51

sharing a mortal body and being full of human fates and living with so great a multitude of unjust men, whose number it is not even easy to find, they were plotted against, why do we blame nature, when we ought to censure the cruelty of their attackers? 8.14.23 For even if they had been in a pestilential air, they certainly would have had to fall sick; but wickedness is more, or not less, destructive than a pestilential condition. Just as when it is raining, it is necessary for the wise man, if he is staying in the open, to be drenched, and when a cold north wind is blowing, to be afflicted with shivering and cold, and in the height of summer to be heated—for it is a law of nature that our bodies are affected by the annual seasons— 8.14.24 in the same way it is necessary for one who dwells in such places, "where murders" are committed "and tribes of other fates," to undergo the changing penalties from such things. Since for Polycrates, for the terrible things in which he committed injustice and impiety, a worse sponsor met him, namely the heavy misfortune of his life, 8.14.25 and add that he was punished by a great king and was impaled, fulfilling an oracle. I know, he said, that I myself not long before seemed in a vision to be anointed by the sun, and to be washed by Zeus. For these enigmatic visions through symbols, being obscure in the past, received the most manifest confirmation through deeds. And not only at his death, but throughout his entire life from the beginning he had, without realizing it, hung his soul before his body. For always fearing and trembling, he was terrified at the multitude of his attackers, knowing clearly that no one was well-disposed, but all were enemies, relentless in adversity. 8.14.26 Of the unceasing and continuous caution of Dionysius, those who wrote the Sicilian histories are witnesses, who say that he held even his most beloved wife in suspicion; and here is the proof: he ordered the entrance to the chamber, through which she was to come to him, to be strewn with planks, so that she might not ever slip in unnoticed, but by the sound and clatter of her steps she might announce her arrival in advance; then, not only unclothed, but naked in all her parts, which it is not lawful for men to see, she was to pass by; and in addition to these things, the continuous floor along the path was to be broken to the width and depth of a farmer's ditch, for fear that something for a plot might be secretly hidden, a thing which was to be detected either by leaps or by long strides. 8.14.27 Of how many evils, then, was he full, who observed and contrived these things against a wife, whom he ought to have trusted before all others? But he was like those who, for the sake of observing the natures in the sky more clearly, walk on cliffs off a steep mountain, who having barely reached the projecting ridge are no longer able to go back, having given up on the remaining height, nor do they dare to go down, growing dizzy at the sight of the chasms. 8.14.28 For having fallen in love with tyranny as a divine and much-contested thing, he supposed it was safe neither to remain nor to escape. For while he remained, unspeakable evils flowed in one after another, but when he wished to escape, the danger for his life hung over him from those armed, if not in their bodies, yet surely in their minds, against him. 8.14.29 This is also shown by the deed which they say Dionysius used towards the one who was calling the life of tyrants blessed. For having invited him to the preparation of a most splendid and costly dinner, he ordered a sharpened axe to be hung over him from a very thin thread. And when, having reclined, he suddenly saw it, neither daring to get up because of the tyrant, nor being able to enjoy any of the things prepared because of fear, disregarding the abundant and rich pleasures, stretching his neck and eyes he awaited his own destruction. 8.14.30 And Dionysius, understanding, said: "Do you now perceive our celebrated and much-contested life? For such it is, if one does not wish to deceive oneself, since it contains very many provisions, but enjoyment of nothing good, successive fears and incurable dangers and a creeping and consumptive disease

