Arden by: dnrock(dnrock@rock.com)
82: English Adventure Continues
Edward is in some political difficulty at this time. We learned of it only a few days later but guessed something was amiss from comments being made. One of the courtiers, all quite loyal to the king, suggested things were becoming unstable. He did not say why or what it was about.
That is not to say we did not hear much rumor and gossip, I refuse to repeat any of it. I am sure that Edward has made a number of mistakes and many enemies. Some very powerful ones. The first person we were introduced to at the dinner was Hugh Dispenser the Younger. It was obvious this man is his current lover. It is his favoritism of this and other male lovers that seems to cause him the most problems. Enough said on this matter except he obviously learned little from his earlier dalliances.
I found Dispenser to be a pleasant enough person as I find Edward. All we have met here are reasonably polite people. What they truly think of us is another matter and I have no feeling of it. We know we are young and these men all older. They probably think us callow and I suspect we are that; I would like to believe much less so then they speculate. I know they believe titles are easy to come by in Parga, as almost everyone with us has one.
Our guardians were seated at tables near us, along with some of Edward's retainers. Given their rank all our people are treated with respect. We still think the English dress strangely. I am sure they think that of us. Our military style is not all that different from theirs and we did not feel much out of place; although they seem not to dress in that way for things like dinners. Many of them are fighting men or officers but seem so only in time of conflict.
Edward thanked us for assisting the merchant ship, chancing the Corsairs away. For reasons not explained, he does not keep a strong navy. The French keep even less, depending on these privateers. The Prince of Wales did attend, much to the delight of our boys. He is bright and full of fun. He is also quite cleaver and well mannered. I liked him and our boys would have secured him as a new brother were that possible. They told me he claims to be the source of much mischief in the castle, another strong common point between them. Judging from the laughing and giggling emanating from their table they must have found much more common ground.
I think our ambassador is less then optimistic about the future but he feels comfortable enough to continue the mission. He feels it is important to keep ourselves out of local politics. He recognized, as a small but steady customer and reliable broker or go between, his mission may prove valuable to both countries.
Edward was welcoming to us and our adventure. He is a strong supporter of higher education and supports several collages at the major universities. He praised us senior princes for bringing the younger ones on this expedition. We will go overland toward Wales while our ships sail around, meeting at the port where the tin and other metals will be loaded or in South Hampton. Sussex will again supply horses and mules for us. This time he will send several of his men with us to bring the animals back to his lands and as guides.
My Edward dearly hopes one or both of the men he so despises will be among them. Sussex has asked a very reasonable fee. The Admiral will stop to pay it and deliver some gifts from us. I have asked him by letter to arrange for a large batch of fighting sticks and long bows, offering to trade my unfinished staves and make up any difference from my personal treasure.
Given Edward's political difficulties I was most pleased to speak with one of Sussex's representatives who assured us his good offices have been used to smooth our journey. King Edward remembered the origin of my name and so when introduced to my Edward, he inquired the origin of his.
"I was named for your father King Edward the first."
The King looked puzzled and Edward wisely said no more. Edward and his two younger brothers came under our protection when they were orphaned, I explained. In Parga, any orphan or orphans, with no one willing to adopt them, are automatic wards of the crown. I explained the system to him.
After hearing what I had to say he asked Akakios if he would be sing at the next dinner. Akakios turned bright red but assured King Edward he would, requiring Odo and some the princes to assist him.
"I do not usually ask guests to perform at dinners in their honor," he said.
We are glad of the opportunity. Akakios and several of the others are fine singers and all of us accomplished musicians. Odo has translated a few of our songs to French, I think you and the others will be pleased by the performance.
The next day King Edward accompanied by the Prince of Wales and Dispenser, called on us. They came unannounced and at a time when we were doing our sports and practicing our military skills. Edward was not bothered in the slightest and insisted we complete our work. I know he was greatly impressed by what he saw. Mostly so by our skills with the long bow. We were playing Panther's game on the wharf. Lysandros and other other boys were practicing off to one side. When young Edward saw that Lysandros had his own bow he would not be mollified until he was allowed to join him for lessons and the promise of a bow of his own.
