33.10. “Come, as you shall see me making a path for myself with my sword wherever I advance against the enemy's line, so do you every man strike down whom you encounter; all that array where now uplifted spears are glancing you shall see laid open with great carnage.”
33.10. agitedum, ut me uideritis, quacumque incessero in aciem hostium, ferro uiam facientem, sic pro se quisque obuios sternite; illa omnia, qua nunc erectae micant hastae, patefacta strage uasta cernetis.' haec dicta dederat, cum equites consulis iussu discurrunt in cornua legionibusque in mediam aciem aperiunt uiam.
33.11. No sooner had he said these words, than the horsemen, by the consul's order, drew off towards the wings and left the legions room to attack the centre.
33.11. primus omnium consul inuadit hostem et cum quo forte contulit gradum obtruncat.
33.12. The consul was the very foremost in the charge, and slew the man he chanced to meet with. Kindled by this sight, the Romans on the right and on the left pushed forward, every man of them, and fought a memorable combat; the Samnites stood manfully at bay, but they took more strokes than they delivered.
33.12. hoc spectaculo accensi dextra laeuaque ante se quisque memorandum proelium cient; stant obnixi Samnites, quamquam plura accipiunt quam inferunt uolnera.
33.13. The battle had now lasted a considerable time; there was dreadful slaughter about the standards of the Samnites, but as yet no retreating anywhere, so determined were they to be overcome by naught but death.
33.13. aliquamdiu iam pugnatum erat; atrox caedes circa signa Samnitium, fuga ab nulladum parte erat: adeo morte sola uinci destinauerant animis.
33.14. And so the Romans, who saw that their strength was fast ebbing away in weariness and that little daylight yet remained, were filled with rage, and hurled themselves against the enemy.
33.14. itaque Romani cum et fluere iam lassitudine uires sentirent et diei haud multum superesse, accensi ira concitant se in hostem.
33.15. Then for the first time were there signs of giving way and the beginning of a rout; then were the Samnites captured or slain; nor would many have survived, if night had not ended what was now a victory rather than a battle.
33.15. tum primum referri pedem atque inclinari rem in fugam apparuit; tum capi, occidi Samnis; nec superfuissent multi, ni nox uictoriam magis quam proelium diremisset.
33.16. The Romans admitted that never had they fought with a more stubborn adversary; and the Samnites, on being asked what it was that first had turned them, resolute as they were, to flight, replied that it was the eyes of the Romans, which had seemed to blaze, and their frenzied expression and infuriated looks; this it was more than anything else that had caused their panic. And this panic stood confessed not alone in the outcome of the fight but in the night-retreat that followed.
33.16. et Romani fatebantur nunquam cum pertinaciore hoste conflictum, et Samnites, cum quaereretur quaenam prima causa tam obstinatos mouisset in fugam, oculos sibi Romanorum ardere uisos aiebant uesanosque uoltus et furentia ora; inde plus quam ex alia ulla re terroris ortum. quem terrorem non pugnae solum euentu sed nocturna profectione confessi sunt.
33.18. On the morrow the Romans took possession of the deserted camp, and thither the whole population of Capua streamed out to congratulate them.
33.18. postero die uacuis hostium castris Romanus potitur, quo se omnis Campanorum multitudo gratulabunda effudit.
34.1. But this rejoicing came near to being marred by a great reverse in Samnium. For the consul Cornelius, marching from Saticula, had unwarily led his army into a forest which was penetrated by a deep defile, and was there beset on either hand by the enemy; nor, until it was too late to withdraw with safety, did he perceive that they were posted on the heights above him.
34.1. ceterum hoc gaudium magna prope clade in Samnio foedatum est. nam ab Saticula profectus Cornelius consul exercitum incaute in saltum caua ualle peruium circaque insessum ab hoste induxit nec prius quam recipi tuto signa non poterant imminentem capiti hostem uidit.
34.3. While the Samnites were only holding back till he should send down the whole column into the bottom of the valley, Publius Decius, a tribune of the soldiers, espied a solitary hill, which rising above the pass, commanded the enemy's camp, and though arduous of access to an army encumbered with baggage, was not difficult for men in light marching order.
34.3. dum id morae Samnitibus est quoad totum in uallem infimam demitteret agmen, P. Decius tribunus militum conspicit unum editum in saltu collem, imminentem hostium castris, aditu arduum impedito agmini, expeditis haud difficilem.
34.4. He accordingly said to the consul, who was much perturbed: “Do you see, Aulus Cornelius, that summit that rises above the enemy?”
34.4. itaque consuli territo animi 'uidesne tu' inquit, ' A. Corneli, cacumen illud supra hostem? arx illa est spei salutisque nostrae, si eam, quoniam caeci reliquere Samnites, impigre capimus.
34.5. “It is the fortress of our hope and safety, if we are prompt to seize it, since the Samnites have been so blind as to neglect it. Give me no more than the first and second lines of a single legion; when with these I have mounted to the top, do you go forward fearlessly and save yourself and the army; for the enemy, exposed to all our missiles, will not be able to stir without bringing destruction on themselves.”
34.5. ne tu mihi plus quam unius legionis principes hastatosque dederis; cum quibus ubi euasero in summum, perge hinc omni liber metu, teque et exercitum serua; neque enim moueri hostis, subiectus nobis ad omnes ictus, sine sua pernicie poterit.
34.6. “As for us, thereafter the fortune of the Roman People or our own manhood will extricate us.”
34.6. nos deinde aut fortuna populi Romani aut nostra uirtus expediet.'
34.7. Being commended by the consul and receiving his detachment, he advanced under cover through the wood, nor did the enemy perceive him till he had nearly reached the place which he wished to gain.
34.7. conlaudatus ab consule accepto praesidio uadit occultus per saltum; nec prius ab hoste est uisus quam loco quem petebat appropinquauit.
34.8. They were then all overcome with astonishment and dread, and while they turned, every man of them, and gazed at him, the consul was given time to withdraw his army to more favourable ground, and Decius himself took his post on the top of the hill.
34.8. inde admiratione pauentibus cunctis, cum omnium in se uertisset oculos, et spatium consuli dedit ad subducendum agmen in aequiorem locum et ipse in summo constitit uertice.
34.9. The Samnites, turning their standards now this way and now that, threw away both opportunities; they could not pursue the consul, except through the same defile where a little before they -had held him at the mercy of their javelins, nor could they charge up the hill which Decius had captured over their heads.
