§3.1τὴν τοίνυν τελευτὴν ἐπαινῶ μὲν οὐδετέρου τῶν ἀνδρῶν, ἀλλʼ ἀνιῶμαι καὶ ἀγανακτῶ τῷ παραλόγῳ τοῦ συμπτώματος·
I do not, therefore, praise the death of either of these men, but rather feel pain and indignation at the unreasonableness of their end.
καὶ θαυμάζω μὲν ἐν μάχαις τοσαύταις ὅσαις ἀποκάμοι τις ἂν καταριθμῶν, μηδὲ τρωθέντα τὸν Ἀννίβαν, ἄγαμαι δὲ καὶ τὸν ἐν τῇ Παιδείᾳ Χρυσάνταν, ὃς διηρμένος κοπίδα καὶ παίειν μέλλων πολέμιον, ὡς ὑπεσήμηνεν ἡ σάλπιγξ ἀνακλητικόν, ἀφεὶς τὸν ἄνδρα μάλα πρᾴως καὶ κοσμίως ἀνεχώρησεν. §3.2οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ τὸν Πελοπίδαν ποιεῖ συγγνωστὸν ἅμα τῷ τῆς μάχης καιρῷ παραθερμον ὄντα καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἄμυναν οὐκ ἀγεννῶς ἐκφέρων ὁ θυμός· ἄριστον μὲν γὰρ νικῶντα σῴζεσθαι τὸν στρατηγόν,
εἰ δὲ θανεῖν, εἰς ἀρετὴν καταλύσαντα βίον,
ὡς Εὐριπίδης φησίν.
And while I marvel that Hannibal, in so many battles as one would tire of counting, was not even wounded, I also admire Chrysantas in the Cyropaedia, who, having raised his saber and being about to strike an enemy, as the trumpet sounded the recall, let the man go and retreated very mildly and orderly. Nevertheless, Pelopidas is made excusable by his passion, which was heated by the opportunity of battle and carried him not ignobly to vengeance; for it is best for a general to survive in victory, "but if he must die, to end his life in virtue," as Euripides says.
οὕτω γὰρ οὐ πάθος, ἀλλὰ πρᾶξις γίνεται τοῦ τελευτῶντος ὁ θάνατος. §3.3πρὸς δὲ τῷ θυμῷ τοῦ Πελοπίδου καὶ τὸ τέλος αὐτὸ τὸ τῆς νίκης ἐν τῷ πεσεῖν τὸν τύραννον ὁρώμενον οὐ παντάπασιν ἀλόγως ἐπεσπάσατο τὴν ὁρμήν· χαλεπὸν γὰρ ἑτέρας οὕτω καλὴν καὶ λαμπρὰν ἐχούσης ὑπόθεσιν ἀριστείας ἐπιλαβέσθαι.
For thus the death of him who dies becomes not a passion, but an action. And in addition to the passion of Pelopidas, the very end of the victory, which was seen in the fall of the tyrant, attracted his impulse not altogether unreasonably; for it is difficult to find another occasion for valor which has so beautiful and glorious a theme.
Μάρκελλος δὲ, μήτε χρείας μεγάλης ἐπικειμένης, μήτε τοῦ παρὰ τὰ δεινὰ πολλάκις ἐξιστάντος τὸν λογισμὸν ἐνθουσιασμοῦ παρεστῶτος, ὠσάμενος ἀπερισκέπτως εἰς κίνδυνον οὐ στρατηγοῦ πτῶμα, προδρόμου δέ τινος ἢ κατασκόπου πέπτωκεν, §3.4ὑπατείας πέντε καὶ τρεῖς θριάμβους καὶ σκῦλα καὶ τροπαιοφορίας ἀπὸ βασιλέων τοῖς προαποθνῄσκουσι Καρχηδονίων Ἴβηρσι καὶ Νομάσιν ὑποβαλών.
But Marcellus, when no great necessity pressed upon him, nor any of that enthusiasm which often deprives reason of its judgment in times of danger was present, rushed recklessly into danger and fell, not like a general, but like a skirmisher or a scout, casting his five consulships, his three triumphs, and spoils and trophies from kings at the feet of Iberians and Numidians who were dying beforehand in the service of the Carthaginians.
ὥστε νεμεσῆσαι αὐτοὺς ἐκείνους ἑαυτοῖς τοῦ κατορθώματος, ἄνδρα Ῥωμαίων ἄριστον ἀρετῇ καὶ δυνάμει μέγιστον καὶ δόξῃ λαμπρότατον ἐν τοῖς Φρεγελλανῶν προδιερευνηταῖς παραναλῶσθαι. §3.5χρὴ δὲ ταῦτα μὴ κατηγορίαν εἶναι τῶν ἀνδρῶν νομίζειν, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἀγανάκτησίν τινα καὶ παρρησίαν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἐκείνων πρὸς αὐτοὺς καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν αὐτῶν, εἰς ἣν τὰς ἄλλας κατανάλωσαν ἀρετάς ἀφειδήσαντες τοῦ βίου καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς, ὥσπερ ἑαυτοῖς, οὐ ταῖς πατρίσι μᾶλλον καὶ φίλοις καὶ συμμάχοις, ἀπολλυμένων. §3.6μετὰ δὲ τὸν θάνατον Πελοπίδας μὲν τοὺς συμμάχους ταφεῖς ἔσχεν, ὑπὲρ ὧν ἀπέθανε, Μάρκελλος δὲ τοὺς πολεμίους, ὑφʼ ὧν ἀπέθανε, ζηλωτὸν μὲν οὖν ἐκεῖνο καὶ μακάριον, κρεῖττον δὲ καὶ μεῖζον εὐνοίας χάριν ἀμειβομένης ἔχθρα λυποῦσαν ἀρετὴν θαυμάζουσα.
So that those very enemies grudged themselves their own success, in that the best man among the Romans in virtue, the greatest in power, and the most illustrious in glory, was wasted among the forward scouts of the Fregellans. But these remarks must not be thought to be an accusation against these men, but rather a kind of indignation and frankness on behalf of those very men against themselves and their own courage, to which they sacrificed their other virtues, having been unsparing of their lives and souls, as if they were losing them for themselves, rather than for their countries, friends, and allies. And after his death, Pelopidas had for his undertakers the allies for whom he died; Marcellus, the enemies by whom he died. The former is indeed an object of envy and happy, but the latter is better and greater—that enmity should marvel at the virtue which pained it, rather than that goodwill should pay a return of gratitude.
τὸ γὰρ καλὸν ἐνταῦθα τὴν τιμὴν ἔχει μόνον, ἐκεῖ δὲ τὸ λυσιτελὲς καὶ ἡ χρεία μᾶλλον ἀγαπᾶται τῆς ἀρετῆς.
For in the latter case, the noble alone has its honor, whereas in the former, utility and need are loved more than virtue.