43.8. nor could even their own sense of guilt —to say nothing of the exhortation of their hated general, —nor even the thought of the immediate disgrace to all, and the danger they must presently incur if the enemy should recover his courage, compel them to quicken their pace, or, if nothing else, to stand in their ranks.
43.8. nec illos, et si non adhortatio inuisi ducis, suum saltem flagitium et publicum in praesentia dedecus, postmodo periculum, si animus hosti redisset, cogere potuit gradum adcelerare aut si aliud nihil, stare instructos.
43.9. Contrary to orders they retreated and returned to their camp, in such dejection that you would have supposed them beaten, now uttering execrations against their leader and now against the efficient services of the horse.
43.9. iniussu signa referunt, maestique—crederes uictos—exsecrantes nunc imperatorem, nunc nauatam ab equite operam, redeunt in castra.
43.10. Ruinous though their example was, the general found no remedy for it; so true is it that noble minds are oftener lacking in the qualities by which men govern their fellow-citizens than in those by which they conquer an enemy.
43.10. nec huic tam pestilenti exemplo remedia ulla ab imperatore quaesita sunt; adeo excellentibus ingeniis citius defuerit ars qua ciuem regant quam qua hostem superent.
43.11. The consul returned to Rome, having purchased more hatred of his irritated and embittered soldiers than won increase in military fame. Nevertheless the Fathers held out for the retention of the consulship in the Fabian family. Marcus Fabius was the man they elected, and they gave him Gnaeus Manlius as a colleague.
43.11. consul Romam rediit non tam belli gloria aucta quam inritato exacerbatoque in se militum odio. obtinuere tamen patres ut in Fabia gente consulatus maneret: M. Fabium consulem creant; Fabio collega Cn. Manlius datur.
44.1. This year also had a tribune who advocated a land-law, Tiberius Pontificius. He set out on the same path that Spurius Licinius had trodden, as though Licinius had been successful, and for a time obstructed the levy.
44.1. et hic annus tribunum auctorem legis agrariae habuit. Tib. Pontificius fuit. is eandem uiam, uelut processisset Sp. Licinio, ingressus dilectum paulisper impediit.
44.2. The senators were again thrown into consternation, but Appius Claudius told them that the tribunician power had been overcome the year before, actually for the time being, and potentially for ever, since a way had been discovered for employing its resources to its own undoing.
44.2. perturbatis iterum patribus Ap. Claudius uictam tribuniciam potestatem dicere priore anno, in praesentia re, exemplo in perpetuum, quando inuentum sit suis ipsam uiribus dissolui.
44.3. For there would always be some tribune who would be willing to gain a personal victory over his colleague, and obtain the favour of the better element, while doing the nation a service. There would be a number of tribunes, if a number should be needed, who would be ready to help the consuls; and a single one was enough, though opposed to all the rest.
44.3. neque enim unquam defuturum qui et ex collega uictoriam sibi et gratiam melioris partis bono publico uelit quaesitam; et plures, si pluribus opus sit, tribunos ad auxilium consulum paratos fore, et unum uel aduersus omnes satis esse.
44.4. Only let the consuls, and the leading senators as well, make a point of winning over, if not all, at any rate some of the tribunes to the state and the senate.
44.4. darent modo et consules et primores patrum operam ut, si minus omnes, aliquos tamen ex tribunis rei publicae ac senatui conciliarent.
44.5. Acting on the instructions of Appius, the Fathers began as a class to address the tribunes in a courteous and kindly manner; and those who were of consular rank, when it happened that any of them had any private claim upon an individual tribune, brought it about, in part by personal influence, in part by political, that those officials were disposed to use their powers for the good of the state; and four of them, as against one who would have hindered the general good, assisted the consuls to hold the muster. The army then set out for a war with the Veientes, to whose help forces had rallied from every quarter of Etruria, not so much roused by goodwill towards the men of Veii as by hopes that civil discord might effect the downfall of the Roman state.
44.5. praeceptis Appi moniti patres et uniuersi comiter ac benigne tribunos appellare, et consulares ut cuique eorum priuatim aliquid iuris aduersus singulos erat, partim gratia, partim auctoritate obtinuere ut tribuniciae potestatis uires salubres uellent rei publicae esse, quattuorque tribunorum aduersus unum moratorem publici commodi auxilio dilectum consules habent. inde ad Ueiens bellum profecti, quo undique ex Etruria auxilia conuenerant, non tam Ueientium gratia concitata quam quod in spem uentum erat discordia intestina dissolui rem Romanam posse.
44.8. And indeed the leading men in the councils of all the Etrurian peoples were wrathfully complaining that there would be no end to the power of the Romans unless factional quarrels should set them to fighting amongst themselves. They asserted that this was the only poison, the only decay which had been found to work upon opulent states, so as to make great empires transitory.
44.8. principesque in omnium Etruriae populorum conciliis fremebant aeternas opes esse Romanas nisi inter semet ipsi seditionibus saeuiant; id unum uenenum, eam labem ciuitatibus opulentis repertam ut magna imperia mortalia essent.
44.9. For a long time the Romans had withstood this evil, thanks partly to the prudence of the senate, partly to the patience of the plebs; but they had now come to a crisis. Two states had been created out of one: each faction had its own magistrates, its own laws.
44.9. diu sustentatum id malum, partim patrum consiliis, partim patientia plebis, iam ad extrema uenisse. duas ciuitates ex una factas; suos cuique parti magistratus, suas leges esse.
44.10. At first, though they had a way of fiercely opposing the levies, yet when war began they had obeyed their generals. No matter what the condition of things in the City, so long as military discipline held it had been possible to make a stand; but now the fashion of disobeying magistrates was following the Roman soldier even to his camp. In their latest war, when the army was already drawn up for battle, and at the very instant of conflict, they had with one accord actually handed over the victory to the conquered Aequi, had deserted their standards, had left their general on the field, and had returned, against his orders, to their camp.
