Damn it! He thought, and Damn it, he snapped out loud. He lost control of his temper and unleashed his anger, cursing the School, the Society, the Masters, and Pythagoras.
Cursing and insulting are to be considered the ‘second evil’ inflicted on one’s self and others, Pythagoras had often warned.
His sponsoring Master grabbed him by the forearm and pulled him firmly back. In a calm voice full of authority, he admonished and rebuked him for yielding to the negative impulses of his ego. His Master then informed him that he had just lost all privileges to remain in the White City. Kylon stormed out in a fury. Two brothers followed him to the gate as the procedures required.
Kylon understood, too late then, that all his money and fame would never influence the decisions of the Masters in allowing him to become a Pythagorean brother… and not even a Pythagorist! The last words of his Master harassed him all the way down the hill.
Kylon! You lack the three most important qualities that could have changed the outcome. We require respect, the value of friendship, and the desire to seek knowledge and wisdom. You came seeking prestige instead, because of our reputation. There is no place for you here, Kylon. You are dismissed!
Kylon delivered a diatribe against the perspicacity of that Master. He knew that the Fraternity would soon raise a monument commemorating his expulsion. His disgrace, as he deemed it, would last for posterity, and he could not tolerate it! The moment he reached his home, revenge had taken shape in his wicked mind, and lasted for the remainder of the day. During the sleepless night that trailed endlessly, he analyzed the possibilities, devising a plot that would annihilate Pythagoras and his Society.
My name will last for Posterity, yes! But not in disgrace!
* * *
A few months later, the year now 501 BCE, Kylon founded a socio-political club to which he enrolled a great number of Aristocrats from Crotona. Through it, he gained the friendship of most of the city’s wealthy and prominent citizens, among which, a certain, Ninon became his fervent right-hand.
Soon enough, all the financial power invested in that club transformed it into a dominion of hatred and anger. Like mad dogs, these perverted minds howled furiously, and lurked for the right moment to strike on the Silent Pythagoreans. They soon arranged for an oratory platform in the city square, and issued a mass invitation to their speech. On that day, they introduced Kylon to the public.
Minor members and several fans scattered among the audience to cheer and applaud loudly, which, as expected, goaded the surrounding citizens to tag along. Kylon felt great; his ego gratified and his sense of leadership incited as never before. He elated in anticipation. His speech ready in his mind, he lifted his two fists up to launch his first attack on the Pythagoreans. His aim? To incite a riot against the White City and its Master Pythagoras!
“Blasphemy!” he roared.
Astounded, the audience held their breath at once.
“Citizens of Crotona, how could we accept to follow a man claiming god-ship? I ask you, who is he really, that man who calls himself a Master, a Lover of Sophia? Blasphemy, I tell you! How dare he claim to be the Son of God Apollo? How could you possibly tolerate such sacrilege, and keep yielding to him as if you truly believe in his profanity?”
Gasps of dismay gushed out louder and louder from the crowd that stirred in revolt. Eyes widened in shock at such a strong verbal attack on their beloved Pythagoras. Kylon had expected that first reaction. He did not give them time to unleash their repulsion on him.
In a stronger pitch heavy with menaces, he proclaimed high and loud, “Beware, people of Crotona! Behold the fury of God Apollo for it will crash on the city, destroy every home, and annihilate every child of yours!”
A wave of tremors hurled the audience in total silence until a male voice shouted in disapproval, “We have witnessed his miracles!”
Many people around him acquiesced at the top of their voices. Kylon interfered at once to impede the failure of his iniquitous scheme.
“Miracles! What miracles? If he has truly performed any, I can assure you that the power of Apollo, the Great Light, has nothing to do with it!”
Murmurs of denial cropped up. Many shook their heads in rebuttal. Kylon understood that he should strike harder, and immediately, before he lost ground.
“My friends! I have been there myself, and can attest in all sincerity. Pythagoras and his Inner Circle always gather inside a dark crypt, like devils inside the earth. Away from the light, in the very gloom of the night, they often convene by the sea, like creatures of darkness.”
He sensed some significant sudden fear from the audience. Encouraged, he pressed on, “Yes, my friends! Those alleged miracles could not have been performed but by the power of darkness!” He proclaimed in condemnation.
The members of his club, there present, ranted in fury against Pythagoras and his Inner Circle. Yet, most of the crowd remained openly annoyed by these deceitful accusations. Kylon overheard the word ‘envious’ snapped in his direction.
“Your claims are wrong!” A woman yelled. “The Master cannot be blaspheming since he has erected a Temple for Apollo in the White City!” She argued with vehemence, her features distorted in annoyance.
Kylon knew her to be one of those fervent Pythagorean partisans. He stepped forward, and ogled down at her to intimidate her, and subdue her into silence.
She looked at him squarely in the eyes in defiance, and stated out loud, “Master Pythagoras worships God Apollo with vehemence! He venerates Him as a Father. Many of us can attest to that fact! He lives as the Son of Light, so how can he possibly be the son of darkness? You immoral liar!”
To Kylon’s great displeasure, shouts and cheers of approval responded to her.
