[9,70] Οὐολοῦσκοι δ´ ὑπό τε θράσους καὶ αὐθαδείας προαχθέντες τοῦ τε Ῥωμαϊκοῦ στρατεύματος ὡς οὐκ ἀξιομάχου ὄντος πρὸς τὸ ἑαυτῶν πλῆθος συμφέρεσθαι καταφρονήσαντες ἐξῆλθον ἀγωνιούμενοι περὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ πλησίον τοῦ Οὐετουρίου κατεστρατοπέδευσαν. οἷα δὲ φιλεῖ πάσχειν στρατιὰ νεοσύλλεκτος ἔκ τε πολιτικοῦ καὶ γεωργικοῦ πρὸς καιρὸν συνελθόντος ὄχλου συναχθεῖσα, ἐν ᾗ πολὺ καὶ τὸ ἄνοπλον ἦν καὶ κινδύνων ἄπειρον, οὐδ´ εἰς χεῖρας ἐλθεῖν τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐθάρσησεν· ἀλλ´ ἅμα τῇ πρώτῃ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐφόδῳ διαταραχθέντες οἱ πολλοὶ καὶ οὔτ´ ἀλαλαγμὸν οὔθ´ ὅπλων κτύπον ἀνασχόμενοι, προτροπάδην ἔφευγον εἰς τὰ τείχη· ὥστε πολλοὺς μὲν ἐν ταῖς στενοχωρίαις τῶν ὁδῶν καταληφθέντας ἀποθανεῖν, πολλῷ δὲ πλείους παρὰ ταῖς πύλαις ὠθουμένους τῶν ἱππέων ἐπιδιωκόντων. Οὐολοῦσκοι μὲν οὖν ταύτῃ χρησάμενοι τῇ συμφορᾷ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ᾐτιῶντο τῆς ἀφροσύνης, καὶ οὐδὲν ἔτι παρακινδυνεύειν ἐπειρῶντο. οἱ δὲ τὰς ἐν ὑπαίθρῳ στρατιὰς Οὐολούσκων τε καὶ Αἰκανῶν ἔχοντες ἡγεμόνες, πυνθανόμενοι τὰ οἰκεῖα πολεμούμενα γενναῖόν τι καὶ οὗτοι δρᾶν ἐβουλεύσαντο, ἀναστάντες ἐκ τῆς Ἑρνίκων τε καὶ Λατίνων γῆς ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥώμην ἄγειν ὡς εἶχον ὀργῆς τε καὶ τάχους, τὸν στρατόν, κατὰ τοιάνδε τινὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ δόξαν, ὅτι δυεῖν ἔργων καλῶν θάτερον αὐτοῖς κατορθῶσαι ὑπάρξει, ἢ τὴν Ῥώμην ἀφύλακτον οὖσαν ἑλεῖν, ἢ τοὺς πολεμίους ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτῶν χώρας ἐκβαλεῖν, ὡς δὴ τῶν ὑπάτων ἀναγκασθησομένων πολεμουμένῃ τῇ πατρίδι βοηθεῖν. ταῦτα διανοηθέντες ἦγον τὴν στρατιὰν ἐπιταχύνοντες, ἵν´ ἐξ ἀπροσδοκήτου τῇ πόλει συμμίξαντες εὐθὺς ἔργου ἔχωνται.

[9,70] The Volscians, however, inspired by rashness and arrogance and despising the Roman army as inadequate to cope with their own large numbers, came out to fight in defence of their land and encamped near Veturius. But, as usually happens with an army of fresh levies composed of a crowd of both townsmen and farmers got together for the occasion, of which many are not only unarmed but also unacquainted with danger, the Volscian army dared not so much as encounter the enemy;but the greater part of them, thrown into confusion at the first onset of the Romans and unable to endure either their war-cry or the clash of their arms, fled precipitately inside the walls, with the result that many of them perished when overtaken in the narrow parts of the roads and many more when they were crowding about the gates as the cavalry pursued them.The Volscians, therefore, having met with this disaster, reproached themselves for their folly and were unwilling to hazard another engagement. But the generals who commanded the armies of the Volscians and Aequians in the field, when they heard that their possessions were being attacked, resolved to perform some brave action on their part also, namely, to take their army out of the country of the Hernicans and Latins and lead it against Rome in their present mood of anger and haste. For they too had some such thought as this in mind, that they should succeed in one or (p159) the other of two glorious achievements — either to take Rome, if it was unguarded, or to drive the enemy out of their own territory, since the consuls would be forced to hasten to the relief of their own country when it was attacked.Having come to this decision, they made a forced march, in order that they might fall upon the city unexpectedly and immediately get to work.