et, how desirous he was of friendship, though at the same time he
dreaded the treachery of friends, appears 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 Dionysius, "you would
admit me as the third in your friendship." What misery was it for him to
be deprived of acquaintance, of company at his table, and of the freedom
of conversation; especially for one who was a man of learning, 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 appear 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 from all civil and
polite conversation, and spent his life among fugitives, 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 mathematician of the same
city, called Archimedes, who lived many years after; whose tomb, overgrown
with shrubs and briars, I in my quaestorship discovered, when the
Syracusans 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 there was placed a sphere with a cylinder. When I had carefully
examined all the monuments (for there are a great many tombs at the gate
Achradinae), I observed a small column standing out a little above the
briars, with the figure of a sphere and a cylinder upon it; whereupon I
immediately said to the Syracusans, for there were some of their principal
men with me there, that I imagined that was what I was inquiring for.
Several men being sent in with scythes, cleared the way, and made an
opening for us. When we could get at it, and were come near to the front
of the