80 MEMOIR OF ARISTOTLE* 



more dangerous pursuits of ambition. His enter- 

 prising courage, seconded by good fortune, raised 

 him to the sovereignty of two Greek cities of Mysia, 

 Assus and Atarna, the former lying in the district of 

 Troas, the latter in that of ^Eolis; and both of them, 

 like most Grecian colonies on the Asiatic coast, but 

 loosely dependent on the Persian empire. His suc- 

 cessful boldness in usurping the sceptre, was only 

 equalled by the manly firmness with which he held 

 it ; and as the armies of Artaxerxes were distant, he 

 found little difficulty in maintaining peaceful posses- 

 sion of it for a time. 



It was upon the invitation of his now royal friend 

 and companion, that Aristotle, immediately after the 

 death of Plato, repaired to Atarna ; and his resolu- 

 tion was probably influenced by the fond desire of 

 revisiting the spot where he had spent the happy 

 years of his youth, under the kind protection of 

 Proxenus. In that city he found the wish of Plato 

 realized ; he beheld in his friend Hermias philoso- 

 phy seated on a throne. With him he resided near- 

 ly three years, receiving the warmest testimonies of 

 love and respect, and enjoying the inexpressible 

 pleasure of seeing his own enlightened political 

 maxims exemplified in the virtuous reign of his fel- 

 low-student. But the seat of the usurper is gene- 

 rally insecure, and so it proved with Hermias. Ar- 

 taxerxes having subdued the rebels in Egypt, deter- 

 mined to restore to his dominion the dismembered 

 cities of Mysia, Mentor, a General whose zeal and 



