PLATO. 
639 
would not adopt the plan of his republic, which required 
an equal dijlribution of property; toothers he gave his ad¬ 
vice, or furnifhed them with codes of laws. Plato was 
alfo held in great refpe6l by feveral princes, particularly 
Archelaus king of Macedon, and the two Dionyfius’s ty¬ 
rants of Sicily. Of the vifits which he paid to the courts 
of the latter princes, and of the attempts which he made 
to fubdue the haughty and tyrannical fpirit of the former, 
and to reform the diflolute and abandoned manners of 
his fon, a brief account will be expedled in the life of our 
philofopher, and will ferve to throw fome light upon his 
character. 
Plato paid his firft vifit to Sicily at the age of forty, 
during the reign of the elder Dionyfius, for the purpofe 
of examining the objects which were interefting to curi- 
ofity in that illand, and particularly of ob/erving the 
wonders of Mount Etna. While he continued at Syra- 
cufe, he was employed in inftrufting Dion, the king’s 
brother-in-law, who pofleffed excellent abilities, though 
hitherto relaxed by the luxuries of a licentious court. 
As he alfo poflefied an excellent difpofition, Plato enter¬ 
tained hopes that he fhould be able to refcue him from the 
general depravity into which the Syracufans were funk. 
Nor were his endeavours unfuccefsful : for Dion had no 
fooner received a tafte of that philofophy which leads to 
virtue, than he was fired with an ardent love of wifdom, 
and became refolute in the purfuit of it. Hoping that 
philofopbyjnight produce the fame effeft upon Dionyfius, 
Dion took great pains to bring about an interview be¬ 
tween him and Plato, which he at lad effefted. On this 
occafion, when Plato embraced the opportunity of dif- 
courfingon thefecurity and happinefs of virtue, and the 
niiferies attending injultice and opprefiion, Dionyfius, 
perceiving that the pliiiofopber’s difcourfe was levelled 
againft the vices and cruelties of his reign, difmifled him 
with high difpleafure, and conceived a defign againft his 
life. It was not without great-difficulty that his pupil 
enabled him to efcape on-board a veflel which was on the 
point of failing for Greece, with Pollis, a delegate from 
Sparta, whom-Dion engaged to take charge of Plato, and 
to land him fafely in his native country. But Dionyfius, 
having difcovered where he was, obtained a promife from 
Pollis that he would either put him to death on the voy¬ 
age, or fell him for a Have. Accordingly, Plato was fold 
at his native ifland of iEgina, the inhabitants of which 
were then at war with the Athenians. His freedom, how¬ 
ever, was foon purchafed by Anicerris, a Cyrenaic philo¬ 
fopher, who happened to be at that time in the ifland, and 
rejoiced in fuch an opportunity of ftiowing his refpebt to 
the illuftrious Athenian fage. Having fent Plato home to 
Athens, Anicerris generoufly refufed repayment of the 
money which he had advanced, when Plato’s relations 
afterwards made an offer of it, obferving, with a noble 
fpirit, that he faw no reafon why the relations of that 
great man fhould engrofs to themfelves all the honour of 
ferving him. 
It was not long before Dionyfius became afhamed of 
the treatment which lie had fhown towards our philofo¬ 
pher, and wrote letters of apology for his conduct, in 
which.he folicited him to return to Syracufe, that he 
might receive reparation for his injuries; to which Plato 
gave this higii-fpirited anfwer, that Philofophy would not 
allow him leifure to think of Dionyfius. Upon the death 
of the tyrant, his fon Dionyfius, furnamed the younger, 
afcended the throne. This prince pofleffed an excellent 
natural difpofition, was averfe to violence and cruelty, 
had a tafte for arts and fciences, and took delight in ccn- 
verfingwith men of learning. But his father had ftifledin 
him every noble and elevated fentiment, by a mean and 
obfcure education. It was therefore not in the leaft fur- 
prifing, when he found that he was above all reffraint, 
that he abandoned himfelf to all manner of diverfions and 
ihameful pleafures. His court became crowded with de¬ 
bauchees, and refounded with low buffoonery, obfcene 
jefts, and lewd fongs. This mifconduft in the prince, 
Vol.XX. No. 1396. 
