Philotas and Foucquet

[jan]

Because I am studying Alexander alongside that of the king of france, Louis XIV, I am struck by the similarities between Philotas and Foucquet, the finance minister during the regency of Anne of Austria.Both Philotas and Foucquet appear to live in grandeur, above and beyond their actual means, and Olympias is supposed to have warned Alexander about it as well as Parmenion warning Philotas to tone it down. Both Cardinal Mazarin and friends of young Louis XIV brought the excessive grand living of Monsieur Foucquet to the King's attention.Both Foucquet and Philotas are brought to trial.They seem very much alike in ways that strike me as interesting and peculiar. Anybody have thoughts on this parallel. Thanks.

[Nicator]

Hello Jan,
The more things change the more they stay the same. I don't know who originally coined that prophetic statement, but the more history you read, the more parallels you will see. Why are you studying Foucquet and Louis IV?later Nicator

[jan]

Hi Nick,Thanks. During this time in my life I have had a lot of free time and while at the library, the book by Nancy Mitford seemed to jump off the shelf at me at the library and finally I caught it. Then I read a book by Olivier Berniere, and had a strange experience which is similar to the Arthur Weigall experience. Arthur Weigall is innocent but I am not so sure about Berniere, for as I hear myself being quoted I begin to realize that I have something in common with this body of work.To make a long story short, I long ago tabbed myself as King TV like King Midas as I had the touch to bring t.v. shows to life. Whereever I go, whatever I touch, turns to t.v. or to a movie.There is a lot of evidence to that. Sure enough, you might know, we not only get a movie on Louis XIV, surely not one but several, and not all distributed to the USA either, and at last, Alexander too! So what else is new?I saw Colin Farrel last night on David Letterman. He has SWAT coming out this week. He showed his muscles. He is cute! The girls will love ATG with Colin as the actor!

[Nicator]

Is that the same Louis IV who later on presides over France during the 30 years war(1618-1648)? He did well to abstain from conflict until it suited him, but died before the end. I've been hanging around the library too. Lately, I've been trying to finish Heckel's "The Marshalls of Alexander's Empire". It truly is a fantastic book. I would recommend it (in the very least) as a handbook companion to any other book on the great one. The only problem with it seems to be his frequent breaks into German and Greek, neither of which I can read very well. I think I will have to return the book late and incur the fee...it's cheaper than buying the book, and I won't have to hurry through it too much. The different perspective he provides is unique and worthwhile.
later Nicator

[marcus]

Nick,It seems that, whether it's conversely to what you say, or as well as, what Douglas Adams quite rightly said:"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.":-)All the bestMarcus

[jan]

Hi Nick,You got the idea! I own only two or three of the many books on Alexander as my place is starting to look like a library already.No, it is Louis XIV, son of Louis XIII, the King of France when William of Orange becomes King of England. During the time his mother was regent when he was only a little kid, the notorious Nicolas Foucquet, the Minister of Finance, siphoned off the funds to build his own little chateau, making him more grand than the Prince of France. A party was set up so that King Louis could learn the truth at the beginning of his official reign, and he was fit to be tied. Foucquet, like Philotas, apparently thought he should be the real King, and so built himself a grand chateau with gardens and proved that he had been absconding with the funds of the state. Thus, Louis XIV had a trial in which Foucquet is found guilty and sent to prison for life.When I read about Olympias's having given Alexander advice as to permitting his generals to live in a style which was making them appear equal or more powerful than he, it reminded me of Foucquet.Louis XIV is responsible for the building of the chateau du Versailles thanks to Foucquet's having already made his fame at his, the King's, expense.It is just strange to see similarities occur such as this, and to know that none were like Alexander and Achilles which seem to have been contrived. This was just a matter of the minister believing that the son would be a dupe. He learned otherwise. Ironically, both have mothers who guide and advise for a long period of time as well.

[jan]

Well, Marcus, what intrigues me the most about the similarities is that the common link between the two is my "time-tunneling" into the lives of each one. I unearthed a lot of material about the background and life of Louis XIV which made the dream I had of Alexander that much more plausible and believable to me. Here in the valley, there was an old ad which said one great store leads to another for the shopping center. In this case, it is one great king leads to another.You see, I have had experiences in dreams or images whether spontaneous memory or what, who can say, about three distinctly different persons, but each of these men have similar events that parallel each other, and it has made me wonder about the ongoing ripple effect throughout time and space.So while the recording of events is interesting and the foundation for modern day thought, the so called dreams or memories fascinate me with their vivid and precise details, none of which had I been familiar. So that is what keeps me interested in the progress of history.

[jan]

In response to my own "spontaneous memory" I want to advise this group of a website called reincarnationinstitute.org. I just found it this afternoon as a friend has brought it to my attention. There is a section there devoted to the subject of Alexander and his companions. As it involves a member of this group, I should like to know of this person's experiences. I see her messages quite often on this board. I am very interested in these, Karen.