Texte grec :
| [9,58] Καὶ μετὰ τοῦτ´ οὐδὲν ἔτι διέμενε τῶν πολεμίων,
ἀλλὰ πάντες εἰς τὸν χάρακα ξυνέφευγον. οὐ
μέντοι δίωξίς γ´ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ πολὺ ἐγένετο, ἀλλ´ εὐθὺς
οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι ἀπετράποντο, ὑπὸ κόπου τὰ σώματα
παρειμένοι καὶ οὐδὲ τὰ ὅπλα ἔτι ὅμοια ἔχοντες. ὀλίγων δὲ
διελθουσῶν ἡμερῶν, ἃς ἐσπείσαντο ταφῆς τε τῶν οἰκείων
νεκρῶν καὶ θεραπείας τῶν κεκμηκότων ἕνεκα,
παρεσκευασμένοι τὰ εἰς τὸν πόλεμον ἐλλείποντα, ἑτέραν
ἠγωνίσαντο μάχην περὶ τῷ Ῥωμαίων χάρακι.
προσελθούσης γὰρ ἄλλης δυνάμεως τοῖς Οὐολούσκοις
τε καὶ Αἰκανοῖς ἐκ τῶν πέριξ χωρίων οὐ διὰ μακροῦ
ὄντων, ἐπαρθεὶς ὁ στρατηγὸς αὐτῶν, ὅτι καὶ πενταπλάσιοι
τῶν πολεμίων ἦσαν οἱ σφέτεροι, τήν τε παρεμβολὴν τῶν
Ῥωμαίων οὐκ ἐν ἐχυρῷ οὖσαν ὁρῶν
κράτιστον ὑπέλαβεν εἶναι καιρὸν ἐπιχειρεῖν αὐτοῖς.
ἐνθυμηθεὶς δὲ ταῦτα περὶ μέσας νύκτας ἦγε τὴν δύναμιν
ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα τῶν Ῥωμαίων, καὶ κύκλῳ περιστήσας
ἐφρούρει, μὴ λάθοιεν ἀπιόντες. ὁ δὲ Κοίντιος,
ὡς ἔμαθε τῶν πολεμίων τὸ πλῆθος, ἀγαπητῶς ἐδέξατο
καὶ περιμείνας, ἕως ἡμέρα τ´ ἐγένετο καὶ ὥρα πληθυούσης
μάλιστ´ ἀγορᾶς, κάμνοντας ἤδη τοὺς πολεμίους
αἰσθόμενος ὑπό τ´ ἀγρυπνίας καὶ ἀκροβολισμῶν, καὶ
οὐ κατὰ λόχους οὐδὲ ἐν τάξει προσάγοντας, ἀλλὰ
πολλαχῇ κεχυμένους καὶ σποράδας, ἀνοίξας τὰς πύλας
τοῦ χάρακος ἐξέδραμεν ἅμα τοῖς ἐπιλέκτοις τῶν ἱππέων·
καὶ οἱ πεζοὶ πυκνώσαντες τοὺς λόχους ἠκολούθουν.
οἱ δὲ Οὐολοῦσκοι καταπλαγέντες αὐτῶν τὸ θράσος καὶ
τὸ μανικὸν τῆς ἐφόδου βραχὺν ἀνασχόμενοι χρόνον
ἀνακρούονταί τε καὶ ἅμα ὑποχωροῦσιν ἀπὸ τοῦ χάρακος
καί - ἦν γάρ τις οὐ πρόσω τοῦ στρατοπέδου
λόφος ὑψηλὸς ἐπιεικῶς - εἰς τοῦτον οὖν ἀνατρέχουσιν
ὡς ἀναπαυσόμενοί τε καὶ αὖθις εἰς τάξιν καταστησόμενοι.
ἀλλ´ οὐ γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐξεγένετο καταστῆναί τε
καὶ ἑαυτοὺς ἀναλαβεῖν, ἀλλ´ ἐκ ποδὸς ἠκολούθησαν
αὐτοῖς οἱ πολέμιοι πιλήσαντες, ὡς μάλιστ´ ἦν δυνατὸν
τοὺς λόχους, ἵνα μὴ καταραχθῶσι πρὸς ἄναντες χωρίον
βιαζόμενοι. καὶ γίνεται μέγας ἀγὼν ἐπὶ πολὺ μέρος
τῆς ἡμέρας, νεκροί τε πίπτουσι πολλοὶ ἀφ´ ἑκατέρων.