Dion confidered to be the effefl; of his bad education, and 
entire ignorance of his duty; and he rightly conceived, 
that the beft remedy would be to introduce to him per- 
fons of good fenfe, virtue, and learning, whofe agreeable 
converfation might at once inftruft and divert him. With 
this view he often talked to him of Plato, as the mod ex¬ 
cellent of philofophers, and enlarged on the elevation of 
his genius, the extent of his knowledge, the amiablenefs 
of his character, and the charms of his con verfation. He 
reprefented him as the beft qualified of all perfons to in- 
ftrufl him in the arts of government, upon which his own 
happinefs and that of his fubjeffts depended. Thefe dif- 
courfes, properly timed, inflamed the young prince with 
the defire of becoming acquainted with fuch an extraor¬ 
dinary man, and of profiting by his inftruftions. He 
therefore wrote to him in the moll obliging manner, invi¬ 
ting him to his court; but the recolleiSion of the treat¬ 
ment which he had met with from his father, determined 
Plato to decline accepting the royal invitation. Not dif- 
couraged by this refufal, Dionyfius fent him frefh letters 
of invitation, which were accompanied by others from 
Dion, and feveral Pythagorean philofophers who were 
then refident in Sicily, earneftly importuning him to vifit 
Syracufe once more, and take upon himfelf the education 
of the young prince. Their united applications made a 
confiderable impreflion upon Plato’s mind, though he ftill 
liefitated about compliance; till at length, apprehending 
left a refufal might feem to imply an unworthy negledl of 
the interefts of philofophy, and entertaining fome hope 
that, by introducing a reformation at court, he might 
prove inftrumental in bringing about a change of public 
manners in Sicily, he yielded to their entreaties. It is 
alfo faid, that a promife from Dionyfius to adopt our phi- 
lofopher’s plan of government had no little weight in de¬ 
termining him to proceed a fecond time to Syracufe. The 
reception which he met with, and the meafures which 
were fubfequently adopted, wore a very aufpicious afpe<ft. 
He was conducted into the city with public honours; 
the king himfelf received him into his chariot; and facri- 
fices were offered in congratulation of his arrival. Imme¬ 
diately the licentioufnefs of the court was reftrained ; mo¬ 
deration reigned in all public feftivals ; the king con- 
ftantly wore an air of benignity ; his courtiers engaged 
in the ftudy of philofophy; and all good men began to 
allure themfelves of a happy revolution in the Hate of 
public manners. But the enemies of Dion, and of all 
reformation, were unhappily fuccefsful in their fchemes 
for blafting the fair fruits which were expelled from fuch 
promifing appearances. Having prevailed upon the king 
to recall from exile Philiftus, a man of tyrannical and pro¬ 
fligate principles and fpirit, that bafe courtier and his 
abettors, envious of Plato’s increafing influence, found 
means to excite in Dionyfius the pafllons of jeaiouly and 
diftrult. Through their intrigues, Dion became fo ob¬ 
noxious to the tyrant, that he ordered him to be impri- 
foned, and banifhed him to Italy. This proceeding awa¬ 
kened the apprehenfions of Plato and the friends of Dion 
for their own fafety. The tyrant, however, continued 
to treat them courteoufly ; and out of pretended friend- 
fliip to Plato, allotted him an apartpient in his own palace, 
but placed a fecret guard about him, that he might know 
who were his vifitors. At length, a war having broken 
out, Dionyfius gave Plato leave to return home, but pro- 
mifed that he would recall both him and Dion upon the 
re-eftablifliment of peace. 
The war in which Dionyfius had engaged having been 
terminated, that prince, from motives of vanity, or that 
he might obliterate the ignominy which he had brought 
upon himfelf by difmifling Plato from his court, invited 
learned men to repair thither from every quarter. As 
by their difcourfes his attention was again dire£led to 
philofophy, he could not be fatisfied unlefs he had the 
opportunity of once more feeing and hearing Plato. He 
therefore became urgent in his iolicitations that the phi¬ 
lofopher would return to Syracufe ; who received them 
7 X with 
