Aratus   

accustomed him to the practice, and so had opportunity to contrive
and execute a plot against him. After him Paseas, the father of Abantidas,
taking upon him the government, was assassinated by Nicocles, who
himself set up for tyrant. Of him it is related that he was strikingly
like Periander, the son of Cypselus, just as it is said that Orontes
the Persian bore a great resemblance to Alcmaeon, the son of Amphiaraus,
and that Lacedaemonian youth, whom Myrsilus relates to have been trodden
to pieces by the crowd of those that came to see him upon that report,
to Hector.
This Nicocles governed four months, in which, after he had done all
kinds of mischief to the city, he very nearly let it fall into the
hands of the Aetolians. By this time Aratus, being grown a youth,
was in much esteem, both for his noble birth, and his spirit and disposition,
which, while neither insignificant nor wanting in energy, were solid,
and tempered with a steadiness of judgment beyond his years. For which
reason the exiles had their eyes most upon him, nor did Nicocles less
observe his motions, but secretly spied and watched him, not out of
apprehension of any such considerable or utterly audacious attempt,
but suspecting he held correspondence with the kings, who were his
father's friends and acquaintance. And, indeed, Aratus first attempted
this way; but finding that Antigonus, who had promised fair, neglected
him and delayed the time, and that his hopes from Egypt and Ptolemy
were long to wait for, he determined to cut off the tyrant by himself.
And first he broke his mind to Aristomachus and Ecdelus, the one an
exile of Sicyon, the other, Ecdelus, an Arcadian of Megalopolis, a
philosopher, and a man of action, having been the familiar friend
of Arcesilaus the Academic at Athens. These readily consenting, he
communicated with the other exiles, whereof some few, being ashamed
to seem to despair of success, engaged in the design; but most of
them endeavoured to divert him from his purpose, as one that for want
of experience was too rash and daring.
Whilst he was consulting to seize upon some post in Sicyonia, from
whence he might make war upon the tyrant, there came to Argos a certain
Sicyonian, newly escaped out of prison, brother to Xenocles, one of
the exiles, who, being by him presented to Aratus, informed him that
that part of the wall over which he escaped was, inside, almost level
with the ground, adjoining a rocky and elevated place, and that from
the outside it might be scaled with ladders. Aratus, hearing this,
despatches away Xenocles with two of his own servants, Seuthas and
Technon, to view the wall, resolving, if possible, secretly and with
one risk to hazard all on a single trial, rather than carry on a contest
as a private man against a tyrant by long war and open force. Xenocles,
therefore, with his companions, returning, having taken the height
of the wall, and declaring the place not to be impossible or indeed
difficult to get over, but that it was not easy to approach it undiscovered
by reason of some small but uncommonly savage and noisy dogs belonging
to a gardener hard by, he immediately undertook the business.
Now the preparation of arms gave no jealousy, because robberies and
petty forays were at that time common everywhere between one set of
people and another; and for the ladders, Euphranor, the machine-maker,
made them openly, his trade rendering him unsuspected, though one
of the exiles. As for men, each of his friends in Argos furnished
him with ten apiece out of those few they had, and he armed thirty
of his own servants, and hired some few soldiers of Xenophilus, the
chief of the robber captains, to whom it was given out that they were
to march into the territory of Sicyon to seize the king's stud; most
of them were sent before, in small parties, to the tower of Polygnotus,
with orders to wait there; Caphisias also was despatched beforehand
lightly armed, with four others, who were, as soon as it was dark,
to come to the gardener's house, pretending to be travellers, and
procuring their lodging there, to shut up him and his dogs; for there
was no other way to getting past. And for the ladders, they had been
made to take in pieces, and were put into chests, and sent before,
hidden upon wagons. In the meantime, some of the spies of Nicocles