§19.12.1ἀνήρ τις Ὀβλάκος ὄνομα, Οὐλσίνιος ἐπίκλησιν, τοῦ Φερεντανῶν ἔθνους ἡγεμών, ὁρῶν τὸν Πύρρον οὐ μίαν ἔχοντα στάσιν, ἀλλὰ πᾶσι τοῖς μαχομένοις ὀξέως ἐπιφαινόμενον, προσεῖχεν ἐκείνῳ μόνῳ τὸν νοῦν, καὶ ὅποι παριππεύοι τὸν ἴδιον ἀντιπαρῆγεν ἵππον·
A certain man named Oblacus, surnamed Vulsinus, a commander of the nation of the Ferentani, seeing that Pyrrhus did not remain in one position but appeared quickly to all those who were fighting, directed his attention to him alone, and wherever Pyrrhus rode, he rode his own horse alongside him.
§19.12.2καί τις ἰδὼν αὐτὸν τῶν μετὰ τοῦ βασιλέως, Λεοννᾶτος Λεοφάντου Μακεδών, ὑποπτεύει τε καὶ δείξας τῷ Πύρρῳ λέγει· τοῦτον τὸν ἄνδρα φυλάττου, βασιλεῦ· πολεμιστὴς γὰρ ἄκρος ταὶ οὐκ ἐφʼ ἑνὸς ἑστηκὼς τόπου μάχεται, σὲ δὲ παρατηρεῖ καὶ τέτακεν ἐπὶ §19.12.3σοὶ τὸν νοῦν.
And one of those with the king, Leonnatus, a Macedonian, son of Leophantus, having noticed him, became suspicious and, pointing him out to Pyrrhus, said, "Guard yourself against this man, O King; for he is an excellent warrior and does not fight standing in one place, but is watching you and has directed his mind toward you.
τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως λέγοντος· τί δʼ ἄν με δράσειεν εἷς ὢν τοσούτους ἔχοντα περὶ ἐμαυτόν; καί τι καὶ νεανιευομένου περὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ῥώμης, ὡς εἰ καὶ συνέλθοι πρὸς ἕνα μόνος οὐκ ἄπεισιν ὀπίσω χαίρων, λαβὼν ὃν ἀνέμενε καιρὸν ὁ Φερεντανὸς Ὀβλάκος ἐλαύνει σὺν τοῖς περὶ αὐτὸν εἰς μέσην τὴν βασιλικὴν ἴλην·
But while the king was saying, "What could one man do to me, who have so many about me?" and boasting somewhat youthful bravado about his own strength, as if, even if he should meet him alone one-on-one, the other would not go back rejoicing, Oblacus the Ferentan, seizing the opportunity he was waiting for, charged with those about him into the middle of the royal squadron.
διακόψας δὲ τὸ στίφος τῶν πέριξ ἱππέων ἐπʼ αὐτὸν ἐφέρετο τὸν βασιλέα, διαλαβὼν ἀμφοτέραις §19.12.4ταῖς χερσὶ τὸ δόρυ·
And having cut through the dense mass of the surrounding horsemen, he rushed against the king himself, holding his spear with both hands.
κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν δὲ χρόνον ὁ μὲν Λεοννᾶτος, ὁ προειπὼν τῷ Πύρρῳ φυλάττεσθαι τὸν ἄνδρα, μικρὸν ἐκνεύσας εἰς τὰ πλάγια τὸν ἵππον αὐτοῦ παίει τῷ ξυστῷ διὰ τῆς λαγόνος, ὁ δὲ Φερεντανὸς ἤδη καταφερόμενος τὸν τοῦ βασιλέως διὰ τοῦ στήθους ἐλαύνει, καὶ συγκαταπίπτουσι τοῖς ἵπποις ἀμφότεροι.
At the same time, Leonnatus, who had forewarned Pyrrhus to guard against the man, having turned his horse slightly to the side, struck Oblacus's horse through the flank with his spear, while the Ferentan, already falling, drove his spear through the breast of the king's horse, and both fell together with their horses.
§19.12.5τὸν μὲν οὖν βασιλέα τῶν σωματοφυλάκων ὁ πιστότατος ἐπὶ τὸν ἴδιον ἵππον ἀναβιβάσας ἐξελαύνει, τὸν δὲ Ὀβλάκον μέχρι πολλοῦ διαγωνισάμενον, ἔπειτα ὑπὸ πλήθους τῶν τραυμάτων καταπονηθέντα, τῶν ἑταίρων τινὲς ἀράμενοι μεγάλου περὶ §19.12.6τὸν νεκρὸν ἀγῶνος γενομένου διακομίζουσιν.
The king, then, was mounted upon his own horse by the most faithful of his bodyguards and ridden away; but Oblacus, after fighting for a long time and then being worn down by the multitude of his wounds, was carried off by some of his companions after a great struggle took place over his body.
ἐκ τότε δὲ ὁ βασιλεύς, ἵνα μὴ διάσημος εἴη τοῖς πολεμίοις, τὴν μὲν ἰδίαν χλαμύδα, ἣν ἐν ταῖς μάχαις εἰώθει φορεῖν, ἁλουργῆ τε οὖσαν καὶ χρυσόπαστον, καὶ τὸν ὁπλισμὸν πολυτελέστερον ὄντα τῶν ἄλλων τῆς τε ὕλης ἕνεκα καὶ τῆς τέχνης, τὸν πιστότατον τῶν ἑταίρων καὶ κατὰ τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἀνδρειότατον Μεγακλῆν ἐκέλευσεν ἐνδῦναι, τὴν δὲ φαιὰν ἐκείνου χλαμύδα καὶ τὸν θώρακα καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ καυσίαν αὐτὸς ἔλαβεν· ὅπερ αἴτιον αὐτῷ τῆς σωτηρίας ἔδοξε γενέσθαι.
From that time on, the king, so that he might not be conspicuous to the enemy, ordered Megacles, the most faithful of his companions and the bravest in battles, to put on his own cloak—which he was accustomed to wear in battle, being purple and gold-embroidered—and his armor, which was more costly than that of the others because of both its material and its workmanship, while he himself took Megacles's grey cloak and breastplate and the kausia upon his head; which indeed seemed to be the cause of his safety.