44.10. primum in dilectibus saeuire solitos, eosdem in bello tamen paruisse ducibus. qualicumque urbis statu, manente disciplina militari sisti potuisse; iam non parendi magistratibus morem in castra quoque Romanum militem sequi. proximo bello in ipsa acie, in ipso certamine, consensu exercitus traditam ultro uictoriam uictis Aequis, signa deserta, imperatorem in acie relictum, iniussu in castra reditum.
44.12. Assuredly if her enemies pressed forward they could vanquish Rome by means of her own soldiers. There needed nothing more than to make a declaration and a show of war; Fate and the gods would of their own will do the rest. Such were the hopes which had led the Etruscans to take up arms, after many a shifting hazard of defeat and victory.
44.12. profecto si instetur, suo milite uinci Romam posse. nihil aliud opus esse quam indici ostendique bellum; cetera sua sponte fata et deos gesturos. hae spes Etruscos armauerant, multis in uicem casibus uictos uictoresque.
45.1. The Roman consuls also felt that they had nothing else to dread but their own forces and their own arms. The recollection of the heinous example set in the last war deterred them from offering battle in a situation where they would be in danger from two armies at the same time.
45.1. consules quoque Romani nihil praeterea aliud quam suas uires, sua arma horrebant; memoria pessimi proximo bello exempli terrebat ne rem committerent eo ubi duae simul acies timendae essent.
45.2. Accordingly they kept within their camp, restrained by the thought of so grave a peril: time and circumstances would perhaps assuage the anger of the men and bring them to their senses.
45.2. itaque castris se tenebant, tam ancipiti periculo auersi: diem tempusque forsitan ipsum leniturum iras sanitatemque animis allaturum.
45.3. Their enemies the Veientes and the other Etruscans were for that reason the more in haste to act; they attempted to provoke the Romans to fight, at first by riding up to their camp and challenging them to come out, and finally, when they gained nothing by this, by shouting insults both at the consuls themselves and at the army.
45.3. Ueiens hostis Etruscique eo magis praepropere agere; lacessere ad pugnam primo obequitando castris prouocandoque, postremo ut nihil mouebant, qua consules ipsos, qua exercitum increpando:
45.4. They said that their pretended want of harmony amongst themselves had been resorted to in order to conceal their fear, and that the consuls distrusted the courage of their men even more than their loyalty; it was a strange kind of mutiny where armed men were silent and inactive.
45.4. simulationem intestinae discordiae remedium timoris inuentum, et consules magis non confidere quam non credere suis militibus; nouum seditionis genus, silentium otiumque inter armatos. ad haec in nouitatem generis originisque qua falsa, qua uera iacere.
45.5. To these taunts they added others upon the newness of their race and origin, partly false and partly true. This abuse, noisily uttered beneath the very rampart and the gates, was endured unconcernedly enough by the consuls. But the inexperienced rank and file, stirred now by indignation and now by shame, were diverted from the thought of their domestic troubles; they were unwilling that their enemies should go unpunished;
45.5. haec cum sub ipso uallo portisque streperent, haud aegre consules pati; at imperitae multitudini nunc indignatio, nunc pudor pectora uersare et ab intestinis auertere malis; nolle inultos hostes, nolle successum non patribus, non consulibus; externa et domestica odia certare in animis.
45.6. they were unwilling that the patricians, that the consuls should obtain a success; hatred of the foe contended in their bosoms with hatred of their fellow-citizens. At length the former feeling got the upper hand, so proud and insolent was the jeering of the enemy.
45.6. tandem superant externa; adeo superbe insolenterque hostis eludebat. frequentes in praetorium conueniunt; poscunt pugnam, postulant ut signum detur.
45.7. They gathered in crowds at the praetorium, demanded battle, requested that the signal should be given. The consuls, as though considering the matter, put their heads together and conferred for a long time.
45.7. consules uelut deliberabundi capita conferunt, diu conloquuntur. pugnare cupiebant, sed retro reuocanda et abdenda cupiditas erat, ut aduersando remorandoque incitato semel militi adderent impetum.
45.8. They desired to fight, but it was needful to keep back their desire and conceal it, that by opposition and delay they might stimulate to fury the already eager soldiery. The men were therefore told that the thing was premature, that the time for battle had not yet come; that they must keep within the camp.
45.8. redditur responsum immaturam rem agi; nondum tempus pugnae esse; castris se tenerent. edicunt inde ut abstineant pugna; si quis iniussu pugnauerit, ut in hostem animaduersuros.
45.9. Then the consuls issued an order to abstain from fighting, declaring that if any man fought without orders they should treat him as an enemy. Dismissed with these words, the less inclination the soldiers discovered in the consuls the greater became their own eagerness for the fray.
45.9. ita dimissis, quo minus consules uelle credunt, crescit ardor pugnandi. accendunt insuper hostes ferocius multo, ut statuisse non pugnare consules cognitum est:
45.10. They were still further exasperated by the enemy, who were much bolder even than before, when the consuls' determination not to fight became known: it was clear that they could insult the Romans with impunity; their soldiers were not trusted with weapons, the affair would culminate in absolute mutiny, and the end of the Roman power had come.
45.10. quippe impune se insultaturos; non credi militi arma; rem ad ultimum seditionis erupturam, finemque uenisse Romano imperio. his freti occursant portis, ingerunt probra; aegre abstinent quin castra oppugnent.
45.11. Relying on these convictions, they charged up to the gates, flung gibes at their defenders, and scarcely refrained from assaulting the camp. At this the Romans could no longer brook their insults; from all over the camp they came running to the consuls.
45.11. enimuero non ultra contumeliam pati Romanus posse; totis castris undique ad consules curritur; non iam sensim, ut ante, per centurionum principes postulant, sed passim omnes clamoribus agunt.
45.12. There were no more cautious requests, preferred through the chief centurions, but on all sides arose a general clamour. The time was ripe; nevertheless the consuls hung back. Then Fabius, when his colleague, beginning to fear mutiny, was on the point of yielding to the growing tumult, commanded silence by a trumpet-blast and said: “I know, Gnaeus Manlius, that these men have the power to conquer, but their will to do so I know not; and for this they are themselves to blame.”
