Page:History of Greece Vol IV.djvu/427

VIOLENT SUBVERSION OF PYTHAGOREANS. 40'J distinctly ascribes his condemnation, speaking about sixty years after the event. Had Sokrates been known as the founder of a band holding together intimately for ambitious purposes, the re- sult would have been eminently pernicious to philosophy, and probably much sooner pernicious to himself. It was this cause which brought about the complete and vio- lent destruction of the Pythagorean order. Their ascendency had provoked such wide-spread discontent, that their enemies became emboldened to employ extreme force against them. Ky- lon and Ninon the former of whom is said to have sought ad- mittance into the order, but to have been rejected on account of his bud character took the lead in pronounced opposition to the I'ythagoreans ; and the odium which the latter had incurred extended itself farther to the Senate of One Thousand, through the medium of which their ascendency had been exercised. Prop- ositions were made for rendering the government more demo- crati cal, and for constituting a new senate, taken by lot from all the people, before which the magistrates should go through their trial of accountability after office ; an opportunity being chosen in which the Senate of One Thousand had given signal offence by refusing to divide among the people the recently conquered territory of Sybaris. 1 In spite of the opposition of the Pythag- oreans, this change of government was carried through. Ninon and Kylon, their principal enemies, made use of it to exasperate the people still farther against the order, until they provoked actual popular violence against it. The Pythagoreans were attacked when assembled in their meeting-house near the temple of Apollo, or, as some said, in the house of Milo : the building was set on fire, and many of the members perished ; 2 none but the younger and more vigorous escaping. Similar disturbances, and the like violent suppression of the order, with destruction of several among the leading citizens, are said to have taken placa 1 This is stated in Jamblichus, c. 255 ; yet it is difficult to believe ; for it the fact had been so, the destruction of the Pythagoreans would naturally Lave produced an allotment and permanent occupation of the Sybaritan territory, which certainly did not take place, for Sybaris remained with- out resident possessors until the foundation of Thurii. 8 .Jamblichus. c, 255-259; Porphyry, c. 51-57 ; Dio^en. Laert. Tiii. 39; Diodor. x, Fragm. vol. iv, p. 56, VVess. VOL. IV. 18