Book 5, Chapter 21

61 “Yet this tyrant himself passed judgment on his own happiness. One of his flatterers, Damocles, was speaking of his armies, his wealth, the majesty of his rule, his abundance of every resource, and the splendor of his palace, and declared that no one had ever been happier. ‘Then, Damocles,’ he said, ‘since this life delights you, would you like to taste it yourself and try out my fortune?’ When Damocles said he would, Dionysius ordered him to be placed on a golden couch spread with a beautifully woven coverlet embroidered with magnificent designs. He furnished several sideboards with embossed silver and gold. Then he ordered boys chosen for their exceptional beauty to stand beside the table and serve him attentively, watching for his slightest nod.

62 “There were perfumes and garlands; incense burned; the tables were piled with the most exquisite dishes. Damocles thought himself a fortunate man. In the midst of all this splendor, Dionysius ordered a gleaming sword to be lowered from the paneled ceiling, suspended by a horsehair, so that it hung over the happy man’s neck. Now he could neither look at those handsome attendants nor admire the finely wrought silver, nor reach out his hand to the table. Even the garlands were slipping from his head. At last he begged the tyrant to let him leave, since he no longer wished to be happy. Has Dionysius not made it plain enough that there can be no happiness for someone over whom some terror always hangs? And he was not even free to return to justice and restore liberty and their rights to his fellow citizens. As a young man, at an age too heedless to foresee the consequences, he had entangled himself in wrongdoing and committed acts that made his own safety impossible if he began to act sanely.”

61 “This tyrant actually made his own assessment of his happiness. His flatterer Damocles once talked about the army and resources he possessed, the majesty of his power, his abundant supplies, and the splendor of his royal home. Nobody, Damocles said, had ever been so happy. The tyrant replied, ‘If this way of living appeals to you, Damocles, how about tasting it yourself? Would you like to experience my situation?’ Damocles said he wanted to. So the tyrant ordered a golden couch prepared for him, with a lovely woven blanket decorated with splendid designs. Several sideboards were loaded with engraved silver and gold objects. He also chose boys of exceptional beauty to stand beside the dining table. They were to keep watching Damocles for a signal and attend carefully to his needs.

62 “There were perfumes and garlands, incense was burning, and the tables were piled with the choicest dishes. Damocles thought himself a lucky man. In the middle of all this luxury, the tyrant had a gleaming sword lowered from the paneled ceiling, hanging by a horsehair right above this happy man’s neck. Now he couldn’t look at those beautiful attendants or the exquisitely worked silver. He couldn’t even reach out toward the table. His garlands were already slipping off. In the end he begged the tyrant to let him go: he didn’t want to be happy anymore. Didn’t Dionysius make it clear enough that there’s no happiness for anyone who always has something frightening hanging over him? And he no longer even had the choice of going back to doing what was right and restoring his fellow citizens’ freedom and legal rights. He’d trapped himself in wrongdoing when he was young and shortsighted. He’d committed acts that made it impossible to stay safe if he started to act sensibly.”