Chapter I - The Birth - In which the subject is introduced, and one learns more of the circumstances of the prophet's birth.
The Life of Aristotle
Harsh is the task of those who would wish to plunge into the abyss of centuries past and search for the words to bring to life in our hearts the heroes of history. If anyone's life deserves to be told, certainly Aristotle's does, for his teachings have illuminated both our life and our death.
Here is what I, poor and faithful, intend to relay to you today. If the simplicity of this recitation touches you, and if the noble presence of the wise man reaches your heart, then my work will have made the heavenly powers smile.
Introduction:
The life of Aristotle the Wise, Servant of the Almighty, with whom the Divine Word was revealed and who announced the arrival of salvation and the light.
Chapter One.
During this time, great news spread through the town of Stageira: the wise astronomers had just discovered an unfamiliar comet in the firmament. Immediately, the town assembly gathered in the Agora and tried to discern the message the skies sought to transmit to man. Alas, their hearts were darkened by their erroneous faith in false gods, and they were lead astray by impious suggestions. For one, the comet indicated the arrival of Hermes on winged feet. Another believed the lightning of Zeus would crash down on men and mark the end of time. One man in the assembly kept his silence: his wife would soon give birth, and his anguish prevented him from intervening. He was neither the least wise, nor the least listened to. Nobility and peace registered on his face, as well as the marks of hard labour and a life without softness.
The discussions reached their end with no solution emerging, and the man returned home as quickly as possible.
There, resting on a leather bed, his wife had just given birth to a son. The man approached his newborn with respect, took him into his arms, and raised him towards the sky, saying, "Celestial powers, I entrust my son to you. Give him a life that is right and just. Keep his heart pure, his intelligence sharp, and his virtue without fault. Let your wisdom guide his steps and his thoughts, so that his life will be like a solid oak tree in whose shade the unhappy will come to rest." Placing the child near his mother, the man knelt close to the bed and remained still for a long time, silently contemplating his wife and his son.
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