Blaesus
（
*Blai=sos), an ancient Italian poet, born at Capreae, who wrote serio-comic plays (
σπουδογέλοιοι) in Greek. (Steph. Byz.
s. v. Καπριη.) Two of these plays, the
Μεσοτρίβας and
Σατοῦρνος, are quoted by Athenaeus (iii. p. 111c., xi. p. 487c.), and Hesychius refers to Blaesus (
s. vv. Μοκκωνώσις, Μολγῷ, Φυλατός), but without mentioning the names of his plays. Casaubon supposed that Blaesus lived under the Roman empire; but he must have lived as early as the 3rd century B. C. as Valckenär (
ad Theocr. p. 290a.) has shewn, that Athenaeus took his quotations of Blaesus from the
Γλώσσαι of Pamphilus of Alexandria, who was a disciple of Aristarchus; and also that Pamphilus borrowed a part of his work explaining the words in Blaesus and similar poets from the
Γλώσσαι Ἰταλικαί of Diodorus, who was a pupil of Aristophanes of Alexandria. (Comp. Schweigh.
ad Athen. iii. p. 111c.)
