Page:History of Greece Vol XI.djvu/96

 70 HISTORY OF GREECE. demus near Athens, amidst admiring hearers from all parts of Greece. The Athenian democracy, if it accorded to him no in- fluence on public affairs, neither molested him nor dimmed his in- tellectual glory. The proposed voyage to Syracuse carried him out of his enviable position into a new field of hazard and specu- lation ; brilliant indeed and flattering, beyond anything which had ever been approached by philosophy, if it succeeded ; but fraught with disgrace, and even with danger to all concerned, if it failed. Plato had already seen the elder Dionysius surrounded by his walls and mercenaries in Ortygia, and had learnt by cruel expe- rience the painful consequences of propounding philosophy to an intractable hearer, whose displeasure passed so readily into act. The sight of contemporary despots nearer home, such as Euph- ron of Sikyon and Alexander of Pherse, was by no means re- assuring ; nor could he reasonably stake his person and reputation on the chance, that the younger Dionysius might prove a glorious exception to the general rule. To outweigh such scruples, he had indeed the positive and respectful invitation of Dionysius himself; which however would have passed for a transitory, though vehe- ment caprice on the part of a young prince, had.it not been backed by the strong assurances of a mature man and valued friend like Dion. To these assurances, and to the shame which would be incurred by leaving Dion to fight the battle and incur the danger alone, Plato sacrificed his own grounds for hesitation. He went to Syracuse, less with the hope of succeeding in the in- tended conversion of Dionysius, than from the fear of hearing both himself and his philosophy taunted with confessed impotence as fit only for the discussions of the school, shrinking from all application to practice, betraying the interest of his Pythagorean friends, and basely deserting that devoted champion who had half opened the door to him for triumphant admission. 1 Such is the account which the philosopher gives of his own 1 Plato, Epistol. vii. p. 328. Taiirr} /J.EV ry diavoia Kal ioh.in) amjpi. Dittod EV, ovx rf Tivef e66t;aov, uhX' aia%vv ofievoe ftsv kfiav- rbv rb fiEjiarov, p) do^aifii TTOTE efiavrfi TravTinraai /lo/of fiovov iLTfxyug flvai rtf, ipyov 6e ovSevbe uv TTOTB eituv avdaTfiaadai, Kivfivvevneiv <5e irpodovvai Trpurov fj.lv TIJV A/ovof ^eviav iv Kivfivvoif "JVTU^ yfyovoro^ oil 0/LtiKpoi- etr' ovv iru&oi Tt, ctr' eKneauv virb kiovvmov Kal ruv uA/.uv i%&pijv eXdot. TTrt// v/iif favyuv, nal uvepoiro, clx&v. etc.