[20,8] Ὅτι Πύρρος διέβη τὸ δεύτερον εἰς Ἰταλίαν οὐ χωρούντων αὐτῷ τῶν ἐν Σικελίᾳ πραγμάτων κατὰ νοῦν διὰ τὸ μὴ βασιλικὴν φανῆναι τὴν ἡγεμονίαν αὐτοῦ ταῖς ἐπιφανεστάταις πόλεσιν, ἀλλὰ δεσποτικήν. εἰσαχθεὶς γὰρ εἰς Συρακούσας ὑπό τε Σωσιστράτου τοῦ κρατοῦντος τῆς πόλεως τότε καὶ Θοίνωνος τοῦ φρουράρχου, παραλαβὼν παρ´ ἐκείνων τὰ χρήματα καὶ ναῦς χαλκεμβόλους ὁμοῦ τι διακοσίας καὶ πᾶσαν ὑφ´ ἑαυτῷ ποιησάμενος Σικελίαν πλὴν Λιλυβαίου πόλεως, ἣν ἔτι μόνην Καρχηδόνιοι κατεῖχον, εἰς αὐθάδειαν τυραννικὴν ἐτρέπετο. Τάς τε γὰρ οὐσίας τῶν Ἀγαθοκλέους οἰκείων ἢ φίλων ἀφαιρούμενος τοὺς παρ´ ἐκείνου λαβόντας τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ φίλοις ἐχαρίσατο καὶ τὰς μεγίστας ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν ἀρχὰς τοῖς ἰδίοις ὑπασπισταῖς καὶ λοχαγοῖς προσένειμεν, οὐ κατὰ τοὺς ἐπιχωρίους ἑκάστης πόλεως νόμους οὐδ´ εἰς τὸν εἰωθότα χρόνον, ἀλλ´ ὡς αὐτῷ φίλον ἦν. δίκας τε καὶ ἀμφισβητήσεις καὶ τὰς ἄλλας πολιτικὰς οἰκονομίας ἁπάσας τὰς μὲν αὐτὸς διῄτα, τὰς δὲ τοῖς περὶ τὴν αὐλὴν ἀναστρέφειν καὶ διακρίνειν ἀπεδίδου ἀνθρώποις οὐθὲν ἕτερον ὁρῶσιν {ἢ} ὅ τι μὴ κερδαίνειν καὶ καθηδυπαθεῖν τὰς εὐπορίας· καὶ διὰ ταῦτα πάντα βαρὺς ταῖς ὑποδεξαμέναις πόλεσι καὶ μισητὸς ἦν. αἰσθόμενος δ´ ὑπούλως ἤδη πολλοὺς πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἔχοντας εἴς τε τὰς πόλεις φρουρὰς εἰσῆγε πρόφασιν ποιούμενος τὸν ἀπὸ Καρχηδονίων πόλεμον καὶ τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους ἄνδρας ἐξ ἑκάστης πόλεως συλλαμβάνων ἀπέκτεινεν, ἐπιβουλὰς καὶ προδοσίας εὑρηκέναι ψευσάμενος· ἐν οἷς ἦν καὶ Θοίνων ὁ φρούραρχος, ὃς ὑπὸ πάντων ὡμολόγητο πλείστην σπουδὴν καὶ προθυμίαν εἴς τε τὴν διάβασιν αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν παράληψιν τῆς νήσου παρεσχῆσθαι· καὶ γὰρ ὑπήντησεν αὐτῷ ναυτικὸν στόλον ἄγων, καὶ τὴν ἐν ταῖς Συρακούσαις νῆσον, ἣν αὐτὸς ἐκράτει, παρέσχεν. ἐπιχειρήσας δὲ καὶ Σωσίστρατον συλλαβεῖν διήμαρτε τῆς ἐλπίδος προαισθομένου τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς καὶ φυγόντος ἐκ τῆς πόλεως. ἀρξαμένων δὲ ταράττεσθαι τῶν πραγμάτων καὶ ἡ τῶν Καρχηδονίων πόλις καιρὸν ἐπιτήδειον εἰληφέναι νομίζουσα πρὸς ἀνάκτησιν τῶν ἀπολωλότων χωρίων στρατιὰν ἀπέστειλεν ἐπὶ τὴν νῆσον.

[20,8] (19.6) Pyrrhus crossed for the second time into Italy, since matters were not going to his liking in Sicily, inasmuch as it had become evident to the chief cities that his leadership was not that of a king but of a despot. For after he had been brought into Syracuse by Sosistratus, the ruler of the city at that time, and by Thoenon, the commander of the garrison, and had received from them the money in the treasury and some two hundred bronze-beaked ships, and after he had brought under his power all Sicily with the exception of the city of Lilybaeum, the one city (p415) which the Carthaginians still held, he assumed the arrogance of a tyrant. (7) For Pyrrhus took away the estates of Agathocles' relatives and friends from those who had received them at that ruler's hands and presented them to his own friends, and he assigned the chief magistracies in the cities to his own shield-bearers and captains, not in accordance with the local laws of each city nor for the customary period, but as was pleasing to him. 2 Lawsuits and controversies and all the other matters of civil administration he would in some cases decide himself and in other cases would refer them either for reversal or for determination to those who hung about the court, men who had an eye for nothing except making gains and squandering wealth in the pursuit of luxury. Because of all this he was burdensome to the cities which had received him and was hated by them. 3 (8) Perceiving that many people were already secretly hostile to him, he introduced garrisons into the cities, taking as an excuse the war threatening from the Carthaginians; and arresting the most prominent men in each city, he put them to death, falsely alleging that he had discovered plots and treasonable acts. Among these was Thoenon, the commander of the garrison, who was admitted by all to have shown the greatest ardour and zeal in aiding him to cross over and take possession of the island; for he had gone to meet him at the head of a naval squadron and had turned over to him the Island of Syracuse, of which he himself had the command. 4 When, however, Pyrrhus attempted to arrest Sosistratus also, he was disappointed; for the man had (p417) become aware of his intention and had fled from the city. Furthermore, when matters had begun to be unsettled, the city of Carthage also, believing it had found an opportunity suitable for the recovery of places it had lost, sent an army against the island.