ELEPHANTS AND CASTLES
Alfred Duggan
First published in Great Britain by Faber and Faber Ltd., 1963
© Alfred Duggan 1963
First NEL Paperback Edition November 1973
NEL Books are published by New English Library Limited from Barnard's Inn, Holborn, London E.C. 1.
For many years the late Dr Lee Byrne, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, Ph.D., Columbia University, studied the life and times of Demetrius Poliorcetes, intending to write a novel round this fascinating character. But he died before he had begun to write the book. Mrs Lee Byrne, of Austin, Texas, was unwilling that her husband’s work should be wasted, and with great generosity she sent his notes to me. So this book is in some sense a collaboration between two partners who never met. Dr Byrne discovered and put in order all the facts, but the opinions, and all the other fictional trimmings, are entirely the responsibility of Alfred Duggan.
PROLOGUE
‘Captain Aristippus, sir,’ said the clerk and retired, closing the door-curtain behind him. He would listen on the other side, but ostensibly the captain had been granted a private interview.
‘Ah yes, captain. Take a stool. There is a lot you must know about your new appointment. I want you to understand the position from the start. Then you won’t begin too gently, and have to tighten up things later. That always causes difficulties, and it isn’t really fair to the prisoner.’
The provincial treasurer spoke the Ionic of Miletus, but he was some kind of barbarian all the same; Aristippus could tell that from the layer of fat on his stomach, and his general lack of muscle. It was commonly said that only eunuchs won high positions in the treasury; but with barbarians who chose to shave their cheeks in the Hellene fashion you could not always be certain.
‘He is a prisoner, then? Not, for example, a guest of the King of Kings; or a hostage; or an envoy on his way home but detained by sickness until the doctors declare him well enough to travel? I’m glad you have made that clear.’ Aristippus felt pleased that he had been so quick off the mark. The treasurer would note that here was a soldier who listened carefully and was not afraid to speak out, even to a senior official.
‘He surrendered to our victorious army, because he could no longer maintain the struggle,’ said the treasurer with a little gesture of dignified satisfaction. ‘He is undoubtedly a prisoner of war, and he must admit it. By the laws of war he might have been sold as a slave, or set to work in the mines. But our glorious King of Kings chose to show mercy. A very famous hero, the son of an old comrade in arms, related by marriage to the ruling house - there were many cogent reasons. So he is both a prisoner and a king, and he lives in greater luxury than if he were a royal guest. But we want him to stay where he is – the King of Kings himself wants him to stay where he is. That’s why your position as commander of his guard will be one of some delicacy. You will be anxious, sometimes worried, always busy. But you will also live in comfort, you will be generously paid, and you will be far from any battlefield. I understand that those who make arms their profession value highly all these amenities,’
‘Who doesn’t? I’m not ambitious. I won my rank on the battlefield, and I shall be quite content if I never draw my sword again. So my chief duty will be to see that he doesn’t get away? But when I pull him off his horse I must still address him as “my lord king”?’
‘You sum it up very neatly. You Hellenes have a gift for words. But then you are speaking in your mother-tongue, while I must use a foreign language. The king may do anything he likes, within reason. But he must stay where he is. His expenses, which are enormous, are a charge on the provincial treasury. That is why I control his palace. You must keep him in that palace, and, by the way, you may not harm him,’
‘The last bit makes it more difficult. I suppose I can use force, so long as I don’t shed his blood? Is he here for life, or is there some chance that eventually he will be released? It makes a difference, you know, or I wouldn’t inquire into a matter of high policy. If he hopes for freedom it will be easier to control him. If he is quite desperate he might snatch a sword from one of his guards and go down fighting. That would be in character, as I remember him. When I was a boy I saw him in all his glory,’
‘He won’t die fighting, like a hero trapped in his own hall. But I forget. I was thinking of the barbarian legends of my own childhood. You Hellenes see a man who fights on after all is lost as merely obstinate, not heroic. He has been here for more than a year, and he understands the rules that define his life. I think that answers your questions, but if you want specific orders here they are: On no account may you shed his blood. If all else fails you may seize his body, you may even put him in fetters. But that is only if he tries to escape. While he stays peacefully in his palace he must live as much like a free man as you can manage,’
‘And the prospect of release?’ Aristippus insisted. ‘It’s important, and I ought to know. Will he risk anything to get away, or will he sit quiet in the hope that good behaviour will gain him an earlier pardon?’
