[9,12] Ἐν ᾧ δὲ ταῦτ´ ἐγίνετο, οἱ τὸν χάρακα τὸν ἐκλειφθέντα ὑπὸ τοῦ Μαλλίου καταλαβόμενοι Τυρρηνοὶ συνθήματος ἀρθέντος ἀπὸ τοῦ στρατηγίου σὺν τάχει πολλῷ καὶ προθυμίᾳ μεγάλῃ χωροῦντες ἐπὶ τὸν ἕτερον ἠπείγοντο τῶν Ῥωμαίων χάρακα, ὡς οὐκ ἀξιοχρέῳ δυνάμει φυλαττόμενον. καὶ ἦν ἡ δόξα αὐτῶν ἀληθής. ἔξω γὰρ τῶν τριαρίων καὶ ὀλίγων ἄλλων τῶν ἐν ἀκμῇ τὸ λοιπὸν πλῆθος ἐμπόρων τε καὶ θεραπόντων καὶ χειροτεχνῶν ἦν ἐν αὐτῷ· γίνεταί τε πολλῶν εἰς ὀλίγον συνελασθέντων χωρίον· περὶ γὰρ ταῖς πύλαις ὁ ἀγὼν ἦν· ὀξεῖα καὶ χαλεπὴ μάχη, καὶ νεκροὶ παρ´ ἀμφοτέρων πολλοί. ἐν τούτῳ τῷ ἔργῳ ὅ τε {Μάλλιος} ὕπατος ἐκβοηθῶν ἅμα τοῖς ἱππεῦσιν, ἐπειδὴ ὁ ἵππος ἔπεσε συγκατενεχθεὶς καὶ ἀδύνατος ὢν ἀναστῆναι ὑπὸ πλήθους τραυμάτων, ἀποθνήσκει καὶ πολλοὶ καὶ ἀγαθοὶ περὶ αὐτὸν ἄλλοι νέοι. μετὰ δὲ τὸ πάθος τοῦτ´ εὐθὺς ὁ χάραξ ἡλίσκετο, καὶ τέλος εἶχε τοῖς Τυρρηνοῖς τὰ μαντεύματα. εἰ μὲν οὖν ἐταμιεύσαντο τὴν παροῦσαν εὐτυχίαν καὶ διὰ φυλακῆς ἔσχον τὸν χάρακα, τάς τ´ ἀποσκευὰς τῶν Ῥωμαίων κατέσχον καὶ αὐτοὺς αἰσχρῶς ἀπελθεῖν ἠνάγκασαν· νῦν δὲ πρὸς ἁρπαγὴν τῶν ἀπολειφθέντων τραπόμενοι καὶ ἀναψύχοντες τὸ λοιπὸν οἱ πλείους καλὴν ἄγραν ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν ἀφῃρέθησαν. ὡς γὰρ ἀπηγγέλθη θατέρῳ τῶν ὑπάτων ἡ τοῦ χάρακος ἅλωσις, ἠπείγετο σὺν τοῖς ἀρίστοις ἱππέων τε καὶ πεζῶν. καὶ οἱ Τυρρηνοὶ μαθόντες αὐτὸν ἐπιόντα περιεστεφάνωσαν τὸν χάρακα, μάχη τ´ αὐτῶν γίνεται καρτερὰ τῶν μὲν ἀνασώσασθαι βουλομένων τὰ σφέτερα, τῶν δέ, μὴ πασσυδὶ διαφθαρῶσιν ἁλόντος τοῦ χάρακος, δεδοικότων. χρόνου δὲ γινομένου πλείονος καὶ τῶν Τυρρηνῶν πολλὰ πλεονεκτούντων - ἦν γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐξ ὑπερδεξίων τε χωρίων καὶ πρὸς ἀνθρώπους δι´ ἡμέρας ὅλης κεκμηκότας ἡ μάχη - Τῖτος Σίκκιος ὁ πρεσβευτὴς καὶ ἀντιστράτηγος, κοινωσάμενος τῷ ὑπάτῳ τὴν αὑτοῦ διάνοιαν τὸ ἀνακλητικὸν ἐκέλευε σημαίνειν, καὶ καθ´ ἓν ἅπαντας γενομένους μιᾷ προσβάλλειν πλευρᾷ τοῦ χάρακος, καθ´ ὃ μάλιστα τὸ χωρίον ἦν ἐπιμαχώτατον· τὰ δὲ κατὰ τὰς πύλας εἴασε μέρη κατά τινα εἰκότα λογισμόν, ὃς οὐκ ἐψεύσατο αὐτόν, ὅτι σωθήσεσθαι μὲν ἐλπίσαντες οἱ Τυρρηνοὶ μεθήσονται τοῦ χάρακος, ἐν ἀπογνώσει δὲ τούτου γενόμενοι κυκλώσεώς τε πάντοθεν ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων γενομένης καὶ οὐδεμιᾶς ὑπαρχούσης ἐξόδου ἀναγκαῖον ἕξουσι τὸ εὔτολμον. γενομένης δὲ καθ´ ἓν χωρίον τῆς προσβολῆς οὐκέτι πρὸς ἀλκὴν οἱ Τυρρηνοὶ ἐτράποντο, ἀλλ´ ἀνοίξαντες τὰς πύλας ἐπὶ τὸν ἑαυτῶν ἀνεσώζοντο χάρακα.

[9,12] In the meantime the Tyrrhenians who had possessed themselves of the camp abandoned by Manlius, as soon as the signal for battle was given at headquarters, ran with great haste and alacrity to the other camp of the Romans, suspecting that it was not guarded by a sufficient force. And their belief was correct. For, apart from the triarii and a few younger troops, the rest of the crowd then in the camp consisted of merchants, servants and artificers; and with many crowded into a small space — for the struggle was for the gates of the camp — a sharp and (p325) severe engagement followed, and there were many dead on both sides.During this action the consul Manlius was coming out with the cavalry to the relief of his men, when his horse fell; and he, falling with him and being unable to rise because of his many wounds, died there, and likewise many brave young men at his side. After this disaster the camp was soon taken, and the Tyrrhenians' prophecies had their fulfilment.Now if they had husbanded the good fortune that was then theirs and had kept the camp under guard, they would have got possession of the Romans' baggage and forced them to a shameful retreat; but as it was, by turning to plundering what had been left behind and from then on refreshing themselves, as most of them did, they allowed a fine booty to escape out of their hands. For as soon as word of the taking of the camp reached the other consul, he hastened thither with the flower of both horse and foot. The Tyrrhenians, informed of this approach, formed a circle round the camp and a sharp battle occurred between them, as the Romans endeavoured to recover what was theirs and the enemy feared being annihilated if their camp should be taken. When considerable time passed and the Tyrrhenians had many advantages, since they fought from higher ground and against men spent with fighting the whole day,Titus Siccius, the legate and proconsul, after communicating his plan to the consul, ordered that a retreat should be sounded and (p327) that all the men should assemble in a single body and assault one side of the camp where it was most easy of attack. He left free from attack the parts next the gates, reasoning plausibly — and in this he was not deceived — that if the Tyrrhenians saw any hope of saving themselves, they would abandon the camp, whereas, if they despaired of this, finding themselves surrounded on all sides and no way of escape left, necessity would make them brave.And when the attack was directed against one point only, the Tyrrhenians no longer resisted, but opening the gates, made their way back in safety to their own camp.