Texte grec :
| [9,14] Ἑλομένης δὲ τῆς βουλῆς μεσοβασιλεῖς τῶν
ἀρχαιρεσίων ἕνεκα, καὶ τοῦ δευτέρου μεσοβασιλέως
συγκαλέσαντος εἰς τὸ πεδίον τοὺς λόχους, ἀποδείκνυται
Καίσων Φάβιος ὁ τὰ ἀριστεῖα λαβὼν ἐκ τῆς μάχης,
ἀδελφὸς δὲ τοῦ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀποθεμένου, τὸ τρίτον ὕπατος
καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ Τῖτος Οὐεργίνιος. οὗτοι διαλαχόντες τὰς
δυνάμεις ἐξῄεσαν εἰς τὴν ὕπαιθρον· Φάβιος
μὲν Αἰκανοῖς πολεμήσων προνομεύουσι τοὺς Λατίνων
ἀγρούς, Οὐεργίνιος δὲ Οὐιεντανοῖς. Αἰκανοὶ μὲν οὖν
ἐπειδὴ στρατὸν ἐλευσόμενον ἐπ´ αὐτοὺς ἔγνωσαν,
ἀναστάντες ἐκ τῆς πολεμίας διὰ τάχους ἀπῆλθον εἰς τὰς
ἑαυτῶν πόλεις· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα λεηλατουμένης τῆς
σφετέρας γῆς ἠνείχοντο, ὥστε πολλῶν κρατῆσαι
χρημάτων τὸν ὕπατον καὶ σωμάτων καὶ τῆς ἄλλης λείας ἐξ
ἐφόδου. Οὐιεντανοὶ δὲ κατ´ ἀρχὰς ἐντὸς τείχους μένοντες,
ἐπειδὴ καιρὸν ἔχειν ἔδοξαν ἐπιτήδειον, ἐπέθεντο
τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐσκεδασμένοις ἀνὰ τὰ πεδία καὶ πρὸς
ἁρπαγὴν τετραμμένοις τῆς λείας. ἔχοντες δὲ πολλὴν
καὶ συντεταγμένην δύναμιν ἐμβάλλουσιν εἰς αὐτούς,
καὶ τήν τε λείαν ἀφαιροῦνται, καὶ τοὺς ὁμόσε χωροῦντας,
οὓς μὲν ἀποκτείνουσιν, οὓς δ´ εἰς φυγὴν τρέπουσι·
καὶ εἰ μὴ Τῖτος Σίκκιος πρεσβευτὴς τότ´ ὢν στίφει
συντεταγμένῳ πεζῶν τε καὶ ἱππέων παραβοηθήσας
ἐπέσχεν αὐτούς, οὐδὲν ἂν τὸ κωλῦσον ἦν ἅπασαν
ἀπολέσθαι τὴν στρατιάν. ἐκείνου δ´ ἐμποδὼν γενομένου
συνελθεῖν ἔφθασαν οἱ λοιποὶ οἱ καθ´ ἕνα διεσκεδασμένοι·
πάντες δ´ ἐν ταὐτῷ γενόμενοι λόφον τινὰ
καταλαμβάνονται περὶ δείλην ὀψίαν, καὶ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν
νύκτα ἐν τούτῳ ἔμειναν. ἐπαρθέντες δὲ Οὐιεντανοὶ τῷ
κατορθώματι πλησίον τοῦ λόγου τίθενται τὰ ὅπλα, καὶ
τοὺς ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐκάλουν ὡς κατακεκλεικότες τοὺς
Ῥωμαίους εἰς χωρίον, ἔνθα οὐδὲν τῶν ἐπιτηδείων
ἔμελλον ἕξειν, καὶ προσαναγκάσοντες οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν
παραδοῦναι σφίσι τὰ ὅπλα. γίνεταί τ´ αὐτῶν συχνοῦ
ἐλθόντος ὄχλου δύο στρατεύματα περὶ τὰς ἐπιμάχους
λαγόνας τοῦ λόφου, πολλά τ´ ἄλλα φρούρια βραχύτερα
κατὰ τοὺς ἧττον ἐπικαίρους τόπους· καὶ πάντα ἦν μεστὰ
ὅπλων. ὁ δ´ ἕτερος τῶν ὑπάτων Φάβιος γραμμάτων παρὰ
