The physician was a wise man who not only observed the symptoms but also the patient. He suspected Antiochus was lovesick but was not sure for whom. Over the next few days, as he attended the prince, he noticed that symptoms like stammering, palpitations, flushes, swooning and darkened vision worsened every time he was visited by Seleucus’ queen. This was not Antiochus’ mother but a girl— Stratonice—whom, still a teen, the king had married a few years before to cement a marriage alliance. The physician correctly deduced that Antiochus was smitten by this woman, only a few years his junior, but unable to express let alone consummate his love.
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| Coin of Antiochus as King Antiochus I Soter. Observse shows goddess Victory. |
The cunning physician knew that the king loved his son greatly but was naturally cautious about revealing the exact object of the prince’s desire to him. So he revealed to Seleucus that Antiochus was suffering extreme sickness of love but pretended that the prince was in love with his own wife. When the king begged the doctor to give up his wife to Antiochus, the physician asked the king if he would do the same if it would save his son. The king tearfully confessed that he would give up his whole kingdom to save his son. Only then did the doctor reveal to the king the love of Antiochus for Stratonice.
Thus it was that, out of his great love for his son, Seleucus gave up his young wife to his son to heal his love sickness. And Antiochus did indeed recover, made Stratonice his bride and was made regent over half of his father’s kingdom. The wily physician was esteemed thereafter by both father and son.
Strangely, Stratonice’s thoughts about this arrangement have not been recorded.
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| Jacques-Louis David, "Antiochus et Stratonica", 1778 (École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris)  |
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