34.9. Samnites dum huc illuc signa uertunt utriusque rei amissa occasione neque insequi consulem nisi per eandem uallem, in qua paulo ante subiectum eum telis suis habuerant, possunt, nec erigere agmen in captum super se ab Decio tumulum;
34.10. But not only did their resentment urge them rather against those who had snatched victory from their grasp, but so also did the nearness of the place and the fewness of its defenders;
34.10. sed cum ira in hos magis, qui fortunam gerendae rei eripuerant, tum propinquitas loci atque ipsa paucitas incitat;
34.11. and first they would be for surrounding the hill with troops, so as to cut Decius off from the consul, and next for leaving his road open, so that they might attack him when he was got down into the valley.
34.11. et nunc circumdare undique collem armatis uolunt, ut a consule Decium intercludant, nunc uiam patefacere, ut degressos in uallem adoriantur. incertos quid agerent nox oppressit.
34.12. Before they had made up their minds, night overtook them. Decius at first had hopes of fighting from the higher ground, as they mounted the hill; then he marvelled that they neither began to attack, nor, if they were deterred from that design by the difficulty of the ground, attempted to shut him in with trench and rampart.
34.12. Decium primum spes tenuit cum subeuntibus in aduersum collem ex superiore loco se pugnaturum; deinde admiratio incessit quod nec pugnam inirent nec, si ab eo consilio iniquitate loci deterrentur, opere se ualloque circumdarent.
34.13. Then, calling the centurions to him, he said: “What want of military skill, what slothfulness can that be? How did those people conquer the Sidicini and Campanians? You see their standards moving now this way, now that, first closing in together, then deploying, while no man falls to work, though we might ere this have been fenced in with a palisade.”
34.13. tum centurionibus ad se uocatis: 'quaenam illa inscitia belli ac pigritia est? aut quonam modo isti ex Sidicinis Campanisque uictoriam pepererunt? huc atque illuc signa moueri ac modo in unum conferri modo educi uidetis; opus quidem incipit nemo, cum iam circumdati uallo potuerimus esse.
34.14. “Then in truth should we be no better than they, were we to tarry here longer than suits our interest. Come on then and follow me, so that while there is yet a little light we may find out where they post their guards, and where the way out from this place lies open.”
34.14. tum uero nos similes istorum simus, si diutius hic moremur quam commodum sit. agitedum ite mecum ut, dum lucis aliquid superest, quibus locis praesidia ponant, qua pateat hinc exitus, exploremus.'
34.15. Wrapped in a common soldier's cloak and accompanied by his centurions, who were also dressed like privates, lest the enemy should notice that the general was on his rounds, he investigated all these matters.
34.15. haec omnia sagulo gregali amictus centurionibus item manipularium militum habitu ductis? ne ducem circumire hostes notarent, perlustrauit.
35.1. Next, having disposed the sentries, he commanded that the word be passed to everybody, that on hearing the trumpet sound for the second watch they should silently arm and present themselves before him.
35.1. uigiliis deinde dispositis ceteris omnibus tesseram dari iubet, ubi secundae uigiliae bucina datum signum esset, armati cum silentio ad se conuenirent.
35.2. When they had assembled there without a word, as he had ordered, he thus began: “You must preserve this silence, soldiers, as you listen to me, omitting all soldier-like acclaim. When I have finished explaining my plan, then those of you who find it good will quietly pass over to the right; on whichever side the majority shall be, we will abide by their decision.”
35.2. quo ubi, sicut edictum erat, taciti conuenerunt, 'hoc silentium, milites,' inquit, 'omisso militari adsensu in me audiendo seruandum est. ubi sententiam meam uobis peregero, tum quibus eadem placebunt in dextram partem taciti transibitis; quae pars maior erit, eo stabitur consilio.
35.3. “Hear now what I have in mind. The enemy has not invested you here as men who ran away or were left behind through laziness: it was by valour that you took the place, and by valour you must escape from it.”
35.3. nunc quae mente agitem audite. non fuga delatos nec inertia relictos hic uos circumuenit hostis: uirtute cepistis locum, uirtute hinc oportet euadatis.
35.4. “By coming hither you saved a splendid army for the Roman People; save yourselves by breaking out. You are worthy to have carried help, though few, to greater numbers, and to have needed no man's help yourselves.”
35.4. ueniendo huc exercitum egregium populo Romano seruastis: erumpendo hinc uosmet ipsos seruate; digni estis qui pauci pluribus opem tuleritis, ipsi nullius auxilio egueritis.
35.5. “You have an enemy to deal with who neglected yesterday through indolence an opportunity of destroying our whole army; who failed to see the importance of this hill by which he is commanded, until we had taken it; who, though we were so few and his own thousands so many, neither kept us from gaining the ascent, nor, when the place was ours and much daylight still remained, surrounded us with entrenchments.”
35.5. cum eo hoste res est, qui hesterno die delendi omnis exercitus fortuna per socordiam usus non sit, hunc tam opportunum collem imminentem capiti suo non ante uiderit quam captum a nobis, nos tam paucos tot ipse milibus hominum nec ascensu arcuerit nec tenentes locum, cum diei tantum superesset, uallo circumdederit.
35.6. “An enemy whom you thus eluded while he was wide awake and watching, you ought to baffle when he is overcome with sleep.”
35.6. quem uidentem ac uigilantem sic eluseritis, sopitum oportet fallatis, immo necesse est;
35.7. “Indeed it is necessary that you do so, for our situation is such that I am rather pointing out your necessity to you than advocating a plan.”
35.7. in eo enim loco res sunt nostrae ut uobis ego magis necessitas uestrae index quam consilii auctor sim.
35.8. “Nor truly can it be a debatable question whether you should stay or go away from here, since Fortune has left you nothing but your arms and the spirit to employ them, and we must die of hunger and thirst, if we dread the sword's point more than it is fitting men and Romans should.”
35.8. neque enim, maneatis an abeatis hinc, deliberari potest, cum praeter arma et animos armorum memores nihil uobis fortuna reliqui fecerit fameque et siti moriendum sit, si plus quam uiros ac Romanos decet ferrum timeamus.
35.9. “Our one way of safety, then, is to break through and get away. We must do this either in the day-time or at night.”
35.9. ergo una est salus erumpere hinc atque abire; id aut interdiu aut nocte faciamus oportet.
35.10. “But this, look you, is a question that is even less in doubt, for if we should wait for dawn, what hope is there that the enemy would not hem us in with a continuous trench and rampart, who has now, as you see, encompassed the hill on every hand with the bodies of his men lying below us. And yet, if night is favourable for our sally, as it is, this is surely the fittest hour of the night.”
