The Romans were at war with the people of Tarentum, who, being able neither to carry on the war, nor yet, owing to the rashness and villainy of their popular leaders, to put an end to it, wished to make Pyrrhus their leader and summon him to the war, believing him to be most at leisure of all the kings, and a most formidable general.
Edition :
Plutarch Lives IX: Demetrius and Antony, Pyrrhus and Caius Marius, Ed. Jeffrey Henderson, trans. Bernadotte Perrin (The Loeb Classical Library 101), Harvard University Press: Cambridge/MA - London 1968 (first ed. 1920).
Remark :
perpetrator: Since the war is still going on, we listed the Romans as the perpetrators here because they seem to have gotten the upper hand in the conflict. motive: The war was probably fought for political reasons and the soldiers followed the orders of their commanders to fight. long-term consequence: Pyrrhus is asked for help against the Romans. This is mentioned in 13.5-6.