Edward was most curious about our timing instruments. We showed him the timers used for sports, not navigation. When I told him we had these and ordinary clocks of exceptional quality for sale he immediately purchased several and gave Hilarious the names of merchants who would be interested in the remainder.
This delay offered the Admiral time to arrange a proper military welcome. The King and his party were piped onto King Iason and given a tour. Edward is almost as tall as I am. I estimate him to be 6 and 1/8 Greek feet I am just under 6 and 1/2. Having been an athlete in his youth, he is now 36 years, he is still an impressive man, if perhaps just a little fat by our standards. Father and Uncle are shorter, Father is 6 feet and uncle 5 3/4 feet. They are both as fit as us younger princes with no fat to be seen even though they are both older than Edward by 10 years.
After talking to Dispenser I am of the view his greed and lust for power knows no bounds. Kastor was even more harsh of him. Iason has recorded his thoughts so I shall not. Sir Hugh will do anything to acquire wealth and power. I know he sleeps with Edward on a regular basis and is his current favorite. I think he is a man who loves men but with these megalomaniacs one never knows for sure. I think he is in love with himself and will do what ever is needed; he can not be trusted. I warned the Ambassador about him. (TN: Arden did not use the term Megalomanic (megalomauia), he did use all the adjectives need, including hubris and comparing him to Narkissos. As a term it did not appear until the 1880's.)
It is obvious he looks down on us, believing we are poor and less powerful than he. Parga is small of size and population and we are not rich in natural resources, that is true. Parga has a rich culture and a more powerful navy then either England or France, they have the wealth and resources if not the desire and perceived need. As for our personal power, any senior prince of Parga has more political power then Sir Hugh dreams of. Edward will not truly share what our fathers so freely do. He may have personal wealth, land in English terms, and his hand in the king's purse but I am in charge of Parga's entire economy and all of its treasure. What is more important is where power comes from. Ours comes from our people, mostly from their love and respect. His comes from others, or money, but not love or respect.
The gossip, I said I would not record must be acknowledged here. Many powerful Barons believe Dispenser must be controlled and stopped. They realize he is the lover of the king. They are not offended by this although some will say that. They are offended that he is treated better than they and that the King disregards the laws of the land in his favor. Few care who sleeps with who but many care that they are treated fairly and honestly. Dispenser has several important posts but he is known to abuse this power and the King turns a blind eye. Both men are thought to be vindictive.
Edward would like to think he has more power than reality indicates. If given the chance all or most would turn against him. When that chance comes, most if not all, will. Like so many other Norman nobles he thinks he is above the law and and rules by divine right. I see some parallels with our neighbor to the east. Many say Edward is incompetent. That alone would not turn the barons against him. They have seen how he treated Lancaster, others and his Parliament. Perhaps Edward's view of himself is as grand or grander then Dispensers. I do not know why others seem to not only trust us but willingly share their feelings with us.
Isabelle is reported to detest both of them. For his part Dispenser is fool enough to flaunt his relationship with the King before her and the court. Edward, fool enough not to divide the power among several. I say this because even the most powerful can only remain in that position with the support of others. Our ancestors were more then willing and fond of throwing out tyrants. Other societies have done the same.
Once on the ship, young Prince Edward was whisked away by our boys, leaving us senior princes, the scholars and admiral to entertain King Edward and his people.
My impressions of London are far from favorable. It is a grand place and one I enjoy visiting. I could not live here, I could not live in Paris, Rome or other large cities. This place smells badly. We are loth to drink the water and confine ourselves to ale and beer. I will not swim in this harbor. I am told up stream the river is clean and clear. This we will see as we travel. In the heat of the summer the stench is beyond description. The waste from animals and humans pervades the streets. These people do not bathe often. Fortunately the sailors maintain several bath places near the harbor, that are clean and have plenty of hot water. I find no good place to run in this city and it is to large to easily get into the country.
