Psellus
(Ψέλλος). There are several Greek writers of this name, concerning whom Leo Allatius wrote a valuable dissertation, which was appended by Fabricius to the fifth volume of his Bibliotheca Graeca, and is repeated by Harless in an abridged form, but with additions and corrections, in the second edition (vol. x. pp. 41, &c.).
1. Simon, surnamed Psellus, though a Hebrew and not himself a writer, deserves mention here, as he was the grandfather of Josephus (Jos. Vit. 1).
2. Michael Psellus, the elder, of Andros, flourished in the 9th century A. D. He was extremely learned in ancient literature and philosophy, and endeavoured to resist the torrent of ignorance and barbarism which was coming upon the Christian world. He was also an eager student of the Alexandrian philosophy. By these pursuits he incurred the suspicion of one of his own pupils, named Constantine, who attacked him in some elegiac verses, as if he had renounced Christianity. Upon this, Psellus placed himself under the tuition of the celebrated Photius; and having thus improved his knowledge of theology, he replied to his adversary in a long iambic poem, which is not now extant. Cave places him at A. D. 870 (Hist. Litt. s. a. vol. ii. p. 55); Baronius and others at A. D. 859 (Saxe, Onomast.). Some writers have stated that he was the tutor of the emperor Leo VI., surnamed Sapiens; but this arises from a confusion of the emperor Leo, who was a pupil of Photius,with Leo Byzantinus, surnamed Philosophus, the grandson of John the patriarch : it was the latter who was the pupil of Psellus. Except the poem already referred to, we have no mention of any writings of the elder Psellus; but it is suspected by Cave, allatius, and others, that he was the real author of some of the works which are ascribed to the younger Psellus, especially of the Dialogue on the Operations of Daemons, an unedited tract On Daemons, and a small work On Stones. The reasons for ascribing these works to the elder Psellus are their inferiority in style to the writings of the younger, and the traces they exhibit of the Alexandrian philosophy; but it is confessed that these reasons are indecisive. The Paraphrase to several Books of Aristotle, which is generally ascribed to Michael of Ephesus, is also thought by these scholars to be the work of the elder Psellus. (Compare Brucker, Hist. Grit. Philos. vol. iii. p. 538.)
4. Joannes Psellus, a Byzantine writer, whose time is unknown, and to whom are ascribed three poems. Constantinus Psellus, and some other writers of the same name, scarcely deserve mention. Very little is known of them, and in the statements which are made respecting them they are perpetually confounded with the younger Mlichael Psellus. (See Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. x. p. 97.) [P.S]
(Ψέλλος). (1) Michael, a native of Andros in the ninth century A.D. He was probably the author of some of the works which are ascribed to the younger Psellus.
(2) Michael Constantius, the younger, a far more celebrated person, flourished in the eleventh century of our era. He was born at Constantinople 1020, and lived at least till 1105. He taught philosophy, rhetoric, and dialectics at Constantinople, where he stood forth as almost the last upholder of the falling cause of learning. The emperors honoured him with the title of Prince of the Philosophers. His works are both in prose and poetry, on a vast variety of subjects, and distinguished by an eloquence and taste which are worthy of a better period. They are too numerous to be mentioned here. Edited by Migne (Paris, 1863).