35.10. ecce autem aliud minus dubium; quippe, si lux exspectetur, quae spes est non uallo perpetuo fossaque nos saepturum hostem, qui nunc corporibus suis subiectis undique cinxerit, ut uidetis, collem? atqui si nox opportuna est eruptioni, sicut est, haec profecto noctis aptissima hora est.
35.11. “You have come together on the signal of the second watch, when sleep lies heaviest on mortals;: you will make your way among drowsy forms, either eluding them unsuspected in your silence, or ready, if they should perceive you, to affright them with a sudden shout.”
35.11. signo secundae uigiliae conuenistis, quod tempus mortales somno altissimo premit; per corpora sopita uadetis uel silentio incautos fallentes uel sentientibus clamore subito pauorem iniecturi.
35.12. “Do but follow me, whom you have followed hitherto; I will follow that same Fortune that has led us hither. Now then let those who approve my plan step over-to the right.”
35.12. me modo sequimini, quem secuti estis; ego eandem quae duxit huc sequar fortunam. quibus haec salutaria uidentur, agitedum in dextram partem pedibus transite.'
36.1. They all crossed over. Decius then made his way through the spaces left unguarded, and they followed him.
36.1. omnes transierunt; uadentemque per intermissa custodiis loca Decium secuti sunt.
36.2. They had already got half way through the camp, when a soldier in stepping over the bodies of some sleeping sentries struck his shield and made a sound. A sentry was awakened by this, and having shaken his neighbour, they stood up and began to rouse the rest, not knowing whether they had to do with friends or foes, whether the party on the hill were escaping, or the consul had captured the camp. Decius, seeing that they were discovered, gave the order to his men, and they set up such a shout that the Samnites, who had been stupefied with sleep, were now in addition breathless with terror, which prevented them from either arming promptly or making a stand against the Romans or pursuing them.
36.2. iam euaserant media castra, cum superscandens uigilum strata somno corpora miles offenso scuto praebuit sonitum; quo excitatus uigil cum proximum mouisset erectique alios concitarent, ignari ciues an hostes essent, praesidium erumperet an consul castra cepisset, Decius, quoniam non fallerent, clamorem tollere iussis militibus torpidos somno insuper pauore exanimat, quo praepediti nec arma impigre capere nec obsistere nec insequi poterant. inter trepidationem tumultumque Samnitium praesidium Romanum obuiis custodibus caesis ad castra consulis peruadit.
36.5. During the fright and confusion amongst the Samnites, the Romans cut down such guards as they came across, and proceeded towards the consul's camp. It wanted yet some time till daylight, and they now appeared to be in safety, when Decius said, “All honour to your courage, Roman soldiers!”
36.5. aliquantum supererat noctis iamque in tuto uidebantur esse, cum Decius 'macte uirtute' inquit, 'milites Romani, este; uestrum iter ac reditum omnia saecula laudibus ferent;
36.6. “Your expedition and return shall be renowned through all the ages. But the light of day is needed to set off such gallantry, nor do you merit that your glorious return to camp should be accomplished in silence and under cover of night. Let us wait here quietly until the dawn.”
36.6. sed ad conspiciendam tantam uirtutem luce ac die opus est, nec uos digni estis quos cum tanta gloria in castra reduces silentium ac nox tegat; hic lucem quieti opperiamur.'
36.7. They did as he sail. With the first rays of light they sent forward a courier to the consul, and the camp was woke with loud rejoicings. When word was sent round that those were returning safe and sound, who in behalf of the general safety, had exposed their bodies to no uncertain peril, they all poured out to meet them, and, each for himself, praised and congratulated them, calling them their saviours, one and all. To the gods they offered praise and thanks, and Decius they extolled to the skies.
36.7. dictis obtemperatum; atque ubi primum inluxit, praemisso nuntio ad consulem castra ingenti gaudio concitantur; et tessera data incolumes reuerti, qui sua corpora pro salute omnium haud dubio periculo obiecissent, pro se quisque obuiam effusi laudant, gratulantur, singulos uniuersos seruatores suos uocant, dis laudes gratesque agunt, Decium in caelum ferunt.
36.8. Now followed a triumph for Decius in the camp, as he marched through the midst with his battalion under arms. All eyes were directed towards him, and paid the tribune equal homage with the consul.
36.8. hic Deci castrensis triumphus fuit incedentis per media castra cum armato praesidio coniectis in eum omnium oculis et omni honore tribunum consuli aequantibus.
36.9. When they reached headquarters, the consul bade the trumpet sound an assembly, and fell to lauding Decius, as he deserved. But Decius, interrupting him, induced him to defer his speech; then, urging that all other considerations should be postponed whilst they had such an opportunity at hand, he persuaded him to attack the enemy.
36.9. ubi ad praetorium uentum est, consul classico ad contionem conuocat orsusque meritas Deci laudes interfante ipso Decio distulit contionem;
36.10. They were now, he said, bewildered by the night alarm and dispersed about the: hill in separate detachments, and he doubted not that a party would have been sent out after him and would be wandering through the forest.
36.10. qui auctor omnia posthabendi dum occasio in manibus esset, perpulit consulem ut hostes et nocturno pauore attonitos et circa collem castellatim dissipatos adgrederetur: credere etiam aliquos ad se sequendum emissos per saltum uagari.
36.11. The troops were commanded to arm, and marching out of camp, were led by a more open route —for, thanks to their scouts, the forest was now better known to them —in the direction of the enemy.
36.11. iussae legiones arma capere egressaeque castris, cum per exploratores notior iam saltus esset, uia patentiore ad hostem ducuntur;
36.12. These they caught quite off their guard by a surprise attack, for the Samnite soldiers were scattered far and wide, and most of them were without their weapons, Unable either to assemble or to arm or to regain their works, they were first driven headlong into their camp, and then the outposts were routed and the camp itself was taken. The shouting was heard all round the hill and sent the detachments flying from their several stations.
36.12. quem incautum improuiso adortae, cum palati passim Samnitium milites, plerique inermes, nec coire in unum nec arma capere nec recipere intra uallum se possent, pauentem primum intra castra compellunt, deinde castra ipsa turbatis stationibus capiunt.
36.13. Thus a great part of the Samnites fled without coming into contact with the enemy. Those whom panic had driven within the? enclosure —to the number of some thirty thousand —were all put to the sword, and the camp was spoiled.
36.13. perfertur circa collem clamor fugatque ex suis quemque praesidiis. ita magna pars absenti hosti cessit: quos intra uallum egerat pauor—fuere autem ad triginta milia—omnes caesi: castra direpta.
