Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1090: The Speech Against Daionia
Previously on Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece...
"Well said!" Anthitalos's loud praise did nothing to interrupt Plato's desire to continue his speech. "Esteemed King Davos, you once criticized my views in
"Romans, Phoenicians, Samnites, and even the Volscians, who are not Daionian Citizens, are all striving to speak Greek—the Daonian language—even if most still speak it awkwardly. I also encountered foreign children seeking my advice on questions numerous times... All of this has made me realize that even completely backward natives can gain wisdom through education just like us, and learn to love Greek culture. It is the Greeks who remain uneducated and refuse to change that truly deserve our contempt!..."
Plato took another sip of wine, raising his voice again. "When I first met you, King Davos, I praised you as a true philosopher king. Now, I find that statement wasn't entirely accurate. I recently spent time in Rome, Beneventum, and Lilybaeum, carefully observing how the officials governed their respective towns. Although these towns have vastly different circumstances and environments, one thing remained constant—the Daionian officials were all earnest and responsible in fulfilling their duties. They governed their jurisdictions strictly according to Daunian Law. From what I observed, they governed well, maintaining high administrative efficiency...
"I once said, 'When a person falls ill, they seek a professional physician. When a merchant ships cargo by sea, they know to find an experienced captain. Governing a city-state is an incredibly difficult task, yet it is left to the broad participation of inexperienced and selfish citizens. How can a city-state possibly flourish under those circumstances?' Yet that is precisely what many Greek city-states do!
"However, as far as I know, the senior officials of the various Daionian towns are promoted step by step through practical experience. They possess the wisdom and experience to handle any difficulties their towns might encounter. This is what you once called 'appointing the wise and capable.' Therefore, my previous statement needs to be amended: 'Not only are you a true philosopher, King Davos, but many of the officials under your command are philosophers as well. It is precisely under your collective governance that Daionia has achieved its present strength!'"
"Esteemed scholar Plato." From his high position, Davos had heard too many compliments over the years and had grown accustomed to them. Yet receiving the praise of a great figure—someone who had been called the "Father of Western Philosophy" in his previous life—still made him feel a bit smug. A pleasant smile appeared on his face as he tried his best to sound humble. "Did you come today just to praise Daionia?"
"Since Daionia is doing well, what's wrong with praising it?" Plato raised his wine cup and declared loudly, "Come, let us praise Daionia together!"
Davos chuckled and also raised his wine cup.
After finishing his drink with the others, Plato shook his head, as if trying to shake off a rising hint of drunkenness. He pinched his cheek hard and continued, "Esteemed King Davos, do you still remember Isocrates?"
"Of course I remember." Davos looked puzzled as he spoke. "The famous orator and rhetorician of Athens. We invited him to speak at the first and second Greek Scholars Conference, but when we invited him again afterward, he refused to come. I once wondered if he was dissatisfied because we didn't take proper care of him during his previous receptions.""Your Majesty, although Isocrates is a rigorous man who does not talk much, he is not the type to fuss over such matters," explained Lysias, who had lived in Athens for many years and had close dealings with Isocrates. "From what I understand, he also established a school in Athens. He has been busy teaching his students these past few years, which might be why he couldn't find the time to attend the conference in Thurii."
"Oh, so that's it. He established a school too." Davos looked at Plato with interest and asked, "Doesn't that mean there's competition with your Academy?"
Plato spoke candidly. "The educational goals of Isocrates's school and mine are different. His school focuses more on teaching students how to craft rhetoric, deliver speeches, and better engage in public political life... It's much more practical. My Academy, on the other hand, focuses more on studying the political systems of city-states and exploring how to build a more perfect state... However, it is true that a certain amount of competition exists between our two institutions. Just last year, he and I had a debate."
"Oh?" Davos wore a surprised expression, but in truth, not only did he know about the debate, he even kept a general record of it in his residence.