τοῦ συνάρχοντος ἀφικομένων ἐπιγνούς, ὅτι
ἐν ἐσχάτοις εἰσὶν οἱ κατακλεισθέντες ἐν τῷ λόφῳ, καὶ
κινδυνεύσουσιν, εἰ μή τις αὐτοῖς βοηθήσει, λιμῷ ἁλῶναι,
ἀναστήσας τὸν στρατὸν ἦγεν ἐπὶ τοὺς Οὐιεντανοὺς
σὺν τάχει· καὶ εἰ μιᾷ βραδύτερον ἡμέρᾳ διήνυσε τὴν
ὁδόν, οὐδὲν ἂν ὤνησεν, ἀλλὰ διεφθαρμένην τὴν ἐκεῖ
στρατιὰν κατέλαβε. πιεζόμενοι γὰρ τῇ σπάνει τῶν
ἀναγκαίων οἱ κατέχοντες τὸν λόφον ἐξῆλθον ὡς τὸν
εὐπρεπέστατον αἱρησόμενοι τῶν θανάτων, καὶ
συμβαλόντες τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐμάχοντο κεκμηκότες οἱ
πλείους τὰ σώματα λιμῷ τε καὶ δίψῃ καὶ ἀγρυπνίᾳ καὶ τῇ
ἄλλῃ κακώσει. μετ´ οὐ πολὺ δ´ ὡς τὸ τοῦ Φαβίου
στράτευμα προσιὸν ὤφθη πολύ τε καὶ συντεταγμένον,
θάρσος μὲν ἔφερε τοῖς σφετέροις, δέος δὲ τοῖς πολεμίοις·
καὶ οἱ Τυρρηνοὶ οὐκέτι ἀξιόμαχοι εἶναι νομίσαντες πρὸς
ἀγαθήν τε καὶ ἀκμῆτα δύναμιν εἰς ἀγῶνα
χωρεῖν, ᾤχοντο ἐκλιπόντες τοὺς χάρακας. ὡς δ´ εἰς
ταὐτὸ συνῆλθον αἱ τῶν Ῥωμαίων δυνάμεις ἀμφότεραι,
στρατόπεδόν τε ποιοῦνται μέγα πλησίον τῆς πόλεως
ἐν ἐχυρῷ, καὶ πολλὰς ἡμέρας αὐτόθι διατρίψαντες καὶ
τὴν ἀρίστην τῶν Οὐιεντανῶν χώραν λεηλατήσαντες
ἀπῆγον ἐπ´ οἴκου τὴν στρατιάν. ὡς δ´ ἔγνωσαν οἱ
Οὐιεντανοὶ τὰς δυνάμεις τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀφειμένας ἀπὸ
τῶν σημαιῶν, τὴν εὔζωνον ἀναλαβόντες νεότητα, ἥν
τ´ αὐτοὶ συντεταγμένην εἶχον καὶ τὴν παρὰ τῶν
πλησιοχώρων παροῦσαν, ἐμβάλλουσιν εἰς τὰ προσκείμενα
τῇ σφετέρᾳ χώρᾳ πεδία, καὶ διαρπάζουσι καρπῶν τε
καὶ βοσκημάτων καὶ ἀνθρώπων ὄντα μεστά. κατέβησαν
γὰρ ἐκ τῶν ἐρυμάτων οἱ γεωργοὶ χιλοῦ τε τῶν
βοσκημάτων ἕνεκα καὶ ἐργασίας τῶν ἀγρῶν πιστεύοντες
τῇ σφετέρᾳ στρατιᾷ προκαθημένῃ καὶ οὐ φθάσαντες
ἀπελθούσης ἀνασκευάσασθαι πάλιν, οὐκ ἐλπίσαντες
τοσαῦτα κεκακωμένους τοὺς Οὐιεντανοὺς ταχεῖαν οὕτως
ἀντεπιχείρησιν κατὰ τοῦ ἀντιπάλου ποιήσεσθαι. αὕτη
χρόνου μὲν μήκει βραχεῖα ἐγένετο ἡ τῶν Οὐιεντανῶν εἰς
τὴν Ῥωμαίων γῆν ἐμβολή, πλήθει δὲ χώρας, ἣν ἐπῆλθον,
ἐν τοῖς πάνυ μεγάλη, καὶ ἀχθηδόνα σὺν αἰσχύνῃ Ῥωμαίοις
ἀήθη παρέσχεν ἄχρι Τιβέριός τε ποταμοῦ καὶ ὄρους
Ἰανίκλου στάδια τῆς Ῥώμης οὐδ´
εἴκοσιν ἀφεστῶτος ἀφικομένη. {ἡ} κωλύσουσα γὰρ
δύναμις ἐπὶ πλεῖον χωρεῖν τὰ πολέμια οὐκ ἦν ὑπὸ
σημαίαις. ἔφθασε γοῦν τὸ τῶν Οὐιεντανῶν στράτευμα
πρὶν ἢ συνελθεῖν τε καὶ λοχισθῆναι τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἀπελθόν.
