Biography of ARCHYTAS [375 B.C.]

by D1OGENES LAERTES [180 A.D.]

(From Chaignet)

Archytas of Tarentum, son of Mnesagoras, or of Hestius, according to Aristoxenus, also was a Pythagorean. It was he who, by a letter, saved Plato from death threatened by Dionysius. He possessed all the virtues, so that, being the admiration of the crowd, he was seven times named general, in spite of the law which forbad re-election after one year. Plato wrote him two letters, in response to this one of Archytas:

"Greetings. It is fortunate for you that you have recovered from your illness; for I have heard of it not only from you, but also from [Lamiscus]. I have busied myself about those notes, and took a trip into Lucania, where I met descendants of Ocellus. I have in my possession the treatises on Law and Royalty; on Holiness, and on the Origin of All Things; and I am sending them to you. The others could not be discovered. Should they be found, they will be sent to you."

Plato answered:

"Greetings. I am delighted to have received the works which you have sent me, and I acknowledge a great admiration for him who wrote them. He seems to be worthy of his ancient and glorious ancestors, who are said to be [Tyreans] and among the number of those Trojans who emigrated under the leadership of Laomedon, [all] worthy people, as the legend proves. Those works of mine about which you wrote me are not in a sufficient state of perfection, but I send them such as they are. Both of us are in perfect agreement on the subject of protecting them. No use to renew the request. May your health improve!"

Such are these two letters. There were four Archytases. The first, of whom we have just spoken. The second, from Mytilene, was a musician; the third wrote about agriculture; fourth is an author of epigrams. Some mention a fifth; an architect, who left a treatise on mechanics, beginning as follows: This book contains what I have been taught by the Carthaginian Teucer.

The musician is said to have made this joke. Being reproached for not advertising himself more, he said: It is my instrument, which speaks for me. Aristoxenus claims that the philosopher Archytas was never vanquished when he commanded. Once, overcome by envy, he had been obliged to resign his command; and his fellow-citizens were immediately conquered. He was the first who methodically applied the principles of mathematics to mechanics; who imparted an organic motion to a geometric figure, by the section of the semi-cylinder seeking two means that would be proportional, to double the cube. He also first, by geometry discovered the properties the cube, as Plato records in the Republic.