He quoted to Philip the exquisite epigram:

"They told me, Herakleitus, they told me you were dead."

I don't get it.

I found information about it. Problem was spelling of the name Heracleitus.
William Johnson Cory (1823-1892)

Heraclitus


1They told me, Heraclitus, they told me you were dead,
2They brought me bitter news to hear and bitter tears to shed.
3I wept, as I remembered, how often you and I
4Had tired the sun with talking and sent him down the sky.


5And now that thou art lying, my dear old Carian guest,
6A handful of grey ashes, long long ago at rest,
7Still are thy pleasant voices, thy nightingales, awake;
8For Death, he taketh all away, but them he cannot take.
Notes

1] Heraclitus: Greek philosopher (ca. 540-ca. 400 BC), pre-Socratic founder of an Ionian school, whose principal tenet was change in all things. Cory translates an epigram of Callimachus, which in A. W. Mair's translation of the Greek is as follows: "One told me, Heracleitus, of thy death and brought me to tears, and I remembered how often we two in talking put the sun to rest. Thou, methinks, Halicarnasian friend, art ashes long and long ago; but thy nightingales live still, whereon Hades, snatcher of all things, shall not lay his hand" (Callimachus, ed. A. W. Mair, Loeb Classical Library [1921; Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1960], p. 139, Epigram II; PA 3945 A2 Robarts Library).


5] Carian: of Caria, part of southwest Asia Minor.

Here's one from MW:

"the Earl of Rochester's epigram on Charles II: "here lies our sovereign lord the king, whose word no man relies on; he never says a foolish thing nor ever does a wise one">

And another definition of epigram that is quite as surprising as a bird in hand:

"3 : a small piece of meat (as of lamb, game, poultry) usually breaded and fried and served with a sauce and vegetables as an entree "

To which Charles replied: "'Tis true, for my words are my own and my actions are my ministers'."

Bingley

Ha!!!! Thanks, Bingley!

Now, have you ever in your life heard of epigrams of beef?

I must admit I haven't, no. On the other hand, in certain circles, people used to 'discuss' their meals, not by reminiscing about them or planning them but by actually eating them. So, for example, they might, presumably, have discussed an epigram of beef.

Bingley

Now you are serving us rare portions of epigrams with this fourth course [or #4 in the MW menu] of discussion, Bingley!