Evening star., 1945-02-15
Letters to The Star
If History Does Not Repeat,
1t Very Nearly Does
TO III. nditer of rAs STAR:

AllStOIy 1OSw 4NOt A0p&WSs
It Very Nearly Does
To the Editsr Of The star:
At the time Of the presidential elec-
tion last fall / had occasion to draw
attention to remarkable modern par
allel with an occurrence In Roman
history over 1000 years ago.
In the year 5o7 BIC. Publius Valsrius,
completed his third term % consul. A
third term ~ consul was in itself m
unusual event, but not satisfied with
his achievement Publius decided to
run fourth time. The people of Rome
found no impediment and coined what
afterwards became . Latin proyerb:
Qua ter quater" (What has been done
three times can be done 1 fourth.
Publius, too, had . nickname susges-
tive of American popular drinks Of to-,
day: "Poplicola' tCultivator Of the
People, /. e., Democrat.
1t was during the second term Of
Publius that Horatius Coolies, famous
In Macaulays Lays OF Ancient Rome"
held the bridge single-handed against
the hosts of Lars rorsena.
Also IN 1914 there occurred an equally
remarkable coincidence In connection
with the Anglo-American invasion Of
France.
The people Of England at the present
time are considering the making Of
second Bayeux tapestry to commem-
crate pictorially the brief events In
that invasion. The original Bayeux
tapestry, 1t will be remembered, con-
sists of several hundred feet Of needle
work made by the ladies Of the court
of William the Conqueror, the first
Norman King of England. On 1t are
embroidered scenes depicting his con-
quest Of England in 1866, the first col
ored comic strip" for much OF it is
deliberately comic, and what was not
designedly 70 is humorous to modern
eyes by reason Of the archaic uniforms
and stereotyped gestures.
The first event leading up to that
conquest occurred ut the little seaside
village OF Bosham in Sussex. From
there Harold the Saxon set sail on his
ill-fated voyage to Normandy to meet
William. Harolds visit terminated in
the decision of william to invade
England. The frst scene on the
Bayeux tapestry shows Harold In the
Church Of Bosham-"Ecclesia Bosham,"
says the Latin legend-near by the
shore where Canute ordered the waves
to retire.
Famous Names Come Back.
In the same quiet waterways OF
Bosham in the spring Of 1914 were
assembled the prefabricated harbors
which made possible the invasion of
Normandy by British and American
troops. and there, too, took place the
rehearsals Of the tactical exercises
which were. to drive the Germans out
of France. In choosing this locale. it is
possible that romantically inclined
English generals-n such there be-
remembered poetic justice. But it ID
highly improbable that Mr.. Roosevelt
and Mr.. Churchill, in selecting the
haven for the American and British
armies for the expedition were In
fluenced by the choice of his generals
which william the Conqueror made
800 years before. William chose Tall
lefer to lead the attack and Robert de
'Montgoane1e @ his0econd in cornnand.ss
Now. "Taillefers b french for nerves
OF iron" and the Germanic for this Is
Eisenhower" a, ,ssss
, So an Eisenhowes and Montgomery
commanded tie Norman invaders Of
Anslo-saxon England in 1865. and an
Eisenhower and Montgomery COM
manded the Anglo-saxon invaders Of
Normandy in 1914, and the prologue to
both dramas was played at Bosham.
Some say that history repeats, some
that it never does, but 1t certainly
plays curious tricks.
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