1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Timocreon

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TIMOCREON, of Ialysus in Rhodes, Greek lyric poet, nourished about 480 B.C. During the Persian wars he had been banished on suspicion of " medisin." Themistocles had promised to procure his recall, but was unable to resist the bribes of Timocreon's adversaries and allowed him to remain in exile. Timocreon thereupon attacked him most bitterly (see Plutarch, Themistocles, 21); and Simonides, the friend of Themistocles, retorted in an epigram (Anth. Pal. vii. 348). Timocreon was also known as a composer of scolia (drinking-songs) and, according to Suidas, wrote plays in the style of the old comedy. His gluttony and drunkenness were notorious, and he was an athlete of great prowess.