§2.1ἐπεὶ τοίνυν Πελοπίδας μὲν οὐδεμίαν ἡττήθη μάχην στρατηγῶν, Μάρκελλος δὲ πλείστας τῶν καθʼ αὑτὸν Ῥωμαίων ἐνίκησε, δόξειεν ἂν ἴσως τῷ δυσνικήτῳ πρὸς τὸ ἀήττητον ὑπὸ πλήθους τῶν κατωρθωμένων ἐπανισοῦσθαι. καὶ μὴν οὗτος μὲν εἷλε Συρακούσας, ἐκεῖνος δὲ τῆς Λακεδαίμονος ἀπέτυχεν.
Since, then, Pelopidas was never defeated in any battle as general, while Marcellus won the most victories of the Romans of his time, it might perhaps seem that, by the multitude of his successes, the "hard to defeat" is made equal to the "undefeated." And indeed, the former took Syracuse, whereas the latter failed to take Lacedaemon.
ἀλλʼ οἶμαι μεῖζον εἶναι τοῦ καταλαβεῖν Σικελίαν τὸ τῇ Σπάρτῃ προσελθεῖν καὶ διαβῆναι πρῶτον ἀνθρώπων πολέμῳ τὸν Εὐρώταν, §2.2εἰ μὴ νὴ Δία τοῦτο μὲν φήσει τις τὸ ἔργον Ἐπαμεινώνδᾳ μᾶλλον ἢ Πελοπίδᾳ προσήκειν, ὥσπερ καὶ τὰ Λεῦκτρα, τῶν δὲ Μαρκέλλῳ διαπεπραγμένων ἀκοινώνητον εἶναι τὴν δόξαν.
But I think that to approach Sparta and to be the first of men to cross the Eurotas in war is greater than to conquer Sicily, unless, by Zeus, someone should say that this deed belongs to Epaminondas rather than to Pelopidas, just as Leuctra does, whereas the glory of the achievements of Marcellus is unshared.
καὶ γὰρ Συρακούσας μόνος εἷλε, καὶ Κελτοὺς ἄνευ τοῦ συνάρχοντος ἐτρέψατο, καὶ πρὸς Ἀννίβαν μηδενὸς συλλαμβάνοντος, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντων ἀποτρεπόντων, ἀντιταξάμενος καὶ μεταβαλὼν τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ πολέμου πρῶτος ἡγεμὼν τοῦ τολμᾶν κατέστη.
For he took Syracuse alone, and routed the Celts without his colleague, and when no one was helping but indeed everyone was discouraging him, by arraying himself against Hannibal and changing the character of the war, he became the first leader of daring.