Part 70 (2/2)

Closer and closer they approached, and Ahenobarbus looked threatening Only within close range--far too late for Antony to save himself had it been otherwise--did Ahenobarbus turn the ran of peace The two fleets united, and sailed off toward Italy together

What is most reeneral Plancus tried to persuade the Triumvir not to put himself into Ahenobarbus's hands on blind trust, but that Antony replied, I would rather die by breach of faith than saveand tried to picture it The shi+ps on the sea,the warshi+ps turning aside only at the last

”How very like him,” I said

”What?” asked Mardian

”That state to die by breach of faith--someone else's breach, that is, not his Never his” It was both his glory and his folly So In that he was like Caesar, only with this difference: Caesar never had any belief in other people's good faith, but only in his own ”And so we are left watching him, still on his way to Italy,” I said to Mardian ”The tale is still to tell!” I felt the waiting was killing , even tothe worst behavior to which someone could sink Octavian, in order to win sextus to his side, had married sextus's aunt! She was named Scribonia, was a notorious shrew, and was many years older than Octavian

I sank down on a stool and began to laugh and cry at the saive only the strictest, proper response to sextus's overtures, Octavian was ready to make off with the aunt to disarm sextus

”They say she's very tall and bony,” said Mardian, shaking his head

”Well, just because Octavian e duty,” I said, re Claudia ”So now he's been married to a child, and to an old lady--for political reasons”

The situation was funny, but his ruthlessness was anything but

Chapter 50

Sulorious summer in recent memory; the sea as as deliciously cool as alabaster inside a shaded temple, and the sun as beneficent as the Gods could s I invited Olympos's scholar friends from the Museion to come to the palace and--if this is not too inappropriate a word--entertain us Caesarion was beco interested in mathematics, and I hoped this would serve as a pleasant way of learning for hi to tire of explaining things But he was especially taken with the leading astrono man named Diodorus, who seemed equally at home with older scholars and a seven-year-old boy

In the evening, near twilight, ould gather in a part of the palace that had rooroup; its s opened onto the harbor, and the wall paintings repeated the scene, so it looked as if ere surrounded on all sides by open air The soft breezes entering the roos we ate very little, but there was plenty of fine wine to be passed around Oly to hold a Greek symposium, symposium, but I pointed out that this did not follow a dinner, that I did not want everyone to get drunk, and that women were present, unlike a true but I pointed out that this did not follow a dinner, that I did not want everyone to get drunk, and that women were present, unlike a true syht to make the over the theories of the circumference of the earth, and whether the equinoxes are precessing, and you would see how petty acadehtened are capable of the nastiest fights--worse than gladiators! Men have died defending their theory of the arhtly

”Now you are revealing your own deep-seated cynicism,” I told him ”Besides, since Antony left, Alexandria has become quite sober” Or at least I had

”That's because the city is infor his departure,” he said ”He and Alexandria ood fit”

AntonyAlexandriaThese evenings served to takein Italy, as well as oere still an effective disguise, but I had not yet addressed the practical proble me

Diodorus announced that he had a demonstration for all of us, but particularly for Caesarion, and it would have to be fully dark to work ”I will sho the earth and the moon both make shadows, cast by the sun, and thereby enable us to measure the size of the earth itself And I will also sho eclipses happen”

The oldernoises, but Diodorus held up his hands ”I realize you know all the theories, but can you devise a model to illustrate them? That is what I wish to exhibit” He was a thin little rasshopper--he seemed to juain He bent down to address Caesarion directly ”I want you to watch carefully,” he said

Then he rushed away to prepare a flare, backed by a sheet of polished iant mirror, and had servants lower spheres on lines fro, or suspend them between columns

”In the meantime, drink, drink, drink!” he said ”It will make it easier to believe the des”

”Not you,” I said to Caesarion, saying no to the wine ”Nor I”

While aiting for it to grow fully dark, Diodorus askedsolar eclipse

”I did not know one was co voice sounded truly surprised ”You have have been preoccupied, if you didn't know about the eclipse It's the most important event in the sky this year” been preoccupied, if you didn't know about the eclipse It's the most important event in the sky this year”

Yes, preoccupied What a superficial way to describe what I had been, and still was ”I suppose so,” I said ”When is it to come? I have never seen one”

”In fifteen days,” he said ”And of course you haven't seen one There has not been one of this nitude for fifty years Oh, it will be an event! The scientists will be standing by to study it The sky darkens, and the aniht A hush comesthe temperature falls It's quite draht!” he said Then he admitted, ”Of course I have never seen one either, so I have to go by what has been written about it I can hardly wait to see it!”

An eclipse What could it ers And doubtless foreign astrologers would ht the fire and begin his de forth its light and heat”

He went on to point out the earth--a wooden ball hanging between two posts--and the s to make them pass each other so that one at a time their shadows fell across each other When the ”moon” passed between the ”earth” and ”sun,” it caused a ”solar” eclipse, and when the ”earth” passed between the ”sun” and ”moon,” its shadow caused a ”lunar” eclipse

”And do you see how the shadow is curved?” His voice rose in excitement ” ”That is the curvature of the sphere of the earth Now, byout how far away the moon is, we can calculate the size of the earth itself Do you understand?” He turned suddenly to Caesarion, atching all this intently

”Yes, of course,” he said with great dignity ”But the proble exactly how far away the moon is”

Diodorus was surprised at the clear, concise answer And so was I

That night, as he said good night, Caesarion said, ”Perhaps I should be an astronomer Or ano threat to anyone ”Perhaps,” I said ”It depends on what fate calls you to” Certainly he could be King of Egypt as well as a mathematician No conflict there

Now that I was alerted, I looked forward eagerly to the day of the eclipse Each night I watched as thelump of pale wax A solar eclipse would occur only when the moon was completely dark

Diodorus had built it up so reat event Several ti, ”I can't sleep!” Once he said, ”Tell uides it across the sky! When there's a solar eclipse, does that mean she and Apollo and his chariot of the sun have run into each other? Have they had a crash?” And he would laugh

I put ht blanket over his shoulders ”You know that Artemis and Apollo and the sun chariot are just a story,” I said ”It's how the poets describe so as beautiful and mysterious as the moon and sun” Since he understood the mathematics of it, he would have to relinquish his belief in the old tales