"This debate also concerned Daionia," Plato said earnestly. "I believe one of the main reasons Isocrates hasn't accepted your invitations to the Greek Scholars Conference these past few years is that he views the Kingdom of Daunia as a massive threat to the Greek Mainland—"
"How is that possible—" Lysias was somewhat surprised, but before he could finish his sentence, Ansitanos took over: "I can attest to this as well. In the fourteenth year of the kingdom (380 BC), when our war with Carthage had just begun, Isocrates delivered a speech at the 99th Olympic Games titled the
"But later in this speech, he also mentioned... Hmm, the original text went something like this...
"'Today we gather in Olympia, thanking Zeus for his protection over the Greeks. Yet we should be able to feel that, compared to decades ago, this grand festival has grown much quieter—not just because of the wars, but even more so because many city-states are missing from our gathering. Tarentum, Crotone, Locri, Thurii, Syracuse, Agrigento... The vanity and shallowness displayed by the people of these western Mediterranean colonial city-states at past festivals truly earned our contempt. But without them here, we also feel a sense of loneliness. They were originally members of our greater Greek family, yet today, one by one, they have all been reduced to subordinate towns of the Kingdom of Daunia.
"'Is Daionia a nation of Greeks?
"'They are never seen at the Olympic, Pythian, Nemean, or Isthmian Games, and Delphi has never established a sacred treasury for them. From this, we can see the attitude of the priests, who represent the will of the gods, toward this kingdom in the western Mediterranean. It is not just because it has too many barbarian citizens within its borders, but even more because it has distorted our understanding of the gods! Daionia believes that Hades, not Zeus, is the lord of the gods, and it even allows its citizens to worship the gods of foreigners. With such horrifying practices, how can Daionia even be called a Greek nation? Cultivated under such erroneous beliefs, Daionian Citizens naturally cannot become Greeks who share our faith!
"'But why haven't we protested their erroneous practices, or even dispatched troops to intervene? Because Daionia is formidable. The mighty power it has coalesced by annexing numerous Greek colonial city-states is actually capable of forcing Neapolis—which remains an independent city-state with respectable strength—to skip this year's festival, merely out of fear that Daionia would be displeased with it.
"'While we have been slaughtering each other for our own interests under the instigation of the Persians, Daionia, having annexed our daughter cities and colonies in the western Mediterranean, has already swelled into a massive kingdom. Although it has not shown any malice toward us so far, the differences between us are so immense, and it is located so close to us, that should a conflict erupt, the consequences will be severe!
"'O wise Greeks! To our east lie the Persians, our sworn enemies who have never abandoned their desire to enslave us. To our immediate west lies a powerful kingdom whose intentions we cannot fathom. Our situation is so perilous! Should we not abandon our prejudices, unite once more just as we did against the invading Persian army decades ago, defend our homelands, and reclaim the glory of our ancestors...?'"
"How could I not know about such a speech?!" Lysias was completely astonished after hearing this.
"Because at the time, Thebes and Athens were already at war with Sparta. Neither side dared to offend Persia or us, lest it trigger a shift in the tides of the war. Thus, they intentionally suppressed the circulation of this speech. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials had to expend a great deal of effort to acquire a handwritten copy of it during an envoy mission to the Greek Mainland," Ansitanos explained. "From this speech, it's clear that Isocrates views our Daionia as a potential threat to the Greek Mainland."
"Since your victory over Carthage, starting last year, Isocrates has treated Daionia as a genuine threat to the Greek Mainland and to Athens. Not only does he frequently preach this viewpoint to his students, but he has also delivered several speeches at the ecclesia to warn the public. As for me, ever since I attended the first Greek Scholars Conference, I have written multiple articles positively discussing the political system of the Kingdom of Daunia, suggesting that the Greek city-states led by Athens could learn from it. Each time, many Athenian citizens, and even the people of Thebes, Corinth, and other city-states, would rush to copy and circulate them..." Plato said with a serious expression. "Therefore, Isocrates believes that I am a partisan of the Kingdom of Daunia, and that he must refute me in front of the public in order to unify the consensus of the Athenian citizens."