37.1. The battle having sped thus, the consul called an assembly, and pronounced a panegyric upon Decius, in which he rehearsed, in addition to his former services, the fresh glories which his bravery had achieved. Besides other military gifts, he bestowed on him a golden chaplet and a hundred oxen, and one choice white one, fat, and with gilded horns.
37.1. ita rebus gestis consul aduocata contione P. Deci non coeptas solum ante sed cumulatas noua uirtute laudes peragit et praeter militaria alia dona aurea corona eum et centum bubus eximioque uno albo opimo auratis cornibus donat.
37.2. The soldiers who had been on the hill with him were rewarded with a double: ration in perpetuity, and for the present an ox apiece and two tunics. Following the consul's award, the legions, accompanying the gift with their cheers, placed on Decius's head a wreath of grass, to signify his rescuing them from a siege; and his own detachment crowned him with a second wreath, indicative of the same honour.
37.2. milites, qui in praesidio simul fuerant, duplici frumento in perpetuum, in praesentia priuis bubus binisque tunicis donati. secundum consulis donationem legiones gramineam coronam obsidialem, clamore donum approbantes, Decio imponunt; altera corona, eiusdem honoris index, a praesidio suo imposita est.
37.3. Adorned with these insignia, he sacrificed the choice ox to Mars, and presented the hundred others to the soldiers who had served with him on the expedition. To these same soldiers the legions contributed a pound of spelt and a pint of wine for each man. All these awards were carried out amid the greatest cheerfulness, the shouts of the soldiers testifying to the general approval.
37.3. his decoratus insignibus bouem eximium Marti immolauit, centum boues militibus dono dedit qui secum in expeditione fuerant. iisdem militibus legiones libras farris et sextarios uini contulerunt; omniaque ea ingenti alacritate per clamorem militarem, indicem omnium adsensus, gerebantur.
37.4. A third engagement was fought at Suessula, for the Samnites, after the rout inflicted on them by Marcus Valerius, had called out all the men they had of military age, determined to try their fortune in a final encounter.
37.4. tertia pugna ad Suessulam commissa est; quia fugatus a M. Ualerio Samnitium exercitus, omni robore iuuentutis domo accito, certamine ultimo fortunam experiri statuit.
37.5. From Suessula the alarming news was carried to Capua, whence gallopers were dispatched to Valerius the consul, to implore assistance.
37.5. ab Suessula nuntii trepidi Capuam, inde equites citati ad Ualerium consulem opem oratum ueniunt.
37.6. The troops were immediately set in motion, and leaving behind the baggage and a strong garrison for the camp, made a rapid march, and being got within a short distance of the enemy, encamped in a very small compass, for they had only their horses with them and neither beasts of burden nor a crowd of camp-followers.
37.6. confestim signa mota relictisque impedimentis castrorum cum ualido praesidio raptim agitur agmen; nec procul ab hoste locum perexiguum, ut quibus praeter equos ceterorum iumentorum calonumque turba abesset, castris cepit.
37.7. The Samnites, assuming that the battle would not be delayed, formed up in line; then, as no one came out to meet them, they advanced against the enemy's camp.
37.7. Samnitium exercitus, uelut haud ulla mora pugnae futura esset, aciem instruit; deinde, postquam nemo obuius ibat, infestis signis ad castra hostium succedit.
37.8. When they saw the soldiers on the rampart, and when the scouts whom they had dispatched to spy out the camp on every hand reported how straitened its dimensions were, inferring thence the paucity of their foes, the whole army began to murmur that they ought to fill up the trenches, breach the rampart, and burst into the enclosure;
37.8. ibi ut militem in uallo uidit missique ab omni parte exploratum quam in exiguum orbem contracta castra essent—paucitatem inde hostium colligentes—rettulerunt, fremere omnis acies complendas esse fossas scindendumque uallum et in castra inrumpendum;
37.9. and their rashness would have brought the war to a conclusion, had not the commanders restrained the ardour of their men.
37.9. transactumque ea temeritate bellum foret, ni duces continuissent impetum militum.
37.10. But since their numbers were a burden on the commissariat, and since, owing first to their sitting down before Suessula and afterwards to the delay in fighting, they were almost reduced to want for everything, they decided that while the enemy were cowering within their works, they would send their soldiers over the country-side to forage:
37.10. ceterum, quia multitudo sua commeatibus grauis et prius sedendo ad Suessulam et tum certaminis mora haud procul ab rerum omnium inopia esset, placuit, dum inclusus paueret hostis, frumentatum per agros militem duci:
37.11. meantime the Romans, remaining inactive, would be reduced to destitution, for they had come in light marching order, with only so much corn as they could carry, along with their armour, on their shoulders.
37.11. interim quieto Romano, qui expeditus quantum umeris inter arma geri posset frumenti secum attulisset, defutura omnia.
37.12. Seeing the Samnites dispersed about the fields, and their stations thinly manned, the consul addressed a few words of encouragement to his soldiers and led them to the assault of the enemy's camp.
37.12. consul palatos per agros cum uidisset hostes, stationes infrequentes relictas, paucis milites adhortatus ad castra oppugnanda ducit.
37.13. Having taken it at the first shout and rush, and slain more men in their tents than at the gates and on the breastworks, he ordered the captured standards to be collected in one spot. Then, leaving two legions to guard them and defend the place, — with strict injunctions to refrain from spoiling until he himself returned, —he marched out in serried column, and sending the cavalry on before to surround the scattered Samnites, as with a cordon of hunters, and so drive them in, he made a prodigious slaughter of them.
37.13. quae cum primo clamore atque impetu cepisset, pluribus hostium in tentoriis suis quam in portis ualloque caesis signa captiua in unum locum conferri iussit; relictisque duabus legionibus custodiae et praesidii causa, graui edicto monitis ut, donec ipse reuertisset, praeda abstinerent, profectus agmine instructo, cum praemissus eques uelut indagine dissipatos Samnites ageret, caedem ingentem fecit.
37.15. For in their terror they were unable to agree either under what standard they should rally, or whether they should make for their camp or direct their flight towards some more remote place;
37.15. nam neque quo signo coirent inter se neque utrum castra peterent an longiorem intenderent fugam, territis constare poterat;
37.16. and so great was their discomfiture and panic, that the Romans brought in to the consul no less than forty thousand shields —though not near so many men were slain —and of military standards, including those which had been captured in the camp, no fewer than a hundred and seventy.
37.16. tantumque fugae ac formidinis fuit, ut ad quadraginta milia scutorum—nequaquam tot caesis—et signa militaria cum iis quae in castris capta erant ad centum septuaginta ad consulem deferrentur.
