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<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Arial" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;">Dear fellow readers,</font></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Arial" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;">Great discussion tonight! Thanks to all of you for your contributions. I feel like we covered a lot of ground and made quite a few inroads into Xenophon's narrative style and structure. Good stuff. Am looking forward to our next conference call on Monday May 10 when we will be discussing Books IV & V. Lots more good stuff to come. Meanwhile, make sure to listen to the podcast if you weren't able to make the call tonight by going to the Reading Odyssey website. Also, enjoy the "laconic phrases" below.</font></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Arial" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;">Andre</font></div>
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<div align="left" style="margin-top:10px;text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+3" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:24pt;color:#000000;"><b>Laconic phrase</b></font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:11pt;color:#000000;">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</font></div>
<div align="left" style="margin-top:10px;text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">A <b>"Laconic phrase"</b> is a very short or terse statement, named after </font><a href="Laconiaen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laconi" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>Laconia</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">, an area of modern and </font><a href="Ancient Greecepedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greec" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>ancient Greece</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">. Due to the militaristic traditions of the people of ancient
</font><a href="Sparta/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spart" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>Sparta</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">, the most important city in Laconia, the Laconians focused less on the development of </font><a href="Education.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educatio" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>education</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">, </font><a href="Arts://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>arts</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000"
style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">, and </font><a href="Literaturewikipedia.org/wiki/Literatur" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>literature</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">. Some view this as having contibuted to the Laconian characteristically blunt speech. The Spartans were especially famous for their dry wit, which is called "laconic" after the region and its people. In modern parlance, "laconic" is used to describe speech and writing which uses few words and is terse and concise.</font></div>
<a name="Examples"></a><div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:13pt;color:#000000;"><b>Examples</b></font></div>
<a name="Spartan"></a><div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+2" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:18pt;color:#000000;"><b>Spartan</b></font></div>
<ul style="list-style-type:disc;list-style-position:outside;padding-left:36px;padding-right:0px;">
<li style="margin-top:10px;text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">A witticism attributed to </font><a href="Lycurgus (Sparta)ia.org/wiki/Lycurgus_%28Sparta%2" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>Lycurgus</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">, the legendary lawgiver of Sparta, is a response to a proposal to set up a democracy there: "Begin with your own family." </font></li>
<li style="margin-top:10px;text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">One famous example comes from the time of the invasion of </font><a href="Philip II of Macedonorg/wiki/Philip_II_of_Macedo" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>Phillip II</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">. With key Greek city-states in submission, he turned his attention to </font><a href="Sparta/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spart" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>Sparta</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;"> and sent a message: "If I win this
</font><a href="Warp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wa" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>war</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">, you will be </font><a href="Slaveryen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slaver" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>slaves</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;"> forever". The Spartans sent back a one word reply: "If". Another version claims the famous exchange was: "You are advised to submit without further delay, for if I bring my army into your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people, and raze your city". Their reply was "If". Subsequently, Philip and
</font><a href="Alexander the Great.org/wiki/Alexander_the_Grea" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>Alexander</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;"> both would leave them alone. </font></li>
</ul>
<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><a href="Demetrius I of Macedong/wiki/Demetrius_I_of_Macedo" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>Demetrius I</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;"> of </font><a href="Macedonen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macedo" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>Macedon</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;"> was offended when the Spartans sent his court a single envoy, and exclaimed angrily," What! Have the Lacedaemonians sent no more than one ambassador?" The Spartan responded, " Aye, one ambassador to one king." </font></div>
<div align="left" style="text-indent:-17px;padding-left:36px;margin-top:10px;text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">A Spartan king wanted his hair prepared, so he turned to his barber and said, "Cut it." When he was asked how he wanted it done, he answered "Short." </font></div>
<div align="left" style="text-indent:-17px;padding-left:36px;margin-top:10px;text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">When the Persians sent envoys to the Spartans demanding the traditional symbols of surrender, offerings of soil and water, the Spartans threw them into a deep well, saying that they would find both at its bottom. </font></div>
