Texte grec :
| [9,19] Τινὲς μὲν οὖν φασιν, ὅτι θυσίας ἐπιστάσης πατρίου,
ἣν ἔδει τὸ Φαβίων ἐπιτελέσαι γένος, οἱ
μὲν ἄνδρες ἐξῆλθον ὀλίγους ἐπαγόμενοι πελάτας ἐπὶ
τὰ ἱερά, καὶ προῄεσαν οὔτε διερευνώμενοι τὰς ὁδοὺς
οὔθ´ ὑπὸ σημαίαις τεταγμένοι κατὰ λόχους, ῥᾳθύμως
δὲ καὶ ἀφυλάκτως ὡς ἐν εἰρήνῃ τε καὶ διὰ φιλίας γῆς
πορευόμενοι. οἱ δὲ Τυρρηνοὶ προεγνωκότες αὐτῶν τὴν
ἔξοδον ἐλόχησαν τῆς ὁδοῦ χωρίον μέρει τῆς στρατιᾶς,
τὴν δὲ λοιπὴν δύναμιν συντεταγμένην ἔχοντες οὐ πολλῷ
ὕστερον ἠκολούθουν. ὡς δ´ ἐπλησίασαν οἱ Φάβιοι
ταῖς ἐνέδραις, ἐξαναστάντες τοῦ λόχου οἱ Τυρρηνοὶ
προσπίπτουσιν αὐτοῖς, οἱ μὲν κατὰ μέτωπον, οἱ δ´
ἐκ τῶν πλαγίων, καὶ μετ´ οὐ πολὺ ἡ τῶν ἄλλων
Τυρρηνῶν δύναμις προσέβαλεν ἐκ τῶν κατόπιν· καὶ
περιστάντες αὐτοῖς πανταχόθεν, οἱ μὲν σφενδόναις,
οἱ δὲ τόξοις, οἱ δὲ σαυνίοις τε καὶ λόγχαις στοχαζόμενοι,
τῷ πλήθει τῶν βελῶν ἅπαντας κατειργάσαντο.
οὗτος μὲν οὖν ἧττον ἔμοιγε πιθανὸς φαίνεται εἶναι
λόγος. οὔτε γὰρ εἰκὸς ἀπὸ στρατοπέδου θυσίας ἕνεκα
τοὺς ὑπὸ ταῖς σημαίαις τοσούτους ἄνδρας εἰς τὴν πόλιν
ἀναστρέφειν ἄνευ ψηφίσματος βουλῆς, δυναμένων
τῶν ἱερουργιῶν καὶ δι´ ἑτέρων ἐπιτελεσθῆναι τῶν
μετεχόντων μὲν τοῦ αὐτοῦ γένους, προβεβηκότων δὲ ταῖς
ἡλικίαις· οὔτ´ εἰ πάντες ἀπεληλύθεσαν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως,
καὶ μηδεμία μοῖρα τοῦ Φαβίων γένους ἐν τοῖς ἐφεστίοις
ὑπελείπετο, πάντας εἰκὸς ἦν τοὺς κατέχοντας τὸ
φρούριον ἐκλιπεῖν αὐτοῦ τὴν φυλακήν· ἤρκουν γὰρ ἂν
καὶ τρεῖς ἢ τέτταρες ἀφικόμενοι συντελέσαι περὶ τοῦ
γένους ὅλου τὰ ἱερά. διὰ μὲν δὴ ταύτας τὰς αἰτίας
οὐκ ἔδοξέ μοι πιστὸς εἶναι ὁ λόγος.
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Traduction française :
| [9,19] Some say that when the time was at hand for a traditional sacrifice which
devolved upon the Fabian clan, the men set out from the fortress, attended by a few
clients, to perform the rites, and proceeded without reconnoitring the roads or
marching ranged in centuries under their standards, but negligently and unguardedly
as in time of peace and as if they were passing through friendly territory. The
Tyrrhenians, having learned of their departure in advance, placed one part of their
army in ambush at a spot along the road, and followed son after with the rest of their
forces in regular formation. When the Fabii drew near the ambuscade, the
Tyrrhenians who were lying in wait there rose up and fell upon them, some in front
and others in flank, and a little later the rest of the Tyrrhenian force attacked them
from the rear; and surrounding them on all sides and shooting at them, some with
slings, some with bows, and others hurling javelins and spears, they overwhelmed
them all with the multitude of their missiles.Now this account seems to me to be
the less credible. For not only is it improbable that so many serving under the
standards would have returned from the camp to the city because of a sacrifice
without a decree from the senate, when the rites might have (p357) been performed by
others of the same clan who were advanced in years; but even if they had all gone
from the city and no part of the Fabian clan was left in their homes, it is improbable
that all who held the fortress would have abandoned the guarding of it, since even
three or four of them would have sufficed to return to Rome and perform the rites for
the whole clan. For these reasons, then, this account has not seemed to me to be credible.
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