[9,35] Τοῦτον δὲ τὸν τρόπον ἁλόντος τοῦ τῶν Σαβίνων χάρακος ἦγε τὴν δύναμιν ὁ Οὐαλέριος ἐπὶ τὸν ἕτερον, ἔνθα ἦσαν οἱ Οὐιεντανοὶ χωρίον οὐ πάνυ ἐχυρὸν κατειληφότες. λαθεῖν μὲν οὖν οὐκέτι ἐνεδέχετο τοὺς προσιόντας τῷ χάρακι· ἡμέρα τε γὰρ ἦν ἤδη λαμπρά, καὶ τῶν Σαβίνων οἱ φυγόντες ἀπήγγειλαν τοῖς Τυρρηνοῖς τήν θ´ αὑτῶν συμφορὰν καὶ τὴν ἐπ´ ἐκείνους ἔλασιν· ἀναγκαῖον δ´ ἦν ἐκ τοῦ καρτεροῦ τοῖς πολεμίοις συμφέρεσθαι. γίνεται δὴ μετὰ τοῦτο πάσῃ προθυμίᾳ τῶν Τυρρηνῶν ἀγωνιζομένων πρὸ τῆς παρεμβολῆς ὀξεῖα μάχη καὶ φόνος ἀμφοτέρων πολύς, ἰσόρροπός τε καὶ μέχρι πολλοῦ ταλαντευομένη τῇδε καὶ τῇδε ἡ κρίσις τοῦ πολέμου. ἔπειτ´ ἐνέδοσαν οἱ Τυρρηνοὶ ὑπὸ τῆς Ῥωμαικῆς ἐξωσθέντες ἵππου καὶ ἀπεχώρησαν εἰς τὸν χάρακα, ὁ δ´ ὕπατος ἠκολούθει, καὶ ἐπειδὴ πλησίον ἐγένετο τῶν ἐρυμάτων - ἦν δὲ φαύλως κατεσκευασμένα καὶ τὸ χωρίον, ὥσπερ ἔφην, οὐ πάνυ ἀσφαλές - προσέβαλε κατὰ πολλὰ μέρη τό τε λοιπὸν ἐκείνης τῆς ἡμέρας μέρος ἐπιταλαιπωρῶν καὶ οὐδὲ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν νύκτα ἀναπαυσάμενος. οἱ δὲ Τυρρηνοὶ ταῖς συνεχέσι κακοπαθείαις ἀπειρηκότες ἐκλείπουσι τὸν χάρακα περὶ τὸν ὄρθρον καὶ οἱ μὲν εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἔφυγον, οἱ δ´ εἰς τὰς πλησίον ὕλας ἐσκεδάσθησαν. γενόμενος δὲ καὶ τούτου τοῦ χάρακος ἐγκρατὴς ἐκείνην μὲν τὴν ἡμέραν ἀνέπαυσε τὴν στρατιάν, τῇ δ´ ἑξῆς τά τε λάφυρα, ὅσα ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων εἰλήφει τῶν στρατοπέδων, διένειμε τοῖς ἀγωνισαμένοις πολλὰ ὄντα, καὶ τοὺς ἀριστεύσαντας ἐν ταῖς μάχαις τοῖς εἰωθόσιν ἐκόσμει στεφάνοις. ἦν δ´ ὁ κράτιστα πάντων ἀγωνίσασθαι δόξας καὶ τρεψάμενος τὴν Οὐιεντανῶν δύναμιν Σερουίλιος ὁ τῷ προτέρῳ ὑπατεύσας ἔτει καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ δήμου δίκην ἀποφυγών, πρεσβευτὴς τότε τῷ Οὐαλερίῳ συμπεμφθείς, καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀριστείᾳ τῇδε τὰς νομιζομένας εἶναι μεγίστας παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις δωρεὰς οὗτος ἦν ὁ πρῶτος ἐξενεγκάμενος. μετὰ ταῦτα τούς τε τῶν