[9,62] Ἀφικόμενοι δ´ εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην ἀπέδειξαν ὑπάτους Αὖλον Ποστόμιον Ἄλβον καὶ Σερούιον Φούριον. οἱ μὲν δὴ νεωστὶ παρειλήφεσαν τὴν ἀρχήν, παρὰ δὲ τῶν συμμάχων Λατίνων ἄγγελοι Ῥωμαίοις κατὰ σπουδὴν διαπεμφθέντες ἧκον. οὗτοι καταστάντες ἐπὶ τὴν βουλὴν διεσάφουν Ἀντιατῶν τὰ πράγματα οὐ βέβαια εἶναι, κρύφα τε διαπρεσβευομένων πρὸς αὐτοὺς Αἰκανῶν καὶ ἀναφανδὸν εἰσιόντων εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἀγορᾶς προφάσει πολλῶν Οὐολούσκων, οὓς ἐπήγοντο οἱ πρότερον ἐκλιπόντες τὴν πόλιν Ἀντιατῶν, ὅτ´ ἐκληρουχεῖτο διὰ πενίαν καὶ πρὸς Αἰκανοὺς ἀπαυτομολήσαντες, ὥσπερ ἔφην. συνδιεφθάρθαι τε τοῖς ἐπιχωρίοις ἅμα ἤγγελλον καὶ τῶν ἐποίκων συχνούς· καὶ εἰ μὴ προκαταληφθήσονται φυλακῇ ἀξιόχρεῳ, ἀναστήσεσθαί τινα ἔλεγον κἀκεῖθεν ἀπροσδόκητον Ῥωμαίοις πόλεμον. τούτων οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον ἕτεροι πεμφθέντες ὑφ´ Ἑρνίκων ἤγγελλον ἐξεληλυθέναι μεγάλην δύναμιν Αἰκανῶν καὶ ἐγκαθεζομένην ἐν τῇ σφετέρᾳ γῇ φέρειν τε πάντα καὶ ἄγειν, στρατεύειν δ´ ἅμα τοῖς Αἰκανοῖς καὶ Οὐολούσκους τὴν πλείω τοῦ στρατοῦ μοῖραν παρεχομένους. πρὸς ταῦτ´ ἐψηφίσατο ἡ βουλὴ τοῖς μὲν Ἀντιατῶν ταράττουσι τὰ πράγματα - ἧκον γὰρ ἀπολογησόμενοί τινες ἐξ αὐτῶν καὶ καταφανεῖς ἐγένοντο οὐδὲν ὑγιὲς φρονοῦντες - φυλακὴν ἑτέραν πέμψαι, ἣ ἔμελλε δι´ ἀσφαλείας ἕξειν τὴν πόλιν· ἐπὶ δ´ Αἰκανοὺς ἄγειν τὴν στρατιὰν τὸν ἕτερον τῶν ὑπάτων Σερούιον Φούριον· καὶ ἐγίνετο ταχεῖα ἀμφοῖν ἡ ἔξοδος. οἱ δ´ Αἰκανοὶ μαθόντες ἐξεληλυθυῖαν τὴν Ῥωμαίων στρατιάν, ἀναστάντες ἐκ τῆς Ἑρνίκων ἐχώρουν αὐτοῖς ὁμόσε. ἐπεὶ δ´ εἶδον ἀλλήλους, ἐκείνην μὲν τὴν ἡμέραν οὐ πολὺ διαστάντες κατεστρατοπέδευσαν, τῇ δ´ ἑξῆς ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα τῶν Ῥωμαίων οἱ πολέμιοι ἧκον διάπειραν αὐτῶν τῆς γνώμης ληψόμενοι. ὡς δ´ οὐκ ἐξῄεσαν εἰς μάχην, ἀκροβολισμοῖς χρησάμενοι καὶ οὐδὲν ἀξιόλογον δράσαντες σὺν μεγάλῳ αὐχήματι ἀπῆλθον. ὁ μέντοι Ῥωμαίων ὕπατος ἐκλιπὼν τὸν χάρακα τῇ ἐπιούσῃ· τὸ γὰρ χωρίον οὐ λίαν ἀσφαλὲς ἦν· μετεστρατοπεδεύσατο ἐν ἐπιτηδειοτέρῳ, ἔνθα τάφρον τ´ ὠρύξατο βαθυτέραν καὶ χάρακα ἐβάλετο ὑψηλότερον. τοῖς δὲ πολεμίοις ταῦθ´ ὁρῶσι πολὺ θράσος προσεγένετο· καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον, ἐπειδὴ σύμμαχος αὐτοῖς ἀφίκετο στρατιὰ παρὰ τοῦ Οὐολούσκων τε καὶ Αἰκανῶν ἔθνους, οὐδὲν ἔτι διαμελλήσαντες ἐπῆγον τῷ Ῥωμαίων χάρακι.

[9,62] When they came to Rome, they named Aulus Postumius Albus and Servius Furius consuls. These had just taken over their magistracy when messengers from the Latin allies, sent in haste to the Romans, arrived. These, being introduced into the senate, informed them that the situation at Antium (p135) was precarious, since the Aequians were sending envoys thither in secret and large numbers of Volscians were resorting to the city openly on the pretext of trading; they were being brought there by those who had left Antium earlier because of poverty, when their lands were allotted among the Roman colonists, and had deserted to the Aequians, as I have related. At the same time they reported that along with the natives many also of the colonists had been corrupted, and that unless their pursue were forestalled by means of an adequate garrison an unexpected war would break out in that quarter also against the Romans. Not long after this other messengers, sent by the Hernicans, brought word that a large force of Aequians had set out and now lay encamped in the hernican's country, where they were plundering everything, and that the Volscians were joining with the Aequians in the expedition, contributing the larger part of the army.In view of all this the senate voted, first, with reference to those among the Antiates who were creating the disturbances — for some of them had come to Rome to defend their conduct and had made it clear that they had no honest purpose — to send another garrison to keep the city safe; and second, with reference to the Aequians, that Servius Furius, one of the consuls, should lead the army against them; and both forces promptly set out. The Aequians, upon learning that the Roman army had taken the field, departed from the country of the Hernicans and went to meet it. When the two armies came in sight of one another, they encamped that day not far apart; and the next day the enemy advanced toward the camp of the Romans in order to ascertain their intentions. Then, when the (p137) Romans did not come out to fight, they engaged in skirmishes, and without performing any noteworthy exploit retired with great boasting. But the Roman consul on the following day left his entrenchments — for the place was not very safe — and shifted his camp to a more advantageous position, where he dug a deeper trench and threw up a higher rampart. The enemy, seeing this, were greatly emboldened, and still more so when an army came to their assistance from both the Volscian and the Aequian nations; so that without further delay they led their forces against the camp of the Romans.