[3] Servilius defended himself in his camp as long as the night lasted, but as soon as it was day, and he learned that the enemy were employed in pillaging the country without observing any order, he ordered several small gates of the camp to be opened secretly, and at a single signal hurled his army against the foe. When this blow fell suddenly and unexpectedly upon the Volscians, some few of them stood their ground, and fighting close to their camp, were cut down; but the rest, fleeing precipitately and losing many of their companions, got back safely inside the camp, the greater part of them being wounded and having lost their arms.
[4] ἑπομένων δ᾽ αὐτοῖς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐκ ποδὸς καὶ περισχόντων τὸ στρατόπεδον, βραχύν τινα χρόνον ἀμυνάμενοι παρέδοσαν τὸν χάρακα πολλῶν ἀνδραπόδων τε καὶ βοσκημάτων καὶ ὅπλων καὶ τῆς εἰς τὸν πόλεμον παρασκευῆς γέμοντα. ἑάλω δὲ σώματα ἐλεύθερα συχνά, τὰ μὲν αὐτῶν Οὐολούσκων, τὰ δὲ τῶν αὐτοῖς συναγωνισαμένων ἐθνῶν, χρήματά τε καὶ ὅσα χρυσὸς καὶ ἄργυρος καὶ ἐσθὴς ὡσπερὰν πόλεως τῆς κρατίστης ἁλούσης πάνυ πολλά: τοῖς στρατιώταις ταῦτ᾽ ἐφιεὶς ὁ Σερουίλιος ὡς ἕκαστος ὠφεληθείη καὶ μηδὲν εἰς τὸ δημόσιον ἀναφέρουσι διανείμασθαι κελεύσας καὶ τὸν χάρακα πυρὶ δούς, ἀναλαβὼν τὰς δυνάμεις ἦγεν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀγχοτάτω Σουέσσαν Πωμεντιανήν. [p. 307] μεγέθει τε γὰρ περιβόλου καὶ πλήθεσιν οἰκητόρων, ἔτι δὲ δόξῃ καὶ πλούτῳ πολὺ τῶν ταύτῃ ὑπερέχειν ἐδόκει, καὶ ἦν ὥσπερ ἡγεμὼν τοῦ ἔθνους.
[4] When the Romans, following close upon their heels, surrounded their camp, they made only a short defence and then delivered up the camp, which was full of slaves, cattle, arms and all sorts of military stores. There were also many free men taken in it, some of them being Volscians themselves and others belonging to the nations which had assisted them; and along with these a great quantity of valuables, such as gold and silver, and apparel, as if the richest city had been taken. All of this Servilius permitted the soldiers to divide among themselves, that every man might share in the booty, and he ordered them to bring no part of it into the treasury. Then, having set fire to the camp, he marched with his army to Suessa Pometia, which lay close by. For not only because of its size and the number of its inhabitants, but also because of its fame and riches, it far surpassed any city in that region and was the leader, so to speak, of the nation.
[5] περιστρατοπεδεύσας δ᾽ αὐτὴν καὶ οὔθ᾽ ἡμέρας οὔτε νυκτὸς ἀνακαλῶν τὸν στρατόν, ἵνα μηδένα χρόνον οἱ πολέμιοι διαναπαύσαιντο μήθ᾽ ὕπνον αἱρούμενοι μήτε πολέμου παῦλαν δεχόμενοι, λιμῷ καὶ ἀμηχανίᾳ καὶ σπάνει συμμάχων παρατείνας εἷλεν αὐτοὺς ἐν οὐ πολλῷ χρόνῳ καὶ τοὺς ἐν ἥβῃ πάντας κατέσφαξεν. ἐπιτρέψας δὲ καὶ ὅσα ἦν ἐνταῦθα χρήματα τοῖς στρατιώταις φέρειν τε καὶ ἄγειν, ἐπὶ τὰς ἄλλας πόλεις ἀπῆγε τὴν δύναμιν οὐθενὸς οὐκέτι τῶν Οὐολούσκων ἀμύνειν τι δυναμένου.