51

σώματος θνητοῦ μεταλαχόντες καὶ κηρῶν γέμοντες ἀνθρωπίνων καὶ μετὰ τοσούτου πλήθους ἀδίκων ζῶντες, ὧν οὐδ' ἀριθμὸν εὑρεῖν εὔπορον, ἐπεβουλεύθησαν, τί τὴν φύσιν αἰτιώμεθα, δέον τὴν τῶν 8.14.23 ἐπιθεμένων κακίζειν ὠμότητα; καὶ γὰρ εἰ ἐν ἀέρι γεγένηντο λοιμικῷ, πάντως ὤφειλον νοσῆσαι· καταστάσεως δὲ λοιμικῆς μᾶλλον ἢ οὐχ ἧττον φθοροποιός ἐστι κακία. ὡς δ' ὁπόταν ὑετοῦ μὲν ὄντος ἀνάγκη τὸν σοφόν, εἰ ἐν ὑπαίθρῳ διάγοι, καταβρέχεσθαι, βορέου δὲ ψυχροῦ καταπνέοντος ῥίγει πιεσθῆναι καὶ ψύχει, θέρους δ' ἀκμάζοντος ἀλεαίνεσθαι ταῖς γὰρ ἐτησίοις τροπαῖς τὰ σώματα συμπάσχειν νόμος φύσεως, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον τὸν ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις χωρίοις ἐνοικοῦντα, «ἔνθα φόνοι» τελοῦνται «καὶ ἄλλων ἔθνεα κηρῶν,» 8.14.24 ἐναλλάττεσθαι τὰς ἀπὸ τῶν τοιούτων τιμὰς ἀναγκαῖον. ἐπεὶ Πολυκράτει γε ἐφ' οἷς δεινοῖς ἠδίκησε καὶ ἠσέβησε, χορηγὸς ἀπήντησε χείρων μὲν ἡ τοῦ βίου βαρυδαιμονία, πρόσθες δ' ὡς ὑπὸ μεγάλου βασιλέως ἐκολάζετο καὶ προσηλοῦτο, χρησμὸν ἐκπιπλάς οἶδ', ἔφη, κἀμαυτὸν οὐ πρὸ πολλοῦ θεωρῆσαι δόξαντα ὑπὸ μὲν ἡλίου ἀλείφεσθαι, λούεσθαι δ' ὑπὸ ∆ιός. αἱ γὰρ διὰ συμβόλων αἰνιγματώδεις αὗται φάσεις, ἀδηλούμεναι τὸ πάλαι, τὴν διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἀριδηλο 8.14.25 τάτην ἐλάμβανον πίστιν. οὐκ ἐπὶ τελευτῇ δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ παρὰ πάντα τὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς βίον λελήθει πρὸ τοῦ σώματος τὴν ψυχὴν κρεμάμενος. αἰεὶ γὰρ φοβούμενος καὶ τρέμων τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἐπιτιθεμένων ἐπτόητο, σαφῶς ἐξεπιστάμενος ὅτι εὔνους μὲν ἦν οὐδείς, ἐχθροὶ δὲ πάντες δυσπραξίᾳ ἀμείλικτοι. 8.14.26 τῆς δὲ ∆ιονυσίου ἀνηνύτου καὶ συνεχοῦς εὐλαβείας μάρτυρες οἱ τὰ Σικελικὰ συγγράψαντες, οἵ φασιν ὅτι καὶ τὴν θυμηρεστάτην ὕποπτον εἶχε γυναῖκα· σημεῖον δέ· τὴν εἰς τὸ δωμάτιον εἴσοδον, δι' ἧς φοιτήσειν ἔμελλεν ὡς αὐτόν, ἐκέλευσε στορεσθῆναι σανίσιν, ἵνα μὴ λάθῃ ποτὲ παρεισερπύσασα, ψόφῳ δὲ καὶ κτύπῳ τῆς ἐπιβάσεως προμηνύῃ τὴν ἄφιξιν· εἶτ' οὐκ ἀνείμονα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς μέρεσι γυμνήν, ἃ μὴ θέμις ὑπ' ἀνδρῶν ὁρᾶσθαι, παρέρχεσθαι· πρὸς δὲ τούτοις τὸ συνεχὲς τοῦ κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ἐδάφους εἰς τάφρου γεωργικῆς εὖρος καὶ βάθος διακοπῆναι, κατὰ δέος μή τι πρὸς ἐπιβουλὴν ἀφανῶς ἐπικρύπτηται, ὅπερ ἢ ἅλμασιν ἢ μακραῖς διαβάσεσιν ἔμελλε διελέγχε8.14.27 σθαι. πόσων ἄρα κακῶν ὁ ταῦτα παρατηρῶν καὶ τεχνάζων ἐπὶ γυναικός, ᾗ πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ὤφειλε πιστεύειν, μεστὸς ἦν; ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἐῴκει τοῖς δι' ἀπορρῶγος ὄρους ἐπὶ τῷ τὰς ἐν οὐρανῷ φύσεις ἀριδηλοτέρας κατανοῆσαι κρημνοβατοῦσιν, οἳ μόλις φθάνοντες ἄχρι προνενευκότος αὐχένος οὔτ' ἀναχωρεῖν ἔτι δύνανται, πρὸς τὸ λειπόμενον ὕψος ἀπειρηκότες, οὔτε καταβαίνειν θαρ8.14.28 ροῦσι, πρὸς τὴν ὄψιν τῶν χασμάτων ἰλιγγιῶντες. ἐρασθεὶς γὰρ ὡς θείου πράγματος καὶ περιμαχήτου τυραννίδος οὔτε μένειν οὔτε ἀποδιδράσκειν ἀσφαλὲς εἶναι ὑπελάμβανε. μένοντι μὲν γὰρ ἀλλεπάλληλα ἐπέρρει κακὰ ἀμύθητα, βουλομένῳ δὲ ἀποδιδράσκειν ὁ περὶ τοῦ ζῆν ἐπεκρέματο κίνδυνος ὡπλισμένων, εἰ 8.14.29 καὶ μὴ τοῖς σώμασιν, ἀλλά τοι ταῖς διανοίαις κατ' αὐτοῦ. δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ τὸ ἔργον, ᾧ πρὸς τὸν μακαρίζοντα τὸν τῶν τυράννων βίον φασὶ χρήσασθαι ∆ιονύσιον. καλέσας γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐπὶ λαμπροτάτου καὶ πολυτελεστάτου δείπνου παρασκευήν, ἐκ μηρίνθου πάνυ λεπτῆς προσέταξεν ἠκονημένον ὑπεραιωρηθῆναι πέλεκυν. ἐπεὶ δὲ κατακλιθεὶς εἶδεν αἰφνίδιον, οὔτ' ἐξαναστῆναι θαρρῶν διὰ τὸν τύραννον οὔτ' ἀπολαῦσαί τινος τῶν παρεσκευασμένων διὰ δέος οἷός τε ὤν, ἀφθόνων καὶ πλουσίων ἀλογήσας ἡδονῶν ἀνατείνας τὸν αὐχένα καὶ τὰς ὄψεις 8.14.30 ἐκαραδόκει τὸν οἰκεῖον ὄλεθρον. συνεὶς δ' ὁ ∆ιονύσιος· «Ἆρ' ἤδη κατανοεῖς,» ἔφη, «τὸν ἀοίδιμον καὶ περιμάχητον ἡμῶν βίον; ἔστι γὰρ τοιοῦτος, εἰ μὴ βούλοιτό τις ἑαυτὸν φενακίζειν, ἐπειδὴ περιέχει παμπληθεῖς μὲν χορηγίας, ἀπόλαυσιν δ' οὐδενὸς χρηστοῦ, φόβους δ' ἐπαλλήλους καὶ κινδύνους ἀνηκέστους καὶ νόσον ἑρπηνώδους καὶ φθινάδος