[3,50] Τὰ δ´ αὐτὰ καὶ Νωμεντανοῖς διανοηθεῖσι τῶν αὐτῶν τυχεῖν ἐξεγένετο. καὶ γὰρ οὗτοι λῃστήρια πέμποντες ἐπὶ τοὺς Ῥωμαίων ἀγροὺς πολέμιοι κατέστησαν αὐτοῖς ἐκ τοῦ προφανοῦς ταῖς Λατίνων πεποιθότες συμμαχίαις· στρατεύσαντος δ´ ἐπ´ αὐτοὺς Ταρκυνίου καὶ τῆς Λατίνων ἐπικουρίας ὑστεριζούσης οὐχ οἷοί τε ὄντες αὐτοὶ πρὸς τοσαύτην δύναμιν ἀντέχειν, ἱκετηρίας ἀναλαβόντες ἐξῆλθον ἐκ τῆς πόλεως καὶ παρέδοσαν ἑαυτούς. οἱ δὲ τὴν καλουμένην Κολλατίαν κατοικοῦντες ἐπειράθησαν μὲν ἐλθεῖν διὰ μάχης πρὸς τὰς Ῥωμαίων δυνάμεις καὶ προῆλθον ἔξω τῆς πόλεως, ἐν ἁπάσαις δὲ ταῖς συμπλοκαῖς ἐλαττούμενοι καὶ πληγὰς πολλὰς λαμβάνοντες ἠναγκάσθησαν πάλιν εἰς τὸ τεῖχος καταφυγεῖν καὶ διεπέμποντο πρὸς τὰς Λατίνων πόλεις αἰτούμενοι συμμαχίαν. ὡς δὲ βραδύτερα τὰ παρ´ ἐκείνων ἦν, καὶ κατὰ πολλὰ μέρη τοῦ τείχους οἱ πολέμιοι τὰς προσβολὰς ἐποιοῦντο, παραδοῦναι τὴν πόλιν ἠναγκάσθησαν σὺν χρόνῳ. οὐ μέντοι τῆς αὐτῆς μετριότητος ἔτυχον, ἧς Νωμεντανοί τε καὶ Κρουστομερῖνοι, ἀλλ´ ὅπλά τε ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀφείλετο καὶ εἰς χρήματα ἐζημίωσε καὶ φρουρὰν κατέλιπεν ἐν τῇ πόλει τὴν ἱκανὴν ἄρχειν τε αὐτῶν ἔταξε τὴν ἀνυπεύθυνον ἀρχὴν διὰ βίου Ταρκύνιον Ἄρροντα τὸν ἴδιον ἀδελφιδοῦν, ὃς μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν τοῦ τε πατρὸς Ἄρροντος καὶ τοῦ πάππου Δημαράτου γενόμενος οὔτε τῶν πατρῴων οὔτε τῶν τοῦ πάππου χρημάτων τὴν προσήκουσαν ἐκληρονόμησε μοῖραν καὶ διὰ ταύτην τὴν αἰτίαν Ἠγέριος ἐπωνομάσθη. τοὺς γὰρ ἀπόρους καὶ πτωχοὺς οὕτως ὀνομάζουσι Ῥωμαῖοι. ἐξ οὗ δὲ παρέλαβε τὴν ἐκείνης τῆς πόλεως ἐπιμέλειαν αὐτός τε Κολλατῖνος ἐπεκλήθη καὶ πάντες οἱ ἀπ´ ἐκείνου γενόμενοι. μετὰ δὲ τὴν Κολλατίας παράδοσιν ἐπὶ τὸν καλούμενον Κορνίκολον ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐστράτευσεν· ἦν δὲ κἀκείνη τοῦ Λατίνων ἔθνους ἡ πόλις. λεηλατήσας δὲ τὴν χώραν αὐτῶν κατὰ πολλὴν ἄδειαν οὐδενὸς ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς ἀμυνομένου πρὸς αὐτὴν στρατεύεται τὴν πόλιν προκαλούμενος τοὺς ἄνδρας εἰς φιλίαν· οὐ βουλομένων δὲ αὐτῶν εἰς διαλλαγὰς ἐλθεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ τείχους τῇ ἐχυρότητι πεποιθότων καὶ συμμαχίας πολλαχόθεν ἥξειν οἰομένων, περὶ πάντα τὸν κύκλον τῆς πόλεως τὴν δύναμιν περιστήσας ἐτειχομάχει. οἱ δὲ Κορνικολανοὶ πολὺν μὲν χρόνον {ἀντεῖχον} ἀνδρείως ἀπομαχόμενοι {καὶ} πολλὰς τοῖς προσβαλοῦσι πληγὰς ἔδωκαν, κάμνοντες δὲ τῇ συνεχείᾳ τῶν πόνων καὶ οὐδὲ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔτι γνώμην ἅπαντες φυλάττοντες (τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἐδόκει παραδιδόναι τὴν πόλιν, τοῖς δὲ μέχρι παντὸς ἀντέχειν) δι´ αὐτὸ τὸ στασιάζειν μάλιστα καταπονούμενοι κατὰ κράτος ἑάλωσαν. τὸ μὲν οὖν κράτιστον αὐτῶν μέρος ἐν τῇ καταλήψει τῆς πόλεως μαχόμενον διεφθάρη, τὸ δὲ ἀγεννὲς καὶ διὰ τοῦτο σωθὲν ἐν ἀνδραπόδων ἐπράθη λόγῳ γυναιξὶν ὁμοῦ καὶ τέκνοις, ἡ δὲ πόλις αὐτῶν διαρπασθεῖσα ὑπὸ τῶν κεκρατηκότων ἐνεπρήσθη. ἐφ´ οἷς οἱ Λατῖνοι χαλεπῶς φέροντες ἐψηφίσαντο κοινῇ στρατιὰν ἐπὶ Ῥωμαίους ἐξαγαγεῖν καὶ παρασκευασάμενοι πολλὴν δύναμιν εἰς τὴν κρατίστην χώραν αὐτῶν ἐνέβαλον, ἐξ ἧς αἰχμαλώτους τε πολλοὺς ἀπήγαγον καὶ λείας ἐγένοντο μεγάλης κύριοι. βασιλεὺς δὲ Ταρκύνιος ἐξῆλθε μὲν ἐπ´ αὐτοὺς τὴν εὔζωνόν τε καὶ ἐν ἑτοίμῳ δύναμιν ἐπαγόμενος, οὐκέτι δὲ καταλαβεῖν αὐτοὺς φθάσας εἰς τὴν ἐκείνων χώραν ἐνέβαλε καὶ τὰ ὅμοια διέθηκε. τοιαῦτα συνέβαινε πολλὰ παραλλὰξ ἑκατέροις ἐπὶ τὰς ὁμόρους χώρας ἐκστρατευομένοις ἐλαττώματά τε καὶ πλεονεκτήματα, μία δὲ αὐτῶν ἐκ παρατάξεως ἐγένετο μάχη Φιδήνης πόλεως πλησίον ἁπάσαις συμβαλόντων ταῖς δυνάμεσιν, ἐν ᾗ πολλοὶ μὲν ἔπεσον ἀμφοτέρων, ἐνίκησαν δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ τοὺς Λατίνους ἠνάγκασαν λιπόντας τὸν χάρακα νύκτωρ εἰς τὰς ἑαυτῶν πόλεις ἀπελθεῖν.