45.12. matura res erat; tergiuersantur tamen. Fabius deinde ad crescentem tumultum iam metu seditionis collega concedente, cum silentium classico fecisset: 'ego istos, Cn. Manli, posse uincere scio: uelle ne scirem, ipsi fecerunt.
45.13. “I am therefore resolved and determined not to give the signal unless they swear that they will return victorious from this engagement. Once, in a battle, the soldiers betrayed a Roman consul: they will never betray the gods.”
45.13. itaque certum est non dare signum nisi uictores se redituros ex hac pugna iurant. consulem Romanum miles semel in acie fefellit: deos nunquam fallet.' centurio erat M. Flauoleius, inter primores pugnae flagitator.
45.14. There was a centurion named Marcus Flavoleius, who had been among the foremost in demanding battle. “I will return victorious from the field, Marcus Fabius,” he cried, and invoked the wrath of Father Jupiter, Mars Gradivus, and the other gods, if he failed to keep his vow. The same pledge was then taken in order by the entire army, each man invoking its penalties upon himself.
45.14. 'uictor' inquit, ' M. Fabi, reuertar ex acie'; si fallat, Iouem patrem Gradiuumque Martem aliosque iratos inuocat deos. idem deinceps omnis exercitus in se quisque iurat. iuratis datur signum; arma capiunt; eunt in pugnam irarum speique pleni.
45.15. When they had sworn, the signal sounded. They armed and entered the fight, angry and confident. Now let the Etruscans fling their taunts!
45.15. nunc iubent Etruscos probra iacere, nunc armati sibi quisque lingua promptum hostem offerri.
45.16. Now —they all cried —now, when they were armed, let the lip-bold enemy face them! On that day they all showed splendid courage, both commoners and nobles, but the Fabian name was especially distinguished. In the course of many political struggles they had estranged the plebs, and they resolved to regain their goodwill in that battle.
45.16. omnium illo die, qua plebis, qua patrum, eximia uirtus fuit; Fabium nomen [Fabia gens] maxime enituit; multis ciuilibus certaminibus infensos plebis animos illa pugna sibi reconciliare statuunt.
46.1. The line was drawn up, nor did the Veientes and the Etruscan levies shun the encounter. They felt almost certain that the Romans would no more fight with them than they had fought with the Aequi. That they might even be guilty of some greater enormity, exasperated as they were, and possessed of a critical opportunity, was not too much to hope.
46.1. instruitur acies, nec Ueiens hostis Etruscaeque legiones detractant. prope certa spes erat non magis secum pugnaturos quam cum Aequis; maius quoque aliquod in tam inritatis animis et occasione ancipiti haud desperandum esse facinus.
46.2. But it turned out quite otherwise. For there had never been a war when the Romans went into battle with a keener hostility —so embittered had they been, on the one hand by the enemy's insults, on the other by the procrastination of the consuls.
46.2. res aliter longe euenit; nam non alio ante bello infestior Romanus—adeo hinc contumeliis hostes, hinc consules mora exacerbauerant—proelium iniit.
46.3. The Etruscans had barely had time to deploy when their enemies, who in the first excitement' had rather cast their javelins at random than fairly aimed them, were already come to sword-strokes at close quarters, where fighting is the fiercest.
46.3. uix explicandi ordinis spatium Etruscis fuit, cum pilis inter primam trepidationem abiectis temere magis quam emissis, pugna iam in manus, iam ad gladios, ubi Mars est atrocissimus, uenerat.
46.4. The Fabian clan was conspicuous among the foremost, a spectacle and encouragement to their fellow-citizens. One of them, the Quintus Fabius who had been consul three years before, was leading the attack on the closely marshalled Veientes, when a Tuscan, exulting in his strength and skill at arms, caught him unawares in the midst of a crowd of his enemies and drove his sword through his breast. As the blade was withdrawn Fabius fell headlong upon his wound.
46.4. inter primores genus Fabium insigne spectaculo exemploque ciuibus erat. ex his Q. Fabium —tertio hic anno ante consul fuerat—principem in confertos Ueientes euntem ferox uiribus et armorum arte Tuscus, incautum inter multas uersantem hostium manus, gladio per pectus transfigit; telo extracto praeceps Fabius in uolnus abiit.
46.5. It was but the fall of one man, but both armies felt it; and the Romans were giving way at that point, when Marcus Fabius the consul leaped over the prostrate corpse and, covering himself with his target, cried, “Was this your oath, men, that you would return to your camp in flight?”
46.5. sensit utraque acies unius uiri casum, cedebatque inde Romanus cum M. Fabius consul transiluit iacentis corpus obiectaque parma, 'hoc iurastis' inquit, 'milites, fugientes uos in castra redituros? adeo ignauissimos hostes magis timetis quam Iouem Martemque per quos iurastis?
46.6. “Do you then fear the most dastardly of foes more than Jupiter and Mars, by whom you swore? But I, though I have sworn no oath, will either return victorious or fall fighting here by you, Quintus Fabius!” To this speech of the consul Caeso Fabius, consul of the year before, made answer, “Think you that your words will persuade them to fight, brother?”
46.6. at ego iniuratus aut uictor reuertar aut prope te hic, Q. Fabi, dimicans cadam.' consuli tum Caeso Fabius, prioris anni consul: 'uerbisne istis, frater, ut pugnent, te impetraturum credis?
46.7. “The gods will persuade them, by whom they have sworn. And let us, as is meet for nobles, as is worthy of the name of Fabius, kindle by fighting rather than by exhortation the courage of our soldiers!” With that the two Fabii rushed into the press with levelled spears and carried the whole line forward with them.
46.7. di impetrabunt per quos iurauere; et nos, ut decet proceres, ut Fabio nomine est dignum, pugnando potius quam adhortando accendamus militum animos.' sic in primum infensis hastis prouolant duo Fabii, totamque mouerunt secum aciem.
47.1. Thus the fortune of the day was retrieved in one part of the field. On the other wing Gnaeus Manlius the consul was urging on the fight with no less vigour, when almost the same thing happened.
47.1. proelio ex parte una restituto, nihilo segnius in cornu altero Cn. Manlius consul pugnam ciebat, ubi prope similis fortuna est uersata.
