Ancient parallel
Sir: In his Histories, translated by Aubrey de Selincourt (Penguin Classics), Herodotus describes a contest for the thorne of Egypt between the incumbent King Apries, "who is said to have believed that his power was so firmly established that not even a god could have brought him down", and Amasis, who defeated him, against all expectations.
"At first," says Herodotus, "the Egyptians were inclined to be contemptuous, and did not think much of Amasis because of his humble and undistinguished origin; but later on he cleverly brought them to heel, without having recourse to harsh measures."
Is this not an almost exact parallel with the result of the 1974 general election?
Richard Wildman PS: Amasis, we are told, died in office "'after a reign of forty-four years, during which he suffered no serious disasters".
5 Greenacres, Bedford.
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