37.17. The victors then returned to the enemy's camp and there the plunder was all given to the soldiers.
37.17. tum in castra hostium reditum ibique omnis praeda militi data.
38.1. The fortunate outcome of this war not only impelled the Faliscans, with whom there was a truce, to ask the senate for a treaty, but caused the Latins, whose armies were ready to take the field, to transfer their attack from Rome to the Paeligni.
38.1. huius certaminis fortuna et Faliscos, cum in indutiis essent, foedus petere ab senatu coegit et Latinos iam exercitibus comparatis ab Romano in Paelignum uertit bellum.
38.2. Nor was the fame of this success confined to Italy; even the Carthaginians sent their envoys to Rome, with congratulations and the gift of a golden crown, weighing five and twenty pounds, to be placed in the shrine of Jupiter on the Capitol.
38.2. neque ita rei gestae fama Italiae se finibus tenuit sed Carthaginienses quoque legatos gratulatum Romam misere cum coronae aureae dono, quae in Capitolio in Iouis cella poneretur; fuit pondo uiginti quinque.
38.3. Both consuls triumphed over the Samnites, and after them came Decius, conspicuous in his decorations and so renowned, that the soldiers in their rude jests named the tribune no less often than the consuls.
38.3. consules ambo de Samnitibus triumpharunt sequente Decio insigni cum laude donisque, cum incondito militari ioco haud minus tribuni celebre nomen quam consulum esset.
38.4. The deputations of the Campanians and the Suessulani were then heard, and a favourable reply was made to their petition that a garrison should be dispatched, to remain through the winter with them and protect them against inroads by the Samnites.
38.4. Campanorum deinde Suessulanorumque auditae legationes, precantibusque datum ut praesidium eo in hiberna mitteretur, quo Samnitium excursiones arcerentur.
38.5. Capua was even then a far from wholesome place for military discipline, and with its means for gratifying every pleasure proved so fascinating to the soldiers that they forgot their native land, and formed a project, while in winter quarters, for taking the city away from the Campanians by the same wicked practice by which the Campanians had taken it from its ancient inhabitants.
38.5. iam tum minime salubris militari disciplinae Capua instrumento omnium uoluptatium delenitos militum animos auertit a memoria patriae, inibanturque consilia in hibernis eodem scelere adimendae Campanis Capuae per quod illi eam antiquis cultoribus ademissent:
38.6. There would be a certain justice, they argued, in turning their own example against them. Besides, why should the most fertile land in Italy, and a city worthy of the land, belong to the Campanians, who were incapable of defending either themselves or their possessions? Why, rather, should it not belong to the conquering army, which had toiled and bled to drive the Samnites out of it?
38.6. neque immerito suum ipsorum exemplum in eos uersurum; cur autem potius Campani agrum Italiae uberrimum, dignam agro urbem, qui nec se nec sua tutari possent, quam uictor exercitus haberet qui suo sudore ac sanguine inde Samnites depulisset?
38.7. Was it fair that their surrendered subjects should enjoy that fertile and agreeable tract, while they, exhausted with campaigning, wrestled with the arid and noxious soil in the neighbourhood of Rome, or endured the ruinous usury that had fastened on the City and was increasing from one day to the next?
38.7. an aequum esse dediticios suos illa fertilitate atque amoenitate perfrui, se militando fessos in pestilenti atque arido circa urbem solo luctari aut in urbe insidentem labem crescentis in dies fenoris pati?
38.8. These schemes, discussed in secret cabals and not yet communicated to all the troops, were discovered by the new consul, Gaius Marcius Rutulus, to whom the lot had assigned Campania for his province, leaving Quintus Servilius, his colleague, in charge at Rome.
38.8. haec agitata occultis coniurationibus necdum uolgata in omnes consilia inuenit nouus consul C. Marcius Rutulus, cui Campania sorte prouincia euenerat, Q. Seruilio collega ad urbem relicto.
38.9. And so having found out through his tribunes exactly what had taken place, Rutulus, who was of ripe years and experience, —for the present consulship was his fourth and he had been both dictator and censor —thought that his best course would be to frustrate the men's impetuosity, by encouraging the hope that they would be able at any time they chose to carry out their plan.
38.9. itaque cum omnia ea, sicut gesta erant, per tribunos comperta haberet, et aetate et usu doctus quippe qui iam quartum consul esset dictatorque et censor fuisset, optimum ratus differendo spem quandocumque uellent consilii exsequendi militarem impetum frustrari, rumorem dissipat in iisdem oppidis et anno post praesidia hibernatura—diuisa enim erant per Campaniae urbes manauerantque a Capua consilia in exercitum omnem.
38.10. He accordingly set on foot a rumour that the garrisons would winter in the same towns in the following year also, —for they had been distributed among the cities of Campania and from Capua their designs had spread to the entire army, —and the conspirators being thus afforded time for breathing, the sedition subsided for the present. The consul having led out his troops to the summer encampment, and finding the Samnites quiet, resolved to purge the army of its troublemakers by discharging them.: Of some of them he said that they had served out their time; of others, that they were now too old or deficient in sturdiness.
38.10. eo laxamento cogitationibus dato quieuit in praesentia seditio. consul educto in aestiua milite, dum quietos Samnites habebat, exercitum purgare missionibus turbulentorum hominum instituit, aliis emerita dicendo stipendia esse, alios graues iam aetate aut uiribus parum ualidos;
39.2. To some he granted furlough, singling out individuals at first, but later dismissing certain cohorts, on the ground that they had passed the winter far from their homes and their affairs. Many, too, were sent off on some pretext of military employment, some one way, some another.
39.2. auidam in commeatus mittebantur, singuli primo, deinde et cohortes quaedam, quia procul ab domo ac rebus suis hibernassent; per speciem etiam militarium usuum, cum alii alio mitterentur, magna pars ablegati.
39.3. All these the other consul and the praetor detained at Rome, alleging a variety of reasons. And at first, not suspecting a trick, they were far from sorry to visit their homes again.
39.3. quam multitudinem consul alter Romae praetorque alias ex aliis fingendo moras retinebat.
39.4. Later on, when they saw that the first to go failed to rejoin the colours, and that practically none were dismissed but those who had wintered in Campania, and particularly such of these as had encouraged the conspiracy, they marvelled at first, and presently began to entertain very definite fears that their designs had come to light:
39.4. et primo quidem ignari ludificationis minime inuiti domos reuisebant; postquam neque reuerti ad signa primos nec ferme alium quam qui in Campania hibernassent praecipueque ex his seditionis auctores mitti uiderunt, primum admiratio, deinde haud dubius timor incessit animos consilia sua emanasse:
39.5. soon there would be investigations, soon informations would be lodged, they would soon be punished in secret, one by one, and would be made to feel the unrestrained and cruel despotism with which the consuls and the senate governed them.
