Soon Dionysius made a serious blunder. He declared that he would lower the pay of the older members of his mercenary troops. Given that Dionysius stayed in power largely because he was protected by a large contingent of mercenary troops, he was taking a big risk. The pay cut was seen as an affront to his soldiers. Moreover, precisely because they were hired supporters of the tyrant, their only bond to him was governed by money, not by patriotism or personal loyalty. They demonstrated against Dionysius and terrified him. There arose a rumor that Heraclides was behind the demonstration. When Heraclides heard that he was being held responsible for the uprising, he went into hiding.
Dionysius called in Theodotes to consult on how to apprehend Heraclides. Theodotes talked with Dionysius on the palace grounds in the presence of Plato. Theodotes urged Dionysius to do nothing more to Heraclides than to banish him from Sicily. Dionysius promised to comply with his request. The next day Theodotes came to Plato worried that Dionysius was sending out squads of soldiers to apprehend Heraclides like a criminal. Plato accompanied him to an audience with Dionysius. When Theodotes begged Dionysius to abide by their agreement, Plato assured him that Dionysius would keep his word. Dionysius replied to Plato in a very despotic tone (mala tyrranikōs), “With you I made no agreement, neither great nor small.” Plato protested that he most assuredly did take an oath in the presence of Plato and Theodotes. Plato turned and walked out in a huff.[7]
Dionysius sent Plato to stay at the home of his friend Archedemus outside the the walls of the citadel. When Plato accepted an invitation to visit Theodotes, Dionysius sent a messenger to complain that Plato was showing preference to the friends of Dion rather than himself. Henceforth, Dionysius did not invite Plato to his palace, and Plato was left isolated as a persona non grata in Syracuse. Plato sent letters to Archytas and others in Taras, and Archytas sent a thirty-oared galley on some pretext to take Plato home.
Plato stopped at the Peloponnesus, where the Olympian games were being celebrated in August of 360, to meet with Dion. Dion called on Plato to join him in taking revenge on Dionysius for his perfidious treatment of himself and Plato. Plato replied that he was free to gather his friends to retaliate against Dionysius, but as for himself, Dionysius had not harmed him. Indeed, he had only gone to Syracuse at the insistence of Dion and his supporters and, as it turned out, risked his life and his freedom in doing so. Besides, at his advanced age, Plato was in no position to take up arms against anyone. As Plato reviewed the resulting war and upheavals that resulted from Dion’s later actions in his letter, he regretted the failure of Dionysius and Dion to be reconciled. So much blood had been spilled in vain.[8]
[7] Plato Letter 7 349b; on Heraclides, see Plato Letter 3 318c, 319a; Letter 4 320e, 321b.
[8] Plato Letter 7 349c-350e; for the events of the third voyage, compare Plutarch Dion 18-20.