Part V.

» Pint.
gone to Theodotes^ took a new occaiion of dii- piealure againft him, and lent one to him, who asked him whether he had gone to Theodores. Tlato acknowledged that he had, then, faith the Meflenger, Tionyjius bad me tell you, you do not well to prefer Tion and his Friends before him. Never from that time did he fend for Tlato to the Court, looking upon him as a profejft friend to Theodores and Heracl'ides^ and his profeff Enemy : ^ Thno lived without the Caftle amongft the Soldiers of the Guard .* who. as Uionyjiiis well knew, had born him ill-will long and fought to murder him , becaule he counfell’d Tionyfius to give over the Tyranny, f Flat. Epifl. and live without a Guard, t Some, who came . to vilit him, gave him notice that Calumnies were fpread againft him amonglt the Soldi¬ ers as if he excited Dion and Thconides to relfore the Ifland to Liberty, and that Ibme of them threatned, when they could light up¬ on him to kill him. Hereupon Dlaro began to think of Ibme means of Efcape, which he effeHed in this manner *, He fenc to Archyras at Tarenrum, and to other Friends, advertifing them of the danger wherein he was ^ They, un¬ der pretence of an EmbalTy in the name of the Country, fenr Damafeus (whom Loerrius calls Tamijeus) one of their Party with a Galley of three Banks of Oars to redemand Tlato^ de- claringthat his coming to Syracufe was upon the Engagement of Archyras : His Letter was to this Effect.
^ Lam.
come home to Aihens^ he wrote to Dionyfi^fs^ and gave him a pLiin account of .every thing, bit that concerning Dwns Wife, he fet it down lb darkly, that he alone to whom the Letpr was direfted, could underffand him ^ letting him know that he had Ipoken with Dion about the bulinefs which he knew, and that he* would be very much difplealed li'DionyJiiisTid it : So that at^ that time, becaufe there was great hopes of Reconciliation between them, the Tyrant forbore a while to difpofe of his Sitfer Arete.^ Diana’s Wife^ as foon after, when he law the Breach irieconcilable , he did , Marrying her againft her will to one of his Friends named Timcraies. Dion thence-for- ward prepared for War againft P/aro's advice, who endeavoured to dilTwade him from it, as well forrelpeff of Dicnyjius^s good reception of him, asfbr that Dion was well in years^ though JElian faith, he put Dion upon that War ^ which Plutarch imputes to the inftigations of Speufippus.
Archyras to bionyjlusy Health
W'
"E all Plato’x Eriends^ have fent LamifeuS and PhotideS PO rc^detnand the Alan ac¬ cording to your agreement with us : Tou will do well to conjider with zdhat impbrt unity you pre-^ .vail'd with us toinvitePDio to you., promifing to yield to all things yind to give him liberty to go and come at his pleasure y remember how much you prized his coding., and preferred him before all o- thers : Jf there hath hapendany difference betioixt you., it will befit you to treat him court eoufiy., and re fore hmfafe tp us. 'This if you do.,you will do jufily., arid oblige Us.
t Plutmbvit. t Eionyflus to excufe himfelf, and to Ihew Dim he was not angry with Plato^ feaftedhim mag¬ nificently, and then fent him home with great Teftimonies of AfFe6:ion .-One day amongft the reft he faid to him, I am afraid., you will fpeak ill of mewhenyou are amongft your friends
C H A P. X.
His Authority in Civil Affairs.
At home he lived quietly in the Academy, not engaging himfelf in publick affairs- (though he w^ere a perfon very knowing there¬ in, as his Writings manifeft,) becaufe the Athe¬ nians were accuftomed to Laws different from his Senfe.
+ His Fame fpreading to the Arcadians., and f van Thebans., they lent Ambaffadours earnellly to hifl. 2/41. requeft him to come over to them, not only to inftrucl their young Men in Philofophy, but which was of higher concernment, to ordain Laws fot Alegalopolis., a City then newly built by the Arcadians., upon occafion of the great defeat given them by the Lacediemonians^ in the firft year of the 103d Olympiad. Plato was not a little pieafed at this Invitation, buf asking the Ambaffadours how they flood af- feffed to a parity of Eftates, and finding them Id averle from it , as not to be by aity means induced thereto, he refufed to go ; but fent Ariftonimus his familiar friend.
