[9,56] Ἐν δὲ τῷ μετὰ τούτους τοὺς ὑπάτους ἔτει, κατὰ τὴν ἑβδομηκοστὴν καὶ ὀγδόην ὀλυμπιάδα, ἣν ἐνίκα στάδιον Παρμενίδης Ποσειδωνιάτης Ἀθήνῃσι τὴν ἐνιαύσιον ἀρχὴν ἔχοντος Θεαγενίδου, κατεστάθησαν ὕπατοι Ῥωμαίων Αὖλος Οὐεργίνιος Καιλιμοντανὸς καὶ Τῖτος Νομίκιος Πρίσκος. ἄρτι δ´ αὐτῶν τὴν ἀρχὴν παρειληφότων ἀγγέλλεται στρατιὰ Οὐολούσκων πολλὴ παροῦσα. καὶ μετ´ οὐ πολὺ τῶν περιπολίων τι τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν ἐξ ἐφόδου καταληφθὲν ἐκαίετο· ἦν δ´ οὐ διὰ μακροῦ τῆς Ῥώμης, καὶ ὁ καπνὸς ἤγγελλε τοῖς ἐν τῇ πόλει τὸ πάθος. τότε μὲν οὖν - καὶ γὰρ ἦν ἔτι νύξ - ἱππεῖς τινας ἀποστείλαντες ἐπὶ κατασκοπὴν οἱ ὕπατοι καὶ φυλακὰς καταστήσαντες ἐπὶ τοῖς τείχεσι καὶ αὐτοὶ ταξάμενοι πρὸ τῶν πυλῶν σὺν τοῖς εὐζωνοτάτοις, ἐξεδέχοντο τὰς παρὰ τῶν ἱππέων ἀγγελίας· ὡς δ´ ἡμέρα τ´ ἐγένετο, καὶ συνήθροιστο αὐτοῖς ἡ ἐν τῇ πόλει δύναμις, ἦγον ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους. οἱ δὲ διαρπάσαντες καὶ κατακαύσαντες τὸ φρούριον ἀπῄεσαν διὰ τάχους. τότε μὲν οὖν οἱ ὕπατοι σβέσαντες τὰ ἔτι καιόμενα καὶ τοῦ χωρίου φυλακὴν καταλιπόντες ἀπῄεσαν εἰς τὴν πόλιν· ὀλίγαις δ´ ὕστερον ἡμέραις τάς τ´ οἰκείας ἔχοντες δυνάμεις καὶ τὰς παρὰ τῶν συμμάχων ἐξῄεσαν ἀμφότεροι, Οὐεργίνιος μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν Αἰκανῶν, Νομίκιος δ´ ἐπὶ τὴν Οὐολούσκων· καὶ αὐτοῖς ἀμφοτέροις κατὰ γνώμην τὰ τοῦ πολέμου ἐχώρησεν. Οὐεργινίῳ τε γὰρ Αἰκανοὶ δῃοῦντι τὴν χώραν αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐτόλμησαν εἰς χεῖρας ἐλθεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ λόχον τινὰ ὑποκαθίσαντες ἐν ὕλαις ἐπιλέκτων ἀνδρῶν, οἳ ἔμελλον ἐσκεδασμένοις ἐπιθήσεσθαι τοῖς πολεμίοις, διήμαρτον τῆς ἐλπίδος ταχείας γενομένης τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις αἰσθήσεως καὶ μάχης καρτερᾶς, ἐξ ἧς πολλοὺς τῶν σφετέρων οἱ Αἰκανοὶ ἀπέβαλον· ὥστ´ οὐδ´ εἰς πεῖραν ἑτέρας μάχης ἔτ´ ἤρχοντο. Νομικίῳ τ´ ἄγοντι τὴν στρατιὰν ἐπὶ τὴν Ἀντιατῶν πόλιν, ἣ ἐν ταῖς πρώταις τότε τῶν Οὐολούσκων πόλεσιν ἦν, οὐδεμία ἠναντιώθη δύναμις, ἀλλ´ ἀπὸ τῶν τειχῶν ἀναγκάζοντο ἕκαστοι ἀμύνεσθαι. ἐν δὲ τούτῳ ἥ τε γῆ αὐτῶν ἡ πολλὴ ἐτμήθη, καὶ πολίχνη τις ἐπιθαλάττιος ἑάλω, ᾗ ἐπινείῳ τε καὶ ἀγορᾷ τῶν εἰς τὸν βίον ἀναγκαίων ἐχρῶντο, ἐκ θαλάττης τε καὶ διὰ λῃστηρίων τὰς πολλὰς ἐπαγόμενοι ὠφελείας. ἀνδράποδα μὲν οὖν καὶ χρήματα καὶ βοσκήματα καὶ τοὺς ἐμπορικοὺς φόρτους ἡ στρατιὰ συγχωρήσει τοῦ ὑπάτου διήρπασε, τὰ δ´ ἐλεύθερα σώματα, ὁπόσα μὴ ὁ πόλεμος ἔφθη διειργασμένος, ἐπὶ τὸ λαφυροπώλιον ἀπήχθη. ἐλήφθησαν δὲ καὶ νῆες τῶν Ἀντιατῶν εἴκοσι καὶ δύο μακραὶ καὶ ἄλλα νεῶν ὅπλα τε καὶ παρασκευαί. μετὰ ταῦτα κελεύσαντος τοῦ ὑπάτου τάς τ´ οἰκίας ἐνεπίμπρασαν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ τοὺς νεωσοίκους κατέσκαπτον καὶ τὸ τεῖχος ἤρειπον ἐκ θεμελίων· ὥστε μηδ´ ἀπελθόντων σφῶν χρηστὸν ἔτι τοῖς Ἀντιάταις εἶναι τὸ φρούριον. ταῦτά τε δὴ ἐπράχθη χωρὶς ἑκατέρῳ τῶν ὑπάτων, καὶ ἀμφοτέροις ἔτι κοινὴ στρατεία τοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἐπὶ τὴν Σαβίνων γῆν, ἣν δῃώσαντες ἀπῆγον ἐπ´ οἴκου τὴν δύναμιν, καὶ ὁ ἐνιαυτὸς οὗτος ἐτελεύτα.