The treasurer frowned and answered slowly, picking his words with care. ‘I cannot of course disclose to you high matters of state, and indeed I do not know them myself. I can tell you no more than the declared intentions of our mighty King of Kings. Release has been promised, at a suitable date when foreign affairs are peaceful. The King of Kings has added a graceful compliment. My lord Antiochus begged his father to be merciful, and it has been promised that the royal heir will come in person to escort the prisoner to freedom. That promise was given rather more than a year ago. Since then my lord the royal heir has been too occupied with his exalted duties to find time to visit these parts.'
‘I understand. I wonder whether the prisoner understands? But even if he does he will still be hoping. That makes my job much easier.’
'Perhaps. But you must still be vigilant. If the prisoner were to escape, the King of Kings would be angry, with me as well as with you. I shall know whether you are vigilant. As provincial treasurer I have no right to give orders to the troops; but it is my duty to provide for the expenses of the palace, including the pay of the guards.’
'Quite so. You express yourself in Ionic much better than I do. Now could I have a chat with the officer I am to relieve? He can tell me the daily routine. You say it has gone on for more than a year, so they must have worked out how to run things easily.’
'Unfortunately your predecessor is not available. Nothing serious, you understand. His head is still on his shoulders. The physicians attribute his disorders to too much wine and not enough exercise.’
‘They told me this job was a real plum.’
‘As you say. The etiquette is that you dine with your royal prisoner whenever he invites you. Otherwise, so long as he is indoors, it’s enough to have three guards where they can see him. Never less than three, mind; so that if necessary two can restrain him with their bare hands while the third raises the alarm. Then no one is tempted to use a sword.’
Must they be within hearing as well?’
‘Oh no, quite unnecessary. He likes to speak his mind, and the soldiers might be embarrassed if they heard his opinion of my lord the King of Kings. They keep an eye on him from the far end of an ante-room. When he goes out, especially when he hunts, you must ride with him. Be sure your horse is as fast as his. Of course he is not permitted to talk privately with men of any standing. But then so far he hasn’t tried. He knows the rules as well as I do, though no one has explained them to him, and he doesn’t want to get ordinary harmless people into trouble. When he gives a dinner you must look over the list of guests beforehand, and check that they all have permission to call on him. You will find that they have permission, always; and anyway they wi
ll be people of no importance - actors, loose women, philosophers, buffoons, creatures of that type.’
There speaks the barbarian, Aristippus thought to himself; in Hellas creatures of that kind form public opinion, especially the philosophers and buffoons. But when he answered it was to express surprise on another point.
‘Hunting? Dinner parties? What kind of prison is this?’
‘A very special kind. Fifty years ago it belonged to Darius, the last King of Kings of the Achaemenid line. It was his local palace in these parts, as he had palaces in every province of his dominions. I don’t think he ever stayed in it; but if he had wanted to, there it was ready for him. Now of course it belongs to my lord Seleucus, though he has never visited it either. It’s a genuine palace after the Persian fashion; with a separate wing for the women - quite crowded now I believe - and what we call a paradise, a park for hunting - I don’t recall your word for that.’
‘Because we don’t have a word for it. Small and crowded Hellas has no private hunting parks. But I know what you mean. We use the Persian word for the Persian thing.’
