarities in the language of the Lacedaemonians, these dialects were the same; as indeed is shown by Rulandus in his treatise De Lingua Graeca ejusque Dialectis.

Besides the authors already mentioned as having written in the Doric dialect, we might add Archytas of Tarentum, Bion, Callinus, Simonides, Bacchylides, Cypselas, Alcmanon, and Sophron.

Most of the medals of the cities of Graecia Magna and Sicily savour of the Doric dialect in their inscription: thus, AMBPAKIDTAN, AIIOAAMNIATAN, AXEOPONTAN, AXYYPITAN, HPAXAEOTAN, TPAXINIDN, @EPMTIAN, KAYAONIATAN, KOIILATAN, TAYPOMENITAN. These names indicate the countries in which the Doric dialect was used.

The general rules of this dialect are laid down by the grammarians of the Port-Royal; but they are much better explained in the fourth book of Rulandus, where he even notes the minuter differences of the dialects of Sicily, Crete, Tarentum, Rhodes, Lacedaemon, Laconia, Macedonia, and Thessaly. The omega abounds everywhere in the Doric; but this dialect bears so close a conformity to the Æolic, that many reckon them but one. (See Müller's History and Antiquities of the Doric Race, vol. ii., Appendix.)