Translation:Lives of the Eminent Commanders/Timoleon

I. Timoleon the Corinthian. Without doubt, this man was the greatest of all in justness. For it fell to him alone (at least I know of no other) to free the country in which he was born, when it was oppressed by a tyrant, and to destory the long-established slavery of the Syracusans, whom he was sent to assist, and to restore the whole of Sicily, which had been tormented by war and oppressed by barbarians for many years, to its former state on his arrival. But in these things he was afflicted by a fate which was not straightforward, and (what is considered more difficult) he bore his good fortune with as much wisdom as his bad fortune. For when his brother Timophanes, who had been chosen as commander by the Corinthians, took up a tyranny using mercenary soldiers and he could have been a partner in his realm, he was so far from friendship with evil that he prefered the freedom of his community to the health of his brother and he considered it better to obey the laws than to rule his fatherland. With this attitude, along with a haruspex and a mutual relative who had been married to his full sister, he had his brother the tyrant killed. He himself not only did not lay hands on him, but would not even look upon his brother's blood. For while the thing was carried out, he was on watch at a distance, so that none of the attendants would be able to rescue him. This exceptionally glorious deed of his was not viewed the same way by everyone: for not a few thought that piety had been violated by him and out of malice they crushed the praise of his courage. In fact, after this deed, his mother never again let her son into her house or even looked at him, except to reproach him with curses as an impious fratricide. He was so disturbed by these things that not infrequently he wished to make an end of his life and escape through death from the sight of the ungrateful people.

II. Meanwhile, since Dion had been killed in Syracuse, Dionysius had taken power in Syracuse again. His opponents sought aid from the Corinthians and asked for a commander to employ in war. Timoleon was sent for this and, by incredible fortune, he drove Dionysius out of all Sicily. Although he could have killed him, he did not want to and he organised for him to travel safely to Corinth, because the Corinthians had often been aided by both of the Dionysii and he wanted the memory of that kindness to endure and because he held the noble victory to be one in which there was more clemency than cruelty, and finally so that it would not just be heard by ear, but known by sight, whom he had brought down from so great a kingdom to such a fate. After the departure of Dionysius, he warred with Hicetas, who had been opposed to Dionysios. That he had not differed with him out of hatred of tyranny but desire for it was proven by the fact that he was not willing to renounce his command once Dionysius had been expelled. Once this man was overcome, Timoleon routed the massive forces of the Karthaginians at the Crinissus river and forced them to be satisfied if they were allowed to possess Africa, although they had had possession of Sicily for many years at this point. He also capured Mamercus, the Italian leader, a powerful and warlike man, who had come to Sicily to assist the tyrants.

III. After he had accomplished these things, since not just the countryside but even the cities appear deserted as a result of the long duration of the war, he first gathered together all the Sicilians he could, then summoned colonists from Corinth, since Syracuse had been founded by them in the first place. He restored the old citizens to their property and distributed the property that had been emptied by war to the new ones. He rebuilt the cities' ruined walls and deserted sanctuaries. He restored laws and liberty to the communities. In place of the largest war, he brought about such great peace in the whole island that he was considered the founder of these cities, not the men who originally established them. He razed the citadel in Syracuse, which had been fortified in order to place the city under siege, down to its foundations. He demolished the other bulwarks of the tyranny and exerted himself so that as little as possible remained of the many vestiges of their slavery. Although he had so much power that he could have commanded without consent, yet was so loved by all the Sicilians that he could have established a kingdom without opposition, he preferred to be loved than feared. Thus, as soon as he was able, he renounced his command and lived at Syracuse as a private citizen for the rest of his life. Nor did he do this awkwardly, for what other kings had controlled by command he held by goodwill. No honour was withheld from him and thereafter nothing official was done in Syracuse until it had been determined that Timoleon's opinion was in favour. No one else's advice was ever preferred in any way, in fact it was not even compared. This was done out of prudence as much as goodwill.

IV. Since he was now of advanced age, he lost the light of his eyes without any illness. He bore this misfortune so moderately that no one ever heard him complain, nor was he any less involved in private and public affairs. On the contrary, he would come into the theatre when the people held assemblies there, brought by a pair of draught animals on account of his health and he would say what seemed right to him from the cart. Nor did anyone treat this as a sign of arrogance, for nothing excessive or extravagent ever left his lips. In fact, whenever he heard praise of himself proclaimed, he never said anything except that he gave the greatest thanks to the gods for this thing and that he held that, when they had decided to restore Sicily, they had considered him the most capable commander to do it. For he thought that no human affairs are done without the approval of the gods. Thus he established a shrine of Automatia in his house and tended it very piously.

V. Because of the exceptional goodness of the man, miraculous events happened to him. For he led all his greatest battles on his birthday, as a result of which the whole of Sicily celebrated his birthday as a festival. When Laphystius, an impudent and ungrateful man wanted to impose bail on him, because he intended to take him to court, and a large number of people ran forward to punish the impudence of the man by force, Timoleon begged them all not to do it, since he had faced the largest labours and greatest dangers so that Laphystius and anyone else might be allowed to do this. For he said that this was the beauty of liberty: that anyone who wanted to was allowed to have recourse to the law. Again, when somone similar to Laphystius, named Damaenetus, began to disparage his deeds in an assembly of the people and let fly several words against Timoleon himself, he said that now at last he had to fulfill his vow, for he had always prayed to the immortal gods that he might restore such liberty to the Syracusans that anyone might be allowed to say whatever he wanted with impunity. When he had reached his final day, he was buried at public expense by the Syracusans in the gymnasium which is called the Timoleonteum, with all Sicily honouring him.