[9,56] (p109) The year following their consulship, in the seventy-eighth Olympiad (the one at which Parmenides of Posidonia won the foot-race), Theagenides being annual archon at Athens, Aulus Verginius Caelimontanus and Titus Numicius Priscus were made consuls. They had no sooner entered upon their magistracy than news was brought that a numerous army of Volscians was at hand. And not long afterwards one of the guard-houses of the Romans was on fire after being taken by assault; it was not far from Rome and the smoke informed the people in the city of the disaster. Thereupon, it being still night, the consuls sent some horsemen out to reconnoitre, and stationing guards upon the walls and posting themselves before the gates with the troops which were most lightly equipped, they waited for the report of the horsemen. Then, as soon as it was day and the forces in the city had joined them, they marched against their foes. These, however, after plundering and burning the fort, had retired in haste.The consuls extinguished what was still burning, and leaving a guard over the place, returned to the city. A few days later they both took the field with not only their own forces but those of the allies as well, Verginius marching against the Aequians and Numicius against the Volscians; and the campaigns of both proceeded according to plan.The Aequians, when Verginius was laying waste their country, not only did not dare come to an engagement, but even when they placed an ambush of chosen men in the woods with (p111) orders to fall upon their enemies when they were scattered, they were disappointed of their hopes, inasmuch as the Romans soon became aware of their design and a sharp action ensued, in which the Aequians lost many of their men; the result was that they would no longer even try the fortune of another engagement.Neither did any army oppose Numicius as he was marching on Antium, which was at that time among the foremost cities of the Volscians; but the people were forced in every instance to defend themselves from their walls. In the meantime not only was the greater part of their country laid waste, but also a small town on the coast was taken which they used as a station for their ships and a market for the necessaries of life, bringing thither the many spoils they took both from the sea and by raids on land. The slaves, goods, cattle and merchandise were seized as plunder by the army with the consul's permission; but all the free men ho had not lost their lives in the war were taken away to be sold at an auction of spoils. There were also captured twenty-two warships belonging to the Antiates together with rigging and equipment for ships besides.After that at the consul's command the Romans set fire to the houses, destroyed the docks and demolished the wall to its foundations, so that even after their departure the fortress could be of no use to the Antiates. These were the exploits of the two consuls while they acted separately. They afterwards joined forces and made an incursion into the territory of the Sabines; and having laid it waste, they returned home with the army. Thus that year ended.