47.2. For as Quintus Fabius had done on the other flank, so here the consul Manlius was personally leading the attack upon the enemy, whom he had almost routed, for his soldiers followed him valiantly, when he was severely wounded and retired from the fighting line.
47.2. nam ut altero in cornu Q. Fabium, sic in hoc ipsum consulem Manlium iam uelut fusos agentem hostes et impigre milites secuti sunt et, ut ille graui uolnere ictus ex acie cessit, interfectum rati gradum rettulere;
47.3. His men believed him to be dead, and faltered; and they would have yielded the position, had not the other consul ridden up at a gallop, with some few troops of horse, and calling out that his colleague was alive, and that he himself had defeated and routed the other wing and was come to help them, in that way put a stop to their wavering.
47.3. cessissentque loco, ni consul alter cum aliquot turmis equitum in eam partem citato equo aduectus, uiuere clamitans collegam, se uictorem fuso altero cornu adesse, rem inclinatam sustinuisset.
47.4. Manlius also showed himself among them, helping to restore the line; and the soldiers, recognizing the features of their two consuls, plucked up courage. At the same time the battle-line of the enemy was now less strong, for, relying on their excess of numbers, they had withdrawn their reserves and dispatched them to storm the Roman camp.
47.4. Manlius quoque ad restituendam aciem se ipse coram offert. duorum consulum cognita ora accendunt militum animos. simul et uanior iam erat hostium acies, dum abundante multitudine freti, subtracta subsidia mittunt ad castra oppugnanda.
47.5. There, having forced an entrance without encountering much opposition, they were frittering away their time, their thoughts more taken up with the booty than with the battle, when the Roman reserves, which had been unable to withstand the first onset, sent word to the consuls how things stood, and then closed up their ranks, returned to the praetorium, and of themselves resumed the battle. Meanwhile Manlius the consul had ridden back to the camp, and by posting men at all the gates had cut off the enemy's egress.
47.5. in quae haud magno certamine impetu facto cum praedae magis quam pugnae memores tererent tempus, triarii Romani qui primam inruptionem sustinere non potuerant, missis ad consules nuntiis quo loco res essent, conglobati ad praetorium redeunt et sua sponte ipsi proelium renouant.
47.6. In desperation at this turn the Etruscans had been inflamed to the point rather of madness than of recklessness. For when, as they rushed in whatever direction there seemed a prospect of escape, they had made several charges to no purpose, one band of youths made a dash at the consul himself, whose arms made him conspicuous. Their first discharge of javelins was parried by the soldiers who surrounded him, but after that there was no withstanding their violence.
47.6. et Manlius consul reuectus in castra, ad omnes portas milite opposito hostibus uiam clauserat. ea desperatio Tuscis rabiem magis quam audaciam accendit. nam cum incursantes quacumque exitum ostenderet spes uano aliquotiens impetu issent, globus iuuenum unus in ipsum consulem insignem armis inuadit.
47.7. The consul fell, mortally wounded, and all about him fled. The Etruscans grew more reckless than before; the Romans were driven, quaking with terror, right across the camp, and their case would have been desperate, had not the lieutenants caught up the body of the consul and opened a way for the enemy by one of the gates.
47.7. prima excepta a circumstantibus tela; sustineri deinde uis nequit; consul mortifero uolnere ictus cadit, fusique circa omnes.
47.8. By that they burst forth, and escaping in a disordered column, fell in the way of the other, the victorious consul, where they were again cut to pieces, and dispersed in all directions.
47.8. Tuscis crescit audacia; Romanos terror per tota castra trepidos agit, et ad extrema uentum foret ni legati rapto consulis corpore patefecissent una porta hostibus uiam.
47.9. A victory of great importance had been won, but it was saddened by the death of two so famous men. The consul therefore made answer to the senate, when it would have voted him a triumph, that if the army could triumph without its general, its services in that war had been so remarkable that he would readily grant his consent; as for himself, when his family was in mourning for the death of Quintus Fabius his brother, and the state was half orphaned by the loss of the other consul, he would not accept a laurel which was blighted with national and private sorrow.
47.9. ea erumpunt; consternatoque agmine abeuntes in uictorem alterum incidunt consulem; ibi iterum caesi fusique passim. uictoria egregia parta, tristis tamen duobus tam claris funeribus. itaque consul decernente senatu triumphum, si exercitus sine imperatore triumphare possit, pro eximia eo bello opera facile passurum respondit; se familia funesta Q. Fabi fratris morte, re publica ex parte orba [consule altero amisso] publico priuatoque deformem luctu lauream non accepturum.
47.11. No triumph ever celebrated was more famous than was his refusal to accept a triumph, so true is it that a seasonable rejection of glory sometimes but increases it. The consul then solemnized, one after the other, the funerals of his colleague and his brother, and pronounced the eulogy of each; but while yielding their meed of praise to them, he gained for himself the very highest praises.
47.11. omni acto triumpho depositus triumphus clarior fuit; adeo spreta in tempore gloria interdum cumulatior rediit. funera deinde duo deinceps collegae fratrisque ducit, idem in utroque laudator, cum concedendo illis suas laudes ipse maximam partem earum ferret.
47.12. Nor was he unmindful of that policy which he had adopted in the beginning of his consulship, of winning the affections of the plebs, but billeted the wounded soldiers on the patricians, to be cared for. To the Fabii he assigned the largest number, nor did they anywhere receive greater attention. For this the Fabii now began to enjoy the favour of the people, nor was this end achieved by aught but a demeanour wholesome for the state.
47.12. neque immemor eius quod initio consulatus imbiberat, reconciliandi animos plebis, saucios milites curandos diuidit patribus. Fabiis plurimi dati, nec alibi maiore cura habiti. inde populares iam esse Fabii, nec hoc ulla nisi salubri rei publicae arte.
48.1. The senators were now therefore not more forward than the plebeians in choosing Caeso Fabius to be consul, along with Titus Verginius. On taking office his first concern was neither war nor the raising of troops nor anything else, save that the prospect of harmony which had been already partly realized should ripen at the earliest possible moment into a good understanding between the patricians and the plebs.
