In the distant head of Italo Calvino, there lived the most powerful emperor the world has ever seen. The explanation of his power lay in his longevity, just as the explanation of his longevity lay in his power. It is well known that no power may be invented but only acquired, and so it proved true in the life of this emperor.
The longer he lived, the more power he accrued. He lived for power, and his power was therefore expressed directly in his life. But that is the general rule, what were the specifics, the secret techniques of his unique reign? Only that he gave no consideration to anything but the translation of life into power and power into life.
In the earliest days, after his accession to power, the young emperor considered all the other young emperors who had preceded him and who, as seemed the way of things, had died still young at the hands of others. The incumbent emperor concluded that life, his person, was essential to the continuation of his reign – a simple formula no doubt, but profound.
He understood that if he succeeded in securing his personal safety then his dominion would be assured. We might note here that all this occurred many centuries before the appearance of client-kings and mere figureheads, before hidden powers and the spectacle of displacement. This is a story set before the time when appearance became separated from actuality.
However, during the period in question, the emperor's grip on power was simple even if it was not secure. In the extension of his life, he embodied his power and his powers were directed solely towards the end of securing his life. The emperor calculated that the longer he maintained his hold on life, the more powers he would gain; and conversely, the more powers that he gained, the more securely he would ensure the extension of his life.
And so it was: he moved his pieces to his designs and caused others to move their pieces against their will; he set intrigues against the intriguers; he taxed and appropriated; he conquered and entered into alliances; he reformed the army and sent it off far away; he ordered public works and festivities; he ate simple food of natural flavour that none could poison; he set guards upon his guards; he set quests for his lords, and orchestrated feuds between them; he rewarded some and punished others, sometimes to a plan and sometimes capriciously; he contained knowledge on a need to know basis; he structured his institutions and departments on a cellular model; he instigated occasional and unexplained purges; he monitored and analysed; he stirred the pot and then let it settle; he skimmed off the scum as he also skimmed off the cream.
And by these means and others he did not set out to invent his power over others but extracted it from them in a way that seemed to them that he had invented it. He made nothing but seized hold of that which already existed and in this way seemed the source of all things. He was the one certainty in the life of the city.
But there is a point reached in the duration of power, and this finds a correlate in personal capacity, where a decline both sets in and is seen to set in. Where there is decline there is anxiety and a redoubling of efforts. There is resurgence and a reactionary striving to return things to an earlier state. But where decline has begun, and no matter the energy expended, the finesse of power, the élan, the assurance has been lost and the ascendancy is truly over.
News of defeats were quietly circulated. The failures of his regime, like spots before his eyes or on the back of his hands, were registered by those creatures who have always circled the powerful, watching for weaknesses and the opportunities weakness may provide. No single event pointed to the failure of his power, but accidents, mistakes and unintended outcomes began to accumulate.
Knowing that he had to take drastic measures, the emperor called his personal physician and demanded some magical remedy, a formula which would return to him his former unassailable position, and his own peace of mind.
I am no longer secure in my chambers, I cannot be sure of my food. I do not sleep for fear of assassination. I cannot trust those whom I once took for granted. My safety is everything to me. Such is the eternal complaint of every powerful figure but it was a new experience for the emperor.
There is a place I know of, which I can take you to, and where you alone can find the peace of mind that you seek. Replied the physician. But it is far from here. We shall go there. Said the emperor. But can you afford to take time away from the court. Asked the physician. If I have the secret, I will not fear the intrigues of the court. By withdrawing I will allow the traitors to briefly flourish and thereby show themselves. Only when they feel confident in their revolt will I sweep down upon them to take my revenge.
Disguised as simple travellers, the emperor and his physician, left together during the night. They passed through the forests and beyond the mountains. We have travelled a long way from my city. Said the emperor. How much further is there to go? We are there. Said the physician. But there is nothing here. Said the emperor. It is a secret hidden in the ground. Said the physician. It is not something that can be found by anyone. He handed the emperor a digging implement. Only you may find the secret that you seek.
The emperor dug down into the ground until he could dig no more. There is nothing here. He announced. He was too tired to be angry. Standing inside the hole, he looked up at the physician standing at its edge. Are you sure? Asked the physician. You desire safety from all dangers. The secret is here, why don’t you look a little closer?
The emperor examined the floor of the hole as if for some clue to what the secret could be. I do not like puzzles. He said. What is it that I am looking for? Just as he asked this, the physician raised up a great rock and brought it down upon the emperor's head.
He filled in the emperor's grave, which would remain unmarked, and which would become entirely unknown upon his own death. At this moment, as he readied himself for his return, the physician asked. Do you now know, as I do, the safest place for you is in your grave?
Upon his return to the capital city, the physician was immediately arrested on the emperor's orders, and soon after he was quietly executed. The emperor had added the physician’s secret to his already extensive array of powers, and was therefore naturally ambitious to secure it as his exclusive possession.
A traditional story.
