[3,42] Ἐκ δὲ τοῦ Σαβίνων ἔθνους αὖθις ἕτεροί τινες τῆς Ῥωμαίων οὔπω πεπειραμένοι δυνάμεως, - - - πόλιν οἰκοῦντες εὐδαίμονα καὶ μεγάλην, ἐγκαλεῖν μὲν αὐτοῖς οὐδὲν ἔχοντες, φθονεῖν δὲ ταῖς εὐτυχίαις ἀναγκαζόμενοι μείζοσιν ἢ κατὰ λόγον γινομέναις, ἄνθρωποι δεινοὶ τὰ πολέμια τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀπὸ λῃστηρίων καὶ καταδρομῆς ἀγρῶν ὀλίγοι συνελθόντες ἤρξαντο, ἔπειτα δελεαζόμενοι ταῖς ὠφελείαις φανερὰν ποιοῦνται στρατείαν ἐπ´ αὐτοὺς καὶ τῆς ὁμόρου πολλὴν λεηλατοῦντες ἐκάκωσαν ἰσχυρῶς. οὐ μὴν ἐξεγένετό γε αὐτοῖς οὔτε τὰς ὠφελείας ἀπάγειν οὔτ´ αὐτοῖς ἀθώοις ἀπελθεῖν, ἀλλ´ ἐκβοηθήσας κατὰ σπουδὴν ὁ τῶν Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς καὶ πλησίον τῆς ἐκείνων παρεμβολῆς θέμενος τὸν χάρακα προελθεῖν αὐτοὺς ἠνάγκασεν εἰς μάχην. ἐγένετο μὲν οὖν μέγας ἀγὼν καὶ πολλοὶ παρ´ ἀμφοτέρων ἔπεσον, ἐκράτησαν δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι κατὰ τὸ ἔμπειρόν τε καὶ φιλόπονον, ὧν ἐθάδες ἦσαν ἐκ πλείστου, καὶ περιεγένοντο παρὰ πολὺ τῶν Σαβίνων τοῖς τε φεύγουσιν αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα σποράσι καὶ ἀσυντάκτοις ἐκποδὸς ἑπόμενοι πολὺν ἐποίουν φόνον. κρατήσαντες δὲ καὶ τῆς παρεμβολῆς αὐτῶν παντοδαπῶν χρημάτων γεμούσης καὶ τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους, οὓς ἔλαβον οἱ Σαβῖνοι κατὰ τὰς προνομάς, ἀπολαβόντες ἀπῄεσαν ἐπ´ οἴκου. αἱ μὲν δὴ πολεμικαὶ πράξεις τοῦδε τοῦ βασιλέως αἱ μνήμης καὶ λόγου παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις τυγχάνουσαι τοιαίδε τινὲς λέγονται γενέσθαι· πολιτικαὶ δὲ ἃς ἔρχομαι λέξων.

[3,42] Again, some others of the Sabine nation who had not yet felt the Roman power, the inhabitants of . . . , a great and prosperous city, without having any grounds of complain against the Romans but being driven to envy of their prosperity, which was increasing disproportionately, and being a very warlike people, began at first with brigandage and the raiding of their fields in small bodies, but afterwards, lured by the hope of booty, made war upon them openly and ravaged much of the neighbouring territory, inflicting severe damage. But they were not permitted either to carry off their booty or themselves to retire unscathed, for the Roman king, hastening to the rescue, pitched his camp near theirs and forced them to come to an engagement. A great battle, therefore, was fought and many fell on both sides, but the Romans won by reason of their skill and their endurance of toil, virtues to which they had been long accustomed, and they proved far superior to the Sabines; and pursuing them closely as they fled, dispersed and in disorder, toward their camp, they wrought great slaughter. Then, having also captured their camp, which was full of all sorts of valuables, and recovered the captives the Sabines had taken in their raids, they returned home. These in (p175) brief are the military exploits of this king that have been remembered and recorded by the Romans. I shall now mention the achievements of his civil administration.