Dion

Now when Archytas and his fellow Pythagoreans learned that Plato was in such peril, they quickly sent a galley with an embassy, demanding him from Dionysius and declaring that Plato had taken them for sureties of his safety when he sailed to Syracuse.

Dionysius sought to disprove his enmity to Plato by giving banquets in his honour and making kind provisions for his journey, and went so far as to say something like this to him: I suppose, Plato, thou wilt bring many dire accusations against me to the ears of your fellow philosophers.

To this Plato answered with a smile: Heaven forbid that there should be such a dearth of topics for discussion in the Academy that any one mention thee.

Such, they say, was the dismissal of Plato; Plato’s own words,[*](Epist. vii. p. 349 f.) however, do not entirely agree with this account.

But Dion was vexed by all this, and shortly afterwards became altogether hostile when he learned how his wife had been treated, on which matter Plato also spoke covertly in a letter to Dionysius. The case was as follows.

After the expulsion of Dion and when Dionysius was sending Plato back,[*](For the first time; cf. chapter xvi. 3. ) he bade him learn from Dion confidentially whether he would oppose his wife’s marrying another man;

for there was a report, whether true or concocted by Dion’s enemies, that his marriage had not proved agreeable to him, and that he did not live harmoniously with his wife.

Accordingly, after Plato came to Athens and had conferred with Dion about everything, he wrote a letter to the tyrant which spoke of other matters in a way that was clear to anybody, but of this particular matter in language that could be understood by Dionysius alone, saying that he had talked with Dion about that business, and that Dion would evidently be exceedingly angry if Dionysius should carry it through.[*](Cf. Epist. xiii. p. 362 ad fin.)