Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.5, 1865).djvu/271

 DIOX. 2fi3 his affection to Dion. And for some time Plato himself was careful not to let any thing of this dishonesty and breach of promise appear, but bore with it, and dis- sembled his annoyance. While matters stood thus be- tween them, and, as they thought, they were unobserved and undiscovered, Helicon the Cyzicenian, one of Plato's followei's, foretold an eclipse of the sun, which happened according to his pi'ediction ; for which he was much admired by the tyrant, and rewarded with a talent of silver; whereupon Aristippus, jesting with some others of the philosophers, told them, he also could predict something extraordinary ; and on their entreating him to declare it, " 1 foretell," said he, " that before long there will be a quarrel between Dionysius and Plato." At length, Dionj^sius made sale of Dion's estate, and converted the money to his own use, and removed Plato from an apartment he had in the gardens of the palace to lodgings among the guards he kept in pay, who from the first had hated Plato, and sought opportunity to make away Avith him, supposing he advised Dionj-sius to lay down the government and disband his soldiers. When Archytas understood the danger he was in, he immediately sent a galley with messengers to demand him of Dionj'sius ; alleging that he stood engaged for his safety, upon the confidence of which Plato had come to Sicily. Dionysius, to palliate his secret hatred, before Plato came away, treated him with great entertainments and all seeming demonstrations of kindness, but could not forbear breaking out one day into the expression, " No doubt, Plato, when you are at home among the phi- losophers, your companions, you will comjDlain of me, and reckon np a great many of my faults." To which Plato answered with a smile, " The Academ}^ will never, I trust, be at such a loss for subjects to discuss as to seek one in