[3,52] Ταύταις ἐπαρθέντες ταῖς ἐλπίσιν οἱ Λατῖνοι παρασκευασάμενοι δύναμιν οἰκείαν συχνὴν καὶ τὴν παρὰ Τυρρηνῶν προσλαβόντες εἰς τὴν Ῥωμαίων γῆν ἐνέβαλον, καὶ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον ἐκ τοῦ Σαβίνων ἔθνους αἱ τοῦ πολέμου κοινωνήσειν αὐτοῖς ὑποσχόμεναι πόλεις τὴν προσόμουρον κυροῦσαν αὐταῖς χώραν ἐδῄουν. ὁ δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς παρασκευασάμενος καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ χρόνῳ πολλὴν καὶ ἀγαθὴν δύναμιν ἐξῆγεν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους διὰ ταχέων. Σαβίνοις μὲν οὖν ἅμα καὶ Λατίνοις πολεμεῖν καὶ διαιρεῖν εἰς δύο μέρη τὴν δύναμιν οὐκ ἀσφαλὲς ὑπέλαβεν εἶναι, ἅπασαν δὲ τὴν στρατιὰν ἐπὶ Λατίνους ἄγειν ἐβουλεύσατο καὶ τίθεται πλησίον αὐτῶν τὸν χάρακα. κατ´ ἀρχὰς μὲν οὖν ὀκνηρῶς εἶχον ἑκάτεροι πάσαις ἀποκινδυνεῦσαι ταῖς δυνάμεσι δεδιότες τὰς ἀλλήλων παρασκευάς, ἀκροβολισμοὺς δὲ κατιόντες ἐκ τῶν ἐρυμάτων οἱ ψιλοὶ παρ´ ἑκατέρων συνεχεῖς ἐποιοῦντο καὶ ἦσαν ὡς τὰ πολλὰ ἰσόμαχοι· χρόνῳ δ´ ὕστερον ἐμπεσούσης ἀμφοτέροις ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων ἁψιμαχιῶν φιλονεικίας ἐπιβοηθοῦντες ἑκάτεροι τοῖς σφετέροις, ὀλίγοι μὲν τὸ πρῶτον, ἔπειτα σύμπαντες ἠναγκάσθησαν ἐκ τῶν στρατοπέδων προελθεῖν. καὶ καταστάντες εἰς μάχην ἄνδρες οὔτε πολεμικῶν ἀγώνων ἀτριβεῖς οὔτε πλήθει πολὺ ἀποδέοντες ἀλλήλων πεζοί τε καὶ ἱππεῖς προθυμίᾳ τε ὡρμημένοι πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον ὁμοίᾳ καὶ κινδύνων τὸν ἔσχατον ἀναρριπτεῖν νομίσαντες ἠγωνίσαντο μὲν ἀμφότεροι λόγου ἀξίως, διεκρίθησαν δὲ ἀπ´ ἀλλήλων ἰσόμαχοι νυκτὸς ἐπιλαβούσης. ἡ μέντοι μετὰ τὸν ἀγῶνα διάνοια ἑκατέρων οὐχ ὁμοία γενομένη φανεροὺς ἐποίησε τοὺς κρεῖττον ἀγωνισαμένους τῶν ἑτέρων· τῇ γὰρ ἑξῆς ἡμέρᾳ Λατῖνοι μὲν οὐκέτι προῄεσαν ἐκ τοῦ χάρακος, ὁ δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς ἐξαγαγὼν τὰς δυνάμεις εἰς τὸ πεδίον ἕτοιμος ἦν ἑτέραν ποιεῖσθαι μάχην καὶ μέχρι πολλοῦ κατέσχεν ἐν τάξει τὴν φάλαγγα. ὡς δ´ οὐκ ἀντεπεξῄεσαν οἱ πολέμιοι, σκυλεύσας αὐτῶν τοὺς νεκροὺς καὶ τοὺς ἰδίους ἀνελόμενος σὺν πολλῷ αὐχήματι ἀπῆγε τὴν στρατιὰν ἐπὶ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ χάρακα.

[3,52] The Latins, elated by these hopes, got ready a large army of their own forces and having added to it the troops from the Tyrrhenians, invaded the Roman territory; and at the same time the cities of the Sabine nation which had promise to take part with them in the war proceeded to lay waste the country that bordered their own. Thereupon the Roman king, who in the meantime had also got (p201) ready a large and excellent army, marched in haste against the enemy. But thinking it unsafe to attack the Sabines and the Latins at the same time and to divide his forces into two bodies, he determined to lead his whole army against the Latins, and encamped near them. At first both sides were reluctant to hazard an engagement with all their forces, being alarmed at each other's preparations; but the light-armed troops, coming down from their entrenchments, engaged in constant skirmishes with one another, generally without any advantage on either side. After a time, however, these skirmishes produced a spirit of rivalry in both armies and each side supported its own men, at first in small numbers, but at last they were all forced to come out of their camps. The troops which now engaged, being used to fighting and being nearly equal in numbers, both foot and horse, animated by the same warlike ardour, and believing that they were running the supreme risk, fought on both sides with noteworthy bravery; and they separated, without a decision, when night overtook them. But the different feelings of the two sides after the action made it clear which of them had fought better than their opponents. For on the next day the Latins stirred no more out of their camp, while the Roman king, leading out his troops into the plain, was ready to fight another engagement and for a long time kept his lines in battle formation. But when the enemy did not come out against him, he took the spoils (p203) from their dead, and carrying off his own dead, led his army with great exultation back to his own camp.