‘Well, that’s where he hunts. He’s not allowed beyond the boundary fence; but, as I said, he won’t try to pass it. His pride would be wounded if he were stopped by force, so he never does anything that his guards would not permit. Why should he, anyway? He has all the pleasures of a king - feasting, hunting, dancing girls - and none of the labour of ruling. It ought to be the happiest time of his life.’
‘That’s as may be,’ said the soldier, ‘but if there’s a wall round you it’s only natural to want to get over it. As soon as you are besieged the most comfortable fortress begins to seem cramped and narrow.’
‘Siege is an experience that has never come my way, though I’m sure you are right. However, the wall doesn’t run all round this palace. The sea lies on two sides, with the paradise between the house and the mainland. You needn’t bother about the sea, there is always a guard ship patrolling. You need only watch the landward wall. It is, as you said just now, a plum of a job. But it must be done properly, mind. My lord the King of Kings is in earnest about that,’
The frown with which he finished made Aristippus shiver a little.
‘Very well, sir. You have explained everything. Today I shall set off to take over my duties. By the way, you said that I must give the prisoner royal honours. What is his full style?’
‘King Demetrius, son of King Antigonus. If you like you may add Besieger of Cities, the surname he took in his young days. He is proud of it - oddly enough when you recall that his most famous siege ended in a draw. Mind you never call him king of any particular place, because he rules nowhere. He is just king in the abstract, king by rank as it were,’
Next morning Captain Aristippus was presented to his prisoner. At the palace gate a Hellene awaited him, a handsome grey-haired gentleman wearing rather too much jewellery. He was quick to note the captain’s stare at his adornments.
‘Good morning. My name is Sosigenes, and I have to wear two big brooches to indicate my double rank. Court etiquette, you know. This one shows that I’m officially the Friend of King Seleucus, and the other that I am also the Friend of King Demetrius. I run the palace for him, and try to cushion any shocks to his dignity. You had better talk to him alone. That will be less painful to him, though he is bearing up very well under his misfortunes. If you get the chance, persuade him to ride more often. He spends too much time thinking about the past, and then he drinks to forget the present. I like him, and you will like him too. He is a man of honour, and you can trust his promises.’
‘I am not here to trust his promises,’ thought Aristippus; though to the courtier he said nothing so crude.
One of the numerous palace servants led him through a deserted hall of audience to a dining-room at the end of the wing, whose three windows opened on a wide view of the sea. In the central window King Demetrius lay on a couch. The only other person in the room was a handsome young page, standing beside a large wine jar.
King Demetrius was also handsome, though no longer young; in his fifties, the captain judged. He wore a short tunic of red cloth; a fillet of red wool kept his grizzled hair in order. His feet and arms were bare; but then it was already a very hot day.
He smiled at his visitor and motioned to the page, who came forward with two goblets on a tray.
‘You are the new captain of my bodyguard? Welcome. I’m glad they sent someone young and fit. Your predecessor found the job too much for him. Will you join me in a drink?’
‘Thank you, my lord king, but it is a little early in the day. Later, perhaps.’
‘Nonsense. It’s never too early for a soldier to drink. I see you have come in full uniform, greaves, helmet and all. Next time you need not bother, though I suppose when we ride together you must wear a sword. Take it, man. Add more water if you like. I prefer half and half, like all trueborn Macedonians. Besides, you ought to drink to my continued health and safety. Isn’t that as valuable to you as to me?’
Aristippus took the cup. ‘I drink to you, my lord. May your life in this palace be prosperous and uneventful.’
‘Very nicely put. I suppose there’s no news of that young puppy Antiochus? I would hear soon enough if he were really coming to visit his father-in-law. The King of Kings was just being polite when he promised it. And yet he might come. I don’t know, and I shan’t ask your opinion. Supposing you did know the secrets of the court you would not be so indiscreet as to tell me. Well, I am very comfortable here. Shall we look at the sea while we have another drink?’