[5] Investing this place and calling off his army neither by day nor by night, in order that the enemy might not have a moment’s rest either in taking sleep or in gaining a respite from fighting, he wore them down by famine, helplessness and lack of reinforcements, and captured them in a short time, putting to death all the inhabitants who had reached manhood. And having given permission to the soldiers to pillage the effects that were found there also, he marched against the rest of the enemy’s cities, none of the Volscians being able any longer to oppose him.
[1] ὡς δὲ τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις τεταπεινωμένα ἦν τὰ τῶν Οὐολούσκων πράγματα, προαγαγὼν τοὺς ὁμήρους αὐτῶν εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν ὁ ἕτερος τῶν ὑπάτων Ἄππιος Κλαύδιος ἄνδρας τριακοσίους, ἵνα δι᾽ εὐλαβείας ἔχοιεν οἱ προσθέμενοι σφίσι πίστεις ὁμηρειῶν μὴ παρασπονδεῖν, μάστιξί τε ᾐκίσατο πάντων ὁρώντων καὶ τοὺς αὐχένας αὐτῶν ἐκέλευσεν ἀποκόψαι.
[30.1] When the Volscians had been thus humbled by the Romans, the other consul, Appius Claudius, caused their hostages, three hundred men in all, to be brought into the Forum, and to the end that those who had once given the Romans hostages for their fidelity might beware of violating their treaties, he ordered them to be scourged in the sight of all and then beheaded.
[2] ἀφικομένου τε ἀπὸ τῆς στρατείας οὐ πολλαῖς ὕστερον ἡμέραις τοῦ συνυπάτου καὶ τὸν εἰωθότα δίδοσθαι θρίαμβον ἀπὸ τῆς βουλῆς τοῖς ἀγῶνα λαμπρὸν ἀγωνισαμένοις στρατηγοῖς ἀξιοῦντος λαβεῖν, ἐμποδὼν ἐγένετο στασιαστὴν ἀποκαλῶν καὶ πολιτείας πονηρᾶς ἐραστήν, μάλιστα δ᾽ αὐτοῦ κατηγορῶν, ὅτι ἐκ τῶν τοῦ πολέμου λαφύρων [p. 308] οὐδεμίαν μοῖραν εἰς τὸ δημόσιον ἀνήνεγκεν, ἀλλ᾽ οἷς αὐτὸς ἐβούλετο κατεχαρίσατο: καὶ ἔπεισε τὴν βουλὴν μὴ δοῦναι τῷ ἀνδρὶ τὸν θρίαμβον. ὁ δὲ Σερουίλιος ὑβρίσθαι δοκῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ συνεδρίου εἰς αὐθάδειαν οὐκ εἰωθυῖαν Ῥωμαίοις ἐτράπετο: καλέσας γὰρ εἰς ἐκκλησίαν τὸν δῆμον ἐν τῷ πρὸ τῆς πόλεως πεδίῳ καὶ διεξελθὼν τὰ πραχθέντα κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον καὶ τοῦ συνάρχοντος τὸν φθόνον καὶ τῆς βουλῆς τὸν προπηλακισμὸν διηγησάμενος, ἔφη παρὰ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ πράξεων καὶ τοῦ συναγωνισαμένου στρατεύματος ἔχειν τὴν τοῦ πομπεύειν ἐπὶ καλοῖς τε καὶ εὐτυχέσιν ἔργοις ἐξουσίαν.
[2] And when his colleague returned a few days afterwards from his expedition and demanded the triumph usually granted by the senate to generals who had fought a brilliant battle, he opposed it, calling him a stirrer up of sedition and a partisan of a vicious form of government, and he charged him particularly with having brought no part of the spoils of war back to the public treasury, but with having instead made a present of it all to whom he thought fit; and he prevailed upon the senate not to grant him the triumph. Servilius, however, looking upon himself as insulted by the senate, behaved with an arrogance unusual to the Romans. For having assembled the people in the field before the city, he enumerated his achievements in the war, told them of the envy of his colleague and the contumelious treatment he had received from the senate, and declared that from his own deeds and from the army which had shared in the struggle he derived the authority to celebrate a triumph in honor of glorious and fortunate achievements.
