Timoleon

but he, without regard for honour and justice, at once took measures to bring the city under his own power, and, after putting to death without a trial great numbers of the leading citizens, declared himself tyrant. At this, Timoleon was greatly distressed, and considering his brother’s baseness to be his own misfortune, he attempted to reason with him and exhort him to renounce that unfortunate and mad ambition of his and seek to make some amends for his transgressions against his fellow citizens.

But when his brother rejected his appeals with scorn, he took his kinsman Aeschylus, who was a brother of the wife of Timophanes, and his friend the seer whose name, according to Theopompus, was Satyrus, but according to Ephorus and Timaeus, Orthagoras, and after waiting a few days went up again to his brother;

and the three, surrounding him, besought him even now to listen to reason and change his mind.

But Timophanes first mocked them, and then lost his temper and was violent, whereupon Timoleon withdrew a little space from him and stood weeping with muffled head, while the other two, drawing their swords speedily despatched him.[*](Diodorus (xvi. 65, 4) says that Timoleon slew his brother with his own hand in the market place; Nepos (Timoleon, i. 4) supports Plutarch’s account, though with differing details.)