Before the entrance into the Academy is an altar of Eros, with the
inscription that Charmus was the first of the Athenians to offer
votive offerings to Eros. And they say that the altar in the city
called the altar of Anteros is the offering of the resident aliens,
for Meles an Athenian, tired of Timagoras, a resident alien who was
enamoured of him, bade him go to the highest part of the rock and
throw himself down. And Timagoras careless of his life, and wishing
in all things to gratify the stripling’s commands, threw himself down
accordingly. But Meles, when he saw that Timagoras was dead, was so
stricken with remorse, that he threw himself down from the same rock,
and so perished. And in consequence it was ordained that the resident
aliens should worship as a god Anteros, the avenger of Timagoras. And
in the Academy is an altar of Prometheus, and they run from it to the
city with lighted torches. The game is to keep the torch alight as
they run. And if the torch goes out there is no longer victory to the
first, but the second wins instead. And if his is out, then the third.
And so on. And if the torches of all go out, then there is no one who
can win the game. There is also an altar of the Muses, and another of
Hermes, and in the interior one of Athene, and another of Hercules.
And there is an olive-tree, which is said to have been the second that
ever was. And not far from the Academy is the tomb of Plato, to whom
the Deity foretold that he would be most excellent in Philosophy, and
foretold it in the following way. Socrates, the night before Plato was
going to be his pupil, dreamed that a swan flew into his bosom. Now
the swan is a bird that has a fame for music, for they say that Cycnus
[_Swan_], king of the Ligyans across the Eridanus in Celtic territory,
was fond of music, and when he died was at Apollo’s desire changed into
a bird. I daresay a musical man reigned over the Ligyans, but I can
hardly believe that a man became a bird. Here too is seen the tower of
Timon, who was the only person who thought one can be happy in no way
except by shunning one’s kind. There is also shewn here a place called
Colonus, sacred to Poseidon the creator of horses, the first place in
Attica which they say Œdipus came to: this is however different from
the account of Homer, still it is the account they give. There is also
an altar of Poseidon God of Horses and of Athene Goddess of Horses, and
a hero-chapel of Pirithous and Theseus and Œdipus and Adrastus. But
Poseidon’s grove and temple were burnt by Antigonus, when he invaded
Attica and ravaged it with his army.