The 'Cyrenatans likewile fent to him, deliring him to fend them Laws for their City, but he prilJip^, refufed , laying, it was difficult to prelcfibe rudit. ’
Laws to Men in Profperity.
tne-
The Gods forbid., anfwered Plato Imiling, they Yet to leveral People upon their Importu- fhouldhavejuchjcarc'ity of matter in the Acade- nities he condelcended
niy.,asto be conftrained to difeourfe of you. Diony- fius at hisdeparture,deiir£d him to find out whe- ther Dion would be muchdifpleafed If Itelhould di^^e of'his Wife to anotlkr, there being at that time a reportthat he did not like his match, dnd Could not live quietly with his Wife. Plato in his return came to Peloponnefus., at what time the Olympick Games were celebrated^ 'Where the Eyes of all theG/w/d;^xw'ere taken oft' lk)m the fports,and fixed upon him as the more worthy objefl: Here he found Dion beholding the Exercifes, ■ to whom he related what had happened. Dio-n protefled to revenge the dif- courtelie of D'lonyfim towards Plato., from which Plato earneftly diffwaded him : Being
To the Syracufans he gave Laws upon thee- je£lion of their King:
To the Cretans upon their building of Alag- nefia, he lent Laws digeftedinto twelve Books. ■
To the Ilians he fent Phormio • to the Pyrrhe- ans, Aleded'imus (his familiar friends) upon the fame defign.
This is enough to juftifie him againft thole who"^ accule him of having written a form:^ of Government, which he could not perfwade any topraQife, becaufe it was lb levere : And that the Athenians, who accepted the Laws of Draco and Solon, derided his.
CHAP.
Atbm
pART. V,
P LA T 0.
17
*Laert. I- Suid.
CHAP. XL
His Vertues and M.dral Sentences*
^ttE lived finglcj yet foberly and t chaftly, JlI infomucii as in his old Age ( in com¬ pliance with the vulgar opinion) he Sacrificed to Nature, to expiate the crime of his conti¬ nence. So conftant in his compofure and gra¬ vity, that a Youth brought up under him, re¬ turning to his Parents, and hearing his Father fpeak aloud, laid, I never found this in Plato. He eat but once a day , or if the fecond time, very fparingly ^ he flept alone, and mticli dif commended the contrary thahner of Living. Of his Prudence, Patience, Magnanimity, and pther Vertues, there are thele inflances.
9 ^ Antimachus a Colophonian , and 'Nicer atus
a Heracleot^ contending in a Poetick Panegy- • rick of Lyfandef\ the prize was bellowed upon
Nicer atus : Antimachus in dngef tore his Poem^ 'Plato^ who at that time was young, and much efteemed Antimachus for his Poetry, comfort¬ ed him, faying, Ignorance is- aDifeafe proper to the Ignorant^ as Blindncfs to the Blind.
1 . t His Servant having offended him, he bad
j, 12. ' ' hiha put off his Coat, and expole his Shoulders
to be beaten, intending to have correfled him with his own hand ^ but perceiving himfelf to be angry , he llopt his hand, and Hood fixt in that pofture j a Friend coming in asked him what he was doing, Bunijh 'ing an angry Mam faith he.
» Senec.deha. ^ Another thiie being difpleafed at his Ser- 3.12.' * vant fo> fome offence , Do youfAxh he to Speu-
Jippus (or as Laertius to Xenocrates) acciden¬ tally conning in) beat this Fellow^ for I am angry. And another time to his Servant he laid,! would t VaU Max, thee if I were not angry, tpearing to exceed the limits of Correflion, and thinking it unfit the Mailer and Servant fhould be alike faulty.
