Mission to Athens by Alan Scribner

Author:Alan Scribner [Scribner, Alan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781542613750
Published: 2017-03-23T04:00:00+00:00

XV

ALEXANDER VISITS THE BOOKSTORE OF MENANDER AND FLACCUS BRINGS A PORTRAIT ARTIST TO THE SAME STORE

At the 3rd hour of the morning on a gray overcast day, Alexander sauntered into Menander’s bookstore in the Stoa of Attalos just as it opened. Menander was at the front table arranging scrolls and nodded politely to his first customer of the day as Alexander came in. He began to browse among the scrolls in the many wooden bookcases and shelves in the store. Each bookcase was divided into cubby holes containing scrolls, each scroll with a red tag dangling from one end bearing the name of the book and the author. Each bookcase had the topic of its scrolls written on it and Alexander found and started to explore the ‘history’ section.

Alexander’s appearance, thin almost gaunt with a high forehead and an intellectual look about him, caught Menander’s interest, but the proprietor knew enough not to bother someone who looked at home in a bookstore until asked for help by the customer. And this is what Alexander did after about a half hour of browsing. He walked up to Menander who was reading at the front table and showed him a scroll.

“This looks like a very interesting book,” began Alexander. “Do you know it? I’ve never heard of the author.” Alexander proffered the scroll to Menander. The bookseller took a look at the title tag.

“Yes. Very interesting. A biography of Demosthenes by Methodius of Rhodes. But not very well known. He was a scholar who lived in Athens a few hundred years ago. Are you interested in Demosthenes? We have a number of even better books about him.”

“Well, yes.”

“Do you know the biography of him by Plutarch? One of his Greek and Roman lives.”

“Yes, I do know that one.”

Menander then launched into a short historical musing. “It’s too bad, isn’t it, that Demosthenes wasn’t successful in stopping Philip of Macedon or his son Alexander the Great.”

“It certainly was too bad,” continued Alexander. “He advocated fighting against the aggression of Philip, but Athens and its allies just didn’t win the Battle of Chaeronia. So the Greeks lost and the Macedonians won, and Athens lost its independence forever.”

“Yes. Forever. Although, there are some who think that Athens can regain a measure of independence.”

“Really?” countered Alexander. “How is that possible? Athens is part of the vast Roman Empire now, not head of a local league of city-states.”

“But we already have achieved a measure of independence within the Empire. We are a free city.”

“Status granted by past Roman emperors,” replied Alexander with some cynicism, “and which can be revoked by future Roman emperors at any time.”

“Not by the current emperor Marcus Aurelius, surely.”

“No, not by him. But after him, who knows?”

“Yes, you’re right about that. Who knows?” Menander looked pensive, and then perked up.

“Where are you from? I haven’t seen you here before.”

“My name is Alexander. I’m from Rome. I’m visiting Athens, a place I’ve always loved from afar and now I’ve been able to come here.”

“I see.

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