[3,50] The Nomentans also, having formed the same plans, met with the same fate. For they kept sending bands of robbers to pillage the fields of the Romans and openly became their enemies, relying upon the assistance of the Latins. But when Tarquinius set out against them and the aid from the Latins was too late in arriving, they were unable to resist so great a force by themselves, and coming out of the town with the tokens of suppliants, they surrendered. The inhabitants of the city called Collatia undertook to try the fortune of battle with the Roman forces and for that purpose came out of their city; but being worsted in every engagement and having many of their men wounded, they were again forced to take refuge inside their walls, and they kept sending to the various Latin cities asking for assistance. But as these were too slow about relieving them and the enemy was attacking their walls in many places, they were at length obliged to deliver up their town. They did not, however, meet with the same lenient treatment as had the Nomentans and Crustumerians, for the king disarmed them and fined them in a sum of money; and leaving a sufficient garrison in the city, he appointed his own nephew, Tarquinius Arruns, to rule over them with absolute power for life. This man, who had been born after the death both of his father (p195) Arruns and of his grandfather Demaratus, had inherited from neither the part of their respective fortunes which otherwise would have fallen to his share and for this reason he was surnamed Egerius or "the Indigent"; for that is the name the Romans give to poor men and beggars. But from the time when he took charge of this city both he himself and all his descendants were given the surname of Collatinus. After the surrender of Collatia the king marched against the place called Corniculum; this also was a city of the Latin race. And having ravaged their territory in great security, since none offered to defend it, he encamped close by the city itself and invited the inhabitants to enter into a league of friendship. But since they were unwilling to come to terms, but relied on the strength of their walls and expected allies to come from many directions, he invested the city on all sides and assaulted the walls. The Corniculans resisted long and bravely, inflicting numerous losses upon the besiegers, but becoming worn out with continual labour and no longer being unanimous (for some wished to deliver up the town and others to hold out to the last) and their distress being greatly increased by this very dissension, the town was taken by storm. The bravest part of the people were slain fighting during the capture of the town, while the craven, who owed their preservation to their cowardice, were (p197) sold for slaves together with their wives and children; and the city was plundered by the conquerors and burned. The Latins, resenting this proceeding, voted to lead a joint army against the Romans; and having raised a numerous force, they made an irruption into the most fruitful part of their country, carrying off thence many captives and possessing themselves of much booty. King Tarquinius marched out against them with his light troops who were ready for action, but too late to overtake them, he invaded their country and treated it in similar fashion. Many other such reverses and successes happened alternately to each side in the expeditions they made against one another's borders; and they fought one pitched battle with all their forces near the city of Fidenae, in which many fell on both sides though the Romans gained the victory and forced the Latins to abandon their camp by night and retire to their own cities.