; Ueru ^ Chabrias the General being arraigned for his Life, he alone fiiewed himfelf on his fide, not one of the Citizens elfe appearing for him. Crobulus the Sycophant met him, accompanying Chabrias to the Tower, and faid unto him , Do you come to help others., you know not that the poyfon of Socrates is rf erved for you ? Plato • anlwered, JVhen I fought for my Country., I ha- ■ zarded my Life .,and will now in dutytomy Friend. t /£l?dn. 'var. f At the Olympick Games,he tell into Com- 4- pany with fome Strangers, who knew him not, upon whofe afteQions, he gained much by his affable Converfation , Dining, and Ipending the whole day with them, not mentioning ei¬ ther the Academy hr Socrates., only laying,
. his name was Plato: When they came to A- thens, he entertained thdm coUrteoully. Come Plato,laid the Strangers, us your namefake
Socrates h'ls Difc'iple j bring us to the Academy, recommend us to him, that we may know him. He fmiling a little, as he ufed, faid, J am the Man: Whereat they were much amazed, ha¬ ving, converfed fo familiarly with a Perfon of that eminence, who uled no boalling or ollen- tation 5 and fhewed, that befides his Philofo- phical difeourfe, his ordinary converfation was exireamly winning-
Whenhe went out of the School, lie always faid. See ( Touths ) thdt you employ your idle hours ufe fully.
At a Fealt he blamed thofe iliat brought in Muficiansto hinder Difcourle.
Seeing a young Man play at Dice, he uat, proved him ^ he anfwercd, What, for fo fmaU a matter Y Cufom (replies Plato) is no f mall thing.
Beihg derrianded,wheilier there Ihoilld bean}?- La^rt■ record to Pollerity of' his AQions, or Sayings, as of others before him ? Frft, iaith he, we mufl get a Name, then many things will follow.
Getting on Horfe-back, he immediately light- uen. ed again, laying, he feared lelt he Ihould be . carried aWay !’^'TnrA ceit, a Metaphor taken from a Horle.
He advifed drunken and angry Men to look Liat. in a Glals, and it would make them refrain from thole Vices.
He affirmed, that to drink to the excels of LacA, drunkennefs was not allowable at any time, unlels upon the feflival of that God who gives Wine. . ,
Sleep alfo much difpleafed him, whence hciaerL • faith in his Laws, No Man fleeping is worth a- ny thing.
That Truth is mbre pleafihg to all, than any laar. feigned liory, fo of Truth he faith, ■ de legihus :
Truth, 0 Guejl, is an excellent thing and. dura¬ ble, but to this we are not eafily perfwaded.
Being told, that Xenocrates had Ipoken many Vd.M^ix. 4. i. unjult things againll him, he prefently rejefled the accufation ; the Informer perfilf ing, asked why he would not believe him ? He added, it was not probable, that he wffiom he loved lb much, lliould not love him again. Finally, the other fwearing it was thus ^ he, not to argue him of Perjury, affirmed, that Xenocratei would never have laid fo, but that there was reafon for it.
He faid. No Wife Man puniff:eth in refpe^of ^ ' . . j
the fault pajf, but in prevention of the future, j
Seeing the^ Agrigent'ines magnificent inAuav, Building, luxurious in Feafting, 1 heje People (faith he) build, as if they were to live for ever, and eat as if they wjere to die infiantly.
Rearing a wicked Perlbn fpeak in the de¬ fence of another. This Man, Iaith hO, carries s* his Heart in his Tongue-
Beihg told, that fome fpake ill of him, he-^^®^’ anfwered, 'Tis no m.atter, I will live fo that Pone , fhall believe them.
Seeing a Youn^ Man of a good Family, who had walled all his- meaqs, fitting at the door of an Inn, feeding upon Bread and Water, he told ' him. If you had dthed fo temperately, you would never have needed to fup fo.
To Antijihenes, making a long Oration, I'ou know not, Iaith he, That Difeourje is to be mea- fured by the Hea/rr, not the Speaker. - , • .
^ Seeing a Youth over-bold with his Father,
Toung Man, faith he, will you undervalue him, who IS the ca ufe you over-value your f elf Y
To one of his Difciples , who took too mtich care of his Body, he FaidMVhy do you ■ labour fo much in building your own Pr if on ?
Of a Prifoner Fettered- he' laid, That Man is dead in his own Body, he lives in another.
. He
j
172
PLATO.