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Authors: Valerio Massimo Manfredi
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you will teach her everything she needs to know.’
‘But does she at least have a name?’ asked Artemisia.
‘I know not. I, however, will call her Leptine.’
‘That’s nice … suits a little girl.’
That day news came of the death of old Nicomachus. The King was most sorry because he had been an excellent physician and had brought his son into the world.
In any case Nicomachus’s surgery was not closed, even though his son, Aristotle, had taken quite a different direction in life and was then in Asia, in the city of Atarneus, where he had founded a new school of philosophy on the death of his teacher, Plato.
It was Nicomachus’s young assistant, Philip, who continued to work in the surgery and he practised the profession with great skill and ability.
The youngsters who lived at court with Alexander had grown by now in both body and spirit and the inclinations they had displayed as infants were now for the most part consolidated. Those companions who were close to Alexander’s age, such as Hephaestion, who was by now his inseparable friend, Perdiccas and Seleucus, had become close to him and they formed a compact group, both in play and in study. Lysimachus and Leonnatus, with the passing of time, had adapted to communal life and they found outlets for their energies in games of physical effort and skill.
Leonnatus, especially, was keen on wrestling and for this reason he was always untidily dressed and covered in scratches and bruises. Older companions such as Ptolemy and Craterus were young men by now and had already for some time been receiving tough military training in the cavalry.
In this period a Greek by the name of Eumenes came to join the group. He worked as an assistant in the King’s chancellery and was much appreciated by virtue of his intelligence and wisdom. Philip wanted him to have the same schooling as the other youngsters and so Leonidas found a place for him in the dormitory. Leonnatus, however, immediately challenged the newcomer to a wrestling match.
‘If you want to earn your place here, you have to fight for it,’ he said, taking off his chiton and strutting around bare-chested.
Eumenes did not even look at him. ‘Are you crazy? I wouldn’t even dream of it.’ And he set about sorting out his clothes in the chest at the foot of his bed.
Lysimachus started making fun of him. ‘I told you. This Greek is just a little fart.’ Even Alexander started laughing.
Leonnatus gave the new lad a push and sent him rolling across the floor. ‘Come on then, are you ready to fight or what?’
Eumenes got up angrily, straightened his clothes and said, ‘Just a moment, I’ll be right back.’ He walked to the door, leaving them all speechless. As soon as he was outside he approached a soldier on guard duty on the upper balcony of the palace, a Thracian built like a bear. Eumenes pulled out some coins and put them in the soldier’s hand. ‘Come with me, I have a job for you.’ He entered the dormitory and pointed to Leonnatus: ‘See that one there with the freckles and the red hair?’ The giant nodded. ‘Good. Pick him up and give him a good hiding.’
Leonnatus realized immediately that the odds were stacked against him and he shot through the Thracian’s legs much as Ulysses must have done in giving the Cyclops Polyphemus the slip before taking off down the stairs.
‘Does anyone else have anything to say?’ asked Eumenes, starting to sort out his personal effects once again.
‘Yes. I do,’ said Alexander.
Eumenes stopped and turned towards him: ‘I’ll listen to you,’ he said, with evident respect in his voice, ‘because you’re the master here, but none of these birdheads has any right to call me “little fart”.’
Alexander burst out laughing. ‘Welcome to the gang, Mister Secretary General.’
From that moment onwards Eumenes was truly part of the group and he became ring leader in all sorts of jokes and pranks carried out at the expense of people throughout the palace,
‘But does she at least have a name?’ asked Artemisia.
‘I know not. I, however, will call her Leptine.’
‘That’s nice … suits a little girl.’
That day news came of the death of old Nicomachus. The King was most sorry because he had been an excellent physician and had brought his son into the world.
In any case Nicomachus’s surgery was not closed, even though his son, Aristotle, had taken quite a different direction in life and was then in Asia, in the city of Atarneus, where he had founded a new school of philosophy on the death of his teacher, Plato.
It was Nicomachus’s young assistant, Philip, who continued to work in the surgery and he practised the profession with great skill and ability.
The youngsters who lived at court with Alexander had grown by now in both body and spirit and the inclinations they had displayed as infants were now for the most part consolidated. Those companions who were close to Alexander’s age, such as Hephaestion, who was by now his inseparable friend, Perdiccas and Seleucus, had become close to him and they formed a compact group, both in play and in study. Lysimachus and Leonnatus, with the passing of time, had adapted to communal life and they found outlets for their energies in games of physical effort and skill.
Leonnatus, especially, was keen on wrestling and for this reason he was always untidily dressed and covered in scratches and bruises. Older companions such as Ptolemy and Craterus were young men by now and had already for some time been receiving tough military training in the cavalry.
In this period a Greek by the name of Eumenes came to join the group. He worked as an assistant in the King’s chancellery and was much appreciated by virtue of his intelligence and wisdom. Philip wanted him to have the same schooling as the other youngsters and so Leonidas found a place for him in the dormitory. Leonnatus, however, immediately challenged the newcomer to a wrestling match.
‘If you want to earn your place here, you have to fight for it,’ he said, taking off his chiton and strutting around bare-chested.
Eumenes did not even look at him. ‘Are you crazy? I wouldn’t even dream of it.’ And he set about sorting out his clothes in the chest at the foot of his bed.
Lysimachus started making fun of him. ‘I told you. This Greek is just a little fart.’ Even Alexander started laughing.
Leonnatus gave the new lad a push and sent him rolling across the floor. ‘Come on then, are you ready to fight or what?’
Eumenes got up angrily, straightened his clothes and said, ‘Just a moment, I’ll be right back.’ He walked to the door, leaving them all speechless. As soon as he was outside he approached a soldier on guard duty on the upper balcony of the palace, a Thracian built like a bear. Eumenes pulled out some coins and put them in the soldier’s hand. ‘Come with me, I have a job for you.’ He entered the dormitory and pointed to Leonnatus: ‘See that one there with the freckles and the red hair?’ The giant nodded. ‘Good. Pick him up and give him a good hiding.’
Leonnatus realized immediately that the odds were stacked against him and he shot through the Thracian’s legs much as Ulysses must have done in giving the Cyclops Polyphemus the slip before taking off down the stairs.
‘Does anyone else have anything to say?’ asked Eumenes, starting to sort out his personal effects once again.
‘Yes. I do,’ said Alexander.
Eumenes stopped and turned towards him: ‘I’ll listen to you,’ he said, with evident respect in his voice, ‘because you’re the master here, but none of these birdheads has any right to call me “little fart”.’
Alexander burst out laughing. ‘Welcome to the gang, Mister Secretary General.’
From that moment onwards Eumenes was truly part of the group and he became ring leader in all sorts of jokes and pranks carried out at the expense of people throughout the palace,
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