Little known about Plato's personal history 262 CHAPTER VI. Platonic Canon, as Recognised by Thrasyllus. Platonic Canon--Ancient and modern discussions 264 Canon established by Thrasyllus. Presumption in its favour 265 Fixed residence and school at Athens--founded by Plato and transmitted to successors _ib._ Importance of this foundation. Preservation of Plato's manuscripts. School library 266 Security provided by the school for distinguishing what were Plato's genuine writings 267 Unfinished fragments and preparatory sketches, preserved and published after Plato's death 268 Peripatetic school at the Lykeum--its composition and arrangement 269 Peripatetic school library, its removal from Athens to Skêpsis--its ultimate restitution in a damaged state to Athens, then to Rome 270 Inconvenience to the Peripatetic school from the loss of its library _ib._ Advantage to the Platonic school from having preserved its MSS. 272 Conditions favourable, for preserving the genuine works of Plato _ib._ Historical facts as to their preservation _ib._ Arrangement of them into Trilogies, by Aristophanes 273 Aristophanes, librarian at the Alexandrine library _ib._ Plato's works in the Alexandrine library, before the time of Aristophanes 274 Kallimachus--predecessor of Aristophanes--his published Tables of authors whose works were in the library 275 Large and rapid accumulation of the Alexandrine Library _ib._ Plato's works--in the library at the time of Kallimachus 276 First formation of the library--intended as a copy of the Platonic and Aristotelian [Greek: Mousei=a] at Athens 277 Favour of Ptolemy Soter towards the philosophers at Athens 279 Demetrius Phalereus--his history and character _ib._ He was chief agent in the first establishment of the Alexandrine Library 280 Proceedings of Demetrius in beginning to collect the library 282 Certainty that the works of Plato and Aristotle were among the earliest acquisitions made by him for the library 283 Large expenses incurred by the Ptolemies for procuring good MSS. 285 Catalogue of Platonic works, prepared by Aristophanes, is trustworthy _ib._ No canonical or exclusive order of the Platonic dialogues, when arranged by Aristophanes 286 Other libraries and literary centres, besides Alexandria, in which spurious Platonic works might get footing _ib._ Other critics, besides Aristophanes, proposed different arrangements of the Platonic dialogues 287 Panætius, the Stoic--considered the Phædon to be spurious--earliest known example of a Platonic dialogue disallowed upon internal grounds 288 Classification of Platonic works by the rhetor Thrasyllus--dramatic--philosophical 289 Dramatic principle--Tetralogies _ib._ Philosophical principle--Dialogues of Search--Dialogues of Exposition 291 Incongruity and repugnance of the two classifications 294