Eclogae

Menander

3. Protector (Προτίκτωρ, i. e. body-guard), the son of Euphratas of Byzantium, was a rhetorician and historical writer under the emperor Mauricius, whose reign began in A. D. 581.

Works

History

Menander has left us an account of his own literary pursuits, in a fragment preserved by Suidas (s. v). He continued the history of the Eastern Empire from the point where Agathias broke off, namely, the twenty-third year of Justinian, A. D. 558, down nearly to the death of Tiberius II. in A. D. 583.

Edition

A considerable fragment of this history is preserved in the Eclogae of embassies, published by Hoeschel, Aug. Vindol. 1603.

Assessment

Menander is often quoted by Suidas, and is mentioned by Theophylact of Simocatta (Hist. Mauric. 1.3), who continued his history, and by Constantinus Porphyrogenitus (Them. 1.2). According to Niebuhr (Dexipp. p. 281), he may be trusted as an historian, but his style is a close imitation of Agathias, varied by occasional ridiculous attempts at fine writing. (Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. vii. pp. 540, 541; Vossius, de Hist. Graec. p. 329, ed. Westermann.)

Epigram

There is one epigram by him in the Greek Anthology. (Jacobs, vol. xiii. p. 916.)

Other writers named Menander

A few insignificant writers of the same name are mentioned by Fabricius (Bibl. Graec. vol. ii. p. 454) and Meineke (Menand. et Philem. Raliq. pp. xxxvii.--xxxix.)

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