Principio hoc proverbium antiquitate propter pugnas parum féliciterfeliciter a Pyrrho rege cum Romana re publica gestas, exempli gratia [[Heracleae pugna|attle of Heraclea]] anni 280a.C.n. sive Battle of Asculum anni 279 a.C.n. Plutarchus regem Victoriavictoria adepta sic effatum esse tradit:{{Citatio|ThePostquam armiesin separated;utramque and,partem itexercitus is said,discesserant Pyrrhus repliedgratulanti tocuidam onesic that gave him joy of his victory thatrespondit: ''one other suchaltera victoryeiusmodi wouldvictoria utterlycerte undoeum himperdet''. ForMagnam heenim hadpartem lostquas a great part of the forces he brought with him, andsecum almostduxit allcopiarum hisamisit particularmultosque friendslegatos andnec principalnon commandersamicos; thereneque werealios noullos othersaderant thereneque tosocii makesuum recruits,officium andpraestaturi he found the confederates in Italy backwarderant. OnRomanorum theautem othercastra hand,quasi asex fromfonte acontinue fountainex continuallyurbe flowing out of the city, the Roman camp was quickly and plentifully filled up with fresh men, not at all abatingvergenti in couragedie forcomplerebatur theneque losscladibus theyminui sustained,eorum butnumerus evensed frompotius theirira veryaugeri angervidebatur. gaining new force and resolution to go on with the war.|PlutarchPlutarchus, [[ParallelVitae LivesParallelae|LifeVita of PyrrhusPyrrhi]]<ref>[[PlutarchPlutarchus]] (trans.vertit JohnIoannes Dryden) ''[http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/pyrrhus.html Pyrrhus]'', hostedvide onetiam [http://classics.mit.edu The Internet Classics Archive]</ref>}}Saepe etiam his verbis redditur: {{Citatio}}
