He [Hicetes] had engaged also, and despatched towards Adranum, two unknown foreigners to assassinate Timoleon, who at no time kept any standing guard about his person, and was then altogether secure, diverting himself, without any apprehension, among the citizens of the place, it being a festival in honour of their gods.
The two men that were sent, having casually heard that Timoleon was about to sacrifice, came directly into the temple with poniards [a small, slim dagger] under their cloaks, and pressing in among the crowd, by little and little got up close to the altar; but, as they were just looking for a sign from each other to begin the attempt, a third person struck one of them over the head with a sword, upon whose sudden fall, neither he that gave the blow, nor the partisan of him that received it, kept their stations any longer; but the one, making way with his bloody sword, put no stop to his flight, till he gained the top of a certain lofty precipice, while the other, laying hold of the altar, besought Timoleon to spare his life, and he would reveal to him the whole conspiracy. His pardon being granted, he confessed that both himself and his dead companion were sent thither purposely to slay him.
While this discovery was made, he that killed the other conspirator had been fetched down from his sanctuary of the rock, loudly and often protesting, as he came along, that there was no injustice in the fact, as he had only taken righteous vengeance for his father’s blood, whom this man had murdered before in the city of Leontini; the truth of which was attested by several there present, who could not choose but wonder too at the strange dexterity of fortune’s operations, the facility with which she makes one event the spring and motion to something wholly different, uniting every scattered accident and loose particular and remote action, and interweaving them together to serve her purpose; so that things that in themselves seem to have no connection or interdependence whatsoever, become in her hands, so to say, the end and the beginning of each other.
tl;dr:
Hicetes sends two assassins to slay a Greek statesman, Timoleon. They find their prey in a crowded temple about to sacrifice. They get into position and are just about to kill him when a random third person comes up from behind and kills one of the assassins. The killer tries to bolt, but is grabbed by the citizens, and the surviving assassin falls at the feet of Timoleon, confessing everything. The third guy is brought down and confesses that he wasn’t trying to stop the assassination at all – the guy he killed had previously killed his father, and he was taking his revenge – it was simply really fortunate timing for Timoleon!
Source:
Plutarch, John Dryden, and Arthur Hugh Clough. "Timoleon." Plutarch's Lives. New York: Modern Library, 2001. 338. Print.
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