Boris Johnson argues that the current European Union is yet another failed attempt to replicate the golden age of a Europe united under the Romans. But how golden was it? The Greek biographer Plutarch (c. AD 100) thought it brought ‘peace, freedom, prosperity, population growth and concord’ but agreed that there was a price to be paid.
In his essay on statecraft, he advised the Greek politician ‘not to have too much pride or confidence in your crown, since you can see the boots of Roman soldiers just above your head. So you should imitate an actor, who puts his own emotion, personality and reputation into a play but obeys the prompter and does not go beyond what he allows. For on your stage, the result of failure is not just hissing, hooting and stamping feet — it’s your neck that is on the line.’
Further, Plutarch went on, while it was amusing to see small children trying on their fathers’ boots, it was not advisable for politicians to rouse the instincts of the mob by recalling the mighty but currently ‘unhelpful’ deeds of their ancestors.
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