39.5. iam quaestiones, iam indicia, iam occulta singulorum supplicia impotensque et crudele consulum ac patrum in se regnum passuros.
39.6. Such were the fears that were secretly put about by the soldiers in the camp, for they saw that the sinews of their plot had been plucked out by the consul's artifice.
39.6. haec qui in castris erant occultis sermonibus serunt, neruos coniurationis electos arte consulis cernentes.
39.7. One cohort which was stationed not far from Anxur went into camp near Lautulae, in the narrow pass between the sea and the mountains, where they could intercept those whom the consul continued to dismiss, on one pretext or another, as has been said before.
39.7. cohors una, cum haud procul Anxure esset, ad Lautulas saltu angusto inter mare ac montes consedit ad excipiendos quos consul aliis atque aliis, ut ante dictum est, causis mittebat.
39.8. They were soon a very numerous body, and lacked no essential element of an army except a general. And so, without order, and pillaging as they went, they proceeded as far as the Alban country, and under the ridge of Alba Longa encamped and threw up a rampart.
39.8. iam ualida admodum numero manus erat nec quicquam ad iusti exercitus formam praeter ducem deerat. incompositi itaque praedantes in agrum Albanum perueniunt et sub iugo Albae Longae castra uallo cingunt.
39.9. Having finished the work, they employed the remainder of the day in wrangling over the choice of a general, for they had no great confidence in anyone there present.
39.9. perfecto inde opere reliquum diei de imperatore sumendo sententiis decertant, nulli ex praesentibus satis fidentes:
39.10. But whom could they summon from Rome? What patrician or plebeian was there who would wittingly expose himself to so great a danger, or to whom the cause of the army, maddened by its wrongs, could fitly be committed?
39.10. quem autem ab Roma posse exciri? quem patrum aut plebis esse qui aut se tanto periculo sciens offerat aut cui ex iniuria insanientis exercitus causa recte committatur?
39.11. On the following day, while-they were debating the same question, certain of their roving foragers reported having learned that Titus Quinctius was living on a farm near Tusculum, with no thoughts of the City or its honours.
39.11. postero die cum eadem deliberatio teneret, ex praedatoribus uagis quidam compertum attulerunt T. Quinctium in Tusculano agrum colere, urbis honorumque immemorem.
39.12. This man, who belonged to a noble family, had won great distinction in the wars, but a lameness in one of his feet, resulting from a wound, had put an end to his campaigning, and had determined him to take up his residence in the country, far from the Forum and from politics.
39.12. patriciae hic uir gentis erat; cui cum militiae magna cum gloria actae finem pes alter ex uolnere claudus fecisset, ruri agere uitam procul ambitione ac foro constituit.
39.13. On hearing his name they remembered the man at once, and bade send for him, invoking a blessing on this step. But there being little prospect that he would voluntarily assist them, they resolved on employing threats and violence.
39.13. nomine audito extemplo agnouere uirum et, quod bene uerteret, acciri iusserunt. sed parum spei erat uoluntate quicquam facturum; uim adhiberi ac metum placuit.
39.14. Coming therefore to his farm-house in the silence of the night, those who had been dispatched upon this errand caught Quinctius sound asleep, and offering him no choice but authority and rank, or death, —with which, when he held back, they threatened him, unless he would go along with them —they carried him off to the camp.
39.14. itaque silentio noctis cum tectum uillae qui ad id missi erant intrassent, somno grauem Quinctium oppressum, nihil medium aut imperium atque honorem aut ubi restitaret mortem ni sequeretur denuntiantes, in castra pertraxerunt.
39.15. Once there they immediately hailed him General, and dazed as he was by the astounding suddenness of it all, conferred on him the insignia of that office and bade him lead them to the City.
39.15. imperator extemplo adueniens appellatus, insigniaque honoris exterrito subitae rei miraculo deferunt et ad urbem ducere iubent.
39.16. Then, more on their own impulse than by the counsel of their general, they pulled up their standards and marched in warlike array as far as the eighth milestone, on what is now the Appian Way;
39.16. suo magis inde impetu quam consilio ducis conuolsis signis infesto agmine ad lapidem octauum uiae, quae nunc Appia est, perueniunt;
39.17. whence they would at once have gone on to the City, had they not learned that an army was coming to oppose them, under Marcus Valerius Corvus, who had been created dictator for that purpose, with Lucius Aemilius Mamercus as master of the horse.
39.17. issentque confestim ad urbem, ni uenire contra exercitum dictatoremque aduersus se M. Ualerium Coruum dictum audissent et magistrum equitum L. Aemilium Mamercum.
40.1. As soon as they came within sight of one another and recognized one another's arms and ensigns, all were at once reminded of their fatherland, and their anger cooled.
40.1. ubi primum in conspectum uentum est <et> arma signaque agnouere, extemplo omnibus memoria patriae iras permulsit.
40.2. Men were not yet so hardy in shedding the blood of countrymen; they knew no wars but those with outside nations, and thought that frenzy could go no further than secession from their people.
40.2. nondum erant tam fortes ad sanguinem ciuilem nec praeter externa nouerant bella, ultimaque rabies secessio ab suis habebatur; itaque iam duces, iam milites utrimque congressus quaerere ac conloquia:
40.3. And so on either side both the leaders and their men began to seek for ways to meet and confer together. For Quinctius was sated with war, even war in behalf of his country, to say nothing of fighting against it; and the affection of Corvinus embraced all his fellow-citizens, particularly the soldiers, and above all others, his own army.
40.3. Quinctius, quem armorum etiam pro patria satietas teneret nedum aduersus patriam, Coruinus omnes caritate ciues, praecipue milites, et ante alios suum exercitum complexus. <is> ad conloquium processit.
40.4. He now came forward to parley, and being recognized, was instantly accorded a silent attention, in which his opponents showed as great respect for him as did his followers. “Soldiers,” he began, “as I was setting forth from the City, I adored your gods and mine, and humbly besought them of their goodness to vouchsafe to me the glory of reconciling, not of conquering you.”
40.4. cognito ei extemplo haud minore ab aduersariis uerecundia quam ab suis silentium datum. 'deos' inquit 'immortales, milites, uestros [publicos] meosque ab urbe proficiscens ita adoraui ueniamque supplex poposci ut mihi de uobis concordiae partae gloriam non uictoriam darent.
