Every one of these bears relations with the rest
and is a living mirror of the whole.
But the influence of one upon the other
is brought about only through a mediator,
i.e. myself, the author, or maybe
the Baron, who’s something of an alter-ego:
architect, engineer, maintenance man, monarch.
The perfect state under the perfect king.
Each individual representation is,
regarding the others, uncertain and confused,
and yet it reaches out to the whole which
it senses. Only the Baron understands that
“all things conspire,” in the classic formulation
of Hippocrates. He allows order –
the greatest possible – amid variety.
[Previous: The Dream of the Butterfly]