[3] ταῦτ᾽ εἰπὼν στεφανῶσαι τὰς ῥάβδους ἐκέλευσε καὶ αὐτὸς στεφανωσάμενος ἔχων τὴν θριαμβικὴν ἐσθῆτα προῆγεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου παντὸς προπεμπόμενος, ἕως εἰς τὸ Καπιτώλιον ἀνέβη καὶ τὰς εὐχὰς ἀπέδωκε καὶ τὰ σκῦλα ἀνέθηκεν. ἐκ δὲ τ�
�ύτου φθόνον μὲν ἔτι μείζονα παρὰ τῶν πατρικίων ἐπεσπάσατο, οἰκεῖον δ᾽ ἑαυτῷ παρεσκευάσατο τὸ δημοτικόν.
[3] Having prescription thus, he ordered the rods to be crowned, and then, having crowned himself and wearing the triumphal garb, he led the procession into the city attended by all the people; and ascending the Capitol, he performed his vows and consecrated the spoils. By this action he incurred the hatred of the patricians still further, but won the plebeians to himself.
[1] ἐν τοιαύταις δ᾽ ἀκαταστασίαις τῆς πόλεως οὔσης ἐκεχειρία τις ἐν τῷ διὰ μέσου γενομένη θυσιῶν πατρίων ἕνεκα καὶ πανηγύρεις ἐπιλαβοῦσαι λαμπραὶ ταῖς δαπάναις ἐπέσχον τὴν ἐν τῷ παρόντι τοῦ πλήθους διχοστασίαν. ἑορτάζουσι δ᾽ αὐτοῖς ἐπιτίθενται πολλῇ δυνάμει Σαβῖνοι τοῦτον ἐκ πολλοῦ φυλάξαντες τὸν χρόνον, ἀρχομένης ἔτι νυκτὸς ποιησάμενοι τὴν [p. 309] ἐπίθεσιν, ἵνα πρὶν αἰσθέσθαι τοὺς ἔνδον ἐπὶ τῇ πόλει γένωνται: καὶ ῥᾷστα ἂν ἐκράτησαν αὐτῶν, εἰ μὴ τῶν ψιλῶν τινες ἀποσχισθέντες τῆς φάλαγγος, αὐλαῖς ἐπιβάλλοντες ἁρπαγῆς ἕνεκα θόρυβον εἰργάσαντο.
[31.1] While the commonwealth was in such an unsettled condition a kind of truce that intervened on account of the traditional sacrifices, and the ensuing festivals, which were celebrated at lavish expense, restrained the sedition of the populace for the moment. While they were engaged in these celebrations the Sabines invaded them with a large force, having long waited for this opportunity. They began their march as soon as night came on, in order that they might get close to the city before those inside should be aware of their coming; and they might easily have conquered them if some of their light-armed men had not straggled from their places in the line and by attacking farm-houses given the alarm.
[2] βοή τε γὰρ εὐθὺς ἐγένετο καὶ δρόμος τῶν γεωργῶν εἰς τὸ τεῖχος, πρὶν ἢ ταῖς πύλαις τοὺς πολεμίους προσελθεῖν. ὡς δ᾽ ἔγνωσαν αὐτῶν τὴν ἔφοδον οἱ κατὰ πόλιν θεωροῦντες μεταξὺ καὶ τοὺς στεφάνους ἐπικείμενοι καταλιπόντες τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἐπὶ τὰ ὅπλα ὥρμησαν: καὶ φθάνει τῷ Σερουιλίῳ συναχθεῖσα δύναμις αὐτοκέλευστος ἱκανή, ἣν ἐκεῖνος ἔχων συντεταγμένην, προσπίπτει τοῖς πολεμίοις ὑπό τε ἀγρυπνίας καὶ κόπου τεταλαιπωρηκόσι καὶ οὐ προσδεχομένοις τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἔφοδον.
