Passage 1.12.1
οὕτω Πύρρος ἐστὶν ὁ πρῶτος ἐκ τῆς Ἑλλάδος τῆς πέραν Ἰονίου διαβὰς ἐπὶ Ῥωμαίους· διέβη δὲ καὶ οὗτος ἐπαγαγομένων Ταραντίνων. τούτοις γὰρ πρότερον ἔτι πρὸς Ῥωμαίους συνειστήκει πόλεμος· ἀδύνατοι δὲ κατὰ σφᾶς ὄντες ἀντισχεῖν, προϋπαρχούσης μὲν ἐς αὐτὸν εὐεργεσίας, ὅτι οἱ πολεμοῦντι τὸν πρὸς Κόρκυραν πόλεμον ναυσὶ συνήραντο, μάλιστα δὲ οἱ πρέσβεις τῶν Ταραντίνων ἀνέπεισαν τὸν Πύρρον, τήν τε Ἰταλίαν διδάσκοντες ὡς εὐδαιμονίας ἕνεκα ἀντὶ πάσης εἴη τῆς Ἑλλάδος καὶ ὡς οὐχ ὅσιον αὐτῷ παραπέμψαι σφᾶς φίλους τε καὶ ἱκέτας ἐν τῷ παρόντι ἥκοντας. ταῦτα λεγόντων τῶν πρέσβεων μνήμη τὸν Πύρρον τῆς ἁλώσεως ἐσῆλθε τῆς Ἰλίου, καί οἱ κατὰ ταὐτὰ ἤλπιζε χωρήσειν πολεμοῦντι· στρατεύειν γὰρ ἐπὶ Τρώων ἀποίκους Ἀχιλλέως ὢν ἀπόγονος.
Thus Pyrrhus was the first Greek to cross from Hellas beyond the Ionian Sea against the Romans. He crossed over at the invitation of the Tarentines, for they had previously begun a war with Rome. Unable to hold out by themselves, they recalled their earlier good deed toward him—since in his naval engagement against Corcyra they had come to his assistance with ships—but above all the Tarentine ambassadors convinced Pyrrhus by describing Italy as a land surpassing all Greece in wealth and prosperity. Additionally, they argued that it was not just for him now to neglect friends and suppliants who were seeking his help. As the ambassadors spoke these words, Pyrrhus recalled the sack of Troy and became hopeful that his own war would turn out the same way, since the campaign he was undertaking was directed against descendants of the Trojans, while he himself was descended from Achilles.