πολεμίων σκυλεύσας νεκροὺς ὁ ὕπατος καὶ τῶν ἰδίων ταφὰς ποιησάμενος ἀπῆγε τὴν στρατιὰν καὶ πλησίον τῆς Οὐιεντανῶν πόλεως καταστήσας προὐκαλεῖτο τοὺς ἔνδον. ὡς δ´ οὐδεὶς ἐξῄει μαχησόμενος ἄπορον ὁρῶν χρῆμα ἐκ τειχομαχίας αὐτοὺς ἑλεῖν ἐχυρὰν σφόδρα ἔχοντας πόλιν, τῆς γῆς αὐτῶν πολλὴν καταδραμὼν εἰς τὴν Σαβίνων ἐνέβαλε. λεηλατήσας δὲ κἀκείνην ἔτι ἀκέραιον οὖσαν ἐπὶ πολλὰς ἡμέρας καὶ βαρεῖαν ἤδη τὴν ἀποσκευὴν ἔχων ταῖς ὠφελείαις ἀπῆγεν ἐπ´ οἴκου τὴν δύναμιν· καὶ αὐτῷ ὁ μὲν δῆμος πρὸ πολλοῦ τῆς πόλεως ὄντι ἐστεφανωμένος ὑπήντα λιβανωτοῖς τε θυμιῶν τὴν πάροδον καὶ κρατῆρσι μελικράτου κεκραμένοις ὑποδεχόμενος τὴν στρατιάν· ἡ δὲ βουλὴ τὴν τοῦ θριάμβου πομπὴν ἐψηφίσατο. ὁ δ´ ἕτερος τῶν ὑπάτων Γάιος Ναύτιος, ᾧ προσέκειτο κατὰ κλῆρον ἡ τῶν συμμάχων Λατίνων τε καὶ Ἑρνίκων φυλακή, βραδυτέραν ἐποιήσατο τὴν ἔξοδον· οὔτ´ ἀπορίᾳ οὔτ´ ὄκνῳ τοῦ κινδύνου κρατηθείς, τὴν δ´ ἀδηλότητα τοῦ πρὸς Οὐιεντανοὺς πολέμου καραδοκῶν, ἵν´ ἐάν τι συμβῇ πταῖσμα περὶ τὴν ἐκεῖ στρατιὰν ἐν ἑτοίμῳ τις ὑπάρχῃ τῇ πόλει συνεστῶσα δύναμις, ἣ κωλύσει τοὺς πολεμίους εἰς τὴν χώραν ἐμβαλεῖν, ἐὰν ὥσπερ οἱ πρότερον ἐλάσαντες ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥώμην ἐπιτειχίζειν τινὰ κατὰ τῆς πόλεως χωρία ἐπιβάλωνται. ἐν δὲ τῷ μεταξὺ τούτου χρόνῳ καὶ ὁ κατὰ τῶν Λατίνων πόλεμος, ὃν ἐπῆγον αὐτοῖς Αἰκανοί τε καὶ Οὐολοῦσκοι τέλος εὐτυχὲς ἔσχε· καὶ παρῆσάν τινες ἀγγέλλοντες μάχῃ νικηθέντας ἀπεληλυθέναι τοὺς πολεμίους ἐκ τῆς χώρας αὐτῶν, καὶ μηδεμιᾶς τοῖς συμμάχοις ἔτι δεῖν βοηθείας κατὰ τὸ παρόν· ὁ μέντοι Ναύτιος οὐδὲν ἧττον, ἐπειδὴ τὰ ἐν τῇ Τυρρηνίᾳ πράγματα καλῶς σφίσιν ἐχώρησεν, ἐξῆγε τὴν στρατιάν. ἐμβαλὼν δ´ εἰς τὴν Οὐολούσκων χώραν καὶ πολλὴν αὐτῆς διεξελθὼν ἔρημον ἀφειμένην, ἀνδραπόδων μὲν καὶ βοσκημάτων ὀλίγων πάνυ ἐκράτησεν, ἀρούρας δ´ αὐτῶν ἐν ἀκμῇ τοῦ σίτου ὄντος ἐμπρήσας καὶ ἄλλα οὐκ ὀλίγα τῶν ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς λωβησάμενος οὐδενὸς ὁμόσε χωροῦντος ἀπῆγε τὴν στρατιάν· ταῦτα μὲν ἐπὶ τούτων τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐπράχθη.

