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suspected the dispositions of Dion. This suspicion Plato could not remove, though he took much pains to do so. As the result of these intrigues Dion was taken off by guile in a ship, and set down on the coast of Italy. When this took place Plato had been three months at the court. All the friends of Dion were thrown into consternation in consequence of this unexpected occurrence, and in the anticipation of no happy fate from the suspicious Dionysius. Even a report went over Syracuse that Plato was about to be executed as the author of all these troubles. The sympathy which the friends of Dion felt in his fate, the movements which were on foot in the city, where the discontented now hoped for nothing less than an entire revolution, appeared to Dionysius to betoken no little danger to himself. In order to avert it, he assumed a very friendly air towards Dion's friends, particularly Plato, and requested him most earnestly to remain with him. But at the same time he made such arrangements as to compel Plato to stay, though he might be unwilling, for he placed him in a castle where, without his knowledge, no one could go in or out. Reports were immediately current in Syracuse that Plato and Dionysius were on more intimate terms of friendship than ever before. No one would come to any other conclusion, who looked merely at external appearances. For Dionysius attached himself more and more to the philosopher, and appeared to find increasing pleasure in his society. He became extremely jealous because Plato entertained a better esteem for Dion than for himself, and gave him a higher place in his friendship. From this rank Dionysius wished to degrade Dion in order to elevate himself. He would gladly have indemnified Plato for this loss with the office of first minister if he could have accepted it without prejudice to his principles. But Plato maintained steadfastly his honor. He would not have hesitated to put Dionysius on an equal footing in respect to friendship and esteem, if the latter would have elevated his character to that of Plato by means of true love and inclination for philosophy, or could he have been imbued with a similar mode of thinking. This was the object of Plato's journey, and he labored incessantly, though in vain, to accomplish it. Dionysius, at this period, was very reserved and distrustful. Philistus and his faction had infused into him an inextinguishable suspicion, as though Plato's labors were wholly directed to this point, namely, to remove the king's solicitude, until in the mean time, Dion could get possession of the

government.1 Plato, at length, earnestly pressed for permission to depart. Meanwhile Dionysius was involved in a war, and in consequence gave his consent the more willingly. Still he compelled Plato to promise that he would return so soon as peace should be restored. Plato assented to it; for what had a refusal availed him? but still on the condition that Dion should return with him to his native land.2 Plato then went back to Athens. Speusippus, however, remained, as it appears, in Syracuse.3 Plato had previously established certain relations between Dionysius, Archytas and other Pythagoreans, which had great influence on his subsequent fates.4 In political affairs Plato interfered but very little, especially because he foresaw that his proposals would not be carried into effect. There was the additional circumstance, that after the banishment of Dion, his influence was far less than it had been before, and the opposite party were only too much rejoiced to lay to his account all those measures and acts of the government, which notwithstanding might be wholly at variance with the laws of justice and the maxims of Plato. In this way they accomplished two objects; they freed themselves from all public reproach, and they turned upon Plato the hatred of the people. Still Plato, as long as he enjoyed through the presence of Dion an unobstructed sphere of action, turned his efforts to the improvement of the form of government, and to the supplying of its manifest deficiencies. It is probable that he advised Dionysius at this time, to reestablish the Greek republics in Sicily, to give them good laws and constitutions, so that they might live with one another in harmony and friendship, and make common cause against the assaults of the Carthaginians. He counselled him also further to change the despotic form of government into a regal, that is, into such a form as would be itself in subjection to general laws.5 He added some prefaces and introductions to the laws, but which, as he says, contained some other additions, from whose hand he knows not.6

1 Plut. loc. cit. Epist. 7. 112. ·

Epist. 7. 103-106.

3 Epist. 2. 73.

Epist. 3. 75. 7. 111.

Epist. 3. 77, 78. Plut. Dion. 962, 964.

4 Epist. 7. 123, 125. Plut. Dion. 965,
6 Epist. 3. 76.

CHAPTER VI.

THIRD RESIDENCE IN SYRACUSE.

When Plato returned to Athens, he found Dion in that city, where he had never before met him. Dion here sought to improve his character; and as he had in his manner something gloomy and severe, Plato advised him to acquire by constant intercourse with Speusippus habits of amenity and grace. At this time Plato exhibited a chorus to the Athenians in his best manner.2 Dion bore all the necessary expenses, while Plato rejoiced to grant him this opportunity to secure for himself the good will of the Athenians.3 In the meantime Plato still carried on a correspondence with Dionysius. He still cherished the hope that when the war was ended, Dionysius would invite Dion back, while he also desired that in the interval the king would cherish no unfriendly feelings towards him. Consequently Plato did everything which was in his power to suppress his displeasure. He still retained the hope that he should entirely reconcile them with each other, and he held the claim of Dionysius to be reasonable so long as he did not become openly faithless to his word. As soon as peace was restored in Sicily, Dionysius wrote to Plato that he ought now, in conformity with his promise, to come again to the Syracusan court, but added that Dion must wait another year. Though Dion urged Plato to gratify the desire of the prince, for the report was current that Dionysius was now more than ever interested in philosophy, still Plato without hesitation refused, as he was now becoming old, and Dionysius had not kept his word.5 In the mean time, it mortified the king extremely that he had received a negative answer, and he believed that every body would see that it was because Plato entertained no good opinion of his character, or of conduct towards the philosophers. In order to make good this deficiency, he invited to his court in an ambitious manner, according to the testimony of Plutarch, other philosophers, who had only a measure of celebrity, or he enticed them by the good reception which he gave them. About this time too Archytas came from Tarentum to

