3. Of Troas, a distinguished Peripatetic philosopher, who was the son of Astyanax, and the disciple of Straton, whom he succeeded as the head of the Peripatetic school, in the 127th Olympiad, B. C. 272; and he held that post for more than forty-four years. He resided at Pergamus, under the patronage of Attalus and Eumenes, from whom Antigonus Gonatas of Macedonia in vain sought to entice him (the old reading in the text of Laertius was Antiochus). On several occasions his counsel was of great service to the Athenians. He was celebrated for his eloquence (comp. Cic. de Fin. 5.5), and for his skill in educating boys. He paid great attention to the body as well as to the mind, and, constantly practising athletic exercises, wants exceedingly healthy and robust. Nevertheles, lie died of gout at the age of 74. He was a bitter rival of Hieronymus the peripatetic.

Among the writings of Lycon was probably a work on Characters (similar to the work of Theophrastus), a fragment of which is preserved by Rutilius Lupus (de Fig. 2.7), though the title of the book is not mentioned by any ancient writer. It appears from Cicero (Tusc. Disp. 3.32) and Clement of Alexandria (Clem. Al. Strom. ii. p. 497), that he wrote on the boundaries of good and evil (De Finibus). A work of his on the nature of animals is quoted by Appuleius (Apol. p. 42). In his will, as preserved by Diogenes Laertius, there is a reference to his writings, but no mention of their titles.

Diogenes states, that on account of his sweet eloquence, his name was often written Γλύκων. The fact appears to be that the guttural was originally a part of the word. (D. L. 5.65_74 ; Ruhnken, ad Rutil. Lup. l.c., Opusc. vol. i. p. 393; Jonsius, Script. Hist. Philos. vol. iv. p. 340; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. i. p. 851, ol. iii. p. 498.)