[3,24] Ἐπαινεσάντων δὲ τὴν γνώμην τῶν παρόντων καὶ πάντα ὑποσχομένων ποιήσειν ὅρκοις ἕκαστον αὐτῶν καταλαβὼν διέλυσε τὸν σύλλογον. τῇ δ´ ἑξῆς ἡμέρᾳ προῄεσαν μὲν ἐκ τοῦ χάρακος αἱ Φιδηναίων τε καὶ συμμάχων δυνάμεις ἅμα τῷ τὸν ἥλιον ἀνασχεῖν καὶ παρετάσσοντο ὡς εἰς μάχην, ἀντεπεξῄεσαν δὲ οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ καθίσταντο εἰς τάξιν. τὸ μὲν οὖν ἀριστερὸν κέρας αὐτὸς ὁ Τύλλος καὶ οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι κατεῖχον ἐναντίοι Οὐιεντανοῖς (οὗτοι γὰρ τὸ δεξιὸν τῶν πολεμίων κατεῖχον κέρας), ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ δεξιοῦ τῶν Ῥωμαίων κέρατος ὁ Μέττιος καὶ οἱ Ἀλβανοὶ κατὰ Φιδηναίους παρὰ τὴν λαγόνα τοῦ ὄρους ἐτάξαντο. ἐπεὶ δὲ σύνεγγυς ἀλλήλων ἐγίνοντο, πρὶν ἐντὸς βέλους γενέσθαι οἱ Ἀλβανοὶ σχισθέντες ἀπὸ τοῦ ἄλλου στρατοῦ συντεταγμένους ἦγον τοὺς λόχους ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος. οἱ μὲν οὖν Φιδηναῖοι μαθόντες τοῦτο καὶ πιστεύσαντες ἀληθεύειν σφίσι τὰς περὶ τῆς προδοσίας ὑποσχέσεις τῶν Ἀλβανῶν θρασύτερον ἤδη τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις προσεφέροντο, καὶ τὸ μὲν δεξιὸν κέρας τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐψιλωμένον τῆς συμμαχίας παρερρήγνυτό τε καὶ σφόδρα ἐπόνει, τὸ δ´ εὐώνυμον ἀνὰ κράτος ἠγωνίζετο, ἔνθα καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ Τύλλος ἐν τοῖς ἐπιλέκτοις τῶν ἱππέων μαχόμενος. ἐν δὲ τούτῳ προσελάσας τις ἱππεὺς τοῖς ἅμα τῷ βασιλεῖ μαχομένοις, Κάμνει τὸ δεξιὸν ἡμῖν κέρας, ἔφησεν, ὦ Τύλλε. Ἀλβανοί τε γὰρ ἐκλιπόντες τὴν τάξιν ἐπὶ τὰ μετέωρα ἐπείγονται, Φιδηναῖοί τε καθ´ οὓς ἐκεῖνοι ἐτάχθησαν ὑπὲρ κέρατος ὄντες τοῦ ἐψιλωμένου κυκλοῦσθαι μέλλουσιν ἡμᾶς. ταῦτα ἀκούσαντας τοὺς Ῥωμαίους καὶ ἰδόντας τὴν ὁρμὴν τῶν Ἀλβανῶν τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος δεῖμα ὡς κυκλωσομένους ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων καταλαμβάνει, ὥστε οὔτε μάχεσθαι οὔτε μένειν αὐτοῖς ἐπῄει. ἔνθα δὴ σοφίᾳ λέγεται χρήσασθαι ὁ Τύλλος οὐδὲν ἐπιταραχθεὶς τὴν διάνοιαν ὑπὸ τοσούτου τε καὶ οὕτως ἀπροσδοκήτου φανέντος κακοῦ, δι´ ἣν οὐ μόνον ἔσωσε τὴν Ῥωμαίων στρατιὰν εἰς προὖπτον κατακεκλειμένην ὄλεθρον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ τῶν πολεμίων πράγματα σύμπαντα συνέτριψέ τε καὶ διέφθειρεν. ὡς γὰρ ἤκουσε τοῦ ἀγγέλου μεγάλῃ φωνῇ χρώμενος, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἀκούειν, Κρατοῦμεν, εἶπεν, ἄνδρες Ῥωμαῖοι, τῶν ἐχθρῶν. Ἀλβανοὶ μὲν γὰρ ἡμῖν τὸ πλησίον ὄρος τοῦτο κατειλήφασιν, ὥσπερ ὁρᾶτε, κατὰ τὰς ἐμὰς ἐντολάς, ἵνα κατὰ νώτου γενόμενοι τῶν πολεμίων ἐπίωσιν αὐτοῖς. ἐνθυμηθέντες οὖν ὅτι ἐν καλῷ τοὺς ἐχθίστους ἡμῖν ἔχομεν, οἱ μὲν ἄντικρυς ἐπιόντες, οἱ δὲ κατόπιν, ἔνθα οὔτε πρόσω χωρεῖν οὔτ´ ὀπίσω ἐπιστρέφειν δυνάμενοι ποταμῷ τε καὶ ὄρει ἐκ τῶν πλαγίων ἀποκλειόμενοι καλὴν δώσουσιν ἡμῖν δίκην, ἴτε σὺν πολλῇ καταφρονήσει ἐπ´ αὐτούς.

[3,24] Those who were present having approved (p109) of this advice and promised to carry out all his orders, he bound each of them by an oath and then dismissed the assembly. The next day the armies both of the Fidenates and of their allies marched out of their camp at sunrise and drew up in order of battle; and on the other side the Romans came out against them and took their positions. Tullus himself and the Romans formed the left wing, which was opposite to the Veientes (for these occupied the enemy's right), while Mettius Fufetius and the Albans drew up on the right wing of the Roman army, over against the Fidenates, beside the flank of the hill. When the armies drew near one another and before they came within range of each other's missiles, the Albans, separating themselves from the rest of the army, began to lead their companies up the hill in good order. The Fidenates, learning of this and feeling confident that the Albans' promises to betray the Romans were coming true before their eyes, now fell to attacking the Romans with greater boldness, and the right wing of the Romans, left unprotected by their allies, was being broken and was suffering severely; but the left, where Tullus himself fought among the flower of the cavalry, carried on the struggle vigorously. In the meantime a horseman rode up to those who were fighting under the king and said: "Our right wing is suffering, Tullus. For the Albans have deserted their posts and are hastening up to the heights, and the Fidenates, opposite to whom they were stationed, extend beyond our wing that is now left unprotected, and are going to surround (p111) us." The Romans, upon hearing this and seeing the haste with which the Albans were rushing up the hill, were seized with such fear of being surrounded by the enemy that it did not occur to them either to fight or to stand their ground. Thereupon Tullus, they say, not at all disturbed in mind by so great and so unexpected a misfortune, made use of a stratagem by which he not only saved the Roman army, which was threatened with manifest ruin, but also shattered and brought to nought all the plans of the enemy. For, as soon as he had heard the messenger, he raised his voice, so as to be heard even by the enemy, and cried:"Romans, we are victorious over the enemy. For the Albans have occupied for us this hill hard by, as you see, by my orders, so as to get behind the enemy and fall upon them. Consider, therefore, that we have our greatest foes where we want them, some of us attacking them in front and others in the rear, in a position where, being unable either to advance or to retire, hemmed in as they are on the flanks by the river and by the hill, they will make handsome atonement to us. Forward, then, and show your utter contempt of them."