Introduction
Plutarch’s Parallel Lives, probably written early in the second century, compares the characters of various great men of classical Greece and Rome. Among them is Alexander the Great, the young King of Macedon who in the latter part of the fourth century BC conquered cities and peoples from Egypt to India. His horse was Bucephalus, a mighty stallion that took some conquering too.
WHEN Philonicus, the Thessalian,* offered the horse named Bucephalus in sale to Philip,* at the price of thirteen talents,* the king, with the prince and many others, went into the field to see some trial made of him.
The horse appeared extremely vicious and unmanageable, and was so far from suffering himself to be mounted, that he would not bear to be spoken to, but turned fiercely upon all the grooms. Philip was displeased at their bringing him so wild and ungovernable a horse and bade them take him away. But Alexander, who had observed him well, said: ‘What a horse are they losing, for want of skill and spirit to manage him!’
Philip at first took no notice of this; but, upon the prince’s often repeating the same expression, and showing great uneasiness, he said ‘Young man, you find fault with your elders, as if you knew more than they, or could manage the horse better.’
‘And I certainly could,’ answered the prince.
‘If you should not be able to ride him, what forfeiture will you submit to for your rashness ?’
‘I will pay the price of the horse.’
* A Thessalian is a person from Thessaly, a region of mainland Greece on the western side of the Aegean Sea. The ancient Kingdom of Macedon lay to the north, almost wholly in what is now northern Greece. Its chief city was Pella. The modern Republic of North Macedonia lies further north still, corresponding roughly with the Kingdom of Paeonia which Philip II, Alexander’s father, subdued and turned into a vassal state, Macedonian Paeonia, in 355-354 BC.
* Philip II of Macedon (r. 359-336 BC), father of Alexander (r. 336-323 BC).
* A foot-soldier in Alexander’s army was typically paid a silver drachma a day, with 100 drachmas to the mina, and 60 minas to the talent. Numismatist Ursula Kampmann at Zürich’s Money Museum estimates that Alexander’s army cost him 20 talents a day, a burden he could meet only by plundering the treasuries of the cities he captured. In 2021, the basic pay for an infantryman in the British army was £16,500 per annum, or £45 a day.
Précis
Plutarch told the story of how Alexander, the young prince of Macedon, tamed his warhorse Bucephalus. The horse had been purchased by Alexander’s father King Philip, but his grooms could not handle him. Alexander wagered the price of the horse that he could tame him and Philip, who thought Alexander was out of his depth, accepted the bet. (58 / 60 words)
Plutarch told the story of how Alexander, the young prince of Macedon, tamed his warhorse Bucephalus. The horse had been purchased by Alexander’s father King Philip, but his grooms could not handle him. Alexander wagered the price of the horse that he could tame him and Philip, who thought Alexander was out of his depth, accepted the bet.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: although, because, besides, or, otherwise, since, unless, until.
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