“Woman, be quiet!” he snapped at her, attempting to regain control of the situation.
She retorted, adamantly, “No, you listen! Are you really… really talking about the Pythagoreans?” then looking around her, she pointed an accusing finger on him and yelled, “This man is insane!”
A general laughter shook the audience.
She turned on him then and snapped, “You don’t really mean the Pythagoreans, right? Because if so, you just have to look at them to know, like we all do, that they are not what you claim! They live in perfect harmony with nature, and in perfect friendship with each other. They are a genuine and perfect Fraternity of love and peace! Have you seen the white purity of their clothes? This is what, and who, they are! Pure and clean!”
Stillness besieged Kylon at the patent reality of her argument. He quickly rummaged his mind for something valuable to retort with.
“Fellow citizens, this woman might be right about the appearance, but that is only the outer shell of what they really are! Heed the one who has witnessed the truth of their deception! I, as well, deemed Pythagoras pure and clean, and genuine. That’s why I joined his fraternity some months ago. He was my ideal! I even left everything behind, all my wealth, my easy life, my family, and my home, in order to be one of them. Yes, fellow citizens, I did! I even succeeded at all their tests, and they welcomed me in their Assembly Hall!” He lied shamelessly. It stimulated him to observe the sudden meditative interest such a statement got him. He rubbed his jaw and continued, “then, I came to watch their deceitful claim…,” his voice broke as if honestly disappointed. “Oh, how shocked I was when I realized that this Assembly Hall was naught but a den of demons. Everything was just the iniquitous façade of a clever trick! A hoax fabricated, not only against the God Apollo, but also against all the good, trustful people of Crotona!”
Kylon paused to give time to his proclamation to sink deeply into their minds.
“The truth I tell you, my fellow citizens, all the works of Pythagoras, and his alleged Masters, are never performed openly, but only inside the underground crypt. Why my friends? Why! Ask yourselves why?! Haven’t you ever wondered?”
No one answered. He noticed the frowns, in secret delight. Almost everybody there appeared engrossed i
n their thoughts.
He pressured further, reiterating the same notion but worded differently. “Do you really think that this is a Fraternity of love and peace that live in perfect harmony with nature? Know this: that their white clothes are meant to reflect a good, angelic image with the wicked purpose of hiding their true dark selves. That is in fact a perfect disguise! Ask me, I have been there. I saw the plain truth!”
A hot debate eventuated. His followers applauded. Some others expressed their admiration of his leadership. Others, however, protested fiercely, revealing their faith in Pythagoras, and their affection to the Pythagoreans.
“This is absurd … total nonsense!” Someone countered him in strident revulsion.
Many echoed his reaction with the same intensity.
“You are completely wrong, Kylon!”
“You are changing the facts to mislead us!”
A woman darted forward and screamed in the chaos, “Kylon! May the God Apollo punish your wickedness severely! We are not blind as you presume!” At that, she climbed on the platform and addressed the gathering with a strong voice of authority. “My friends! Let me remind you, and refresh your memory. Pythagoras consecrated his marriage with Theano in the Temple of Apollo! What does that mean to all of you here?”
Most people in the crowd approved high and loud. Their cold eyes now on Kylon demanded from him a factual reply that might overthrow the strong statement put forth by the woman, or so he thought.
Unable to deny it, he went speechless. He had failed to alter the facts. For now! He fumed inwardly.
The bold woman thundered down the steps, off the stage, cursing Kylon and his club. In a frenzy, she forced her way through the crowd. Some followed her at once, others looked intently at him in wait for a rejoinder. His stillness lingered, and the plaza emptied gradually; too fast for his taste. Only his members stayed to pierce him with sharp glances of disappointment. Humiliated, once again, because of the Pythagorean Fraternity, he lost his temper. He reaped further abhorrence against Pythagoras. He seethed and raged hysterically, right there on the stage of his defeat. His insults erupted stridently. Yet, only his members witnessed this abject discharge.
Such a disastrous failure, though, did not undermine his determination to destroy the Pythagoreans, on the contrary. The Aristocratic Lobby soon summoned its most powerful members for an urgent, and top-secret meeting, in their headquarters. There, in their underground Lobby Hall, at the heart of the city of Crotona, they plotted clandestinely against the Fraternity.
The primary purpose of the summit was to analyze the reason for their recent fiasco. They concluded, almost unanimously, that to taint the religious image of Pythagoras, in a public place, would result catastrophic. Someone suggested exploiting the strong weapon their own wealth posed, instead. Eyes brightened and smirks evolved at the notion. Soon a demented frenzy ensnared them as they developed a scheme to best fit their aim.
In the days that followed, they invested big amounts of money in buying, discreetly, the loyalty of many poor, and not so poor, Crotoniates. When money would not work, they would offer jobs, or promises of better careers. The Lobby would write their names on a waiting list. They used the phony pledges as a successful tool to gain their allegiance. The result exceeded even their wildest expectations, and their methodic plan!
Due to the masses of people that enrolled, based on interest, the Lobby opened several branches around the city for Kylon to hold his secret meetings with the new adherents. He met them all, group by group. He worked on manipulating their minds. He convinced them that Pythagoras focused mainly on distracting the young generation away from the gods of Greece by converting them to his way of life.
