136 GREEK PHILOSOPHY. 



hatred of the philosophers breaking out in defiance of all the decencies 

 of a court, and the rude bluntness of Callisthenes's manners. On one 

 occasion, a discussion arose at supper-time, as to the comparative 

 severity of the winters in Macedonia and in the part of the country 

 where they then were. Anaxarchus, in opposition to his rival, strongly 

 maintained the former to be the colder. Callisthenes could not resist 

 the temptation of a sneer at his enemy. " You, at least," said he, 

 " should hardly be of that opinion. In Greece you used to get through 

 the cold weather in a scrubby jacket (iv rpt'/jom) ; here, I observe, 

 that you cannot sit down to table with less than three thick mantles 

 (^aTrtfe) on your back." 1 Anaxarchus, whose vulgar ostentation of 

 the wealth which his low servilities had procured him was observed 

 and ridiculed by all, could not turn off this sarcasm ; but the meanest 

 animal has its sting, and he took care not to miss any opportunity for 

 lowering the credit of Callisthenes with Alexander, a task which the 

 unfortunate wrong-headedness 2 of the other rendered only too easy. 

 On the occasion of another royal banquet, each of the guests, as the 

 cup passed round, drank to the monarch from it, and then, after per- 

 forming the salaam, received a salute from him,- a ceremony which 

 was considered as an especial mark of royal favour. Callisthenes, 

 when his turn arrived, omitted the salaam, but advanced towards 

 Alexander, who, being busy in conversation with Hepha?stion, did not 

 observe that the expected act of homage had been omitted. A courtier 

 of Anaxarchus's party, however, Demetrius, the son of Pythonax, 

 determined that their enemy should not benefit by this casualty, and 

 accordingly called out, " Do not salute that fellow, sire, for he alone 

 has refused to salaam you." The king, on hearing this, refused Cal- 

 listhenes the customary compliment ; but the latter, far from being 

 mortified, exclaimed contemptuously as he returned to his seat, "Very 

 well, then I am a kiss the poorer !" 3 Such gratuitous discourtesy as 

 this could hardly fail to alienate the kindness of a young prince, whose 

 mere taste for refinement leaving entirely out of consideration the 

 intoxication produced by unparalleled success and the flatteries which 

 His popuia- follow it must have been revolted by it.* It, however, gained him 

 Greek' party, great credit with the Macedonian party, who were no less jealous of 

 the favour which the Persian nobles found with the conqueror than 

 disgusted with the adoption of the Persian customs. He was con- 

 sidered as the mouth-piece of the body, and as the representative and 

 vindicator of that manly and plain-speaking spirit of liberty which they 



Plutarch, Vit. Alex. sec. 52. 



2 <TKai6rr\s and vrepoicyos ajSeArepto are terms in which Arrian, who perfectly 

 appreciates the manly spirit of Callisthenes, and is no idolater of Alexander, charac- 

 terises his manners. De Exped. Alex. iv. c. 12. 



3 Plutarch, Vit. sec. 54; Arrian, iv. 12. 



4 " Do not the Greeks seem to you," said he, on the occasion of Clitus's out- 

 rageous behaviour to two of his friends, " compared with the Macedonians, like 

 demigods among brute beasts?" Plutarch, Vit. sec. 51. 