48.1. igitur non patrum magis quam plebis studiis K. Fabius cum T. Uerginio consul factus neque belli neque dilectus neque ullam aliam priorem curam agere quam ut iam aliqua ex parte incohata concordiae spe, primo quoque tempore cum patribus coalescerent animi plebis.
48.2. He therefore proposed at the outset of his term that before one of the tribunes should rise up and advocate a land-law, the Fathers themselves should anticipate him by making it their own affair and bestowing the conquered territory upon the plebs with the utmost impartiality; for it was right that they should possess it by whose blood and toil it had been won.
48.2. itaque principio anni censuit priusquam quisquam agrariae legis auctor tribunus exsisteret, occuparent patres ipsi suum munus facere; captiuum agrum plebi quam maxime aequaliter darent; uerum esse habere eos quorum sanguine ac sudore partus sit.
48.3. The senators scorned the proposal, and some even complained that too much glory was spoiling and dissipating that vigorous intellect which Caeso had once possessed.
48.3. aspernati patres sunt; questi quoque quidam nimia gloria luxuriare et euanescere uiuidum quondam illud Caesonis ingenium.
48.4. In the sequel there were no outbreaks of strife and faction in the City, but the Latins were plagued with incursions of the Aequi. Thither Caeso was dispatched with an army, and passed over into the Aequians' own country to lay it waste. The Aequi retired to their towns and kept within their walls. For this reason there was no memorable battle.
48.4. nullae deinde urbanae factiones fuere; uexabantur incursionibus Aequorum Latini. eo cum exercitu Caeso missus in ipsorum Aequorum agrum depopulandum transit. Aequi se in oppida receperunt murisque se tenebant; eo nulla pugna memorabilis fuit.
48.5. But the Veientes inflicted a defeat on the Romans owing to the rashness of the other consul; and the army would have been destroyed if Caeso Fahius had not come, in the nick of time, to its rescue. Thenceforward there was neither peace nor war with the Veientes, but something very like freebooting.
48.5. at a Ueiente hoste clades accepta temeritate alterius consulis, actumque de exercitu foret, ni K. Fabius in tempore subsidio uenisset. ex eo tempore neque pax neque bellum cum Ueientibus fuit; res proxime formam latrocinii uenerat.
48.6. In the face of the Roman legions they would retreat into their city; when they perceived the legions to be withdrawn they would make raids upon the fields, evading war by a semblance of peace, and peace in turn by war. Hence it was impossible either to let the whole matter go or to end it. Other wars, too, were immediately threatening —like the one with the Aequi and the Volsci, who would observe peace only so long as the suffering involved in their latest defeat was passing away, —or were soon to be begun, by the always hostile Sabines and all Etruria.
48.6. legionibus Romanis cedebant in urbem; ubi abductas senserant legiones, agros incursabant, bellum quiete, quietem bello in uicem eludentes. ita neque omitti tota res nec perfici poterat; et alia bella aut praesentia instabant, ut ab Aequis Uolscisque, non diutius quam recens dolor proximae cladis transiret quiescentibus, aut mox moturos [se] apparebat Sabinos semper infestos Etruriamque omnem.
48.7. But the enmity of the Veientes, persistent rather than perilous, and issuing in insults oftener than in danger, kept the Romans in suspense, for they were never permitted to forget it or to turn their attention elsewhere.
48.7. sed Ueiens hostis, adsiduus magis quam grauis, contumeliis saepius quam periculo animos agitabat, quod nullo tempore neglegi poterat aut auerti alio sinebat.
48.8. Then the Fabian clan went before the senate, and the consul said, speaking for the clan: “A standing body of defenders rather than a large one is required, Conscript Fathers, as you know, for the war with Veii. Do you attend to the other wars, and assign to the Fabii the task of opposing the Veientes. We undertake that the majesty of the Roman name shall be safe in that quarter.”
48.8. tum Fabia gens senatum adiit. consul pro gente loquitur: 'adsiduo magis quam magno praesidio, ut scitis, patres conscripti, bellum Ueiens eget. uos alia bella curate, Fabios hostes Ueientibus date. auctores sumus tutam ibi maiestatem Romani nominis fore.
48.9. “It is our purpose to wage this war as if it were our own family feud, at our private costs: the state may dispense with furnishing men and money for this cause.” The thanks of the Fathers were voted with enthusiasm.
48.9. nostrum id nobis uelut familiare bellum priuato sumptu gerere in animo est; res publica et milite illic et pecunia uacet.' gratiae ingentes actae.
48.10. The consul came out from the senate-house, and escorted by a column of the Fabii, who had halted in the vestibule of the curia while awaiting the senate's decision, returned to his house. After receiving the command to present themselves armed next day at the consul's threshold, they dispersed to their homes.
48.10. consul e curia egressus comitante Fabiorum agmine, qui in uestibulo curiae senatus consultum exspectantes steterant, domum redit. iussi armati postero die ad limen consulis adesse; domos inde discedunt.
49.1. The news spreads to every part of the City and the Fabii are lauded to the skies. Men tell how a single family has taken upon its shoulders the burden of a state, how the war with Veii has been turned over to private citizens and private arms.
49.1. manat tota urbe rumor; Fabios ad caelum laudibus ferunt: familiam unam subisse ciuitatis onus; Ueiens bellum in priuatam curam, in priuata arma uersum.
49.2. If there were two other clans of equal strength in the City, the one might undertake the Volsci, the other the Aequi, and the Roman People might enjoy the tranquillity of peace, while all the neighbouring nations were being subdued. On the following day the Fabii arm and assemble at the designated place.
49.2. si sint duae roboris eiusdem in urbe gentes, deposcant haec Uolscos sibi, illa Aequos: populo Romano tranquillam pacem agente omnes finitimos subigi populos posse. Fabii postera die arma capiunt; quo iussi erant conueniunt.
49.3. The consul, coming forth in the cloak of a general, sees his entire clan drawn up in his vestibule, and being received into their midst gives the order to march.
