Plutarch
46-119 A.C.E - Wrote in Greek
The Comparison of
Pelopidas with Marcellus
Written 75 A.C.E.
Translated by John Dryden
The Comparison of
Pelopidas with Marcellus
By Plutarch
These are the memorable things I have found in historians concerning Marcellus
and Pelopidas. Betwixt which two great men, though in natural character
and manners they nearly resemble each other, because both were valiant
and diligent, daring and high-spirited, there was yet some diversity in
the one point, that Marcellus in many cities which he reduced under his
power committed great slaughter; but Epaminondas and Pelopidas never after
any victory put men to death, or reduced citizens to slavery. And we are
told, too, that the Thebans would not, had these been present, have taken
the measures they did against the Orchomenians. Marcellus's exploits against
the Gauls are admirable and ample; when, accompanied by a few horse, he
defeated and put to flight a vast number of horse and foot together (an
action you cannot easily in historians find to have been done by any other
captain), and took their king prisoner. To which honour Pelopidas aspired,
but did not attain; he was killed by the tyrant in the attempt. But to
these you may perhaps oppose those two most glorious battles at Leuctra
and Tegyrae; and we have no statement of any achievement of Marcellus,
by stealth or ambuscade, such as were those of Pelopidas, when he returned
from exile, and killed the tyrants at Thebes; which, indeed, may claim
to be called the first in rank of all achievements ever performed by secrecy
and cunning. Hannibal was, indeed, a most formidable enemy for the Romans;
but so for that matter were the Lacedaemonians for the Thebans. And that
these were, in the fights of Leuctra and Tegyrae, beaten and put to flight
by Pelopidas is confessed; whereas Polybius writes that Hannibal was never
so much as once vanquished by Marcellus, but remained invincible in all
encounters till Scipio came. I myself, indeed, have followed rather Livy,
Caesar, Cornelius Nepos and among the Greeks, King Juba, in stating that
the troops of Hannibal were in some encounters routed and put to flight
by Marcellus; but certainly these defeats conducted little to the sum of
the war. It would seem as if they had been merely feints of some sort on
the part of the Carthaginians. What was indeed truly and really admirable
was, that the Romans, after the defeat of so many armies, the slaughter
of so many captains, and, in fine, the confusion of almost the whole Roman
empire, still showed a courage equal to their losses, and were as willing
as their enemies to engage in new battles. And Marcellus was the one man
who overcame the great and inveterate fear and dread, and revived, raised,
and confirmed the spirits of the soldiers to that degree of emulation and
bravery that would not let them easily yield the victory, but made them
contend for it to the last. For the same men, whom continual defeats had
accustomed to think themselves happy, if they could but save themselves
by running from Hannibal, were by him taught to esteem it base and ignominious
to return safe but unsuccessful; to be ashamed to confess that they had
yielded one step in the terrors of the fight and to grieve to extremity
if they were not victorious.
In short, as Pelopidas was never overcome in any battle, where
himself was present and commanded in chief, and as Marcellus gained more
victories than any of his contemporaries, truly he that could not be easily
overcome, considering his many successes, may fairly be compared with him
who was undefeated. Marcellus took Syracuse; whereas Pelopidas was frustrated
of his hope of capturing Sparta. But in my judgment it was more difficult
to advance his standard even to the walls of Sparta, and to be the first
of mortals that ever passed the river Eurotas in arms, than it was to reduce
Sicily; unless, indeed, we say that that adventure is with more of right
to be attributed to Epaminondas, as was also the Leuctrian battle; whereas
Marcellus's renown, and the glory of his brave actions, came entire and
undiminished to him alone. For he alone took Syracuse; and without his
colleague's help defeated the Gauls, and, when all others declined, alone,
without one companion, ventured to engage with Hannibal; and changing the
aspect of the war first showed the example of daring to attack
him.
I cannot commend the death of either of these great men; the suddenness
and strangeness of their ends gives me a feeling rather of pain and distress.
Hannibal has my admiration who, in so many severe conflicts, more than
can be reckoned in one day, never received so much as one wound. I honour
Chrysantes also (in Xenophon's Cyropaedia), who, having raised his sword
in the act of striking his enemy, so soon as a retreat was sounded, left
him, and retired sedately and modestly. Yet the anger which provoked Pelopidas
to pursue revenge in the heat of fight may excuse him.
"The first thing for a captain is to gain
Safe victory; the next to be with honour slain," as Euripides says.
For then he cannot be said to suffer death; it is rather to be called an
action. The very object, too, of Pelopidas's victory, which consisted in
the slaughter of the tyrant, presenting itself to his eyes, did not wholly
carry him away unadvisedly: he could not easily expect again to have another
equally glorious occasion for the exercise of his courage in a noble and
honourable cause. But Marcellus, when it made little to his advantage,
and when no such violent ardour as present danger naturally calls out transported
him to passion, throwing himself into danger, fell to an unexplored ambush;
he, namely, who had borne five consulates, led three triumphs, won the
spoils and glories of kings and victories, to act the part of a mere scout,
or sentinel, and to expose all his achievements to be trod under foot by
the mercenary Spaniards and Numidians, who sold themselves and their lives
to the Carthaginians, so that even they themselves felt unworthy, and almost
grudged themselves the unhoped-for success of having cut off, among a few
Fregellan scouts, the most valiant, the most potent, and most renowned
of the Romans. Let no man think that we have thus spoken out of a design
to accuse these noble men; it is merely an expression of frank indignation
in their own behalf, at seeing them thus wasting all their other virtues
upon that of bravery, and throwing away their lives, as if the loss would
be only felt by themselves, and not by their country, allies, and
friends.
After Pelopidas's death, his friends, for whom he died, made a
funeral for him; the enemies, by whom he had been killed, made one for
Marcellus. A noble and happy lot indeed the former; yet there is something
higher and greater in the admiration rendered by enemies to the virtue
that had been their own obstacle, than in the grateful acknowledgments
of friends. Since, in the one case, it is virtue alone that challenges
itself the honour; while, in the other, it may be rather men's personal
profit and advantage that is the real origin of what they
do.
THE END
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