[3,53] Ταῖς δ´ ἑξῆς ἡμέραις ἀφικομένης τοῖς Λατίνοις ἑτέρας παρὰ Τυρρηνῶν συμμαχίας δεύτερος ἀγὼν γίνεται πολὺ μείζων τοῦ προτέρου, ἐξ οὗ νίκην ἀναιρεῖται βασιλεὺς Ταρκύνιος ἐπιφανεστάτην, ἧς αὐτὸς αἴτιος ὡμολογεῖτο ὑπὸ πάντων γεγενῆσθαι. καμνούσης γὰρ ἤδη τῆς Ῥωμαϊκῆς φάλαγγος καὶ κατὰ τὸ ἀριστερὸν κέρας παραρρηγνυμένης μαθὼν τὸ γινόμενον ἐλάττωμα περὶ τοὺς σφετέρους (ἔτυχε δὲ τότε μαχόμενος ἐπὶ τοῦ δεξιοῦ κέρατος) τὰς κρατίστας τῶν ἱππέων ἴλας ἐπιστρέψας καὶ τῶν πεζῶν τοὺς ἀκμαιοτάτους ἀναλαβὼν ἦγε κατὰ νώτου τῆς ἑαυτοῦ στρατιᾶς καὶ παραλλάξας τὸ ἀριστερὸν κέρας ἤλαυνεν ἔτι προσωτέρω τῆς φάλαγγος. ἔπειτα ἐπιστρέψας ἐπὶ δόρυ καὶ τὰ κέντρα προσβαλὼν τοῖς ἵπποις εἰς πλαγίους ἐμβάλλει τοὺς τῶν Τυρρηνῶν λόχους (οὗτοι γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ δεξιοῦ τῶν πολεμίων μαχόμενοι κέρατος ἐτρέψαντο τοὺς καθ´ ἑαυτούς), ἐπιφανεὶς δ´ αὐτοῖς ἀπροσδόκητος πολλὴν ἔκπληξιν καὶ ταραχὴν παρέσχεν. ἐν δὲ τούτῳ καὶ ἡ πεζὴ τῶν Ῥωμαίων δύναμις ἀναλαβοῦσα ἑαυτὴν ἐκ τοῦ προτέρου δείματος εἰς ἀντίπαλα ἐχώρει, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο φόνος τε πολὺς τῶν Τυρρηνῶν ἐγίνετο καὶ τροπὴ τοῦ δεξιοῦ κέρατος παντελής. Ταρκύνιος δὲ τοῖς ἡγεμόσι τῶν πεζῶν ἀκολουθεῖν κελεύσας ἐν κόσμῳ καὶ βάδην αὐτὸς ἐπὶ τὸ στρατόπεδον ἐχώρει τὸ τῶν πολεμίων ἐλαύνων τοὺς ἵππους ἀνὰ κράτος, φθάσας δὲ τοὺς ἐκ τῆς τροπῆς ἀνασωζομένους ἐγκρατὴς γίνεται τοῦ χάρακος εὐθὺς ἐξ ἐφόδου. οἱ γὰρ ἐν αὐτῷ καταλειφθέντες οὔτε τὴν κατασχοῦσαν τοὺς σφετέρους συμφορὰν προεγνωκότες οὔτε τοὺς προσιόντας ἱππεῖς γνωρίσαι διὰ τὸ αἰφνίδιον τῆς ἐφόδου δυνηθέντες εἴασαν αὐτοὺς παρελθεῖν. ἁλούσης δὲ τῆς παρασκευῆς τῶν Λατίνων οἱ μὲν ἀναχωροῦντες ἐκ τῆς τροπῆς ὡς εἰς ἀσφαλῆ καταφυγὴν ὑπὸ τῶν καταλαβομένων αὐτὴν ἱππέων ἀπώλλυντο, οἱ δ´ ἐκ τοῦ στρατοπέδου φεύγειν ὁρμήσαντες εἰς τὸ πεδίον ὑπὸ τῆς Ῥωμαϊκῆς φάλαγγος ὁμόσε χωρούσης ἀπέθνησκον, οἱ δὲ πλείους αὐτῶν ὠθούμενοί τε ὑπ´ ἀλλήλων καὶ καταπατούμενοι περὶ τοῖς σκόλοψιν ἢ κατὰ τὰς τάφρους τὸν οἴκτιστόν τε καὶ ἀγεννέστατον τρόπον διεφθάρησαν· ὥστ´ ἠναγκάσθησαν οἱ περιλειπόμενοι τῆς σωτηρίας οὐδένα πόρον εὑρεῖν δυνάμενοι παραδοῦναι τοῖς κεκρατηκόσιν ἑαυτούς. γενόμενος δὲ ὁ Ταρκύνιος πολλῶν σωμάτων τε καὶ χρημάτων ἐγκρατὴς τοὺς μὲν αἰχμαλώτους ἀπέδοτο, τὰ δ´ ἐν τῷ χάρακι καταληφθέντα τοῖς στρατιώταις ἐχαρίσατο.

[3,53] The Latins having received fresh aid from the Tyrrhenians during the days that followed, a second battle was fought, much greater than the former, in which King Tarquinius gained a most signal victory, the credit for which was allowed by all to belong to him personally. For when the Roman line was already in distress and its close formation was being broken on the left wing, Tarquinius, as soon as he learned of this reverse to his forces (for he happened then to be fighting on the right wing), wheeling the best troops of horse about and taking along the flower of the foot, led them behind his own army and passing by the left wing, advanced even beyond the solid ranks of his line of battle. Then, wheeling his troops to the right and all clapping spurs to their horses, he charged the Tyrrhenians in flank (for these were fighting on the enemy's right wing and had put to flight those who stood opposite to them), and by thus appearing to them unexpectedly he caused them great alarm and confusion. 3In the meantime the Roman foot also, having recovered themselves from their earlier fear, advanced against the enemy; and thereupon there followed a great slaughter of the Tyrrhenians and the utter rout of their right wing. Tarquinius, having ordered the commanders of the infantry to follow in good order and slowly, led the cavalry himself at full speed to the enemy's camp; and arriving there ahead of those who were endeavouring to save themselves from (p205) the rout, he captured the entrenchments at the very first onset. For the troops which had been left there, being neither aware as yet of the misfortune that had befallen their own men nor able, by reason of the suddenness of the attack, to recognize the cavalry that approached, permitted them to enter. After the camp of the Latins had been taken, those of the enemy who were retiring thither from the rout of their army, as to a safe retreat, were slain by the cavalry, who had possessed themselves of it, while others, endeavouring to escape from the camp into the plain, were met by the serried ranks to Roman infantry and cut down; but the greater part of them, being crowded by one another and trodden under foot, perished on the palisades or in the trenches in the most miserable and ignoble manner. Consequently, those who were left alive, finding no means of saving themselves, were obliged to surrender to the conquerors. 5Tarquinius, having taken possession of many prisoners and much booty, sold the former and granted the plunder of the camp to the soldiers.