When he just entered the city, Alexander, the tyrant, appeared before it with an army; but Pelopidas and his friends, thinking that he came to clear himself from those crimes that were laid to his charge, went to him; and though they knew very well that he was profligate and cruel, yet they imagined that the authority of Thebes, and their own dignity and reputation, would secure them from violence. But the tyrant, seeing them come unarmed and alone, seized them, and made himself master of Pharsalus. Upon this his subjects were much intimidated, thinking that after so great and so bold an iniquity he would spare none, but behave himself toward all, and in all matters, as one despairing of his life.
The Thebans, when they heard of this, were very much enraged, and despatched an army, Epaminondas being then in disgrace, under the command of other leaders. When the tyrant brought Pelopidas to Pherae, at first he permitted those that desired it to speak with him, imagining that this disaster would break his spirit, and make him appear contemptible.
But when Pelopidas advised the complaining Pheraeans to be comforted, as if the tyrant was not certain in a short time to smart for his injuries, and sent to tell him, “that it was absurd daily to torment and murder his wretched innocent subjects, and yet spare him, who, he well knew, if ever he got his liberty, would be bitterly revenged;” the tyrant, wondering at his boldness and freedom of speech, replied, “And why is Pelopidas in haste to die?”
He, hearing of it, rejoined, “That you may be the sooner ruined, being then more hated by the gods than now.”
From that time he forbade any to converse with him.
tl;dr:
Pelopidas meets with his enemy, Alexander (the tyrant of Pherae), in what was sort of a parley. He showed up unarmed, which Alexander took advantage of by capturing him and his men. This pissed off the Thebans, but Alexander DGAF. So as Pelopidas is being moved from one place to another in his captivity, the tyrant saw fit to allow people to talk with Pelopidas, thinking this would make him despair of his situation and sort of rub salt in the wound a bit. But Pelopidas is encouraging everyone he speaks with not to give up the fight, etc.
So the tyrant makes a comment about how Pelopidas must really want to die, and Pelopidas says he does, because the gods would hate him even more for that, and in that way he hoped to speed up the tyrant’s demise (via the willingness of the gods to sort of hustle along his sure-to-be horrible fate).
Alexander stopped letting Pelopidas talk to people after that.
Source:
Plutarch, John Dryden, and Arthur Hugh Clough. "Pelopidas." Plutarch's Lives. New York: Modern Library, 2001. 402. Print.
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