[19,13] Ὅτι Πύρρου τοῦ Ἠπειρωτῶν βασιλέως ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥώμην στρατιὰν ἐξαγαγόντος ἐβουλεύσαντο πρεσβευτὰς ἀποστεῖλαι τοὺς ἀξιώσοντας Πύρρον ἀπολυτρῶσαι σφίσι τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους εἴτ´ ἀντιδιαλλαξάμενον ἑτέρων σωμάτων εἴτ´ ἀργύριον κατ´ ἄνδρα ὁρίσαντα, καὶ ἀποδεικνύουσι πρέσβεις Γάιον Φαβρίκιον, ὃς ἐνιαυτῷ τρίτῳ πρότερον ὑπατεύων Σαυνίτας καὶ Λευκανοὺς καὶ Βρεττίους ἐνίκησε μεγάλαις μάχαις καὶ τὴν Θουρίων πολιορκίαν ἔλυσε, καὶ Κόιντον Αἰμίλιον τὸν συνάρξαντα τῷ Φαβρικίῳ καὶ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν τοῦ Τυρρηνικοῦ πολέμου σχόντα, καὶ Πόπλιον Κορνήλιον, ὃς ἐνιαυτῷ τετάρτῳ πρότερον ὑπατεύων Κελτῶν ἔθνος ὅλον, τοὺς καλουμένους Σένωνας ἐχθίστους Ῥωμαίων ὄντας, πολεμῶν ἅπαντας ἡβηδὸν κατέσφαξεν. Οὗτοι πρὸς Πύρρον ἀφικόμενοι καὶ διαλεχθέντες, ὅσα τῇ τοιαύτῃ χρείᾳ πρόσφορα ἦν, ὡς ἀτέκμαρτον πρᾶγμα τύχη καὶ ταχεῖαι τῶν πολέμων αἱ τροπαὶ καὶ τῶν συμβησομένων οὐδὲν ἀνθρώποις προειδέναι ῥᾴδιον, ἐπ´ ἐκείνῳ τὴν προαίρεσιν ἐποίουν, εἴτ´ ἀργύριον ἀντὶ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων ἐβούλετο λαβεῖν εἴτε ἑτέρους αἰχμαλώτους. Πύρρος δὲ μετὰ τῶν φίλων βουλευσάμενος ἀποκρίνεται τάδε αὐτοῖς· Σχέτλιόν τι πρᾶγμα ποιεῖτε, ὦ ἄνδρες Ῥωμαῖοι, φιλίαν μὲν οὐ βουλόμενοι συνάψαι πρὸς ἐμέ, τοὺς δὲ ἁλόντας κατὰ πόλεμον ἀξιοῦντες ἀπολαβεῖν, ἵνα τοῖς αὐτοῖς τούτοις σώμασιν εἰς τὸν κατ´ ἐμοῦ πόλεμον ἔχητε χρῆσθαι. ἀλλ´ εἰ τὰ κράτιστα βουλεύεσθε πράττειν καὶ τὸ κοινῇ συμφέρον ἀμφοτέροις ἡμῖν σκοπεῖτε, σπεισάμενοι τὸν πόλεμον τὸν πρὸς ἐμὲ καὶ τοὺς ἐμοὺς συμμάχους ἀπολάβετε τοὺς ἰδίους προῖκα παρ´ ἐμοῦ πολίτας τε καὶ συμμάχους ἅπαντας· ἄλλως δ´ οὐκ ἂν ὑπομείναιμι πολλοὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς ὑμῖν προέσθαι.

[19,13] (18.5) When Pyrrhus, the king of the Epirots, led an army against Rome, they voted to send ambassadors to ask him to release to them for ransom the prisoners he had taken, either exchanging them for others or setting a price he says each man; and they chose as ambassadors Gaius Fabricius, who while serving as consul two years earlier had conquered the Samnites, Lucanians and Bruttians in stubborn battles and had raised the siege of Thurii; Quintus (p363) Aemilius, who had been Fabricius' colleague and had been in command of the Tyrrhenian war; and Publius Cornelius, who while consul three years earlier had waged war on the whole tribe of Gauls and had slain all their adult males. 2 (6) These men, when they had come to Pyrrhus and had said everything that was appropriate for such a mission, pointing out that fortune is an incalculable thing, that the changes in war are swift, and that it is not easy for mortals to know in advance any of the things that are going to happen, left to him the choice whether he wished to receive money for the prisoners or to get other prisoners in their stead. 3 (7) Pyrrhus, after taking counsel with his friends, answered them as follows: "You are acting perversely, Romans, when you are unwilling to join friendship with me, but ask to get back your men who have been captured in war, in order that you may have these same persons to use in your war against me. 4 But if you are planning to act in the best manner and if you have the common advantage of us both as your goal, put an end to the war against me and my allies and receive back all your men from me gratis, both your citizens and your allies. Otherwise I could never consent to hand over to you so many brave men."