DITE. Dictys Cretensis, the supposed author of Ephemeridos belli Troiani (A Journal of the Trojan War), said he accompanied Idomeneus the Cretan to the war. The work, however, dates probably from the fourth century of our era. There are two sets of manuscripts: one group is introduced by a preface, the other group by a letter in which the author claims to be the Latin translator of the original Greek of Dictys. Benoît de Sainte-Maure and Guido de Columnis used both Dictys and Dares for their versions of the Trojan War story. Dictys's Journal is longer than Dares's History and devotes much time to how the Greeks returned to their homeland.

The Tytus of HF III.1467 is probably Dictys, since his name is coupled with Dares. E.K. Rand suggests that Chaucer means Livy, but that is unlikely. Dite is one of the sources for the story of Troilus, Tr I.146, but clearly Chaucer never read Ephemeridos belli Troiani. He follows Benoît and Guido, who make several references to Dares and Dictys as their sources. The main source for Chaucer's Troilus is Boccaccio's Il Filostrato (1333-1339). [Dares Frygius]

Dite, a contraction, appears in final rhyming position, Tr I.146.