[9,24] Οἱ δ´ ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ τήν τ´ ἀπώλειαν τῶν σφετέρων καὶ τὴν ἅλωσιν τοῦ χάρακος μαθόντες - ἧκον γὰρ οἱ πρῶτοι διασωθέντες ἐκ τῆς τροπῆς πολλῆς ἔτι νυκτὸς οὔσης - εἰς μέγαν θόρυβον ὥσπερ εἰκὸς κατέστησαν· καὶ ὡς αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα τῶν πολεμίων ἐπὶ σφᾶς ἐλευσομένων ἁρπάσαντες τὰ ὅπλα, οἱ μὲν τὰ τείχη περιεστεφάνουν, οἱ δὲ πρὸ τῶν πυλῶν ἐτάξαντο, οἱ δὲ τὰ μετέωρα τῆς πόλεως κατελαμβάνοντο. ἦν δὲ δρόμος ἄτακτος ἀνὰ τὴν πόλιν ὅλην καὶ βοὴ συμμιγής, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς τέγεσι τῶν οἴκων εἰς ἀλκὴν καὶ ἀγῶνα εὐτρεπὴς ὁ κατοικίδιος ὄχλος, πυρσοί τε συνεχεῖς, οἷς δὴ ἐν νυκτὶ καὶ σκοταίᾳ ταύτῃ, ὑπὸ λαμπάδων καὶ ἀπὸ τεγῶν τοσοῦτοι τὸ πλῆθος ᾔροντο, ὥστε συναφὲς εἶναι δοκεῖν τοῖς πρόσωθεν ὁρῶσι τὸ σέλας καὶ δόξαν ἐμπιμπραμένης πόλεως παρασχεῖν. καὶ εἰ τότε οἱ Τυρρηνοὶ τῶν ἐκ τοῦ χάρακος ὠφελειῶν ὑπεριδόντες ἐκ ποδὸς τοῖς φεύγουσιν ἠκολούθησαν, ἅπας´ ἂν διέφθαρτο ἡ στρατεύσασα ἐπ´ αὐτοὺς δύναμις, νῦν δὲ πρὸς ἁρπαγάς τε τῶν ἐγκαταλειφθέντων ἐν τῷ χάρακι τραπόμενοι καὶ ἀναπαύσει τὰ σώματα δόντες μεγάλου αὐχήματος ἑαυτοὺς ἐστέρησαν. τῇ δ´ ἑξῆς ἡμέρᾳ τὰς δυνάμεις ἄγοντες ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥώμην καὶ σταδίους ἀμφὶ τοὺς ἑκκαίδεκα ἀποσχόντες ὄρος, ἐξ οὗ σύνοπτός ἐστιν ἡ Ῥώμη, τὸ καλούμενον Ἰάνικλον, καταλαμβάνονται, ὅθεν ὁρμώμενοι τὴν Ῥωμαίων χώραν ἦγόν τε καὶ ἔφερον ἀκώλυτοι κατὰ πολλὴν τῶν ἔνδον ὑπεροψίαν, μέχρι τοῦ παραγενέσθαι τὸν ἕτερον τῶν ὑπάτων Ὁράτιον ἄγοντα τὴν ἐν Οὐολούσκοις δύναμιν. τότε δὴ ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ Ῥωμαῖοι νομίσαντες εἶναι καὶ τὴν ἐν τῇ πόλει νεότητα καθοπλίσαντες ἐξῆλθον εἰς τὴν ὕπαιθρον. ὡς δὲ τήν τε πρώτην μάχην ἀπὸ σταδίων ὀκτὼ τῆς πόλεως ποιησάμενοι παρὰ τὸ τῆς Ἐλπίδος ἱερὸν ἐνίκησάν τε καὶ ἀπεώσαντο τοὺς ἀντιταξαμένους, καὶ μετὰ ταύτην αὖθις ἑτέρᾳ πλείονι δυνάμει τῶν Τυρρηνῶν ἐπελθόντων παρὰ ταῖς Κολλίναις καλουμέναις πύλαις {ποιησάμενοι} λαμπρῶς ἠγωνίσαντο, {καὶ} ἀνέπνευσαν ἐκ τοῦ δέους, καὶ τὸ ἔτος τοῦτ´ ἐτελεύτα.

[9,24] When those at Rome heard that their army was destroyed and their camp taken — the first who had saved themselves from the rout arrived while it was still deep night — they fell into great confusion, as may well be imagined; and expecting the enemy to come against them at any moment, they seized (p373) their arms and some formed a circle about the walls, others stationed themselves before the gates, and still others occupied the heights in the city.There was a disorderly running to and fro throughout the entire city and a confused clamour; on the roofs of the houses were the members of each household, prepared to defend themselves and give battle; and an uninterrupted succession of torches, as it was in the night and dark, blazed through lanterns and from roofs, so many in number that to those seeing them at a distance it seemed to be one continuous blaze and gave the impression of a city on fire.And if the Tyrrhenians at that time had scorned the booty to be got from the camp and had followed on the heels of the fleeing Romans, the whole army which had taken the field against them would have been destroyed; but as it was, by turning to plundering everything which had been left behind in the camp and to resting their bodies, they deprived themselves of a great opportunity for boasting. The next day they led their forces against Rome, and when they were about sixteen stades from the city, they occupied the mount called Janiculum, from which the city is in full view. And using that as a base of operations, they pillaged the territory of the Romans without (p375) hindrance, holding those in the city in great contempt, till the other consul, Horatius, appeared with the army which had been among the Volscians. Then at last the Romans thought themselves safe, and arming the youth that were in the city, they took the field; and having not only in the first battle, which was fought at the distance of eight stades from the city near the temple of Hope, overcome their opponents and driven them back, but also, after that engagement, having fought brilliantly with them again near the gate called the Colline, when the Tyrrhenians had come against them with another and larger army, they recovered from their fear. Thus ended that year.