“This…what should we do?” Leptines began to worry.
Philistus was about to reply when he saw the slave returning with the letter. He then quickly opened the two letters and asked the slave to take them along with the one that Ansitanos brought, “Lord Ansitanos, could you check if the handwriting is the same?”
Henipolis drew close to his teacher and compared the letters.
“It’s true that the handwriting is very different.” Ansitanos nodded and admitted, while Henipolis did not say anything.
Philistus then passed the letters.
“Lord Philistus had obviously not written this letter, as I know that his lordship likes to draw a hook at the end of the letter ‘I’ in his signature, while this person had written a straight line instead!” Exclaimed Macias.
Herolis glanced at Philistus deeply. Afterwards, he simply spat, “Yes.”
Then he handed the letter to Philoxenus, who was beside him.
Philoxenus scrutinised it, raised the letter and then said to Ansitanos, “This handwriting is definitely not of Philistus!”
“Well, we finally cleared that up.” Philistus showed a relieved expression as he rubbed his hands together. He then said with a serious face, “It seems that someone used my name and made contact with that Pollux and the others that lord Ansinatos mentioned. Even though it looks like they are trying to disrupt the order of Theonia Union, they are actually trying to provoke the relationship between the two powers, Syracuse and Theonia, in an attempt to induce war. Regarding Hemis, this relates to the security of Syracuse, so we need to make a detailed investigation! But anyway, since the source of Theonia’s trouble had come from Syracuse, I have unshirkable responsibility as a statesman of Syracuse! Here, I would want to offer my sincerest apology to lord Ansitanos and the Theonia Union!” He then stood up and bowed to Ansitanos.
Ansitanos sat upright and accepted his apologies.
“At the same time, Syracuse is also willing to make reparations as a sign of our desire to be close and friendly with Theonia!” Philistus continued to express his expectations.
“That is another important mission for why I have come here to Syracuse under the order of the Senate.” Ansitanos then said solemnly. “The Theonia Union is willing to sign an alliance agreement with Syracuse, not only in terms of diplomatic friendship and mutual prosperity in trade but also military defence. In the mountains to the north of Theonia, there are still powerful barbarians that have repeatedly threatened our borders. Although Syracuse’s powerful enemy, Carthage, has suffered defeat many times, it still has a vast territory and great wealth in its cities in Africa, allowing them to make a comeback. Thus Theonia is willing to ally with Syracuse militarily for the security of the Greek city-states of the western Mediterranean!…”
A sudden silence shrouded the banquet as soon as Ansitanos uttered those words.
Anyone with a political discernment could hear the hidden meanings in Ansitanos’ words: One, Ansitanos reminded all present that Carthage is still a powerful enemy of Syracuse and should not make enemies of Theonia. Two, Theonia wanted to stand on equal footing with Syracuse, which was currently the leading Greek city-state in the western Mediterranean.
“Our mighty Syracuse fears no enemy! Carthage is nothing! If it still dares to come, we will once more defeat them!” Macias loudly expressed his disdain for Carthage.
Philistus, however, applauded and said, “A wonderful proposal! Rest assured, lord Ansitanos. I will report this to lord Dionysius and let him make a decision.”
“Thank you very much!” Ansitanos expressed his gratitude.
“Alright! Alright! Now that we have clarified the misunderstanding, let’s continue drinking and talking!” Said Leptines as he raised his mug.
“Lord Leptines is right. We should all put aside all those pesky political matters behind. To begin with, I wanted to talk to lord Ansitanos about writing a book about history.” Philistus took over the conversation and said emotionally, “Lord Ansitanos, I too had the idea of writing a book on the history of Sicily, but I could not find the time for it for a while because of my busy political schedule. This had made me envious of you for having the time and energy to do what you want to do.”
“The truth is, I did not dare to write before. It is all due to lord Davos’ encouragement and support…” Once Ansitanos starts discussing writing works about history, he became much more enthusiastic, “However, although I managed to write a part of it now, I had decided to throw it away and start again.”
“Why so?” Asked Philistus curiously.
“Do you know Thucydides?” Asked Ansitanos.
They all shook their head.
“I also do not know him and only heard about him after lord Davos’ introduction. Although he is still unknown in the Mediterranean, I am sure that his name will spread all over Greece in a few years! I think that he is even greater than Herodotus!” Said Ansitanos with reverence.