49.3. consul paludatus egrediens in uestibulo gentem omnem suam instructo agmine uidet; acceptus in medium signa ferri iubet. nunquam exercitus neque minor numero neque clarior fama et admiratione hominum per urbem incessit.
49.4. Never did an army march through the City less in number or more distinguished by the applause and the wonder of men: three hundred and six soldiers, all patricians, all of one blood, no one of whom you would have rejected as a leader, and who would have made an admirable senate in any period, were going out to threaten the existence of the Veientine nation with the resources of a single house.
49.4. sex et trecenti milites, omnes patricii, omnes unius gentis, quorum neminem ducem sperneres, egregius quibuslibet temporibus senatus, ibant, unius familiae uiribus Ueienti populo pestem minitantes.
49.5. They were followed by a throng partly made up of people belonging to them, their kinsmen and close friends, whose thoughts were busy with no mean matters, whether of hope or of fear, but with boundless possibilities; partly of those who were moved with concern for the commonwealth, and were beside themselves with enthusiasm and amazement.
49.5. sequebatur turba propria alia cognatorum sodaliumque, nihil medium, nec spem nec curam, sed immensa omnia uoluentium animo, alia publica sollicitudine excitata, fauore et admiratione stupens.
49.6. “Go,” they cry, “in your valour, go with good fortune, and crown your undertaking with success as great!”
49.6. ire fortes, ire felices iubent, inceptis euentus pares reddere; consulatus inde ac triumphos, omnia praemia ab se, omnes honores sperare.
49.7. They bid them look forward to receiving consulships at their hands for this work, and triumphs, and all rewards and all honours. As they pass by the Capitol and the citadel and the other temples, they beseech whatever gods present themselves to their eyes and their thoughts to attend that noble band with blessings and prosperity, and restore them soon in safety to their native land and their kindred.
49.7. praetereuntibus Capitolium arcemque et alia templa, quidquid deorum oculis, quidquid animo occurrit, precantur ut illud agmen faustum atque felix mittant, sospites breui in patriam ad parentes restituant.
49.8. Their prayers were uttered in vain. Setting out by the Unlucky Way, the right arch of the Porta Carmentalis, they came to the river Cremera, a position which seemed favourable for the erection of a fort. Lucius Aemilius and Gaius Servilius were then chosen consuls. And so long as nothing more than plundering was afoot the Fabii were not only an adequate garrison for the fort, but in all that region where the Tuscan territory marches with the Roman they afforded universal security to their own countrymen and annoyance to the enemy, by ranging along the border on both sides.
49.8. in cassum missae preces. infelici uia, dextro iano portae Carmentalis, profecti ad Cremeram flumen perueniunt. is opportunus uisus locus communiendo praesidio. L. Aemilius inde et C. Seruilius consules facti. et donec nihil aliud quam in populationibus res fuit, non ad praesidium modo tutandum Fabii satis erant, sed tota regione qua Tuscus ager Romano adiacet, sua tuta omnia, infesta hostium, uagantes per utrumque finem, fecere.
49.10. Then came a brief interruption to these depredations, while the men of Veii, having called in an army from Etruria, attacked the post on the Cremera, and the Roman legions, led thither by Lucius Aemilius the consul, engaged them in a pitched battle;
49.10. interuallum deinde haud magnum populationibus fuit, dum et Ueientes accito ex Etruria exercitu praesidium Cremerae oppugnant, et Romanae legiones ab L. Aemilio consule adductae cominus cum Etruscis dimicant acie;
49.11. though in truth the Veientes had scarcely time to draw up a battle-line, for at the first alarm, while the ranks were falling in behind the standards and the reserves were being posted, a division of Roman cavalry made a sudden charge on their flank and deprived them of the power not only of attacking first, but even of standing their ground.
49.11. quamquam uix dirigendi aciem spatium Ueientibus fuit; adeo inter primam trepidationem dum post signa ordines introeunt subsidiaque locant, inuecta subito ab latere Romana equitum ala non pugnae modo incipiendae sed consistendi ademit locum.
49.12. And so they were driven back upon Saxa Rubra, where they had their camp, and sued for peace. It was granted, but their instinctive fickleness caused them to weary of the pact before the Roman garrison was withdrawn from the Cremera.
49.12. ita fusi retro ad saxa Rubra—ibi castra habebant—, pacem supplices petunt. cuius impetratae, ab insita animis leuitate, ante deductum Cremera Romanum praesidium paenituit.
50.1. Again the Fabii were pitted against the people of Veii. No preparations had been made for a great war, yet not only were raids made upon farming lands, and surprise attacks upon raiding parties, but at times they fought in the open field and in serried ranks; and a single clan of the Roman People often carried off the victory from that most mighty state, for those days, in all Etruria.
50.1. rursus cum Fabiis erat Ueienti populo, sine ullo maioris belli apparatu, certamen; nec erant incursiones modo in agros aut subiti impetus <in> incursantes, sed aliquotiens aequo campo conlatisque signis certatum, gensque una populi Romani saepe ex opulentissima, ut tum res erant, Etrusca ciuitate uictoriam tulit.
50.3. At first the Veientes bitterly resented this; but they presently adopted a plan, suggested by the situation, for trapping their bold enemy, and they even rejoiced as they saw that the frequent successes of the Fabii were causing them to grow more rash.
50.3. id primo acerbum indignumque Ueientibus est uisum; inde consilium ex re natum insidiis ferocem hostem captandi; gaudere etiam multo successu Fabiis audaciam crescere.
50.4. And so they now and then drove flocks in the way of the invaders, as if they had come there by accident; and the country folk would flee from their farms and leave them deserted; and rescuing parties of armed men, sent to keep off pillagers, would flee before them in a panic more often feigned than real. By this time the Fabii had conceived such scorn for the enemy that they believed themselves invincible and not to be withstood, no matter what the place or time.
50.4. itaque et pecora praedantibus aliquotiens, uelut casu incidissent, obuiam acta, et agrestium fuga uasti relicti agri, et subsidia armatorum ad arcendas populationes missa saepius simulato quam uero pauore refugerunt.
