[3,4] Μετὰ δὲ τὰς προφάσεις ταύτας παρεσκευάζοντο ἀμφότεροι τὰ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον, οὐ μόνον τὰς οἰκείας καθοπλίζοντες δυνάμεις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς παρὰ τῶν ὑπηκόων ἐπικαλούμενοι· ὡς δὲ πάντα ἦν αὐτοῖς εὐτρεπῆ συνῄεσαν ὁμόσε καὶ καταστρατοπεδεύονται τετταράκοντα τῆς Ῥώμης σταδίους ἀποσχόντες· οἱ μὲν Ἀλβανοὶ περὶ τὰς καλουμένας Κλοιλίας τάφρους (φυλάττουσι γὰρ ἔτι τὴν τοῦ κατασκευάσαντος αὐτὰς ἐπίκλησιν) Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ ὀλίγον ἐνδοτέρω τὸν ἐπιτηδειότατον εἰς στρατοπεδείαν τόπον ἐκλεξάμενοι. ἐπεὶ δὲ συνεῖδον ἀλλήλων ἀμφότεροι τὰς δυνάμεις οὔτε πλήθει λειπομένας οὔτε ὁπλισμοῖς εὐτελεῖς οὔτε ταῖς ἄλλαις παρασκευαῖς οὔσας εὐκαταφρονήτους, τῆς μὲν ταχείας ἐπὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα ὁρμῆς, ἣν κατ´ ἀρχὰς εἶχον ὡς αὐτῇ ἐφόδῳ τρεψόμενοι τοὺς πολεμίους, ἀπέστησαν· φυλακῆς δὲ μᾶλλον ἢ προεπιχειρήσεως πρόνοιαν ἐλάμβανον ὑψηλοτέρους ἐγείροντες τοὺς χάρακας, εἰσῄει τε αὐτῶν τοῖς χαριεστάτοις λογισμὸς ὡς οὐ τὰ κράτιστα βουλευομένοις, καὶ κατάμεμψις τῶν ἐν τέλει. ἑλκομένου δὲ τοῦ χρόνου διὰ κενῆς (οὐδὲν γὰρ ὅ τι καὶ λόγου ἄξιον εἴτε καταδρομαῖς ψιλῶν ἢ συμπλοκαῖς ἱππέων ἔβλαπτον ἀλλήλους) ὁ τοῦ πολέμου δόξας αἴτιος γενονέναι Κλοίλιος ἀχθόμενος ἐπὶ τῇ ἀπράκτῳ καθέδρᾳ γνώμην ἔσχεν ἐξάγειν τὴν στρατιὰν καὶ προκαλεῖσθαι τοὺς πολεμίους εἰς μάχην, ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ὑπακούσωσι προσβάλλειν αὐτῶν πρὸς τὰ ἐρύματα. παρασκευασάμενος δὲ τὰ πρὸς τὸν ἀγῶνα καί, εἰ δεήσει τειχομαχίας, ὅσα τῷ τοιούτῳ πρόσφορα ἔργῳ μηχανησάμενος, ἐπεὶ νὺξ ἐγένετο καθεύδων ἐν τῇ στρατηγικῇ σκηνῇ παρούσης αὐτῷ τῆς εἰωθυίας φυλακῆς περὶ τὸν ὄρθρον εὑρίσκεται νεκρός, οὔτε σφαγῆς οὔτε ἀγχόνης οὔτε φαρμάκων οὔτε ἄλλης βιαίου συμφορᾶς σημεῖον ἐπὶ τοῦ σώματος οὐδὲν ἔχων.

[3,4] After these pretences they both prepared themselves for war, not only arming their own forces but also calling to their assistance those of their subjects. And when they had everything ready the two armies drew near to each other and encamped at the distance of forty stades from Rome, the Albans at the Cluilian Ditches, as they are called (for they still preserve the name of the man who constructed them) and the Romans a little farther inside, having chosen the most convenient place for their camp. When the two armies saw each other's forces neither inferior in numbers nor poorly armed nor to be despised in respect of their other preparations, they lost their impetuous ardour for the combat, which they had felt at first because of their expectation of defeating the enemy by their very onset, and they took thought rather of defending themselves by building their ramparts to a greater height than of being the first to attack. At the same time the most intelligent among them began to reflect, feeling that they were not being governed by the best counsels, and there was a spirit of faultfinding against those in authority. And as (p17) the time dragged on in vain (for they were not injuring one another to any notable extent by sudden dashes of the light-armed troops or by skirmishes of the horse), the man who was looked upon as responsible for the war, Cluilius, being irked at lying idle, resolved to march out with his army and challenge the enemy to battle, and if they declined it, to attack their entrenchments. And having made his preparations for an engagement and all the plans necessary for an attack upon the enemy's ramparts, in case that should prove necessary, when night came on he went to sleep in the general's tent, attended by his usual guard; but about daybreak he was found dead, no signs appearing on his body either of wounds, strangling, poison, or any other violent death.