§15.10.1ταῦτα δʼ ἑτοιμασάμενος ἐπεπορεύετο παρακαλῶν τὰς δυνάμεις βραχέως μέν, οἰκείως δὲ τῆς ὑποκειμένης περιστάσεως. §15.10.2ἠξίου γὰρ μνημονεύοντας τῶν προγεγονότων ἀγώνων ἄνδρας ἀγαθοὺς γίνεσθαι, σφῶν καὶ τῆς πατρίδος ἀξίους, καὶ λαμβάνειν πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ὅτι κρατήσαντες μὲν τῶν ἐχθρῶν οὐ μόνον τῶν ἐν Λιβύῃ πραγμάτων ἔσονται κύριοι βεβαίως, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἄλλης οἰκουμένης τὴν ἡγεμονίαν καὶ δυναστείαν ἀδήριτον αὑτοῖς τε καὶ τῇ πατρίδι περιποιήσουσιν· §15.10.3ἐὰν δʼ ὡς ἄλλως ἐκβῇ τὰ κατὰ τὸν κίνδυνον, οἱ μὲν ἀποθανόντες εὐγενῶς ἐν τῇ μάχῃ κάλλιστον ἐντάφιον ἕξουσι τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς πατρίδος θάνατον, οἱ δὲ διαφυγόντες αἴσχιστον καὶ ἐλεεινότατον τὸν ἐπίλοιπον βίον. §15.10.4ἀσφάλειαν γὰρ τοῖς φυγοῦσιν οὐδεὶς ἱκανὸς περιποιῆσαι τόπος τῶν ἐν τῇ Λιβύῃ· πεσοῦσι δʼ ὑπὸ τὰς τῶν Καρχηδονίων χεῖρας οὐκ ἄδηλα [εἶναι] τὰ συμβησόμενα τοῖς ὀρθῶς λογιζομένοις·
Having made these preparations, he went along the lines, encouraging his forces briefly, but in a manner suited to the present crisis. For he urged them, remembering their past struggles, to show themselves brave men, worthy of themselves and of their country, and to keep before their eyes that, if they conquered the enemy, they would not only become securely masters of affairs in Libya, but would also acquire for themselves and their country an undisputed hegemony and sovereignty over the rest of the world; but if the outcome of the danger should be otherwise, those who died nobly in battle would have as a most beautiful winding-sheet a death on behalf of their country, while those who escaped would have a most shameful and miserable remaining life. For no place in Libya would be sufficient to afford safety to those who fled; and for those who fell into the hands of the Carthaginians, what would happen to them was not unclear to those who reasoned rightly.
"ὧν" ἔφη "μηδενὶ γένοιτο πεῖραν ὑμῶν λαβεῖν. §15.10.5τῆς δʼ οὖν τύχης ἡμῖν τὰ μέγιστα τῶν ἄθλων εἰς ἑκάτερον τὸ μέρος ἐκτεθεικυίας, πῶς οὐκ ἂν εἴημεν ἀγεννέστατοι καὶ συλλήβδην ἀφρονέστατοι πάντων, εἰ παρέντες τὰ κάλλιστα τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἑλοίμεθα τὰ μέγιστα τῶν κακῶν διὰ φιλοζωίαν; §15.10.6"διόπερ ἠξίου δύο προθεμένους, ταῦτα δʼ ἐστὶν ἢ νικᾶν ἢ θνήσκειν, ὁμόσε χωρεῖν εἰς τοὺς πολεμίους. §15.10.7τοὺς γὰρ τοιαύτας ἔχοντας διαλήψεις κατʼ ἀνάγκην ἀεὶ κρατεῖν τῶν ἀντιταττομένων, ἐπειδὰν ἀπελπίσαντες τοῦ ζῆν ἴωσιν εἰς τὴν μάχην.
"May none of you," he said, "experience this. Since, then, Fortune has proposed to us the greatest of prizes on either side, how should we not be the most ignoble and, in short, the most foolish of all men if, letting pass the fairest of goods, we should choose the greatest of evils through love of life?" Therefore he urged them, having set before themselves two alternatives, namely to conquer or to die, to close with the enemy. For those who hold such convictions must of necessity always defeat their opponents, whenever they go into battle having abandoned all hope of life.