Texte grec :
| [9,65] Ἔπειτ´ Αἰκανῶν τε καὶ Οὐολούσκων ἑτέρα
δύναμις καλὸν ὑπολαμβάνουσα καιρὸν ἔχειν προνομεῦσαι
τὴν Ῥωμαίων γῆν, ἐξεστρατευμένης αὐτῶν τῆς
κρατίστης δυνάμεως, ἐξῆλθε νυκτός· καὶ ἐμβαλοῦσα
εἰς τὴν προσωτάτω χώραν, ἔνθα τοῖς γεωργοῖς δέος
οὐδὲν εἶναι ἐδόκει, πολλῶν γίνονται χρημάτων καὶ
σωμάτων ἐγκρατεῖς. οὐ μὴν καλάς γ´ οὐδ´ εὐτυχεῖς
τὰς ἐσχάτας ἔσχον ἐκεῖθεν ἀπαλλαγάς. ὁ γὰρ ἕτερος
τῶν ὑπάτων Ποστόμιος ἄγων τὴν συναχθεῖσαν
ἐπικουρίαν τοῖς ἐν τῷ χάρακι πολεμουμένοις, ὡς ἔμαθε
τὰ γινόμενα ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων, ἐπιφαίνεται αὐτοῖς ἐκ
τοῦ ἀνελπίστου. οἱ δ´ οὔτε κατεπλάγησαν οὔτ´ ἔδεισαν
αὐτοῦ τὴν ἔφοδον, ἀλλ´ ἀποθέμενοι σχολῇ τὰς ἀποσκευὰς
καὶ τὰ λάφυρα εἰς ἓν χωρίον ἐχυρὸν καὶ φυλακὴν τὴν
ἀρκοῦσαν ἐπὶ τούτοις καταλιπόντες οἱ λοιποὶ
συντεταγμένοι χωροῦσι τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ὁμόσε· καὶ
συμπεσόντες ἄξια λόγου ἔργα ἀπεδείκνυντ´ ὀλίγοι μὲν
πρὸς πολλοὺς ἀγωνιζόμενοι - συνέρρεον γὰρ ἐκ τῶν
ἀγρῶν ἐπ´ αὐτοὺς συχνοὶ ἤδη διεσκεδασμένοι - ψιλῇ
ὁπλίσει πρὸς ἄνδρας ὅλα τὰ σώματα ἔχοντας ἐν φυλακῇ
ἐποίησάν τε πολλοὺς τῶν Ῥωμαίων νεκροὺς καὶ μικροῦ
ἐδέησαν ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ γῇ καταληφθέντες τρόπαια τῶν
ἐλθόντων ἐπὶ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀναστῆσαι. ἀλλ´ ὅ γ´ ὕπατος
καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ Ῥωμαίων ἱππεῖς ἐπίλεκτοι, ἀχαλινώτοις
ἐπελάσαντες τοῖς ἵπποις κατὰ τὸ καρτερώτατόν
τε καὶ ἄριστα μαχόμενον αὐτῶν μέρος, διασπῶσι τὴν
τάξιν καὶ καταβάλλουσι συχνούς. διαφθαρέντων δὲ
τῶν προμάχων καὶ ἡ λοιπὴ δύναμις ἀποτραπεῖσα
ἐνέκλινεν εἰς φυγήν, οἵ τε φυλάττοντες τὰς ἀποσκευὰς
μεθέμενοι αὐτῶν ἀπιόντες ᾤχοντο ἀνὰ τὰ πλησίον
ὄρη. κατ´ αὐτὸν μὲν οὖν τὸν ἀγῶνα ὀλίγοι τινὲς αὐτῶν
διεφθάρησαν, ἐν δὲ τῇ φυγῇ πάνυ πολλοί, χώρας
τ´ ἄπειροι ὄντες καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἵππου διωκόμενοι.
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Traduction française :
| [9,65] Later another force of Aequians and Volscians, thinking they now had a fine
opportunity to plunder the Romans' country while their best troops were in the field,
set out in the night; and invading the remotest part of the land, where the
husbandmen thought there was nothing to fear, they gained possession of much
booty and many captives.But in the end their return from there proved neither
glorious nor fortunate. For the other consul, Postumius, who was bringing the
reinforcements he had got together for the relief of the Romans besieged in their
camp, when he learned what the enemy were doing, appeared before them
unexpectedly. They were neither astonished nor terrified at his approach, but when
they had leisurely deposited their baggage and booty in a single strong place and left a
sufficient guard to defend it, the rest marched in good order to meet the Romans.
And when they had joined combat, they performed notable deeds, though they (p145)
fought few against many for large numbers came streaming in to oppose them
from their farms, to which they had earlier scattered and lightly-armed against
men whose bodies were entirely protected. They killed many of the Romans and,
though intercepted in a foreign land, came very near erecting trophies over those who
had come to attack them.But the consul and the Roman horsemen who were with
him, all chosen men, charging with their horses unbridled that part of the enemy
which was firmest and fought best, broke their ranks and killed a goodly number.
When those in the front line had been slain, the rest of the army gave way and fled;
and the men appointed to guard the baggage abandoned it and made off by way of the
near-by mountains. In the action itself only a few of them were slain, but very many
in the rout, as they were both unacquainted with the country and pursued by the
Roman horse.
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