καὶ Οὐολοῦσκοι πλήθει τε ὑπερέχοντες καὶ τὸ ἐκ τοῦ
τόπου προσειληφότες ἀσφαλές, οὐδετέρου τούτων οὐδὲν
ἀγαθὸν ἀπήλαυσαν, ἀλλ´ ὑπὸ τῆς Ῥωμαίων προθυμίας
καὶ ἀρετῆς ἐκβιασθέντες τόν τε λόφον ἐξέλιπον καὶ
ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα φεύγοντες οἱ πολλοὶ ἀπέθνησκον. οὐ
γὰρ εἴασαν αὐτοὺς οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι διώκοντες, ἀλλ´ ἐκ ποδὸς
ἠκολούθησαν καὶ οὐ πρότερον ἀπετράποντο, ἢ τὴν
παρεμβολὴν αὐτῶν ἑλεῖν κατὰ κράτος. γενόμενοι δὲ
σωμάτων τ´ ἐγκρατεῖς καὶ ὅσα ἐγκατελήφθη τῷ χάρακι
καὶ ἵππων καὶ ὅπλων καὶ χρημάτων παμπόλλων κύριοι,
τὴν μὲν νύκτα ἐκείνην αὐτόθι κατεστρατοπέδευσαν, τῇ
δ´ ἐπιούσῃ ἡμέρᾳ τὰ εἰς πολιορκίαν ἐπιτήδεια
παρεσκευασμένος ὁ ὕπατος ἐπὶ τὴν Ἀντιατῶν πόλιν οὐ πλείω
ἀπέχουσαν τριάκοντα σταδίων ἦγε τὴν δύναμιν. ἔτυχον
δὲ φυλακῆς ἕνεκα τοῖς Ἀντιάταις Αἰκανῶν τινες ἐπίκουροι
παρόντες καὶ φυλάττοντες τὰ τείχη· οἳ τότε
δείσαντες τὸ Ῥωμαίων τολμηρὸν δρασμὸν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως
ἐπεχείρουν ποιεῖσθαι. γενομένης δὲ τοῖς Ἀντιάταις
γνώσεως κωλυόμενοι πρὸς αὐτῶν ἀπιέναι γνώμην
ἐποιοῦντο παραδοῦναι Ῥωμαίοις ἐπιοῦσι τὴν πόλιν.
τοῦτο μαθόντες ἐκ μηνύσεως οἱ Ἀντιᾶται τῷ τε καιρῷ
εἴκουσι, καὶ κοινῇ μετ´ ἐκείνων βουλευσάμενοι
παραδιδόασι τῷ Κοιντίῳ τὴν πόλιν, ἐφ´ ᾧ Αἰκανοὺς μὲν
ὑποσπόνδους ἀπελθεῖν, Ἀντιάτας δὲ φρουρὰν δέξασθαι
καὶ τὰ κελευόμενα ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων ποιεῖν. ἐπὶ τούτοις κύριος
γενόμενος τῆς πόλεως ὁ ὕπατος, καὶ λαβὼν
ὀψώνιά τε καὶ τἆλλα, ὅσων ἔδει τῇ στρατιᾷ, καὶ φρουρὰν
ἐγκαταστήσας, ἀπῆγε τὴν δύναμιν· ἀνθ´ ὧν αὐτὸν
ἡ βουλὴ ὑπαντήσει τε φιλανθρώπῳ ἐδέξατο, καὶ θριάμβου
πομπῇ ἐτίμησεν.
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Traduction française :
| [9,58] After this no part of the enemy stood their ground but all fled together to their
camp. The Romans, however, did not pursue them far, but promptly turned back, as
their bodies were spent with toil and their weapons no longer what they had been.
But after a few days had passed, for which they had made a truce in order to bury
their dead and care for their sick, and they had supplied themselves with whatever
was lacking for the war, they fought another battle, this time about the camp of the
Romans.For, reinforcements having come to the Volscians and Aequians from the
neighbouring forts round about, their general grew elated because his forces were
actually five times as large as to of the enemy, and observing that the Romans' camp
was not strongly situated, he thought this was a most excellent opportunity for
attacking them. Having so reasoned, he led his army to their camp about midnight,
and surrounding it with his men, kept it under guard so that the Romans should not
steal away. Quintius, upon being informed of the numbers of the enemy, welcomed
this move and bided his time till it was day and about the hour of full market. Then,
perceiving that the enemy were already suffering both from lack of sleep and from the
flying missiles and that they were advancing neither by centuries nor by ranks but
widely extended and scattered, he opened the gates of the camp and sallied out with
the flower of the horse; and the foot, closing their ranks, (p119) followed.The Volscians
were astonished at their boldness and at the madness of their onset and, after holding
out for a brief time, were repulsed and at the same time began to retire from the
camp; and, as there stood not far from it a hill of moderate height, they hastened up
this hill with the intention of both resting themselves and forming in line of battle
again. But they were unable to form their lines and to recover themselves, for the
enemy followed at their heels, closing their ranks as much as possible in order not to
be hurled back while trying to force their way up-hill. There followed a mighty
struggle which lasted a large part of the day, and many fell on both sides. The
Volscians, though superior in numbers and having the added security of their
position, got no benefit from either circumstance; but being forced from their
position by the ardour and bravery of the Romans, they abandoned the hill and while
fleeing toward the camp the greater part of them were killed. For the Romans never
left them as they pursued, but followed at their heels and did not desist till they had
taken their camp by storm. Then, having seized all the persons who had been left
behind in the camp and taken possession of the horses and arms and huge quantities
of baggage, they encamped there that night. The next day the consul, having prepared
everything that was necessary for a siege, marched with his army to Antium, which
was not more than thirty stades distant.It chanced that some reinforcements sent
by the Aequians to the (p121) Antiates for their protection were in the city and were
guarding the walls. These men, dreading the boldness of the Romans, were now
attempting to escape from the city; but being prevented from leaving by the Antiates,
who had notice of their intention, they resolved to deliver up the city to the Romans
when they should attack it. The Antiates, being informed of this, yielded to the
situation, and concerting measures with the Aequians, surrendered the city to
Quintius upon the terms that the Aequians should have leave to depart under a truce
and that the Antiates should receive a garrison and obey the commands of the
Romans. The consul, having made himself master of the city upon these terms and
having received provisions and everything that was needed for the army, placed a
garrison there and then led his forces home. In consideration of his success the
senate came out to meet him, gave him a cordial welcome and honoured him with a triumph.
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