<ul style="list-style-type:disc;list-style-position:outside;padding-left:36px;padding-right:0px;">
<li style="margin-top:10px;text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">On her husband </font><a href="Leonidas Iwikipedia.org/wiki/Leonidas_" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>Leonidas</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">' departure for battle with the Persians at </font><a href="Thermopylaeikipedia.org/wiki/Thermopyla" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>Thermopylae</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">, Queen of Sparta Gorgo asked what she should do. Knowing he was unlikely to return, he advised: "Marry a good man and bear good
children." </font></li>
</ul>
<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><a href="Herodotus.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotu" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>Herodotus</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;"> wrote that when before the </font><a href="Battle of Thermopylaerg/wiki/Battle_of_Thermopyla" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>Battle of Thermopylae</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">, </font><a href="Dienekesn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieneke" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>Dienekes</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000"
style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;"> the Spartan, was told the </font><a href="Persia/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persi" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>Persian</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;"> arrows would be so numerous as to blot out the sun. He responded with "So much the better, we shall fight in the shade". Today Dienekes's phrase is the motto of the Greek 20th Armored Division. </font></div>
<ul style="list-style-type:disc;list-style-position:outside;padding-left:36px;padding-right:0px;">
<li style="margin-top:10px;text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">When the Spartan King </font><a href="Leonidas Iwikipedia.org/wiki/Leonidas_" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>Leonidas</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;"> was in charge of guarding the narrow mountain pass at Thermopylae with just 300 Spartan men in order to delay the invading Persian army, the Persian leader </font><a href="Xerxes I of Persiaa.org/wiki/Xerxes_I_of_Persi" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>Xerxes</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;"> offered to
</font><font face="Times New Roman Greek" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman Greek;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">spare his men if they gave up their arms. King Leonidas replied "Molon Labe" (Greek "Μολών Λαβέ"), which translates to "Come and take them." This has been re-used by generals and politicians throughout history and repeated (in English) often in popular culture. It is today the emblem of the Greek First Army Corps. </font></li>
</ul>
<div align="left" style="text-indent:-17px;padding-left:36px;margin-top:10px;text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">On the morning of the third and final day of the battle, Leonidas, knowing they were being surrounded, exhorted his men, "Eat well, for tonight we dine in Hades." </font></div>
<ul style="list-style-type:disc;list-style-position:outside;padding-left:36px;padding-right:0px;">
<li style="margin-top:10px;text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">When asked by a woman from </font><a href="Attica/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attic" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>Attica</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">, "Why are you Spartan women the only ones who can rule men?," Gorgo (wife of Leonidas) replied: "Because we are also the only ones who give birth to men." </font></li>
<li style="margin-top:10px;text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">Spartan mothers or wives gave a d</font><font face="Times New Roman Greek" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman Greek;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">eparting warrior his shield with the words: Συν ται η επι ται! or Ή ταν ή επί τας!, "With it or on it!", implying that he should return (victoriously) with his shield, or (his cremated body in an urn) upon it, but by no means after saving himself by throwing away his heavy shield and fleeing. </font></li>
<li style="margin-top:10px;text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">When a </font><a href="Hopliteen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoplit" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>hoplite</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;"> described his comrade's brave death in battle, a Spartan woman commented: "Such a noble journey; shouldn't you have gone too?" </font></li>
</ul>
<div align="left" style="text-indent:-17px;padding-left:36px;margin-top:10px;text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">Spartans normally fought with a shortsword. When its size was mocked, the Spartan responded with, "It's long enough to reach the heart." </font></div>
<div align="left" style="text-indent:-17px;padding-left:36px;margin-top:10px;text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">When a Spartan complained to his mother that his sword was too short, she replied that it would be long enough if he took a step forward. </font></div>
<ul style="list-style-type:disc;list-style-position:outside;padding-left:36px;padding-right:0px;">
<li style="margin-top:10px;text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">Upon being asked to come hear a person who could perfectly imitate a </font><a href="Nightingaleikipedia.org/wiki/Nightingal" target="_blank"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;"><u>nightingale</u></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">, a Spartan answered, "I have heard the nightingale itself." </font></li>
</ul>
<div align="left" style="text-indent:-17px;padding-left:36px;margin-top:10px;text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">When asked what dowry she was giving her bridegroom, a poor Spartan girl said: "My father's common sense." </font></div>
<div align="left" style="text-indent:-17px;padding-left:36px;margin-top:10px;text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">After an Athenian accused Spartans of being ignorant, a Spartan agreed: "What you say is true. We have learned none of your evil ways." </font></div>
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