186 THE TUSCULAN DISPUTATIONS.er to return to justice, and restore his citizens their rights

and privileges ; for, by the indiscretion of youth, he had engaged in so many wrong steps and committed such ex travagances, that, had he attempted to have returned to a right way of thinking, he must have endangered his life. XXII. Yet, how desirous he was of friendship, though at the same time he dreaded the treachery of friends, ap pears from the story of those two Pythagoreans : one of these had been security for his friend, who was condemned to die; the other, to release his security, presented himself at the time appointed for his dying : " I wish," said Dio- nysius, " you would admit me as the third in your friend ship." What misery was it for him to be deprived of ac quaintance, of company at his table, and of the freedom of conversation ! especially for one who was a man of learn ing, and from his childhood acquainted with liberal arts, very fond of music, and himself a tragic poet how good a one is not to the purpose, for I know not how it is, but in this way, more than any other, every one thinks his own performances excellent. I never as yet knew any poet (and I was very intimate with Aquinius), who did not ap pear to himself to be very admirable. The case is this : you are pleased with your own works ; I like mine. But to return to Dionysius. He debarred himself fr.om all civ il and polite conversation, and spent his life among fugi tives, bondmen, and barbarians; for he was persuaded that no one could be his friend who was worthy of liberty, or had the least desire of being free. XXIII. Shall I not, then, prefer the life of Plato and Archytas, manifestly wise and learned men, to his, than which nothing can possibly be more horrid, or miserable, or detestable ? I will present you with an humble and obscure mathe matician of the same city, called Archimedes, who lived many years after; whose tomb, overgrown with shrubs and briers, I in my quaestorship discovered, when the Syr- acusans knew nothing of it, and even denied that there was any such thing remaining; for I remembered some verses, which I had been informed were engraved on his

monument, and these set forth that on the top of the tomb