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Traduction française :
| [9,14] The senate chose interreges to preside at the election of magistrates, and the
second interrex having assembled the centuries in the Field, Caeso Fabius, the one
who had been awarded the prize for valour in the battle, and brother to the man who
had abdicated his magistracy, was chosen consul for the third time, and with him
Titus Verginius. These, having drawn lots for the armies, took the field, Fabius to war
against the Aequians, who were plundering the fields of the Latins, and Verginius
against the Veientes.The Aequians, when they learned that an army was going to
come against them, hastily evacuated the enemy's country and returned to their own
cities; and after that they permitted their own territory to be ravaged, so the consul
possessed himself at the first blow of large amounts of money, many slaves, and
much booty of other sorts. As for the Veientes, they at first remained within their
walls; but as soon as they thought they had a favourable opportunity, they fell upon
the enemy as they were dispersed over the plains and occupied in seizing booty. And
attacking them with a large army in good order, they not only took away their booty,
but also killed or put to flight all who engaged them. Indeed, if titus Siccius, who was
legate at the time, had not come to their relief with a body of foot and horse in good
order and held the foe in check, nothing could have prevented the army from being
utterly destroyed. But when he got in the enemy's way, (p333) the rest of the troops, who
had been scattered one here and one there, succeeded in getting together before it
was too late; and being now all united, they occupied a hill late in the afternoon and
remained there the following night. The Veientes, elated by their success, encamped
near the hill and sent for their forces in the city, imagining that they had shut up the
Romans in a place where they could not get any provisions, and that they would soon
force them to deliver up their arms to them. And when a multitude of their men had
arrived, there were now two armies posted on the two sides of the hill that could be
assailed, as well as many smaller detachments to guard the less vulnerable positions;
and every place was full of armed men.
The other consul, Fabius, learning from a letter that came from his colleague that
the troops shut up on the hill were in the direst straits and would be in danger of
being reduced by famine unless someone came to their relief, broke camp and
marched in haste against the Veientes. Indeed, if he had been one day later in
completing his march, he would have been of no help, but would have found the army
there destroyed. For the men holding the hill, distressed by the lack of provisions, had
sallied out, ready to choose the most honourable death; and having engaged the
enemy, they were then fighting, though the bodies of most of them were weakened by
hunger, thirst, want of sleep, and every other hardship.But after a short time, when
the army of Fabius, which was very large and drawn up in order of battle, was seen
approaching, it brought confidence to their own men and fear to the enemy; and the
Tyrrhenians, (p335) believing themselves no longer to be strong enough to engaged in
battle with a valiant and fresh army, abandoned their camps and withdrew. When the
two armies of the Romans had come together, they made a large camp in a strong
position near the city; then, after remaining there many days and plundering the best
part of the territory of the Veientes, the generals led the army home.When the
Veientes heard that the forces of the Romans had been discharged from the
standards, taking the light-armed youth, not only their own which they had already
assembled, but also that of their neighbours which was then present, they made an
incursion into the plains bordering upon their own territory, which were full of corn,
cattle and men, and plundered them. For the husbandmen had come down from the
strongholds to get feed for their cattle and to till their lands, relying upon the
protection of their army, which then lay encamped between them and the enemy; and
after this army had retired, they had made no hasten to move back, as they did not
expect the Veientes, after having suffered so many defeats, to make a return attack so
promptly against the foes. This irruption of the Veientes into the Romans' country,
though brief in point of the time it lasted, was very serious with respect to the amount
of territory they overran; and it caused the Romans unusual vexation, mingled with
shame, since it extended as far as the river Tiber and Mount Janiculum, which is not
twenty stades from Rome.16 For there was no force (p337) then under the standards to
stop the enemy's further progress; at any rate, the army of the Veientes had gone
before the Romans could assemble and be assigned to centuries.
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