[9,35] The camp of the Sabines having thus been taken, Valerius led his forces to the other camp, where the Veientes lay, having occupied a position that was not very strong. Here it was not possible for the attackers to approach the camp without being seen, since it was now broad daylight and the fleeing Sabines had informed the Tyrrhenians both of their own disaster and of the advance of the Romans against the others;hence it was necessary to attack the enemy with might and main.Then, as the Tyrrhenians ought to before their camp with all possible vigour, a sharp action ensued, with great slaughter on both sides; and the decision of the battle was equally balanced, shifting to and fro for a long time. At last (p39) the Tyrrhenians, forced back by the Roman horse, gave way and retired to their camp. The consul followed, and when he came near their ramparts — these had been poorly constructed and the place, as I said, was not very secure — he attacked them in many places at once, continuing his exhausting efforts all the rest of that day and not even resting the following night. The Tyrrhenians, exhausted by their continual hardships, left their camp at break of day, some fleeing to their city and others dispersing themselves in the neighbouring woods. The consul, having made himself master of this camp also, rested his army that day; then, on the next day he distributed to the men who had shared in the fighting the spoils, great in quantity, which he had taken in both camps, and honoured with the customary crowns those who had distinguished themselves in the battles.The man who was regarded as having fought with the better bravery of all and put the troops of the Veientes to flight was Servilius, the consul of the preceding year, who had been acquitted in his trail before the populace and now had been sent along as legate to Valerius; and in consideration of the superior valour he showed upon this occasion he was the first to receive the rewards which among the Romans are the most esteemed. After that the consul, having stripped the enemy's dead and buried his own, marched away with his army, and encamping near the city of the Veientes, challenged those inside to give battle.But when none ventured out to fight and he saw that it would be a difficult matter to capture them by assault, occupying as they did a city that was exceedingly strong, he overran a great part of their country and then invaded that of the (p41) Sabines. For many days he plundered their territory too, which was still untouched, and then, since his baggage train was now heavily laden with booty, he led his troops homeward. While he was yet a long way from the city he was met by the people, who, crowned with garlands, perfumed the route with frankincense as he entered and received the army with bowls of honeyed wine. And the senate decreed to him the celebration of a triumph. The other consul, Gaius Nautius, to whom the defence of their allies the Latins and the Hernicans had fallen by lot, had delayed taking the field, not because he was swayed by any irresolution or fear of danger, but because he was awaiting the uncertain outcome of the war with the Veientes, to the end that, if any misfortune should befall the army employed against them the commonwealth might have another force assembled in readiness to hinder the enemy from making an irruption into the country, in case this foe, like those who had earlier marched against Rome, should attempt to fortify any places as a threat to the city. In the meantime the war brought upon the Latins by the Aequians and the Volscians had been happily concluded and messengers had arrived announcing that the enemy, defeated in battle, had left the territory of the Latins and that these allies no longer stood in any need of assistance for the present. Nevertheless, Nautius, after affairs in Tyrrhenia had taken a happy turn for the Romans, marched out with his army. Then, having invaded the country of the Volscians and overrun a great part of it which they had left deserted, he possessed (p43) himself of a very few slaves and cattle, and having set fire to their fields, the corn being then ripe, and done not a little other damage to their farmsteads, as none came to oppose him, he led his army home. These were the things accomplished in the consulship of those men.