Texte grec :
| [9,64] Διαφθαρέντων δὲ τούτων ἐπαρθέντες οἱ
Αἰκανοὶ τῷ προτερήματι παρῆσαν ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα τῶν
Ῥωμαίων, τήν τε τοῦ Ποπλίου κεφαλὴν ἐπὶ δορατίου
πεπηγυῖαν ἀνατείνοντες καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀνδρῶν τῶν
ἐπιφανῶν, ὡς δὴ τούτῳ καταπληξόμενοι τοὺς ἔνδον
καὶ ἀναγκάσοντες παραδοῦναι σφίσι τὰ ὅπλα. τοῖς δ´
ἄρα πρὸς μὲν τὴν συμφορὰν τῶν ἀπολωλότων ἔλεός
τις παρέστη καὶ ἀνεκλάοντο αὐτῶν τὴν τύχην, πρὸς
δὲ τὸν ἀγῶνα θράσος διπλάσιον ἐνέφυ, καὶ τοῦ νικᾶν
ἢ τὸν αὐτὸν ἐκείνοις τρόπον ἀποθανεῖν, πρὶν εἰς πολεμίων
χεῖρας ἐλθεῖν, καλὸς ἔρως. ἐκείνην μὲν οὖν
τὴν νύκτα παρεστρατοπεδευκότων τῷ χάρακι τῶν
πολεμίων ἄγρυπνοί τε οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ ἐπισκευάζοντες τὰ
πεπονηκότα τοῦ χάρακος διετέλεσαν, τά τ´ ἄλλα, οἷς
ἀπερύκειν ἔμελλον αὐτούς, εἰ πειραθεῖεν πάλιν
τειχομαχεῖν πολλὰ καὶ παντοῖα εὐτρεπιζόμενοι. τῇ δ´ ἑξῆς
αἵ τε προσβολαὶ πάλιν ἐγίνοντο, καὶ ὁ χάραξ διεσπᾶτο
κατὰ πολλὰ μέρη· καὶ πολλάκις μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν ἐξιόντων
κατὰ συστροφὰς ἐκ τοῦ χάρακος ἐξεκρούσθησαν οἱ
Αἰκανοί, πολλάκις δ´ ἀνεκόπησαν ὑπ´ ἐκείνων οἱ
θρασύτερον ἐπεξιόντες. καὶ τοῦτο δι´ ὅλης τῆς ἡμέρας
ἐγίνετο· ἔνθα ὅ θ´ ὕπατος ὁ τῶν Ῥωμαίων σαυνίῳ διὰ
τοῦ θυρεοῦ διαπερονηθεὶς τιτρώσκεται τὸν μηρόν, καὶ
ἄλλοι συχνοὶ τῶν ἐπιφανῶν, ὅσοι περὶ αὐτὸν ἐμάχοντο·
ἤδη δὲ τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἀπειρηκόσιν ἀπροσδόκητος
ἐπιφαίνεται περὶ δείλην ὀψίαν προσιὼν Κοίντιος, ἄγων
τὴν ἐθελούσιον ἐπικουρίαν τῶν ἀκμαιοτάτων, οὓς
ἰδόντες οἱ πολέμιοι προσιόντας ἀνέστρεφον ἀφέντες
τὴν πολιορκίαν ἀτελῆ· καὶ οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι ἐπεξελθόντες
αὐτοῖς ἀπιοῦσι τοὺς ὑστερίζοντας ἐφόνευον. οὐ μέντοι
ἐπὶ πολύν γε χρόνον ἐδίωξαν ἀσθενεῖς ὄντες οἱ πολλοὶ
ὑπὸ τραυμάτων, ἀλλὰ διὰ τάχους ἀνέστρεψαν. καὶ
μετὰ ταῦτα διὰ φυλακῆς εἶχον ἑκάτεροι σφᾶς αὐτοὺς
μένοντες ἐν ταῖς παρεμβολαῖς ἄχρι πολλοῦ.
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Traduction française :
| [9,64] When these men had been slain, the Aequians, elated by their success, advanced
to the camp of the Romans, bearing aloft, fixed to their spears, the heads of Publius
and the other prominent men, hoping to terrify the troops inside by this spectacle and
compel them to surrender to them their arms. But though the Romans were indeed
somewhat stirred by compassion at the fate of the slain and lamented their
misfortune, yet they were inspired with a double boldness for the struggle and with a
noble passion either to conquer or to die like their comrades rather than fall into the
enemy's hands.That night, accordingly, while the enemy bivouacked beside their
camp, the Romans went without sleep as they repaired the damaged portions of their
camp and made ready the other means, of many and various kinds, with which to
ward off the enemy if they should attempt again to breach their walls. The next day
the assaults were renewed and the rampart was torn apart at many points. Often the
Aequians were repulsed by sorties of massed troops from the camp, and often the
men who rushed out to recklessly were beaten back by the Aequians. And this kept
happening all day long.In these encounters the Roman consul was wounded in the
thigh by a javelin (p143) that pierced his shield; wounded also were many other persons
of distinction who fought at his side. At last, when the Romans had reached
exhaustion, Quintius unexpectedly appeared in the late afternoon with his
reinforcement of volunteers composed of the choicest troops. When the enemy saw
these approaching, they turned back, leaving the siege and completed; and the
Romans, sallying out against them as they withdrew, set about slaying the laggards.
They did not pursue them for long, however, weakened as most of them were by
their wounds, but speedily returned. After this both sides acted upon the defensive,
remaining a long time in their camps.
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