40.5. “There have been wars in plenty, and will be others, where men may win renown: in this crisis we must seek for peace.” “The petition which I made to the immortal gods, as I offered up my prayer, you are able of yourselves to grant me, if you are willing to reflect that your camp is pitched not in Samnium nor among the Volsci, but on Roman soil; that those hills which you see are in your native land; that this army is made up of your fellow-citizens; that I am your consul, under whose command and auspices you twice last year defeated the Samnite legions, and twice stormed their camp.”
40.5. satis fuit eritque unde belli decus pariatur: hinc pax petenda est. quod deos immortales inter nuncupanda uota expoposci, eius me compotem uoti uos facere potestis, si meminisse uoltis non uos in Samnio nec in Uolscis sed in Romano solo castra habere, si illos colles quos cernitis patriae uestrae esse, si hunc exercitum ciuium uestrorum, si me consulem uestrum, cuius ductu auspicioque priore anno bis legiones Samnitium fudistis, bis castra ui cepistis.
40.7. “I am Marcus Valerius Corvus, soldiers, whose patrician blood has declared itself in kindnesses done you, not in injuries; I have urged no insolent law against you, no cruel senatorial resolution; in every position of authority I have been sterner to myself than to you.”
40.7. ego sum M. Ualerius Coruus, milites, cuius uos nobilitatem beneficiis erga uos non iniuriis sensistis, nullius superbae in uos legis, nullius crudelis senatus consulti auctor, in omnibus meis imperiis in me seuerior quam in uos.
40.8. “And in truth if any man's family, if any man's own worth, if any man's dignities and honours have been able to inspire pride in him, my birth was such, I had given such proof of my capacity, and had achieved so young the highest magistracy, that I might easily, on becoming consul at the age of three and twenty, have been overbearing even towards the nobles, not merely towards the plebs.”
40.8. ac si cui genus, si cui sua uirtus, si cui etiam maiestas, si cui honores subdere spiritus potuerunt, iis eram natus, id specimen mei dederam, ea aetate consulatum adeptus eram, ut potuerim tres et uiginti annos natus consul patribus quoque ferox esse non solum plebi.
40.9. “But what have you heard that I said or did, when consul, more tyrannical than my words and deeds as tribune? In that same spirit I administered two subsequent consulships; in that same spirit shall this dictatorship with its dread power be administered; so that I shall be no gentler to these my soldiers and the soldiers of my country, than to you —I shudder to say the word, —our enemies.”
40.9. quod meum factum dictumue consulis grauius quam tribuni audistis? eodem tenore duo insequentes consulatus gessi, eodem haec imperiosa dictatura geretur; ut neque in hos meos et patriae meae milites <sim> mitior quam in uos—horreo dicere—hostes.
40.10. “You shall therefore sooner draw sword on me than I on you. It is on your side that the trumpets will sound, on your side that the battle-cry will be raised and the attack begin, if fight we must.”
40.10. ergo uos prius in me strinxeritis ferrum quam in uos ego; istinc signa canent, istinc clamor prius incipiet atque impetus, si dimicandum est.
40.11. “Steel your hearts to do that which neither your fathers nor yet your grandfathers could resolve upon —neither those who seceded to the Sacred Mount, nor those who later encamped upon the Aventine.”
40.11. inducite in animum quod non induxerunt patres auique uestri, non illi qui in Sacrum montem secesserunt, non hi qui postea Auentinum insederunt.
40.12. “Wait until to each of you —as once to Coriolanus —your mothers and wives come forth from the City with dishevelled hair. On that day the legions of the Volsci ceased fighting, because they had a Roman leader: will you, an army of Romans, not relinquish this impious war?”
40.12. exspectate, dum uobis singulis, ut olim Coriolano, matres coniugesque crinibus passis obuiae ab urbe ueniant. tum Uolscorum legiones, quia Romanum habebant ducem, quieuerunt: uos, Romanus exercitus, ne destiteritis impio bello.
40.13. “Titus Quinctius, whatever be your position over there —whether you have taken it voluntarily or against your will, —if we must do battle, do you retire to the rear; you will even flee with less discredit, turning your back upon your fellow-citizens, than you will incur in fighting against your country.”
40.13. T. Quincti, quocumque istic loco seu uolens seu inuitus constitisti, si dimicandum erit, tum tu in nouissimos te recipito; fugeris etiam honestius tergumque ciui dederis quam pugnaueris contra patriam.
40.14. “Now, however, to make peace you will stand with honour and credit amongst the foremost, and will be a salutary mediator at this conference. Let your men ask what is reasonable, and receive it; yet must we rather put up with what is not, than join together in impious strife.”
40.14. nunc ad pacificandum bene atque honeste inter primos stabis et conloquii huius salutaris interpres fueris. postulate aequa et ferte; quamquam uel iniquis standum est potius quam impias inter nos conseramus manus.'
40.15. Titus Quinctius turned with streaming eyes and addressed his people: “I, too, soldiers, if I am of any use to you, can better lead you to peace than into war.”
40.15. T. Quinctius plenus lacrimarum ad suos uersus 'me quoque' inquit, 'milites, si quis usus mei est, meliorem pacis quam belli habetis ducem.
40.16. “For it was no Volscian or Samnite that just spoke those words, but a Roman. It was your consul, your general, soldiers. You have proved his auspices in your own behalf; seek not to prove their worth against you.”
40.16. non enim illa modo Uolscus aut Samnis sed Romanus uerba fecit, uester consul, uester imperator, milites, cuius auspicia pro uobis experti nolite aduersus uos uelle experiri.
40.17. “The senate had other leaders who would have made more ruthless war on you; but they have chosen him who would deal most mercifully with you, his men; one in whom, as in your general, you might place the most utter confidence.”
40.17. qui pugnarent uobiscum infestius, et alios duces senatus habuit: qui maxime uobis, suis militibus, parceret, cui plurimum uos, imperatori uestro, crederetis, eum elegit.
40.18. “Peace is the goal desired even by those who are able to conquer: what then ought our desire to be?”
40.18. pacem etiam qui uincere possunt uolunt: quid nos uelle oportet?
40.19. “Nay, let us abandon wrath and hope —deceitful counsellors —and commit ourselves and all our cause to a man of known fidelity!”
40.19. quin omissis ira et spe, fallacibus auctoribus, nos ipsos nostraque omnia cognitae permittimus fidei?'
41.1. A shout of approval burst from every throat, and Titus Quinctius, advancing in front of the standards, announced that the soldiers would submit to the dictator's authority. He begged him to undertake the cause of his wretched fellow-citizens, and having done so to forward it with the same fidelity with which he had been used to deal with the interests of the state.