During our stay in London the ships had many visitors. Most were curious. The seamen that visited were not only curious. They marveled at our size, cargo capacity and reported speed, sail and rigging technology and so on. I am sure they would also marvel at our navigation aids and armaments, would they be shown. The admiral made sure all of our armaments were well covered.
Many here talk the talk of chivalry. I am sure many knights try and live it as well. From what I have learned and seen, those most powerful tend to bend that code to their own ends. I have seen the same in France. Since wealth is seen as land in these places; and since wealth is equated with power, one finds the society highly fractured. This all harkens back to my discussions on the Philosopher King. I think it would be impossible to have anything like Plato envisioned in a place like this. If the King or senior princes and nobles were philosophers perhaps it would be a less fractious place.
I am not quite sure how that would work however; given the role of the Christine Church or any religious group that holds both vast estates and claims moral superiority, I think friction and conflict are sure to result.
Iason has completely described the wonderful welcoming ball hosted by King Edward. Odo did a masterful job of translating my Ode and the Ode to Ganymede along with several others. I found that my melodies could be arranged easily. The trick here is to try and keep the number of syllables about the same without loosing the meaning. Since he had already translated them into Italian he simply translated the Italian into French which is not all that different. Umar and I played our flutes Akakios, Volos, Pyrros, Iason and Nikias all sang. Queen Isabelle was most impressed with Akakios voice. Apparently several of the large churches in London, and I assume in other cities, have boy's choirs. A boy's soprano voice, as clear and exacting as Akakios', is most highly prized here. These English dress almost as flamboyantly as the French. We were not out of place with our red capes and blue tunics. We realized on our last visit that stockings were important. For this event we all wore white stockings and small black boots.
It was good food and much delightful conversation. We danced with the ladies. None of us knew these dances but quickly learned. Our boys were not impressed as no others younger then 16 or 17 had been invited. I was glad that Odo had managed to teach French to them while at sea.
Polydeukus and the others have perfected their sign language and we are now all quite proficient in it. This allows us to communicate with each other and with our boys from a distance. This also attracted some attention. When it was explained however, few seemed to think it of real value for the deaf. It was obviously of limited use for the hearing unless they had good eye site. I noticed few if any had spectacles. None used the darkened spectacles in the bright sun. Apparently this place is cloudy and quite wet most of the year. The past few days have been sunny and hot.
I found these people to be introspective and ignorant of history and geography, except their own, and that was limited. They knew most recent things but I know more of their history then most of them. They understood recent events perhaps the last two or three kings. Further than that, it is was more myth and story than fact, often magical. If some ancestor was a part of something they seemed to know that but little else. Most of the education is provided by the church and it is focused on religious matters not reality. Edward told me I would find Cambridge and Oxford to be much different than his court.
"These people see little need for personal knowledge beyond how to command others and who's hand, or other body parts I assumed, to kiss. You will find scholars and highly skilled people in all manor of things but not at this gathering. Few nobles or want to be nobles, are interested.
I have been highly criticized for my interests in mechanical and practical things. They think a King need not know or should not care of them. Many believe it is not manly to do music or art. I am very glad you and your brothers have demonstrated that one can be skilled in many things without sacrificing your maleness. A senior prince, champion runner and archer, a skilled rider and swordsman, navigator, composer, player and I should add diplomat. That is just you Arden. If I had princes of the quality and age of you and your brothers, I would fear for my position."
I must say his comments are refreshing. I explained how Father and Uncle have organized and trained all of us. Our geography and small population makes it possible. You have more people in London then we have in all of Parga, by several times over, I told him. We are also related to almost everyone, it is one huge family so our loyalties are not as divided. No one owns the land or the minerals, they are leased. One prospers by and is rewarded for his efforts not the luck of birth.