‘Not for me, my lord,’ Aristippus answered firmly. ‘May I be so bold as to inquire your plans for the day? I had word from the stables that you had ordered horses and greyhounds. But unless we start soon the sun will be too hot for coursing. When do you propose to mount?’
‘Not today, after all. When I woke up I felt full of energy, but now I would like to rest here and look at the sea. Doesn’t it seem beautiful and peaceful, as we gaze down from this headland? A very fine situation, this. One of its advantages is that there is always shelter for the guard ship on one side or other of the cape. From this height she looks very pretty. But I don’t envy the men in her. When I was younger I enjoyed seafaring, but then I was always going somewhere. Just pottering about in sight of this palace must be dull, and dashed uncomfortable when the wind is abeam.’
‘Yes, my lord. For myself, I am always seasick on a quiet passage; but when I see the beak of an enemy ship my stomach settles. The sea can be tedious unless you are fighting on it.’
‘True enough. I never saw anyone seasick during a battle.
But only a true Hellene would notice a thing like that, and you speak good Attic. Are you by any chance an Athenian? Athens is the finest city in all Hellas, and once I was very happy there.’
‘Not an Athenian, my lord, though I was born and brought up there. My grandfather came to Piraeus from Thera in the Cyclades. My father before me was born in Athens, but we never sought citizenship. Until I went off soldiering I was a metic, a resident foreigner.’
‘Then you are as much an Athenian as I ever was. I had lived there off and on, but I never attained the citizenship. The most they ever gave me was worship as a god. That seemed queer at first, though you soon grow used to it. Do you think the Athenians are good at picking gods?’
‘That’s not for me to say, my lord. I never cast a vote in the Assembly. As a metic my duty was to obey the law and pay my taxes, and serve in the levy of course. But I never was enrolled in the levy, because as soon as I was big enough to carry a shield I went off to be a mercenary instead.’
‘How old are you? Forty? Then you must have left Athens just about the time I arrived. A pity. We can’t talk over old times together.’
‘I saw your first entry, my lord. A very splendid affair, and you looked very well. Then the wars began again, and I went off to fight for pay because in a citizen levy a metic has no chance of promotion.’
‘My f
irst entry. That’s something we can talk about. Sit with me in this window while we talk about it. But you really must drink more wine.’
‘I’m sorry, my lord. If you are not riding today I must go and inspect the guard. But why don’t you come out for a ride? It will give you an appetite for dinner. Soldiers can’t pass a whole morning in drinking and chatting; and we are both soldiers, you and I.’
‘You forget. I may be a soldier, but I am also a god. A god by solemn decree of the sovereign people of Athens, who very seldom make mistakes in an affair of that kind. As you can see, the Athenians did not give me eternal youth. But perhaps they gave me immortality - at least you can’t yet prove that they didn’t. And they may have given me the vigour of an immortal god, for since they honoured me I have suffered only one illness - through that one illness did me harm enough in all conscience.’
Sighing, King Demetrius snapped his fingers at the page, who refilled his cup.
‘Come, my lord, you must sometimes get out and about. I know which illness you are thinking of. If you follow this way of life you will fall ill again,’
‘Nonsense, my dear fellow. I am quite fit enough to go hunting, it’s just that this morning I don’t feel like it. Tomorrow perhaps. While this light lasts I shall sit and look at the sea. You have set me to thinking of Athens, so I shall be happy. Then this evening there is a new troupe of dancers, Egyptians they call themselves but nowadays all dancers say that. I have asked a few friends in to watch them, and I hope you will join us. If I feel in the mood I may take exercise with the dancers, or with one of them. Your men can peep into the bedroom, to make sure I am still here. But no riding, not today.’
The captain shrugged. He had looked forward to a pleasant ride in the hunting-paradise, but it would be useless to continue his persuasions. If the prisoner wished to wreck his health that was a freedom still permitted to him. Aristippus bowed respectfully and went off to inspect his soldiers.
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