[2] For an outcry arose at once and the husbandmen rushed inside the walls before the enemy approached the gates. Those in the city, learning of the invasion while they were witnessing the public entertainments and wearing the customary garlands, left the games and ran to arms. And, a sufficient army of volunteers rallying in good season about Servilius, he drew them up and with them fell upon the enemy, who were exhausted both by want of sleep and by weariness and were not expecting the attack of the Romans.
[3] ὡς δὲ συνέμιξαν εἰς χεῖρας, ἐγένετο μάχη τὸ μὲν ἐν τάξει καὶ κόσμῳ διὰ τὴν σπουδὴν ἑκατέρων ἀφῃρημένη, οἳ δ᾽ ὡς ἀπὸ τύχης τινὸς ἢ φάλαγξ φάλαγγι ἢ λόχος λόχῳ ἢ ἀνὴρ ἀνδρὶ συνέπεσον, ἱππεῖς τε καὶ πεζοὶ ἅμα πεφυρμένοι ἐμάχοντο. ἀρωγοὶ δ᾽ αὐτοῖς ἑκατέρωθεν ἐπῄεσαν οὐ διὰ μακροῦ τῶν πόλεων οὐσῶν, οἳ τὸ κάμνον ἀναθαρρύνοντες ἐπὶ πολὺν χρόνον ἀντέχειν ταῖς ταλαιπωρίαις ἐποίουν. ἔπειτα οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι προσγενομένης σφίσι τῆς ἵππου πάλιν νικῶσι τοὺς Σαβίνους, [p. 310] καὶ πολλοὺς ἀποκτείναντες ἀνέστρεψαν εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἄγοντες αἰχμαλώτους πάνυ συχνούς. τούς τε κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ὄντας Σαβίνων, οἳ κατὰ θέας πρόφασιν ἀφιγμένοι προκαταλήψεσθαι τοῖς ἐπιοῦσι τὰ ἐρύματα τῆς πόλεως ἔμελλον, ὥσπερ αὐτοῖς συνετέτακτο, ἀναζητοῦντες εἰς τὰ δεσμωτήρια κατετίθεντο. τὰς δὲ θυσίας, αἷς ὁ πόλεμος ἐμποδὼν ἐγένετο, διπλασίας τῶν προτέρων ψηφισάμενοι αὖθις ἐν εὐπαθείαις ἦσαν.
[3] When the armies closed, a battle ensued which lacked order and discipline because of the eagerness of both sides, but, as if guided by some chance, they clashed line against line, company against company, or man against man, and the horse and foot fought promiscuously. And reinforcements came to both sides, as their cities were not far apart; these, by encouraging such of their comrades as were hard pressed, caused them to sustain the hardships of the struggle for a long time. After that the Romans, when the horse came to their assistance, once more prevailed over the Sabines, and having killed many of them, returned to the city with a great number of prisoners. Then, seeking out the Sabines who had come to Rome under the pretence of seeing the entertainments, while actually intending to seize in advance the strong places of the city in order to help their countrymen in their attack, as had been concerted between them, they threw them into prison. And having voted that the sacrifices, which had been interrupted by the war, should be performed with double magnificence, they were again passing the time in merriment.