50.5. This confidence so won upon them that on catching sight of some flocks at a distance from the Cremera, across a wide interval of plain, they disregarded the appearance here and there of hostile arms, and ran down to capture them. Their rashness carried them on at a swift pace past an ambuscade which had been laid on both sides of their very road.
50.5. iamque Fabii adeo contempserant hostem ut sua inuicta arma neque loco neque tempore ullo crederent sustineri posse. haec spes prouexit ut ad conspecta procul a Cremera magno campi interuallo pecora, quamquam rara hostium apparebant arma, decurrerent.
50.6. They had scattered this way and that and were seizing the flocks, which had dispersed in all directions, as they do if terrified, when suddenly the ambush rose up, and enemies were in front and on every side of them.
50.6. et cum improuidi effuso cursu insidias circa ipsum iter locatas superassent palatique passim uaga, ut fit pauore iniecto, raperent pecora, subito ex insidiis consurgitur; et aduersi et undique hostes erant.
50.7. First the shout which echoed all along the Etruscan line filled them with consternation, and then the javelins began to fall upon them from every quarter; and as the Etruscans drew together and the Romans were now fenced in by a continuous line of armed men, the harder the enemy pressed them the smaller was the space within which they themselves were forced to contract their circle, a thing which clearly revealed both their own fewness and the vast numbers of the Etruscans, whose ranks were multiplied in the narrow space.
50.7. primo clamor circumlatus exterruit, dein tela ab omni parte accidebant; coeuntibusque Etruscis, iam continenti agmine armatorum saepti, quo magis se hostis inferebat, cogebantur breuiore spatio et ipsi orbem colligere, quae res et paucitatem eorum insignem et multitudinem Etruscorum, multiplicatis in arto ordinibus, faciebat.
50.9. The Romans then gave up the fight which they had been directing equally at every point, and all turned in one direction. Thither, by dint of main strength and arms, they forced their way with a wedge. Their road led up a gentle acclivity.
50.9. tum omissa pugna, quam in omnes partes parem intenderant, in unum locum se omnes inclinant; eo nisi corporibus armisque rupere cuneo uiam.
50.10. There they at first made a stand; presently, when their superior position had afforded them time to breathe and to collect their spirits after so great a fright, they actually routed the troops which were advancing to dislodge them; and a handful of men, with the aid of a good position, were winning the victory, when the Veientes who had been sent round by the ridge emerged upon the crest of the hill, thus giving the enemy the advantage again.
50.10. duxit uia in editum leniter collem. inde primo restitere; mox, ut respirandi superior locus spatium dedit recipiendique a pauore tanto animum, pepulere etiam subeuntes, uincebatque auxilio loci paucitas, ni iugo circummissus Ueiens in uerticem collis euasisset.
50.11. The Fabii were all slain to a man, and their fort was stormed. Three hundred and six men perished, as is generally agreed; one, who was little more than a boy in years, survived to maintain the Fabian stock, and so to afford the very greatest help to the Roman People in its dark hours, on many occasions, at home and in the field.
50.11. ita superior rursus hostis factus. Fabii caesi ad unum omnes praesidiumque expugnatum. trecentos sex perisse satis conuenit, unum prope puberem aetate relictum, stirpem genti Fabiae dubiisque rebus populi Romani saepe domi bellique uel maximum futurum auxilium.
51.1. When this disaster befel, Gaius Horatius and Titus Menenius had begun their consulship. Menenius was at once sent out to confront the Etruscans, elated by their victory. Again the Roman arms were unsuccessful, and Janiculum was taken by the enemy.
51.1. cum haec accepta clades est, iam C. Horatius et T. Menenius consules erant. Menenius aduersus Tuscos uictoria elatos confestim missus.
51.2. They would also have laid siege to Rome, which was suffering not only from war but from a scarcity of corn —for the Etruscans had crossed the Tiber —had not the consul Horatius been recalled from the Volscian country; and so nearly did that invasion approach the very walls of the City that battles were fought first at the temple of Hope, where the result was indecisive, and again at the Colline Gate.
51.2. tum quoque male pugnatum est, et Ianiculum hostes occupauere; obsessaque urbs foret, super bellum annona premente—transierant enim Etrusci Tiberim—, ni Horatius consul ex Uolscis esset reuocatus. adeoque id bellum ipsis institit moenibus, ut primo pugnatum ad Spei sit aequo Marte, iterum ad portam Collinam.
51.3. There, although the advantage to the Roman side was but slight, still the engagement restored their old-time spirit to the troops and made them the better soldiers for the battles that were to come.
51.3. ibi quamquam paruo momento superior Romana res fuit, meliorem tamen militem, recepto pristino animo, in futura proelia id certamen fecit.
51.4. Aulus Verginius and Spurius Servilius were made consuls. After the defeat the Veientes had suffered in the last fight, they avoided a battle and took to pillaging. From Janiculum, as from a citadel, they sent out expeditions far and wide into the territory of the Romans; there was no security anywhere for flocks or country-folk.
51.4. A. Uerginius et Sp. Seruilius consules fiunt. post acceptam proxima pugna cladem Ueientes abstinuere acie; populationes erant, et uelut ab arce Ianiculo passim in Romanum agrum impetus dabant; non usquam pecora tuta, non agrestes erant.
51.5. After a time they were caught by the same trick with which they had caught the Fabii. Having pursued the flocks which had been driven out here and there on purpose to lure them on, they plunged into an ambush, and as their numbers exceeded those of the Fabii so did their losses.
51.5. capti deinde eadem arte sunt qua ceperant Fabios. secuti dedita opera passim ad inlecebras propulsa pecora praecipitauere in insidias; quo plures erant, maior caedes fuit.
51.6. This disaster threw them into a violent rage, which proved the cause and the beginning of a greater reverse. For they crossed the Tiber in the night and assaulted the camp of the consul Servilius. There they were routed with heavy losses and regained Janiculum with difficulty.
51.6. ex hac clade atrox ira maioris cladis causa atque initium fuit. traiecto enim nocte Tiberi, castra Seruili consulis adorti sunt oppugnare. inde fusi magna caede in Ianiculum se aegre recepere.