We are a secular and legal society. We have only two inherited titles and one of those needs be confirmed by our elected council. It is not unlike your Parliament. Those titles are Citizen and Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince is found wanting he may not be elevated to Kingship. Even the King can be removed from office if he becomes tyrannical or proves incompetent. All other titles and honors are earned. All senior government officials are appointed by the King but those appointments must be confirmed by the council. Should one abuse his position or proves incompetent, the council can have him removed if the king does not.
To Edward's credit he saw how some of our practices would be beneficial. Appointments based on merit not family name, for example. He told me that some future King would surly give the Parliament greater power. He had worked hard to take much of what they had away.
"Were the members of this Parliament elected and represented the will of the people not just the will of the barons, I think they should have their power back and even greater. At this time the wealth is concentrated in hands of the barons and the church. I can see the day when wealth is more evenly distributed. Not in my life time or my son's either but it will come Arden. It will be the writings of philosophers like yourself that hasten it. That and your printing press."
I believe he is more aware of his short comings and his political mistakes then many give him credit. The political is often the art of that which can be done or accomplished. He seems to understand this on the thinking level, yet his emotions seem to prevent his using that understanding and knowledge. I think he confuses personal loyalty with loyalty to office. He does and should expect the one but makes little effort to garner the other. Why he seems, to this outsider, to continue on a path of sure distraction I am at a loss to explain. Perhaps if we knew each other better he would confide in me but we do not. I know he feels comfortable around us as we offer no possible threat and have no hidden motives. Our trade is small but steady and extends back before recorded time. We are one of the few in our part of the world who refuse to use the large trading centers but deal directly as much as possible. We are not in competition with him or anyone else and we are a secular state.
His comment about the writings of philosophers is correct. Not much will happen as long as few can read or write or the power of the Roman Church is undiminished. They, long ago, ceased the educational role in these societies. It is strongest in France, Spain and Italy. (TN: Arden named many places which are today part of these and a few other countries. Strangely he did not mention the old Holy Roman Empire.) As long as the Pope and his minions define what can and can not be written and believed, no true progress is possible. The Eastern church is loosing its power, which was never as great as the western. Education in the Eastern Empire has always been important and secular more so than religious. The believes of Islam are no different then the Western Christians in their attitudes although they do seem to be a little more open to what I would call science. As to philosophical thought they are no better or even worst.
Many places seem to have the view that if not invented or thought of locally it can't be of any value or is the work of the devil. Wan tells me the Chinese are much this way. The French and Italians are greatly so. I imagine the English are as well, but not to the extent of others. They do seem a bit more open to ideas and the inventions of others. The early Christians did great damage to the written ideas and history of Greece. Not that the pre-Christian Romans did not, fortunately they never held influence in Parga. Not that Parga ever held all that was written or known. Parga was a backwater of thought and culture. We are not leaders today, except perhaps in our own minds. Parga goes about its own business as it sees fit today, as it always has.
I would like to think that Parga is at the fore. I know this is not true. In some limited respects we are leaders. We are inventors and innovators. Our books are a true example. Archimedes' printing process is not well used outside of Parga yet, it is available to any that wish it. Most others do not recognize it's value. All who can read Greek or Latin like the books which are widely distributed. The list is of limited interest outside of Parga.
I learned from one of the courtiers that King Edward has read the General's book on famous battles won and lost. Uncle had sent him a copy. His Scottish loss is well documented. Apparently he learned from the General's analysis and has been more successful since.
The French Ambassador also attended. He told Kastor we were expected in France next month. He told me Phillip was looking forward to my visit. I look forward to seeing and talking to him again as well. Being a letter friend is good but nothing is better then hearing your friend's voice and seeing his expressions. I also know he looks forward to Iason and I sharing his bed. I know this because he has told me that several times. He also keeps a frequent but secret liaison with the court musicians we so willingly provide. He calls it Greek Love.
My impressions of the English country side is most favorable. It is lush and green. The people we encountered were mostly polite and pleasant. The welfare difference between landed nobles and the others is stark. I see a rising middle group of merchants and trades people. Education for most is not available, except as apprentices. The education of an apprentice is very highly focused on the trade of course. Grammar schools are available, most often church run. The fees charged and the need for a child's labor preclude many from attending. If my Edward and his brothers are example, this society squanders vast resources.