“Pythagoras is a true Charlatan, a real Demon in disguise. He will steal everything you own, and all that you live for,” he often stated, and they accepted the lie as true.
The number of new members increased by the day. Public debates continued. However, to his displeasure, very few would join the newly adhered poor souls in applauding his public speeches. He strove for a grand crowd and for the interest of the major entities that did not come. Yet, he would not give up easily. He summoned the most influential and prominent members to the biggest clandestine summit ever organized by the Lobby. They assessed the previous debates, and emended their decisions in order to proceed further.
“There are always some new citizens who believe my words every time I address the public,” Kylon affirmed with arrogance. “Our emergent list attests to that fact. Isn’t that right, gentlemen?”
They grinned with heinous satisfaction, and nodded in agreement.
“However, I have decided not to assail, or even mention again, in public, the alleged holy image of Pythagoras. I shall instead speak of something else, something even more credible than that, something that will leave a great impact on the mind of Crotona. And I promise you, gentlemen, that, at our next meeting here, we will be counting the new adherents by the hundreds!”
They all cheered to that. With a renewed eagerness, they poured their immoral astuteness into their plan. They studied and elaborated the new plot that Kylon and his dangerous assistant, Ninon, had churned out. They decided then on a date for another public debate to which they would invite more and more people.
“This will be it, gentlemen,” Ninon exclaimed with stout confidence. “I can feel our victory already!”
A general applause responded, followed closely by fists pounding rhythmically on the conference table, and feet on the floor. The cadency accelerated into an archaic clamor for war. The walls vibrated. Excitement heightened in intensity.
Kylon could have sworn he saw the demons in the red sparkles of their immobile eyes. He raised both hands to command their silence.
“Aside from the impact of my influential and credible oratory,” his voice blasted with self-importance, “the large number of fellows, whose loyalty we have purchased, will be a great asset for us in the crowd. Their loud cheering and continuous applauses on my next speech will certainly affect the others!”
He certainly had it all planned out in his impious mind. Whether he would succeed in winning over the whole crowd, or not, in his next public appearance, he would still raise major doubts on Pythagoras’ views and on his Society. Damages would be deep and permanent, he swore inwardly.
* * *
Less than a month later, Kylon and his Lobby watched, with great satisfaction, as the plaza filled with people of all ages and classes. Soon, the place could not encompass all the attendees, be it adepts or just curious people. Women stood at their windows, youngsters climbed on the roofs, men jammed the area, and some even sat at the edge of the platform to avoid getting stampeded. Kylon considered with excitement the hard work of his Lobby in the past weeks. Actually, they had done a better job than expected. The sight infused more arrogance in his heart. Never had he seen such a huge crowd, and they came to listen to him!
Ninon leaned to whisper in his ear, “I believe you will never get another chance like this, Kylon. It is now or never….”
“Are you implying, Ninon, that we go for plan B?” He taunted, without turning his eyes off the growing crowd.
“Absolutely!” Ninon exclaimed in a murmur.
“So, be it! You will handle the Lobby then.”
“Don’t worry. I have them under control.”
They exchanged a quick look of complicity. Ninon nodded discreetly and, with unconcealed pride, Kylon marched firmly to his spot on the stage to deliver what he reckoned to be his last and hopefully fatal attack on the Pythagorean Fraternity.
He smiled widely at the crowd. There is no place for error this time, he thought to himself.
“Citizens of Crotona, thank you all for coming. As some of you already know, I am here to talk about Pythagoras and his Society. For the newcomers, I must say that I still believe that the man, Pythagoras, is way more dangerous than you could ever imagine. Yes, my friends! He is in fact a tyrant with an occult power. Why? You might wond
er! Well, my fellow citizens, let me call your attention to the obvious fact that he deems himself of a divine race, while he considers you but a herd of sheep to be led and commanded!”
He ignored the gasps of astonishment, and the incredulous looks of his own Lobby. With this unexpected introduction, he had broken his pledge to them to change his previous tactic, thus sparing the holy image of Pythagoras. True, he had promised them something totally different, more plausible, and more effective. Yet, he and his right-hand man, Ninon, knew best how to crash the enemy, Pythagoras!
“How is that?” a female voice from the audience asked in doubts.
“Well, you people don’t have a say in the politics of Crotona, right? You do know that the authorities set the rules, but what you don’t know is that they consult with Pythagoras on when, and how, or if, the rules should be implemented. What does that mean to you? It simply means that Pythagoras is in fact the one who rules our city! It means that he has crowned himself the God-King of Crotona!”
His powerful proclamation impelled the shouts and yells of his members, as well as of the mass of his followers among the crowd. Curses spurted against Pythagoras and his White City. Faces twisted in hatred against the alleged god. As for the Lobby, they reacted with mischievous smirks. They seemed to consider the way in which he had worded his speech to be very interesting and cunning.
“Hold on there, people of Crotona!” A strong male voice shouted with such authority that it subdued the roar of the people.
Pythagoras the Mathemagician Page 35