The library was completely empty during the summer holiday. Even Madam Pince had gone on vacation.
Pomona set the biscuits and tea she had brought from the kitchen on the table, then propped her feet on another stool and flipped through a book she had just taken down from the shelves.
She had actually read this book before. It was Attic Nights, written by a Roman, and contained philosophy, history, literature, aesthetics, law, astronomy, and geography. It was itself the author's reading notes, making it perfect for passing the time.
The page she had flipped to at random recounted the case in which Protagoras of Abdera sued his student Asseras. Protagoras had agreed to teach the wealthy young man rhetoric for a fee of twenty talents, half to be paid before lessons began and the other half after the young man won his first lawsuit.
Pomona picked up a biscuit and began chewing it as she read.
In Greek, Protagoras meant porter. It was said that before he met Democritus, Protagoras had carried firewood for a living. One day, he passed by carrying an enormous bundle of firewood from a nearby village. Democritus saw him carrying such a heavy load with ease and went over to speak with him.
Through observation, Democritus discovered that the firewood had been tied together with short ropes in a particular geometric arrangement. After asking Protagoras whether he had tied it himself, Democritus was astonished by the sharpness and intelligence of this uncivilized man's mind. He immediately took Protagoras away and taught him knowledge and philosophy.
Protagoras did not become an explorer of the mysteries of the universe, nor did he become a philosopher. Instead, he became a renowned debater. He charged his students exorbitant tuition fees and promised to teach them how to turn