§1.1ἐκκειμένων οὖν τῶν βίων ἐπιδράμωμεν τῷ λόγῳ ταχέως τὰ ποιοῦντα τὰς διαφοράς, παρʼ ἄλληλα συνάγοντες, ἔστι δὲ ταῦτα·
Since their lives are now set before us, let us run over quickly in our discourse the things which make the differences between them, bringing them into comparison beside one another; and these are as follows.
πρῶτον, ὅτι Πομπήϊος ἐκ τοῦ δικαιοτάτου τρόπου παρῆλθεν εἰς δύναμιν καὶ δόξαν, αὐτὸς ὁρμηθεὶς ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ πολλὰ καὶ μεγάλα Σύλλᾳ τὴν Ἰταλίαν ἀπὸ τῶν τυράννων ἐλευθεροῦντι συγκατεργασάμενος,
First, Pompey rose to power and glory by the most legitimate means, starting of his own accord and co-operating in many great achievements with Sulla as he was freeing Italy from its tyrants.
§1.2Ἀγησίλαος δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν ἔδοξε λαβεῖν οὔτε τὰ πρὸς θεοὺς ἄμεμπτος οὔτε τὰ πρὸς ἀνθρώπους, κρίνας νοθείας Λεωτυχίδην, ὃν υἱὸν αὑτοῦ ἀπέδειξεν ἀδελφὸς γνήσιον, τὸν δὲ χρησμὸν κατειρωνευσάμενος τὸν περὶ τῆς χωλότητος.
Agesilaus, on the other hand, was thought to have obtained the kingdom in a manner not blameless either towards gods or towards men, since he judged Leotychides to be illegitimate, whom his own brother had declared to be his genuine son, and since he played the hypocrite with the oracle concerning lameness.
δεύτερον, ὅτι Πομπήϊος Σύλλαν καὶ ζῶντα τιμῶν διετέλεσε καὶ τεθνηκότος ἐκήδευσε βιασάμενος Λέπιδον τὸ σῶμα, καὶ τῷ παιδὶ Φαύστῳ τὴν αὑτοῦ θυγατέρα συνῴκισεν, Ἀγησίλαος δὲ Λύσανδρον ἐκ τῆς τυχούσης προφάσεως ὑπεξέρριψε καὶ καθύβρισε.
Secondly, Pompey continued to honor Sulla even while alive, and buried him when dead, forcing his way against Lepidus, and married his own daughter to Sulla's son Faustus; whereas Agesilaus cast aside and insulted Lysander on any trifling pretext.
§1.3καίτοι Σύλλας μὲν οὐκ ἐλαττόνων ἔτυχεν ἢ Πομπηΐῳ παρέσχεν, Ἀγησίλαον δὲ Λύσανδρος καὶ τῆς Σπάρτης βασιλέα καὶ τῆς Ἑλλάδος στρατηγὸν ἐποίησε.
And yet, Sulla received from Pompey no less than he bestowed upon him, whereas Lysander made Agesilaus both king of Sparta and general of all Greece.
τρίτον δέ, αἱ περὶ τὰ πολιτικὰ τῶν δικαίων παραβάσεις Πομπηΐῳ μὲν διʼ οἰκειότητας ἐγένοντο· τὰ γὰρ πλεῖστα Καίσαρι καὶ Σκηπίωνι συνεξήμαρτε κηδεσταῖς οὖσιν·
Thirdly, the transgressions of right in political matters on the part of Pompey arose from family connections; for he shared in most of the errors of Caesar and Scipio, who were his fathers-in-law.
§1.4Ἀγησίλαος δὲ Σφοδρίαν μὲν ἐφʼ οἷς Ἀθηναίους ἠδίκησεν ἀποθανεῖν ὀφείλοντα τῷ τοῦ παιδὸς ἔρωτι χαριζόμενος ἐξήρπασε, Φοιβίδᾳ δὲ Θηβαίους παρασπονδήσαντι δῆλος ἦν διʼ αὐτὸ τὸ ἀδίκημα προθύμως βοηθῶν·
Agesilaus, on the contrary, rescued Sphodrias, who deserved to die for the wrongs he had done to the Athenians, to gratify his son's passion, and was openly and eagerly supporting Phoebidas when he broke the treaty with the Thebans, for the sake of the very crime itself.
καθόλου δὲ ὅσα Ῥωμαίους διʼ αἰδῶ Πομπήϊος ἢ ἄγνοιαν αἰτίαν ἔσχε βλάψαι, ταῦτα θυμῷ καὶ φιλονεικίᾳ Λακεδαιμονίους Ἀγησίλαος ἔβλαψε τὸν Βοιώτιον ἐκκαύσας πόλεμον.
In general, whatever harm Pompey was accused of doing to the Romans through respect for others or ignorance, Agesilaus did to the Lacedaemonians through anger and self-will, by kindling the Boeotian war.