But while he lay encamped there near him, many who came out of Beroea infinitely praised Pyrrhus as invincible in arms, a glorious warrior, who treated those he had taken kindly and humanely. Several of these Pyrrhus himself sent privately, pretending to be Macedonians, and saying, now was the time to be delivered from the severe government of Demetrius by coming over to Pyrrhus, a gracious prince and a lover of soldiers.
By this artifice a great part of the army was in a state of excitement, and the soldiers began to look every way about inquiring for Pyrrhus. It happened he was without his helmet, till understanding they did not know him, he put it on again, and so was quickly recognized by his lofty crest and the goat’s horns he wore upon it. Then the Macedonians, running to him, desired to be told his password, and some put oaken boughs upon their heads, because they saw them worn by the soldiers about him.
Some persons even took the confidence to say to Demetrius himself, that he would be well advised to withdraw and lay down the government. And he, indeed, seeing the mutinous movements of the army to be only too consistent with what they said, privately got away, disguised in a broad hat and a common soldier’s coat. So Pyrrhus became master of the army without fighting, and was declared King of the Macedonians.
tl;dr:
Pyrrhus is camped near the Macedonian forces, who are led by an unpopular king (Demetrius). Rumors are already flying about in regards to what a great king Pyrrhus is, and how much better it is under his rule, so he happily sends some disguised troops to the enemy camp to keep up the rumors. The enemy camp gets so excited about the idea of defecting, and they come over to rally around Pyrrhus, but are disappointed when they don’t see him. He’s standing in the middle of the crowd, confused, and realizes they don’t know what he looks like, so he puts on his famous helmet and everybody loses their minds. The enemy king has the good sense to get away, and Pyrrhus is the new king of Macedon!
Source:
Plutarch, John Dryden, and Arthur Hugh Clough. "Pyrrhus." Plutarch's Lives. New York: Modern Library, 2001. 526-27. Print.
Further Reading:
Δημήτριος (Demetrius I of Macedon) / Πολιορκητής (Poliorcetes – “The Besieger”)
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