But there is one anecdote about Alexander and Leonidas which has never had quite the attention it deserves. Once, when the young prince was offering sacrifice, with would-be royal lavishness he scooped up two whole fistfuls of incense to cast on the altar-fire. This brought down a stinking rebuke on his head from his tutor. ‘When you’ve conquered the spice-bearing regions,’ Leonidas said, with that elaborate sarcasm characteristic of schoolmasters the world over, ‘you can throw away all the incense you like. Till then, don’t waste it.’
Years later, Alexander captured Gaza, the main spice-entrepôt for the whole Middle East. As always, he sent presents home to his mother and sister. But this time there was one for Leonidas as well. A consignment of no less than eighteen tons of frankincense and myrrh was delivered to the old man (enough to make him rich beyond his wildest dreams on the resale price), ‘in remembrance of the hope with which that teacher had inspired his boyhood’ – together with an admonition to cease being parsimonious towards the gods.
Source:
Green, Peter. “The Gardens of Midas.” Alexander of Macedon: 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography. Univ. of California Press, 2005. 42. Print.
Original Source Listed:
Arrian 4.9.3.
Plut. Alex. 5.4-5, 7.1.22.5, 25.4-5.
Further Reading:
Alexander III of Macedon / Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μέγας (Alexander the Great)
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