Philologos

[freenarnian.livejournal.com]

On page 188 of A Conspiracy of Kings, when Gen is speaking about his attendants (to Sophos, in the wine shop), he mentions that he'd "had some hope for Philologos... but Sejanus won that hand neatly." The conversation then moves on to philosophical reminiscences of Ambiades, making the quip about our dear Philo look like nothing more than an off-hand remark. But this is Gen we're talking about (and MWT), and because all things Philologos amuse and therefore interest me, I wondered if one couldn't dig a little deeper. It struck me as something I hadn't picked up on or considered previously. To start with: What, exactly, did Gen mean by Sejanus winning that hand? Was Philo contested in KoA? Did Sejanus merely have the greater influence on the behavior of the younger man, or was there more at stake than just Philo's attitude toward/opinion of Gen? What did Gen see in Philo that initially gave him hope? Hope for what? (Also noted: In the character index at the end of ACoK, it says Philo is the youngest but highest in rank among Gen's attendants. I can't remember if I knew this during KoA? What does it all mean?)