PYRRHUS AND THE KAISER. [To VIE EDITOR or Tun "
SPECTAT016."] Sia,—Parallels to the Kaiser have lately been drawn from ancient and modern sources. May I submit to you a fresh one, taken from Plutarch's Life of Pyrrhus? I give it in a con- densed form :— "Cineas, a pupil of Demosthenes, knowing Pyrrhus to be pre- paring for the invasion of Italy, led him one day into the following discourse: C.: The Romans, sir, are reported to be great warriors and conquerors of many warlike nations. If God permit us to overcome them, how should we use our victory ? '—P. : You ask a thing evident of itself. The Romans once conquered, there is neither Greek nor barbarian city that will resist us; but we shall presently be masters of all Italy.'—C. : 'And, having subdued Italy, what shall we do next ? '—P. ' Sicily next holds out her arms to receive us, a wealthy and populous island and easy to be gained, where at present faction and anarchy and the licentious violence of the demagogues prevail.'—C. : 'You speak what is perfectly probable, but will the possession of Sicily put an end to the war '—P.: God grant us victory and success in that, and we will use these as forerunners of greater things ; who could forbear from Libya and Carthago then within reach ? These conquests once perfected, will any assert that of the enemies who now pretend to despise us, any one will dare to make farther resistance? '—C. None, for then it is manifest we may with such mighty forces regain Macedon, and make an absolute conquest of Greece. When. all these are in our power, what shall we do next F'—P.: 'We will live at our ease, my dear friend, and drink all day and divert ourselves with pleasant conversation:—LC. And what hinders us from thus enjoying ourselves now, since we have at hand without trouble all those necessary things, to which through much blood and groat labour, and infinite hazards and mischief done to ourselves and to others, we design at last to arrive ? ' Such reasonings rn.thor troubled Pyrrhus with the thought of the happiness he was quitting, than any way altered his purpose, for he was unable to abandon the schemes of world- wide conquest on which he had set his heart."
Athenaeum Club, Pall Mall, S. fr.
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