KingPyrrhusofEpiruswasanambitiousrulerwhoseaimwastorevivetheempireofhissecondcousin,AlexandertheGreat.HewenttoItalyin280BC,wherehedefeatedtheRomansatHeraclea,andadvancedtowithin37milesofthecityofRome.
TheRomansenatewasabouttovoteonpeacewithPyrrhus,whenAppiusClaudius,adistinguishedgeneralwhohadbeenretiredformanyyearsandwasblind,arrived."Myblindness,"hesaid,"hasbeenagreatannoyancetome,butnowthatIhearaboutthesedishonourableproposalsofyours,IwishIweredeafaswell.DoyourememberyourbravewordsaboutAlexander?YoubraggedthatifhedaredtocomeintoItaly,hewouldnotnowbecalled'theGreat'."Thesewordschangedeverything.TheRomansdecidedagainstseekingpeace,andin275BCdefeatedPyrrhusatBeneventum.
伊庇魯斯國王皮拉斯野心勃勃,有意重振其遠房堂兄亞歷山大大帝的帝國。公元前二八○年,他出兵義大利,在赫拉克利亞打敗羅馬軍,進逼羅馬城,離城不過三十七英里。
羅馬元老院提議和皮拉斯講和,正要投票決定,退休多年並盲了眼的名將阿丕烏斯.克邏廸阿士來了。他說:「失明令我十分苦惱,但聽到你們這些可恥提議,我希望自己不但盲了,最好也聾了。還記得你們從前談到亞歷山大,說過什麼豪言壯語嗎?你們誇口說,假如亞歷山大當年有膽來到義大利,今天就不會有『大帝』的稱號。」這番話改變了一切。羅馬決定不向皮拉斯求和,公元前二七五年,在貝尼芬頓把皮拉斯打敗。