Plutarch, Dion, ed. Bernadotte Perrin, 18

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[1] χρόνου δὲ προϊόντος ὁ Διονύσιος ζηλοτυπῶν καὶ δεδοικὼς τοῦ Δίωνος τὴν παρὰ τοῖς Ἕλλησιν εὔνοιαν, ἐπαύσατο τὰς προσόδους ἀποστέλλων καὶ τὴν οὐσίαν παρέδωκεν ἰδίοις ἐπιτρόποις.

[2] βουλόμενος δὲ καὶ τὴν εἰς τοὺς φιλοσόφους διὰ Πλάτωνα κακοδοξίαν ἀναμάχεσθαι, πολλοὺς συνῆγε τῶν πεπαιδεῦσθαι δοκούντων.

[3] φιλοτιμούμενος δὲ τῷ διαλέγεσθαι περιεῖναι πάντων, ἠναγκάζετο τοῖς Πλάτωνος παρακούσμασι κακῶς χρῆσθαι.

[4] καὶ πάλιν ἐκεῖνον ἐπόθει, καὶ κατεγίνωσκεν αὐτός αὑτοῦ μὴ χρησάμενος παρόντι μηδὲ διακούσας ὅσα καλῶς εἶχεν.

[5] οἷα δὲ τύραννος ἔμπληκτος ἀεὶ ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν ὀξύρροπος σπουδήν, εὐθὺς ὥρμησεν ἐπὶ τὸν Πλάτωνα, καὶ πᾶσαν μηχανὴν αἴρων, συνέπεισε τοὺς περὶ Ἀρχύταν Πυθαγορικοὺς τῶν ὁμολογουμένων ἀναδόχους γενομένους καλεῖν Πλάτωνα· διʼ ἐκείνου γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐγεγόνει φιλία καὶ ξενία τὸ πρῶτον.

[6] οἱ δʼ ἔπεμψαν Ἀρχέδημον παρʼ αὐτόν· ἔπεμψε δὲ καὶ Διονύσιος τριήρη καὶ φίλους δεησομένους τοῦ Πλάτωνος·

[7] αὐτός τε σαφῶς καὶ διαρρήδην ἔγραψεν ὡς οὐδὲν ἂν γένοιτο τῶν μετρίων Δίωνι μὴ πεισθέντος Πλάτωνος ἐλθεῖν εἰς Σικελίαν, πεισθέντος δὲ πάντα.

[8] πολλαὶ δʼ ἀφίκοντο πρὸς Δίωνα παρὰ τῆς ἀδελφῆς καὶ γυναικὸς ἐπισκήψεις, δεῖσθαι Πλάτωνος ὑπακοῦσαι Διονυσίῳ καὶ μὴ πρόφασιν παρασχεῖν.

[9] οὕτω μὲν δή φησιν ὁ Πλάτων ἐλθεῖν τὸ τρίτον εἰς τὸν πορθμὸν τὸν περὶ Σκύλλαν,¹

ὄφρʼ ἔτι τὴν ὀλοὴν ἀναμετρήσειε Χάρυβδιν.

Dion. Plutarch. ed. Bernadotte Perrin. Cambridge, MA. 1918.

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Δίων (Greek) (Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives, Vol. VI. Perrin, Bernadotte, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1918.)

Translations (1)

Dion Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives, Vol. VI. Perrin, Bernadotte, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1918.) — 18 focus

[1] But as time went on, Dionysius became jealous of Dion and afraid of his popularity among the Greeks. He therefore stopped sending him his revenues, and handed his estate over to his own private stewards.

[2] However, with a desire to make head against the bad repute which he had also won among the philosophers on Plato’s account, he assembled at his court many men with a reputation for learning.

[3] But he was ambitious to surpass them all in discussion, and was therefore driven to use inaptly what he had imperfectly learned from Plato.

[4] So he yearned once more for that philosopher, and reproached himself for not having utilized his presence to learn all that he should have learned.

[5] And since, like a tyrant, he was always extravagant in his desires and headstrong in all that he undertook, he set out at once to secure Plato, and, leaving no stone unturned, persuaded Archytas and his fellow Pythagoreans to become sureties for his agreements, and to summon Plato; for it was through Plato, in the first place, that he had entered into friendly relations with these philosophers.

[6] So they sent Archedemus to Plato, and Dionysius also sent a trireme for him, and friends to entreat his return.

[7] He also wrote to him himself in clear and express terms, saying that no mercy should be shown to Dion unless Plato were persuaded to come to Sicily; but if he were persuaded, every mercy.

[8] Dion also received many injunctions from his wife and sister, that he should beg Plato to listen to Dionysius and not afford him an excuse for further severity.

[9] Thus it was, then, that Plato, as he himself says,

came for the third time to the straits of Scylla,

That he might once more measure back his way to

fell Charybdis.

Notes on the current edition

Dion

1. Σκύλλαν as in Plato, Epist. vii. p. 346; Coraës retains the Σικελίαν of the MSS.

Plutarch Dion 18

ed. Bernadotte Perrin

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