Pyrrhus anecdote

[Jona Lendering]

A friend of mine asks me the evidence for the following anecdote.

Pyrrhus once spotted two soldiers playing a ball game. He asked what they were doing, and they said that they were training for a more serious contest, battle. The king immediate promoted the two men. Their commanders, whom he caught drinking wine, were demoted.

Does anybody where this story is told? Thanks!

[Tarbicus]

It's Plutarch, Sayings of Kings and Commanders.

[url:1xuaehav]http://www.attalus.org/old/sayings1.html[/url]

ANTIGONUS. [182] ....Seeing some soldiers playing at ball in helmets and breast-plates, he was pleased, and sent for their officers, intending to commend them; but when he heard the officers were drinking, he bestowed their commands on the soldiers.

[Jona Lendering]

Thanks!

[Tarbicus]

Thanks for asking the question, because I've just been reading it and very enlightening it is

ALEXANDER. ...All things being prepared for a fight, his captains asked him whether he had any thing else to command them. Nothing, said he, but that the Macedonians should shave their beards. Parmenion wondering at it, Do you not know, said he, there is no better hold in a fight than the beard ?

Hmmmm...

[Tarbicus]

But the best one of all:

Antagoras the poet was boiling a conger, and Antigonus, coming behind him as he was stirring his pan, said: Do you think, Antagoras, that Homerus boiled congers, when he wrote the deeds of Agamemnon ? Antagoras replied: Do you think, O King, that Agamemnon, when he did such exploits, was a peeping in his army to see who boiled congers ?