51.7. Forthwith the consul himself crossed the Tiber and fortified a camp beneath the hill. Next day at dawn, partly because he was emboldened by the successful battle of the day before, but more because the want of corn drove him to the rashest kind of measures, provided only they were speedy, he was so reckless as to lead his army up Janiculum to the enemy's camp, and after suffering a more disgraceful repulse than he had administered the day before, owed his own rescue and that of his army to the arrival of his colleague.
51.7. confestim consul et ipse transit Tiberim, castra sub Ianiculo communit. postero die luce orta nonnihil et hesterna felicitate pugnae ferox, magis tamen quod inopia frumenti quamuis in praecipitia, dum celeriora essent, agebat consilia, temere aduerso Ianiculo ad castra hostium aciem erexit, foediusque inde pulsus quam pridie pepulerat, interuentu collegae ipse exercitusque est seruatus.
51.9. Caught between two lines, the Etruscans turned their backs first on one and then on the other, and were cut down with great slaughter. Thus the Veientine invasion was defeated by a lucky temerity.
51.9. inter duas acies Etrusci, cum in uicem his atque illis terga darent, occidione occisi. ita oppressum temeritate felici Ueiens bellum.
52.1. There came to the City with the return of peace a relaxation in the corn-market; for not only was grain imported from Campania, but now that each had ceased to fear for his own future want, men brought out the stores which they had concealed.
52.1. urbi cum pace laxior etiam annona rediit, et aduecto ex Campania frumento, et postquam timor sibi cuique futurae inopiae abiit, eo quod abditum fuerat prolato.
52.2. As a consequence of plenty and idleness a spirit of licence again began to affect men's minds, and they began to seek at home for the old troubles which were no longer to be met with abroad. The tribunes roused the plebs to madness with their usual poison, a land-law. The Fathers resisted, but the tribunes incited the people against them, not as a body merely, but as individuals.
52.2. ex copia deinde otioque lasciuire rursus animi et pristina mala, postquam foris deerant, domi quaerere. tribuni plebem agitare suo ueneno, agraria lege; in resistentes incitare patres, nec in uniuersos modo sed in singulos.
52.3. Quintus Considius and Titus Genucius, the proposers of the agrarian measure, cited Titus Menenius to appear for trial. He had incurred the dislike of the plebs owing to the loss of the outpost on the Cremera, when he as consul had occupied a permanent camp not far away;
52.3. Q. Considius et T. Genucius, auctores agrariae legis, T. Menenio diem dicunt. inuidiae erat amissum Cremerae praesidium, cum haud procul inde statiua consul habuisset;
52.4. and this unpopularity was his undoing, though the senators exerted themselves in his behalf no less than they had done for Coriolanus, and though the favour enjoyed by his father Agrippa had not yet passed away.
52.4. ea oppressit, cum et patres haud minus quam pro Coriolano adnisi essent et patris Agrippae fauor hauddum exoleuisset.
52.5. In respect to the penalty the tribunes showed restraint; though they had charged him with a capital offence, they fixed the fine of the condemned at two thousand asses. But it cost him his life; they say that he could not endure the shame and grief, and from this cause fell ill and died.
52.5. in multa temperarunt tribuni; cum capitis anquisissent, duorum milium aeris damnato multam dixerunt. ea in caput uertit; negant tulisse ignominiam aegritudinemque; inde morbo absumptum.
52.6. Another man was then put upon his trial, namely Spurius Servilius. He had laid down the consulship and been succeeded by Gaius Nautius and Publius Valerius, when he was cited, in the very beginning of the year, by the tribunes Lucius Caedicius and Titus Statius. Unlike Menenius, he did not meet the attacks of the tribunes with entreaties, preferred by himself or the senators, but with high confidence in his innocence and popularity.
52.6. alius deinde reus, Sp. Seruilius, ut consulatu abiit, C. Nautio et P. Ualerio consulibus, initio statim anni ab L. Caedicio et T. Statio tribunis die dicta, non ut Menenius, precibus suis aut patrum sed cum multa fiducia innocentiae gratiaeque tribunicios impetus tulit.
52.7. He, too, was accused in connection with the battle against the Etruscans at Janiculum. But the fiery courage of the man had not been more in evidence in the nation's hour of peril than it was then in his own, and he confuted not only the tribunes but the plebs, upbraiding them, in a daring speech, with the condemnation and death of Menenius, to whose father, he declared, the plebs formerly owed their restoration and the possession of those very magistrates and laws which were the tools of their cruelty. This boldness swept away the danger.
52.7. et huic proelium cum Tuscis ad Ianiculum erat crimini. sed feruidi animi uir ut in publico periculo ante, sic tum in suo, non tribunos modo sed plebem oratione feroci refutando exprobrandoque T. Meneni damnationem mortemque, cuius patris munere restituta quondam plebs eos ipsos quibus tum saeuiret magistratus, eas leges haberet, periculum audacia discussit.
52.8. He was helped, too, by Verginius, his colleague, who, being called as a witness, shared his own credit with Servilius. But the trial of Menenius stood him in even better stead, so great a revulsion of feeling had set in.
52.8. iuuit et Uerginius collega testis productus, participando laudes; magis tamen Menenianum—adeo mutauerant animum— profuit iudicium.
53.1. Domestic strife was at an end; but war broke out with the Veientes, with whom the Sabines had united their arms. Publius Valerius the consul was dispatched to Veii with an army to which had been added auxiliaries from the Latins and the Hernici. He at once advanced upon the Sabine camp, which had been established in front of the walls of their allies, and threw the enemy into such confusion that, while they were running out in small groups, some one way and some another, to repel the attack of the Romans, he captured the gate against which he had directed his first assault.
53.1. certamina domi finita: Ueiens bellum exortum, quibus Sabini arma coniunxerant. P. Ualerius consul accitis Latinorum Hernicorumque auxiliis cum exercitu Ueios missus castra Sabina, quae pro moenibus sociorum locata erant, confestim adgreditur; tantamque trepidationem iniecit ut dum dispersi alii alia manipulatim excurrunt ad arcendam hostium uim, ea porta cui signa primum intulerat caperetur.