TIMOLEON, a celebrated statesman, and general of ancient Greece. He was a native of Corinth, and descended from one of the highest families in that city. His father was Timodemus; and he had an elder brother named Timophanes, who had led the troops of his country with success in a war against Argos; and when a fresh danger threatened the state, was again appointed to the command of 400 soldiers. With the power thus obtained, Timophanes endeavoured to destroy the then existing oligarchical government, and make himself tyrant; but this scheme was frustrated by Timoleon, who, either with his own hand, or by means of assassins, put his brother to death. The people were divided in their opinion of this deed, and the senate had given no decision, when ambassadors arrived from Syracuse in 344 B.C., requesting assistance against the tyrant Dionysius. Both parties probably seized on this as a favourable opportunity of gaining their ends; the one of getting rid of Timoleon, and the other of saving him from the punishment of murder. He was accordingly appointed to command the expedition to Sicily; although, singular to say, the charge against him was not repelled, but left to depend on his conduct in his new command. This, as far at least as success could do so, amply vindicated his honour. Though but scantily supplied with troops from Corinth, he soon received the submission of Dionysius, and made himself master of Syracuse. He afterwards carried on the war with the Carthaginians, who had from the first opposed his movements; and after gaining several great victories, obtained the liberty of all the Greek cities in Sicily. (See CARTHAGE and SYRACUSE.) From all these cities Timoleon expelled the tyrants who had formerly ruled them, and established democratic constitutions; and by this means he himself, though holding no public office or station, virtually exercised almost unlimited power. At Syracuse he was opposed by a party who endeavoured to defend the rights of the original citizens against the Corinthians and others whom he had introduced; but this effort was overpowered by the bringing in of fresh bodies of new citizens to outvote the old. Timoleon died at Syracuse in undiminished power and popularity, though he had been for some time blind, in 337 B.C. He was buried with great public honours in the market-place of the city. Timoleon was certainly one of the ablest generals that Greece produced; and if his character did not deserve the extravagant laudations of Plutarch, but was stained with many glaring crimes, it ought not on the other hand
to be judged by too severe a test, for the standard of political morality was then not high, and tyrannicide was universally praised. His life has been written by Plutarch and Cornelius Nepos.
TIMON the Sceptic, who is not to be confounded with Timon the Misanthrope, was a Phliasian, and lived in the time of Ptolemy Philadelphus about 270 B.C. He studied under Stilpo at Megara, and Pyrrho in Elis; after which he removed to the north of the Ægean, and taught with success at Chalcidon. Finally, he came to Athens, where he spent the rest of his life, and died at the age of ninety. He is said to have written epics, tragedies, comedies, and satyric dramas; but his most celebrated work was three books of Silli, or satirical pieces. His prose writings, probably philosophical, were voluminous. He is said to have been fond of rural retirement, and was much addicted to wine. Like Lucian, he wrote with sarcastic humour against the whole body of dogmatic philosophers. The fragments of his Silli, often quoted by the ancients, have been carefully collected by Stephanus in his Poesis Philosophica, by Brunck in his Analecta, by J. F. Langenrich, by F. A. Wölke, and by F. Paul, in their several Dissertations. (See SCEPTICISM).