ted by fear; and, lest some one should take him
unawares, he slept in a bed surrounded by a deep trench. There was a
drawbridge leading to the bed, which he always drew up himself on his
own side, so that no one could get at him to murder him in his sleep.

Among the courtiers who daily visited Dionysius there was one called
Dam'o-cles. He was a great flatterer, and was never weary of telling the
tyrant how lucky and powerful and rich he was, and how enviable was his
lot.

Dionysius finally grew tired of hearing his flattery; and when he once
added, "If I were only obeyed as well as you, I should be the happiest
of men," the tyrant offered to take him at his word.

By his order, Damocles was dressed in the richest garments, laid on the
softest couch before the richest meal, and the servants were told to
obey his every wish. This pleased Damocles greatly. He laughed and sang,
ate and drank, and was enjoying himself most thoroughly.

By chance he idly gazed up at the ceiling, and saw a naked sword hanging
by a single hair directly over his head. He grew pale with terror, the
laughter died on his lips, and, as soon as he could move, he sprang from
the couch, where he had been in such danger of being killed at any
minute by the falling sword.

Dionysius with pretended surprise urged him to go back to his seat; but
Damocles refused to do so, and pointed to the sword with a trembling
hand. Then the tyrant told him that a person always haunted by fear can
never be truly happy,--an explanation which Damocles readily understood.

Since then, whenever a seemingly happy and prosperous person is
threatened by a hidden danger, it has been usual to compare him to
Damocles, and to say that a sword is hanging over his head.

LXXXIV. DION AND DIONYSIUS.

When Dionysius the tyrant died at last, he was succeeded by his son, a
lazy, good-for-nothing young man, who was always changing his mind.
Every day he had some new fancy, admired something new, or rode some new
hobby. As the son's name was the same as the father's, the latter is now
sometimes known as Dionysius the Elder, while the son is generally
called Dionysius the Younger.

The new tyrant had a brother-in-law named Di'on, a good and studious
man, who had received an excellent education. Like most rich young
Greeks of his day, Dion had gone to Athens to finish his studies; and
there he had been a pupil of Plato, the disciple of Socrates.

As Dion was modest, trut