8 MAY 2004, Page 33

A tragic history

From Robert Duffield Sir: Jeremy Clarke's boy's maternal grandfather's belief that keeping goats tends to make people either cynical or pugnacious certainly has ancient roots (Low life, 1 May). The word 'tragedy' is derived from the Greek tragos meaning goat.

As we watch the catalogue of calamitous events unfold in the Middle East, we sense this particular drama can only end in disaster. Following Jeremy Clarke's train of thought, is this a rare case of the goat qua scapegoat?

Robert Duffield

London EC4