[1] ἔτι δὲ πανηγυρίζουσιν αὐτοῖς πρεσβευταὶ παρῆσαν ἐξ ἔθνους Ἀρούγκων, οἳ τῆς Καμπανῶν χώρας τὰ κάλλιστα πεδία κατεῖχον. οὗτοι καταστάντες ἐπὶ τὴν βουλὴν ἠξίουν τὴν Οὐολούσκων τῶν καλουμένων Ἐχετρανῶν χώραν, ἣν ἀφελόμενοι τοὺς Ἐχετρανοὺς Ῥωμαῖοι κληρούχοις εἰς φυλακὴν τοῦ ἔθνους ἐκπεμφθεῖσι διένειμαν, ἀποδιδόναι σφίσι καὶ τὴν φρουρὰν ἀπαγαγεῖν ἐξ αὐτῆς: ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ποιήσωσιν, Ἀρούγκους ἥξοντας ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥωμαίων ὀλίγου χρόνου καὶ δίκας ληψομένους ὅσων διέθεντο τοὺς ὁμόρους κακῶν ἐκδέχεσθαι.
[32.1] While they were celebrating these festivals, ambassadors came to them from the Auruncans, who inhabited the fairest plains of Campania. These, being introduced into the senate, demanded that the Romans should restore to them the country of the Volscians called Ecetrans, which they had taken from them and divided in allotments among the colonists they had sent thither to guard that people, and that they should withdraw their garrison from there; if they refused to do so, they might expect the Auruncans to invade the territory of the Romans promptly to take revenge for the injuries they had done to their neighbours.
[2] Ῥωμαῖοι δ᾽ αὐτοῖς τάδε ἀπεκρίναντο: ἀπαγγέλλετε, ὦ πρέσβεις, Ἀρούγκοις, ὅτι ἡμεῖς οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι δικαιοῦμεν ὅσα κτᾶταί τις ἀρετῇ πολεμίους ἀφελόμενος, ταῦτα τοῖς ἐγγόνοις ὡς οἰκεῖα παραδιδόναι. πόλεμον δ᾽ οὐ δέδιμεν τὸν Ἀρούγκων οὔτε πρῶτον οὔτε δεινότατον ἐσόμενον: ἀλλ᾽ ἐν ἔθει ἡμῖν ὑπάρχει πᾶσι μάχεσθαι περὶ τῆς ἡγεμονία
ς, καὶ ἀρετῆς συναγώνισμά [p. 311] τι ἐσόμενον ὁρῶντες αὐτὸν ἀκαταπλήκτως δεξόμεθα.
[2] To these the Romans gave this answer: “Ambassadors, carry back the word to the Auruncans that we Romans think it right that whatever anyone possesses by having won it from the enemy through valour, he should leave to his posterity as being his own. And we are not afraid of war from the Auruncans, which will be neither the first nor the most formidable war we have been engaged in; indeed, it has always been our custom to fight with all men for the supremacy, and as we see that this will be a contest, as it were, of valour, we shall await it without trepidation.”
[3] μετὰ ταῦτ᾽ Ἀροῦγκοί τε πολλῇ στρατιᾷ ὁρμηθέντες ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτῶν, καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι τὰς οἰκείας δυνάμεις ἔχοντες ἡγουμένου Σερουιλίου, συντυγχάνουσιν ἀλλήλοις ἀγχοῦ πόλεως Ἀρικείας, ἣ διέχει σταδίους ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι τῆς Ῥώμης: καὶ στρατοπεδεύονται ἑκάτεροι ἐν ὄρεσιν ὀχυροῖς ὀλίγον ἀλλήλων διεστῶτες. ἐπεὶ δὲ τοὺς χάρακας ἐκρατύναντο, προῆλθον εἰς τὸ πεδίον ἀγωνιούμενοι, καὶ συμπεσόντες ἐξ ἑωθινῆς μέχρις ἡμέρας μεσούσης ἀντεῖχον, ὥστε πολὺν ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων γενέσθαι φόνον. φιλοπόλεμον γὰρ δὴ τὸ τῶν Ἀρούγκων ἔθνος ἦν, καὶ τῷ μεγέθει τε καὶ ῥώμῃ καὶ ὄψεως δεινότητι πολὺ τὸ θηριῶδες ἐχούσῃ φοβερώτατον.
Delphi Complete Works of Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Illustrated) (Delphi Ancient Classics Book 79) Page 558