Episode 14

I sent to Archytes and my other friends in Taras, telling them theplight I was in. Finding some excuse for an embassy from their city,they sent a thirty-oared galley with Lamiscos, one of themselves,who came and entreated Dionysios about me, saying that I wanted to go,and that he should on no account stand in my way. He consented andallowed me to go, giving me money for the journey. But for Dion'sproperty I made no further request, nor was any of it restored.

I made my way to the Peloponnese to Olympia, where I found Dion aspectator at the Games, and told him what had occurred. Calling Zeusto be his witness, he at once urged me with my relatives and friendsto make preparations for taking vengeance on Dionysios-our groundfor action being the breach of faith to a guest-so he put it andregarded it, while his own was his unjust expulsion and banishment.

Hearing this, I told him that he might call my friends to his aid,if they wished to go; "But for myself," I continued, "you and othersin a way forced me to be the sharer of Dionysios' table and hearth andhis associate in the acts of religion. He probably believed thecurrent slanders, that I was plotting with you against him and hisdespotic rule; yet feelings of scruple prevailed with him, and hespared my life. Again, I am hardly of the age for being comrade inarms to anyone; also I stand as a neutral between you, if ever youdesire friendship and wish to benefit one another; so long as youaim at injuring one another, call others to your aid." This I said,because I was disgusted with my misguided journeyings to Sicily and myill-fortune there. But they disobeyed me and would not listen to myattempts at reconciliation, and so brought on their own heads allthe evils which have since taken place. For if Dionysios hadrestored to Dion his property or been reconciled with him on anyterms, none of these things would have happened, so far as humanforesight can foretell. Dion would have easily been kept in check bymy wishes and influence. But now, rushing upon one another, theyhave caused universal disaster.

Dion's aspiration however was the same that I should say my own orthat of any other right-minded man ought to be. With regard to his ownpower, his friends and his country the ideal of such a man would be towin the greatest power and honour by rendering the greatestservices. And this end is not attained if a man gets riches forhimself, his supporters and his country, by forming plots andgetting together conspirators, being all the while a poor creature,not master of himself, overcome by the cowardice which fears tofight against pleasures; nor is it attained if he goes on to killthe men of substance, whom he speaks of as the enemy, and to plundertheir possessions, and invites his confederates and supporters to dothe same, with the object that no one shall say that it is hisfault, if he complains of being poor. The same is true if anyonerenders services of this kind to the State and receives honours fromher for distributing by decrees the property of the few among themany-or if, being in charge the affairs of a great State which rulesover many small ones, he unjustly appropriates to his own State thepossessions of the small ones. For neither a Dion nor any other manwill, with his eyes open, make his way by steps like these to apower which will be fraught with destruction to himself and hisdescendants for all time; but he will advance towards constitutionalgovernment and the framing of the justest and best laws, reachingthese ends without executions and murders even on the smallest scale.

This course Dion actually followed, thinking it preferable to sufferiniquitous deeds rather than to do them; but, while taking precautionsagainst them, he nevertheless, when he had reached the climax ofvictory over his enemies, took a false step and fell, a catastrophenot at all surprising. For a man of piety, temperance and wisdom, whendealing with the impious, would not be entirely blind to the characterof such men, but it would perhaps not be surprising if he suffered thecatastrophe that might befall a good ship's captain, who would notbe entirely unaware of the approach of a storm, but might be unawareof its extraordinary and startling violence, and might therefore beoverwhelmed by its force. The same thing caused Dion's downfall. Forhe was not unaware that his assailants were thoroughly bad men, but hewas unaware how high a pitch of infatuation and of generalwickedness and greed they had reached. This was the cause of hisdownfall, which has involved Sicily in countless sorrows.

As to the steps which should be taken after the events which Ihave now related, my advice has been given pretty fully and may beregarded as finished; and if you ask my reasons for recounting thestory of my second journey to Sicily, it seemed to me essential thatan account of it must be given because of the strange andparadoxical character of the incidents. If in this present accountof them they appear to anyone more intelligible, and seem to anyone toshow sufficient grounds in view of the circumstances, the presentstatement is adequate and not too lengthy.

-THE END-

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