“He had written a book about history?” After all, Ansitanos had a bit of fame as a scholar in Magna Graecia, so his praise naturally made Philistus interested.
“Yes. Thucydides was an Athenian and had served as one of the ten strategoi. He had even participated in the Peloponnesian War. But later, he was exiled by the ecclesia, leading him to live in seclusion in Thrace and spent more than 20 years writing about the history of the Peloponnesian War…and after the war, he returned to Athens. But when lord Davos sent someone to visit him, he was already too ill to hold his pen as he lay in bed. Afterwards, lord Davos spent a lot of money to copy the manuscript from his nephew and took it back to Thurii for storage in the library that was to be built.
I’ve read this book carefully, and although it’s not yet completed, it’s definitely a great historical masterpiece! Thucydides abandoned some of Herodotus’ practices and did not write any rumours, oracles and prophecies in the book, as he truthfully described every major event in the Peloponnesian War in chronological order. And he even wrote at the beginning, ‘What I have recorded is partly based on my own experience, and partly on the materials provided to me by other witnesses. And I have verified it in the most rigorous and careful way possible…’”
Besides, even though he is an Athenian, he does not favour Athens in his book. He described Athens, Sparta and other city-states involved in the war with a completely neutral attitude. He even stated that ‘I am afraid that my historical work without anecdotes is not very fascinating.’ However, every time I think of this book, I could picture the Peloponnesian War, and I believe that even if decades or centuries passed, people would still want to read it again and again to learn the truth about the war. And all of us scholars who are willing to write history should learn from him and use his historical works as a template, which is why I decided to rewrite my work!”
After Ansitanos finished speaking with utmost seriousness, Philistus couldn’t sit still and eagerly asked, “What is the name of this history book that Thucydides has written? Has it been published?”
“It’s called the 《History of the Peloponnesian War》, and I think that it has not yet been published. However, it should come out soon.” Ansitanos then added, “If lord Philistus is eager to see it, then I can copy it and send it to you after I get back.”
“That’s much appreciated!” Philistus thanked him repeatedly.
“It’s nothing. I am just glad to see another colleague on the road of exploring history!” Ansitanos said with sincerity.
“Well said. I would also hope to consult lord Ansitanos in the future and communicate with each other in writing history. Come and drink to our friendship!” With that, Philistus raised his mug to Ansitanos.
And the two drank it all at once.
The crowd cheered happily, and the atmosphere became lively.
Philistus then put down his mug, wiped the foam from the corners of his mouth and said, “It would have been nice if that scholar, Thucydides, that you speak of, is here at this banquet at this moment.”
“Unfortunately, that’s impossible.” Ansitanos said dejectedly, “Thucydides the Athenian…had died not long ago…”
Philistus’ smiled on his face solidified. He then said aloud, “What?! He is dead?!”
“Yes, that is the news I received from Athens. I initially intended to make time to visit him in Athens, but…” Ansitanos looked regretful and sad.
“What is there to be sad about?! From listening to you, this Athenian had left a great work, so much so that even if he went to the underworld, he would have no regrets.” Said Philoxenus, who was slightly intoxicated. Then he shouted, “Bring out the lyre, and I’ll dedicate a song for him!”
“It is such a rare occasion to hear Philoxenus sing!” Herolis also became excited.
At the signal of Philistus, the slave brought out the lyre.
The intoxicated Philoxenus carefully picked the lyre up. After playing a few notes, he gave his praise, “Such a good lyre.”
With that, he stood up then sat down on the table, ignoring the oil staining his clothes.
The female slave next to him hurriedly removed the food from the table as he began plucking the strings. Then sweet music flowed out of his sliding right hand, his whole being immersed in the music, “In the solitude of the sky,
We looked at the star that shines radiantly more than the light of the sun,
What greater joy is there in the world than to walk through the long river of history,
Converse with the heroes,
Sing along with the warriors,
And the Muses offering a crown of olives,
With Apollo driving the glistening chariot,
Together with you
…”
The crowd sang along softly, sending their own sincere silence and blessings for the Athenian whom they had never met.
On this evening, the host and the guest enjoyed themselves.
