and Meton come forward and dance to the music; and he made as though he would do so.  When he had obtained silence he said “Men of Tarentum, you do well in encouraging those who wish to be merry and amuse themselves while they may.  If you are wise you will all enjoy your freedom now, for when Pyrrhus is come to our city you will have very different things to think of, and will live very differently.”  By these words he made an impression on the mass of the Tarentine people, and a murmur ran through the crowd that he had spoken well.  But those politicians who feared that if peace were made they should be delivered up to the Romans, reproached the people for allowing any one to insult them by such a disgraceful exhibition, and prevailed on them to turn Meton out of the assembly.  Thus the vote for war was passed, and ambassadors were sent to Epirus, not from Tarentum alone, but from the other Greek cities in Italy, carrying with them presents for Pyrrhus, with instructions to tell him that they required a leader of skill and renown, and that they possessed a force of Lucanians, Messapians, Samnites and Tarentines, which amounted to twenty thousand cavalry, and three hundred and fifty thousand infantry.  This not only excited Pyrrhus, but also made all the Epirotes eager to take part in the campaign.

XIV.  There was one Kineas, a Thessalian, who was thought to be a man of good sense, and who, having heard Demosthenes the orator speak, was better able than any of the speakers of his age to delight his hearers with an imitation of the eloquence of that great master of rhetoric.  He was now in the service of Pyrrhus, and being sent about to various cities, proved the truth of the Euripidean saw, that

                          “All can be done by words
    Which foemen wish to do with conquering swords.”

Pyrrhus at any rate used to say that more cities were won for him by Kineas with words, than be himself won by force of arms.  This man, observing that Pyrrhus was eagerly preparing for his Italian expedition, once when he was at leisure conversed with him in the following manner.  “Pyrrhus,” said he, “the Romans are said to be good soldiers, and to rule over many warlike nations.  Now, if heaven grants us the victory over them, what use shall we make of it?”

“You ask what is self-evident,” answered Pyrrhus.  “If we can conquer the Romans, there is no city, Greek or barbarian, that can resist us, and we shall gain possession of the whole of Italy, a country whose size, richness, and power no one knows better than yourself.”  Kineas then, after waiting for a short time, said, “O king, when we have taken Italy, what shall we do then?” Pyrrhus, not yet seeing his drift, answered, “Close to it Sicily invites us, a noble and populous island, and one which is very easy to conquer; for, my Kineas, now that Agathokles is dead, there is nothing there but revolution and faction, and the violence of party spirit.”  “What you say,” answered