Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.5, 1865).djvu/298

 200 DION. turbed Dion's soldiers most was the apprehension they were in of the fire, which made their march vei-y trouble- some and difficult ; for the houses being in flames on all sides, they were met everywhere with the blaze, and, treading upon burning ruins and every minute in danger of being overwhelmed with falling houses, through clouds of ashes and smoke they labored hard to keep their order and maintain their ranks. When they came near to the enemy, the approach was so narrow and uneven that but few of them coidd engage at a time ; but at length, with loud cheers and much zeal on the part of the Syracusans, encouraging them and joining with them, they beat off Nypsius's men, and put them to flight. Most of them escaped into the castle, which was near at hand ; all that could not get in were pursued and picked up here and there by the soldiers, and put to the sword. The present exigency, however, did not suffer the citizens to take immediate benefit of their victory in such mutual con- gratulations and embraces as became so great a success ; for now all were busily employed to save what houses were left standing, laboring hard all night, and scarcely so could master the fire. The next day, not one of the popular haranguers durst stay in the city, but all of them, knowing their own guilt, by their flight confessed it, and secured their lives. Only Heraclides and Theodotes went voluntarily and surrendered themselves to Dion, acknowledging that they had wronged him, and begging he would be kinder to them than they had been just to him ; adding, how much it would become him who was master of so many excel- lent accomplishments, to moderate his anger and be gen- erously compassionate to ungrateful men, who were here before him, making their confession, that, in all the matter of their former enmity and rivalry against him, they were now absolutely overcome hy his virtue-