Book 5, Chapter 20

57 “Dionysius was tyrant of Syracuse for thirty-eight years, having seized absolute power at the age of twenty-five. What a beautiful city, what a richly endowed community he held crushed in slavery! Yet we have it in writing from reliable authorities that this man was extremely temperate in his way of life, keen and energetic in conducting affairs, but at the same time malicious and unjust by nature. Consequently, anyone who looks closely at the truth must regard him as utterly unhappy. For even when he thought he could do everything, he did not attain the very things he had desired.

58 “Though born of good parents and respectable standing—accounts of that, admittedly, differ—and surrounded by friendships with men his own age and close connections with relatives, and though, in the Greek fashion, he also had certain young men attached to him by love, he trusted none of them. Instead he entrusted his bodily safety to slaves he had selected from wealthy households, whom he had himself freed from the name of slavery, and to certain foreign adventurers and savage barbarians. Thus, through his unjust desire to rule, he had in a sense shut himself in prison. Indeed, rather than entrust his neck to a barber, he taught his daughters to cut hair. So royal maidens, practicing a lowly, servile trade like little barbers, trimmed their father’s beard and hair. Yet when they were grown, he took even their blades away and arranged for them to singe his beard and hair with glowing walnut shells.

59 “He had two wives, Aristomache, a woman of his own city, and Doris of Locri. When he visited them at night, he first inspected and searched everything. He had surrounded his bedroom couch with a broad trench and bridged the crossing with a little wooden bridge; after closing the bedroom door, he would turn even that bridge aside. Since he did not dare stand on the ordinary platforms, he used to address the assembly from a high tower.

60 “When he wanted to play ball, which he was very fond of doing, and took off his tunic, he is said to have handed his sword to a young man he loved. A friend jokingly remarked, ‘You certainly entrust your life to him,’ and the young man smiled. Dionysius ordered them both to be killed: the one because he had pointed out a way to kill him, the other because his laughter had shown approval of the remark. Yet this deed caused him such grief that nothing in his life weighed more heavily on him: he had killed someone he had loved passionately. Thus the desires of those who lack self-control pull in opposite directions. If you yield to one, you must resist another.”

57 “Dionysius was tyrant of Syracuse for thirty-eight years. He seized power when he was twenty-five. What a beautiful city he kept in slavery, and how rich a community! Yet reliable writers have passed down this account of him: he was extremely moderate in his way of living, and energetic and hardworking in managing affairs, but also naturally malicious and unjust. Anyone who looks honestly at the truth must therefore see him as utterly unhappy. Even when he thought he could do anything, he wasn’t getting the very things he’d craved.

58 “He’d been born to good parents and into a respectable family, though different writers give different accounts of that. He had plenty of close friends of his own age and relatives he was on familiar terms with. He also had some young men attached to him as lovers, in the Greek manner. But he trusted none of them. Instead, he entrusted his personal protection to slaves he’d picked out of rich households and personally declared free, and to some foreign drifters and savage barbarians. So his unjust hunger for absolute power had, in a way, locked him in prison. He even taught his daughters to cut hair so he wouldn’t have to trust his neck to a barber. These royal girls, doing a dirty job fit for slave women, acted as little barbers, cutting their father’s beard and hair. Yet when they grew up he took the blade away even from them. He arranged for them to burn off his beard and hair with glowing-hot walnut shells.

59 “He had two wives, Aristomache, a fellow citizen, and Doris, from Locri. Before visiting them at night, he would inspect and search everything. He had a broad ditch dug around the bed in his bedroom, and put a small wooden bridge across it. Once he’d shut the bedroom door, he would turn even that bridge aside. And because he didn’t dare stand on the usual platforms, he used to address public gatherings from a high tower.

60 “He liked playing ball and did it often. Once, when he wanted to play and took off his tunic, he’s said to have handed his sword to a very young man he loved. A friend joked, ‘Well, you’re certainly trusting this one with your life!’ The young man smiled. Dionysius ordered both men killed: one for pointing out a way to kill him, the other for approving the remark by smiling. After doing this he suffered so much that nothing in his life had hurt him more. He’d killed someone he had loved deeply. That’s how the desires of people with no self-control pull in opposite directions. Once you’ve given in to one desire, you have to resist another.”