After talking to anyone who would discourse with me and that was many, especially in Oxford and Cambridge, I learned:
The great expansion of population, of land under the plow, of commercial activity shows no real sign of abating. The recent famines have not taught any lessons to the English. Many are afraid the economic expansion experienced of late will slow as the limits of growth, given current technology are reached. Yet few seem to take any action. What I find most interesting is our technological advances such as instruments, spectacles, metals, alchemy and sailing ships are treated as novelties and not taken seriously. Edward has found many willing to discourse about plants and planting techniques. Few seem to understand why he is so interested in proper breading.
I think two factors are at play here. One is the population keeps increasing and this allows for more weavers or what ever, so the need is being met, so far at least. Once supply can not keep up with demand or need, innovative ways will be found. I find this true but at what cost and suffering? It is obvious the needs of a small island are different from a large land mass even if it be an island. The second is a lack of investment that is needed to make changes, largely for fear the church or crown or both, will simply tax the surplus away. One smith told me that taxes are so high now no surplus is available for reinvestment. It is only the highest ranks of the common people and nobles who have the ability to accumulate capital.
A change in the relative positions of laity and clergy, which has been slowly taking place, for a long time, is becoming increasingly obvious to some observers. The leaders of lay society are less patient with the special privileges of the clergy; laymen of all ranks questioned the vast wealth of the church -- wealth that was not all that much greater than before, I am told, but which seemed more irritating; and many genuinely religious people, lay and clerical both, criticized the spiritual failures of the church.
The institutional church, led by the pope, his cardinals, and the bishops, is less and less the source of new ideas and spiritual leadership, and increasingly an embattled establishment trying to maintain the position it had gained in earlier eras. I suspect others will take a position more like ours in this respect. It will take some fairly dramatic moves for this to happen, I believe.
The centralization of the church under the pope had begun as a reaction to disorder. Much of this disorder had swirled around Parga fortunately never involving us. The reforming clergy had moral, education, and organization on their side; lay rulers were initially at a disadvantage and lost ground to church government, except in the Eastern Empire. But as secular governments became better organized, the prestige of the centralized church was bound to decline.
The "state," meaning successful princes backed by their own bureaucracies and tamed vassals, could guarantee order better than the church could.
One turning point in that long struggle occurred in the 1290s, when Philip IV and Edward I insisted on taxing the clergy, not for the crusade or for a papally sponsored war, but for their own war against each other. Both kings had the political strength to face down the Pope when he objected. He objected to the tax not the war.
Yet the Pope's power to regulate and tax the clergy of western Christendom did not disappear. Indeed, as of today and for the foreseeable future, his power increases dramatically.
The wars of the late thirteenth century had made Rome ungovernable, a situation that remains today. The papal court fled to France, a handful of years ago and remains there today. A new papal court was built, on a lavish scale, on the borders of France, in Avignon, and expensive new wars were launched to restore the papal position in Italy. I see no end of this either. I fear for my friends in Sicily as they will be drawn into these conflicts. The Pope's ability to control church appointments is pushing toward the limit, as I see things, here and perhaps in other places.
The French are less concerned and believe they have great influence, since the Pope is one of them. The English would agree as several decisions have favored France at England's expense. At least that is how they see it.
Despite recent reversals, the Pope's power is more evident at the local level than ever before. The Pope gained authority by absorbing many of the prerogatives of local bishops. I was told about Grosseteste's conflict with Rome.
The English are all the more irritated because the papal court seems to favor their enemies. Avignon is not officially part of France, and the popes are not officially French puppets. But the popes, their cardinals, and their other servants are French themselves, and it angers English people paying high taxes to see money from English benefices going to French-speaking absentee clergy.
This will certainly lead to greater and greater conflict between the new states and the old church. I do not doubt that a more politically astute king will find ways to turning this feeling into advantage for himself.