Texte grec :
| [9,68] Αἰκανοὶ δὲ καὶ Οὐολοῦσκοι προνομεύσαντες
αὐτῶν τὴν χώραν ἀδεῶς ἐπὶ τοὺς Τυσκλάνων
ἀγροὺς ἀφίκοντο. διαρπάσαντες δὲ καὶ τούτους οὐδενὸς
ἀμυνομένου παρῆσαν εἰς τοὺς Γαβίνων ὅρους.
ἐλάσαντες δὲ καὶ διὰ ταύτης ἀδεῶς τῆς γῆς ἐπὶ τὴν
Ῥώμην ἀφικνοῦντο. ἐθορύβησαν μὲν οὖν ἱκανῶς τὴν
πόλιν, οὐ μὴν κρατῆσαί γ´ αὐτῆς ἠδυνήθησαν· ἀλλὰ
καίπερ ἐξασθενοῦντες οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι τὰ σώματα καὶ τοὺς
ὑπάτους ἀπολωλεκότες ἀμφοτέρους - καὶ γὰρ ὁ
Σερουίλιος ἐτεθνήκει νεωστί - καθοπλισάμενοι παρὰ
δύναμιν τοῖς τείχεσιν ἐπέστησαν, τοῦ περιβόλου τῆς
πόλεως ὄντος ἐν τῷ τότε χρόνῳ, ὅσος Ἀθηναίων τοῦ
ἄστεος ὁ κύκλος· καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐπὶ λόφοις κείμενα καὶ
πέτραις ἀποτόμοις ὑπ´ αὐτῆς ἐστιν ὠχυρωμένα τῆς
φύσεως καὶ ὀλίγης δεόμενα φυλακῆς· τὰ δ´ ὑπὸ τοῦ
Τεβέριος τετειχισμένα ποταμοῦ, οὗ τὸ μὲν εὖρός ἐστι
τεττάρων πλέθρων μάλιστα, βάθος δ´ οἷόν τε ναυσὶ
πλεῖσθαι μεγάλαις, τὸ δὲ ῥεῦμα ὥσπερ τι καὶ ἄλλο
ὀξὺ καὶ δίνας ἐργαζόμενον μεγάλας· ὃν οὐκ ἔνεστι
πεζοῖς διελθεῖν εἰ μὴ κατὰ γέφυραν, ἣ ἦν ἐν τῷ τότε
χρόνῳ μία ξυλόφρακτος, ἣν ἔλυον ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις.
ἓν δὲ χωρίον, ὃ τῆς πόλεως ἐπιμαχώτατόν ἐστιν, ἀπὸ
τῶν Αἰσκυλίνων καλουμένων πυλῶν μέχρι τῶν Κολλίνων,
χειροποιήτως ἐστὶν ὀχυρόν. τάφρος τε γὰρ
ὀρώρυκται πρὸ αὐτοῦ πλάτος ᾗ βραχυτάτη μείζων ἑκατὸν
ποδῶν, καὶ βάθος ἐστὶν αὐτῆς τριακοντάπουν·
τεῖχος δ´ ὑπερανέστηκε τῆς τάφρου χώματι προσεχόμενον
ἔνδοθεν ὑψηλῷ καὶ πλατεῖ, οἷον μήτε κριοῖς
κατασεισθῆναι μήτε ὑπορυττομένων τῶν θεμελίων
ἀνατραπῆναι. τοῦτο τὸ χωρίον ἑπτὰ μέν ἐστι μάλιστ´
ἐπὶ μῆκος σταδίων, πεντήκοντα δὲ ποδῶν ἐπὶ πλάτος·
ἐν ᾧ τότε οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι τεταγμένοι κατὰ πλῆθος ἀνεῖρξαν
τῶν πολεμίων τὴν ἔφοδον οὔτε χελώνας χωστρίδας
εἰδότων κατασκευάζειν τῶν τότ´ ἀνθρώπων, οὔτε τὰς
καλουμένας ἑλεπόλεις μηχανάς. οἱ μὲν δὴ πολέμιοι
ἀπογνόντες τῆς πόλεως τὴν ἅλωσιν ἀπῄεσαν ἀπὸ τοῦ
τείχους, καὶ δῃώσαντες τὴν χώραν, ὅσην διεξῆλθον,
ἀπῆγον ἐπ´ οἴκου τὰς δυνάμεις.
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Traduction française :
| [9,68] When the Aequians and Volscians had laid waste the Hernicans' territory, they
came unopposed to the lands of the Tusculans. And having plundered these also,
none offering to defend them, they arrived at the borders of the Gabini. Then, passing
through their territory also without opposition, they advanced upon Rome. They
caused the city enough alarm, it is true, yet they could not make themselves masters
of it; on the contrary, the Romans, though they were utterly weakened in body and
had lost both consuls — for Servilius had recently died — armed themselves beyond
their strength and manned the walls, the circuit of which was at that time of the same
extent as that of Athens. Some sections of the walls, standing on hills and sheer cliffs,
have been fortified by Nature herself and require but a small garrison; others are
protected by the river Tiber, the breadth of which is about four hundred feet and the
depth capable of carrying large ships, while its current is as rapid as that of any river
and forms great eddies. There is no crossing it on foot except by means of a bridge,
and there was at that time only one bridge, constructed of timber, and this they
removed in time (p153) of war.One section, which is the most vulnerable part of the
city, extending from the Esquiline gate, as it is called, to the Colline, is strengthened
artificially. For there is a ditch excavated in front of it more than one hundred feet in
breadth where it is narrowest, and thirty in depth; and above this ditch rises a wall
supported on the inside by an earthen rampart so high and broad that it can neither
be shaken by battering rams nor thrown down by undermining the foundations.
This section is about seven stades in length and fifty feet in breadth. here the
Romans were drawn up at that time in force and checked the enemy's assault; for the
men of that day were unacquainted with the building of either sheds to protect the
men filling up ditches or the engines called helepoleis. The enemy, therefore,
despairing of taking the city, retired from the walls, and after laying waste all the
country through which they marched, led their forces home.
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