Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.5, 1865).djvu/302

 29-i DION. present a great charge and of little use to them, but an occasion of differences and dissensions among the gen- erals, and pressed on the siege, finishing the wall of blockade with which they invested the castle. The besieged, seeing no hopes of succors and their provisions failing, began to mutiny ; so that the son of Dionysius, in despair of holding out longer for his father, capitulated, .and articled with Dion to deliver up the castle with all the garrison soldiers and ammunition ; and so, taking his mother and sisters and manning five galleys, he set out to go to his father, Dion seeing him safely out, and scarce a man in all the city not being there to behold the sight, as indeed they called even on those that were not pres- ent, out of pity that they could not be there, to see this happy day and the sun shining on a free Syracuse. And as this expulsion of Dionysius is even now always cited as one of the greatest and most remarkable examples of fortune's vicissitudes, how extraordinary may we imagine their joy to have been, and how entire their satisfaction, who had totally subverted the most potent tyranny that ever was by very slight and inconsiderable means ! When Apolloci-ates was gone, and Dion coming to take possession of the castle, the women could not stay while he made his entry, but ran to meet him at the gate. Aristomache led Dion's son, and Arete followed after weeping, fearful and dubious how to salute or address her husband, after living with another man. Dion first embraced his sister, then his son ; when Aristomache bringmg Arete to him, " Dion," said she, " your ban- ishment made us all equally miserable ; j'our return and victory has cancelled all sorrows, excepting this poor suf- ferer's, whom I, unhappy, saw compelled to be another's, while you were yet alive. Fortune has now given you the sole disposal of us ; how will you determine concern- ing her hard fate ? In what relation must she salute you