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Syracuse. All these men, together with other friends of Dion, who had obtained some scattered fragments of the Platonic philosophy, often engaged with Dionysius in conversation on philosophical subjects, on the supposition that he was thoroughly initiated into the Platonic system. This was very flattering to the king, though he suffered not a little shame, as he had betrayed his ignorance before the eyes of all. His mortified pride allowed him no rest, until he had sought anew every means to prevail on Plato to come once more to his court. Here we must remember that it was not so much a longing after mental cultivation, as it was pride, which thought itself scorned, together with the hope of gaining that preeminence himself in the friendship of Plato, which Dion had maintained, that operated as a motive on Dionysius. From this trait in the character of Dionysius, and also from the weakness which allowed him to be controlled by others, the nature of the results of Plato's first and second journeys may be perfectly comprehended.

Dionysius now despatched for the third time a three-rowed galley for Plato, with a letter, in which he very earnestly pressed him to come to him, and on the subject of the condition respecting Dion, he promised to do whatever Plato might desire. At the same time came many friends of Dion and of Plato from Sicily, who urged him to undertake the journey. Dionysius, in order to leave nothing untried, had induced Archytas and the other Pythagoreans to despatch urgent letters of invitation to Plato. In Athens also no incitement was wanting. All his friends, particularly Dion who had received an explicit charge to this effect from his wife and sister, urged him to decide in favor of going. Entreaties and urgent requests from so many quarters, friendship for Dion and the Pythagoreans, the desire once more to reconcile Dion and Dionysius, and as far as possible to improve the character of the latter,-all these things taken together induced him at length to undertake this second journey, although he himself predicted no very favorable issue.

At his coming every patriot in Sicily rejoiced, hoping that he would now get the victory over Philistus, and philosophy over despotism.2 But the result did not correspond with these general wishes. From the first, Plato considered it necessary to put Dionysius to the test, in order to determine whether his anxiety for philosophical attain2 Epist. 3. 78. 7. 124-126. Plut. 1. c.

1 Epist. 7. 124. Plut. loc. cit. 3 Plut. 1. c.

ments was really as great as it had been represented to him. When, however, he had held conversations with the king, and had exhibited the difficulties as well as the dignity of the subject, and had stated some of the higher positions of the philosophy, Plato became convinced at once, that the king's desire for knowledge was not pure and genuine, but flowed from pride, ambition and self-love. Hence he would not confess his ignorance, but gave himself the airs of one who already knew everything. Plato therefore entirely gave up the undertakking. Rather he now commenced his negotiations in respect to Dion, and desired that Dionysius in accordance with his promise would invite him again to Sicily and restore to him the free use of his estate. But Dionysius gave no heed to the matter; on the contrary, he forbade the guardians who had been placed over the estate, to take care of it, or to transmit the income to Dion in the Peloponnesus, since, as Dionysius said, the estate did not belong to Dion, but to his son, of whom he himself as his uncle was lawful guardian. Plato, in the highest degree displeased and dissatisfied not only with the king but with himself and with those who had induced him to undertake this journey, made immediate preparations for his departure, as it was now the season of summer when the ships sailed away. Dionysius indeed was very earnest that he would remain longer, but he adhered to his determination. The king now thought of other means by which he might change his purpose. For he believed that his own reputation would suffer, if Plato departed so soon, and his ambition was only directed to this point, namely, that the philosopher, who was an inmate of his house, should become his special friend, and should prefer him to Dion. In respect to the means of effecting this, he behaved like a despot, who regards his own will as the highest law, and claims to tyrannize over freedom by his arbitrary power.

1 Epist. 7. 127, 129. Plato says that, as he had understood, Dionysius had committed some things to writing as his own discoveries which he had heard from others. Yet this was not known to him for certainty. Epist. 7. 129. From this and the second letter, it is very manifest that Plato had communicated to Dionysius some points in his secret philosophy. But it was very unpleasant to the philosopher, with his mode of thinking, that Dionysius should make these things publicly known. But wherefore? Was it any sudden fit of a haughty self-love? According to what he states to us, these things were of such a character, that they could not be communicated to the public. In another place, I will try to solve this riddle, so far as it is possible.

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