41.1. approbantibus clamore cunctis T. Quinctius ante signa progressus in potestate dictatoris milites fore dixit; orauit ut causam miserorum ciuium susciperet susceptamque eadem fide qua rem publicam administrare solitus esset tueretur:
41.2. For himself privately, he said, he demanded no assurance, he had no wish to found a hope on aught but innocence. But the soldiers must be assured, as in their fathers' day the plebs had been, and, on a second occasion, the legions, that they should not be punished for secession.
41.2. sibi se priuatim nihil cauere; nolle alibi quam in innocentia spem habere; militibus cauendum, quod apud patres semel plebi, iterum legionibus cautum sit ne fraudi secessio esset.
41.3. After praising Quinctius and bidding the rest be of good cheer, the dictator galloped back to the City, and having secured the authority of the Fathers, got the people to enact a law, in the Peteline Wood, that none of the soldiers should be held to answer for the secession.
41.3. Quinctio conlaudato, ceteris bonum animum habere iussis, dictator equo citato ad urbem reuectus auctoribus patribus tulit ad populum in luco Petelino ne cui militum fraudi secessio esset. orauit etiam bona uenia Quirites ne quis eam rem ioco serioue cuiquam exprobraret.
41.4. He begged them also, as citizens, to grant him the favour that none would make the incident a matter of reproach to any, either in jest or in earnest. There was also passed a military law, under penalty of devotion, to the effect that the name of no one enrolled as a soldier might be struck off the list, except with his own consent.
41.4. lex quoque sacrata militaris lata est ne cuius militis scripti nomen nisi ipso uolente deleretur; additumque legi ne quis, ubi tribunus militum fuisset, postea ordinum ductor esset.
41.5. To this a provision was added that no one might later command a century in the legion where he had been a military tribune.
41.5. id propter P. Salonium postulatum est ab coniuratis, qui alternis prope annis et tribunus militum et primus centurio erat, quem nunc primi pili appellant.
41.6. This clause was demanded by the conspirators on account of Publius Salonius, who in almost regular alternation was tribune of the soldiers one year, and chief centurion —whom they now call “centurion of the first javelin” —the next. The men were incensed at Salonius because lie had always opposed their mutinous schemes, and had fled from Lautulae that he might not share in them.
41.6. huic infensi milites erant, quod semper aduersatus nouis consiliis fuisset et, ne particeps eorum esset, [qui] ab Lautulis fugisse[n]t.
41.7. And so, when this one provision would have failed of enactment by the senate, out of consideration for Salonius, he himself besought the Fathers not to think more highly of his distinction than of harmony in the state, and induced them to pass this also.
41.7. itaque cum hoc unum propter Salonium ab senatu non impetraretur, tum Salonius obtestatus patres conscriptos ne suum honorem pluris quam concordiam ciuitatis aestimarent, perpulit ut id quoque ferretur.
41.8. An equally shameless demand was made that the pay of the cavalry should be reduced —they served at that time for treble pay —on the ground that they had opposed the conspiracy.
41.8. aeque impotens postulatum fuit ut de stipendio equitum—merebant autem triplex ea tempestate—aera demerentur, quod aduersati coniurationi fuissent.
42.1. In addition to these transactions, I find in certain writers that Lucius Genucius, a tribune of the plebs, proposed to the plebs that it should be unlawful to lend at interest.
42.1. praeter haec inuenio apud quosdam L. Genucium tribunum plebis tulisse ad plebem ne fenerare liceret;
42.2. Also that it was provided in other plebiscites that no one might hold the same office twice within ten years, nor two offices in one year; and that it should be legal for both consuls to be chosen from the plebs. If all these concessions were made to the commons, it is evident that the revolt possessed no little strength.
42.2. item aliis plebi scitis cautum ne quis eundem magistratum intra decem annos caperet neu duos magistratus uno anno gereret utique liceret consules ambos plebeios creari. quae si omnia concessa sunt plebi, apparet haud paruas uires defectionem habuisse.
42.3. Other annalists have recorded that Valerius was not made dictator, but that the whole affair was managed through the consuls, and that it was not before they came to Rome, but in Rome, that this great company of conspirators was dismayed into arming;
42.3. aliis annalibus proditum est neque dictatorem Ualerium dictum sed per consules omnem rem actam neque antequam Romam ueniretur sed Romae eam multitudinem coniuratorum ad arma consternatam esse nec in T.
42.4. further, that the night attack was made, not on the farm of Titus Quinctius, but on the town house of Gaius Manlius, and that it was he whom the conspirators seized and made their leader. Thence they proceeded —according to this account —to the fourth milestone, where they entrenched a camp.
42.4. Quincti uillam sed in aedes C. Manli nocte impetum factum eumque a coniuratis comprehensum ut dux fieret; inde ad quartum lapidem profectos loco munito consedisse;
42.5. Nor was it the leaders who suggested a reconciliation, but suddenly, when the two armies had marched out in battle array, salutations were exchanged, and the soldiers, mingling together, began tearfully to clasp hands and embrace each other, so that the consuls, seeing the men to be in no mood for fighting, had been compelled to lay proposals before the senate for the re-establishment of harmony.
42.5. nec ab ducibus mentionem concordiae ortam sed repente, cum in aciem armati exercitus processissent, salutationem factam et permixtos dextras iungere ac complecti inter se lacrimantes milites coepisse coactosque consules, cum uiderent auersos a dimicatione militum animos, rettulisse ad patres de concordia reconcilianda.
42.7. Thus in no single instance do the ancient authorities agree, except that there was a sedition, and that it was composed.
42.7. adeo nihil praeterquam seditionem fuisse eamque compositam inter antiquos rerum auctores constat.
42.8. The report of this sedition, in conjunction with the dangerous war entered upon with the Samnites, caused several nations to forsake their alliance with the Romans, and not only were the Latins unfaithful to the treaty —as they had been for some time —but the Privernates even, in a sudden raid, laid waste the neighbouring Roman colonies of Norba and Setia.
42.8. et huius fama seditionis et susceptum cum Samnitibus graue bellum aliquot populos ab Romana societate auertit, et praeter Latinorum infidum iam diu foedus Priuernates etiam Norbam atque Setiam, finitimas colonias Romanas, incursione subita depopulati sunt. IAM consules erant C. Plautius iterum L. Aemilius Mamercus, cum Setini Norbanique Romam nuntii defectionis Privernatium cum querimoniis acceptae cladis venerunt.