[19,12] Ἀνήρ 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· καί 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 καὶ οὐκ ἐφ´ ἑνὸς ἑστηκὼς τόπου μάχεται, σὲ δὲ παρατηρεῖ καὶ τέτακεν ἐπὶ σοὶ τὸν νοῦν. Τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως λέγοντος· τί δ´ 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· διακόψας δὲ τὸ στίφος τῶν πέριξ ἱππέων ἐπ´ αὐτὸν ἐφέρετο τὸν βασιλέα, διαλαβὼν ἀμφοτέραις ταῖς χερσὶ τὸ δόρυ· 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. Τὸν 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 τὸν νεκρὸν ἀγῶνος γενομένου διακομίζουσιν. 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.

[19,12] (18.2) A certain man named Oblacus, with the cognomen Volsinius, a leader of the Ferentan nation, observing that pyramid did not remain in one fixed place but appeared suddenly to all his men in turn as they fought, kept his attention on him alone and wherever Pyrrhus rode up he would bring up his own horse opposite him. 2 One of the king's companions, Leonnatus, the son of Leophantus, a Macedonian, observing him, became suspicious, and pointing him out to Pyrrhus, said: "Beware of that man, O King; for he is a keen warrior, and does not fight remaining in one position, but watches you and has his attention fixed on you." 3 (3) To which the king answered: "But what could he, being but one man, do to me who have so many defenders about me?" and with youthful bravado he even uttered some boast about his own strength, to the effect that even if he engaged alone with a single adversary the other would not get off unpunished. The Ferentan Oblacus, having thus found the opportunity for which he was waiting, charged with his companions into the midst of the royal squadron; and breaking through the crowd of attendant horsemen, he bore down upon the king himself, grasping his spear with both hands. 4 But at the same moment Leonnatus, who had warned Pyrrhus to beware of the man, swerved a little to one side and struck the foe's horse through the flank with his spear, but Oblacus even while falling to the ground ran the king's horse through the breast; and (p361) both fell with their horses. 5 (4) As for the king, the most faithful man of his bodyguards mounted him on his own horse and rode away. Oblacus, after he had fought on for a long time and then succumbed to innumerable wounds, some of his companions took him up, after a sharp struggle had taken place for the possession of his body, and bore him away. 6 Thereafter the king, in order not to be conspicuous to his enemies, ordered that his own cloak, purple-dyed and shot with gold, which he was accustomed to wear in battle, and his armour, which was more costly than that of the others in point both of material and workmanship, should be worn by the most faithful of his companions and the bravest in battle, Megacles, while he himself took the other's dun cloak, breastplate and his felt head-gear. And this seemed to be the reason for his escape.