"This is an unusual proposal," said Pyrron, "but I'm as ready as I shall ever be. 'It is not strength, but art, obtains the prize.' How many questions are there, O King?"
I felt an immense admiration for Pyrron, who seemed as cool as if he were merely facing a fellow sophist in the Athenian market place.
"Ten," said the king. "Take your time, for I should not like my beautiful palace dirtied with your blood. But do not think Gasys cannot swing that Indian sword. He has been practicing for hours, on cabbages. Go ahead, son. Numbers one, aim, shoot!"
Prince Arivarates stepped forward with a roll of papyrus. He said: "Thales of Miletos was asked: What is easy? and: What is hard? What answers did he give?"
Pyrron muttered to himself. The king said: "Come, speak up, man! I cannot hear."
"I'm sorry; that's a habit of mine. Thales said it is easy to give advice to others, but difficult to know oneself."
"That is right," said the prince.
"Good! Good!" cried the king. "Give him a cheer, everybody. Is maybe the last one he will ever hear."
"Second," said the prince, "what did the statesman Solon hold to be the first rule of life?"
"To hold the moderate course," said Pyrron.
"Right. Third, how did Anaxagoras of Klazomenai describe the sun?"
"As a mass of red-hot metal, larger than the Peloponnesos." The king said: "Maybe you make them too easily, son."
"They wax harder," said the prince. "Fourth: what did Antisthenes say was the greatest boon?"
Pyrron hesitated and mumbled, then said: "To—to die happy."
"Give three maxims of Pythagoras."
"Does this count as one question or as three?"
"As one."
"That's not just!" said Pyrron.
"Ah, but who decides what is just, yet?" said the king. "Go ahead, or Gasys will earn his pay."
"Be it noted that I comply under protest. The three maxims are:
Don't stir fire with a knife; don't sit on your quart; and don't eat your heart."
"What does that mean?" said the king. "Is that a question?" said Pyrron.
"No, I mean yes, I mean no. I ask it, but it is not one of the ten."
"Then the answer will have to wait."
"I will wager you do not even know the answer," said the king.
"As it happens I do, but since this isn't one of the ten, it makes no difference. Next question, O Prince."
"Pray do not interrupt, Father," said the prince. "It puts me off my stride."
"No, I am really interesting," said the king. "We will count the answers to this as one of the ten. Explain those three maxims, Pyrron."
"By 'Don't stir the fire with a knife' he meant 'Don't stir the pride and passions of the great.' By 'Don't sit on your quart' he meant 'Don't use tomorrow's sustenance recklessly.' By 'Don't eat your heart' he meant 'Don't waste your life in unnecessary troubles.'"
"Good maxims!" said the king. "You all be carefully not to stir my passions, eh? And it seems to me that taking elephant to Athens is eating your heart. But go ahead, son."
"Sixth—I mean seventh—" said the prince, "how did Demokritos describe the universe?"
"One of my favorite philosophers. He said: The universe is made up of atoms and the void; all else is mere appearance."
"What a wicked atheist!" growled the king.
"Eighth: what said Protagoras about his belief in the gods?"
Pyrron rattled it off: "I know not whether the gods exist or not."
"Any fool knows they exist," said the king. "You better have some harder questions, son."
"You shall see, O sire. Number nine: what did Anacharsis say were the safest vessels?"
Pyrron stared at the ceiling and at the floor, moving his lips and muttering. The wait became embarrassing. The executioner shifted his grip on the great sword and shuffled his feet to assure his footing.
"Those that have been hauled out on shore," said Pyrron.
"Right," said the prince. "Tenth and last question: what did Aristippos say was the main advantage of being a philosopher?"
This time the wait was even longer. Gasys sighted on Pyrron's neck and made small passes with the sword. The king sighed and looked sad.
Pyrron's mien became desperate. He licked his lips. Sweat beaded his brow.
There was a sharp hiss from the audience as Vardanas spoke in a loud whisper: "If—all—laws—were—repealed!"
"Oh," said Pyrron. "The advantage is that if all laws were repealed, one would go on living the same as before. I think such a conclusion is factually open to question, but that's what the chap asserted."
"You pass," said King Arivarates. "Even though there was a little cheating on the last question. But then, once I saw you was a really philosopher, I would not cut off your head for missing one little question. At least not indoors—catch him, somebody!"
Pyrron had swooned.
The king feasted us that night in celebration of Pyrron's feat. My soldiers ate with the king's guard while the officers and Pyrron dined with the king, and Nirouphar with the queen. King Arivarates was about to seat Pyrron on his right when Pyrron said:
"O King, as Troop Leader Leon is of higher rank than I, he ought to have the place of honor."
"But you won the games! The party is for you!"
"I know, and it's very kind of you. But, you see, Leon is a serious, dignified sort of chap who cares for such distinctions, whereas they mean virtually nothing to me."
"The vagabond tries to shame me, King," I said. "Seat him there if you have to call your guards to help. The left will suit me as well."
I will not describe the repast save to say that, next to the Spartans, the Kappadokians are the worst cooks of all the nations whose food I have eaten. The king plunged into a subject that was much in his mind.
"How would you like to live in Mazaka?" he said.
"Why—I should have to consider the matter carefully, King," said Pyrron. "What had you in mind?"
"I wants some learned Hellene to stay here to write history of Katpatouka."
"Has it a history?"
"Indeed yes, a long history! Nearly all gone now, except for a few old documents and traditions ..."
I lost the thread of the king's talk because I became engrossed in speech with Prince Arivarates, who sat on my left. He was eager to hear about the Eastern lands. From an account of our adventures I passed naturally to the subject of money.
"Think us not ungrateful, O Prince," I said. "However, if you send us off without an obolos, 'twill go hard with us." I explained about the need for money to keep Aias fed, and the unexpectedly heavy costs of travel.
"That may be," said the prince, "but you cannot ask us to give up such a sum when Alexander's generals have ravaged our land and forced us to wage a costly war against them."
"If the Alexander were here, no doubt your father and he could arrange things peacefully. But why should we be punished for Antigonos' deeds? Or why should Xenokrates, for whom the fifty talents are meant?"
The prince shrugged. "As Alexander is head of the Greek confederacy as well as king of Macedonia, all Hellenes share responsibility for his acts. Besides, is it not a Greek saying that necessity knows no law but to conquer? Well, we have the necessity of conquering Antigonos, and this money is useful for that purpose."
I pressed the prince further. "As the Kappadokians deem themselves a cultured folk, they should do all they can to forward an enterprise of benefit to all mankind. It is their duty to posterity."
The prince became nettled. "Do not presume too far on our generosity, Hipparch. You will only anger my father, and then it will be worse for you." He dropped his voice. "Let this business lapse for the nonce. You cannot leave for some time in any case."