§23.1Ἀννίβαν δὲ λέγεται διώκοντα τεσσαράκοντα μόνοις ἀπολειφθῆναι σταδίοις, καί φανερῶς μὲν εἰπεῖν
ἦν ἄρα καί Ῥωμαίοις Ἀννίβας τις ἕτερος· ἀπεβάλομεν γὰρ τὴν Ταραντίνων πόλιν ὥσπερ ἐλάβομεν,
ἰδίᾳ δὲ τότε πρῶτον αὐτῷ παραστῆναι πρὸς τοὺς φίλους εἰπεῖν, ὡς πάλαι μὲν ἑώρα χαλεπὸν αὐτοῖς, νῦν δʼ ἀδύνατον κρατεῖν ἀπὸ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων Ἰταλίας.
It is said that Hannibal, though pursuing, was left behind by only forty stades, and said openly: "It seems, then, that the Romans also had another Hannibal; for we have lost the city of the Tarentines just as we took it." And in private, it is said that it then first occurred to him to say to his friends that, while he had long seen that it was difficult for them to hold sway, he now saw it was impossible from their present resources in Italy.
§23.2τοῦτον δεύτερον θρίαμβον ἐθριάμβευσε λαμπρότερον τοῦ προτέρου Φάβιος, ὥσπερ ἀθλητὴς ἀγαθὸς ἐπαγωνιζόμενος τῷ Ἀννίβᾳ καί ῥᾳδίως ἀπολυόμενος αὐτοῦ τὰς πράξεις, ὥσπερ ἅμματα καί λαβὰς οὐκέτι τὸν αὐτὸν ἐχούσας τόνον.
Fabius celebrated this second triumph more splendidly than the former, like a good athlete struggling further against Hannibal and easily dissolving his actions, as if they were knots and grips no longer having the same tension.
ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἀνεῖτο τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτῷ διὰ τρυφὴν καί πλοῦτον, ἡ δʼ ὥσπερ ἐξήμβλυντο καί κατατέτριπτο τοῖς ἀλωφήτοις ἀγῶσιν.
For one part of his force had relaxed for him because of luxury and wealth, while the other was as if blunted and worn out by incessant struggles.
§23.3ἦν δὲ Μᾶρκος Λίβιος, οὗ τὸν Τάραντα φρουροῦντος ὁ Ἀννίβας ἀπέστησεν ὅμως δὲ τὴν ἄκραν κατέχων οὐκ ἐξεκρούσθη, καί διεφύλαξεν ἄχρι τοῦ πάλιν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίοις γενέσθαι τοὺς Ταραντίνους.
And there was a certain Marcus Livius, who was garrisoning Tarentum when Hannibal made it revolt, but who nevertheless, holding the citadel, was not driven out, and preserved it until the Tarentines came again under the Romans.
τοῦτον ἠνία Φάβιος τιμώμενος, καί ποτε πρὸς τὴν σύγκλητον ὑπὸ φθόνου καί φιλοτιμίας ἐξενεχθεὶς εἶπεν ὡς οὐ Φάβιος, ἀλλʼ αὐτὸς αἴτιος γένοιτο τοῦ τὴν Ταραντίνων ἁλῶναι.
This man was annoyed by Fabius being honoured, and once, carried away by envy and ambition before the senate, said that not Fabius, but he himself had been the cause of the capture of the Tarentines' city.
γελάσας οὖν ὁ Φάβιος,
ἀληθῆ λέγεις,
εἶπεν,
εἰ μὴ γὰρ σὺ τὴν πόλιν ἀπέβαλες, οὐκ ἂν ἐγὼ παρέλαβον.
Fabius, therefore, laughing, said: "You speak the truth; for if you had not lost the city, I would not have recovered it."