  Originality of thought and expression was also striven for by Choumnos’ rival and adversary at court, Theodore Metochites (1270–1332). It is perhaps most clearly attained in his Sēmeiōseis gnōmikai (Sententious Notes), a collection of 120 essays on subjects as diverse as the reasons for Aristotle’s obscurity and for Plato’s use of the dialogue form, the interrelations between different faculties of soul, and the pros and cons of different political constitutions. A significant part of the essays are taken up by meditations on the transience of human life, not infrequently bearing on the vicissitudes of Metochites’ own life and career. He also lingered over many of these themes in his orations, notably On Education.