The Braggart King

November, 1956

Candaules, King of Lydia, was a man of many faults, but supreme among them was this: he loved to brag.He bragged of his riches, he bragged of his power, he bragged of his palace, he bragged of his horses and, worst of all, he bragged openly and continually, to everyone he met, sparing no details, of the beauty, fidelity, passion and prowess of his Queen.Candaules had another fault, a fault not uncommon among kings: he distrusted people and imagined he was being laughed at, his boasts ridiculed a...