[3,57] Σαβῖνοι μὲν οὖν ἐγνωσιμάχησαν ὑπὸ τῆς τότε συμφορᾶς βιασθέντες καὶ πρεσβευτὰς ἀποστείλαντες ἀνοχὰς ἐποιήσαντο τοῦ πολέμου {σπονδὰς} ἑξαετεῖς, Τυρρηνοὶ δὲ ὀργῇ φέροντες ὅτι ἥττηντό τε ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων πολλάκις καὶ ὅτι τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους αὐτοῖς ὁ Ταρκύνιος οὐκ ἀπεδίδου πρεσβευσαμένοις, ἀλλ´ ἐν ὁμήρων κατεῖχε λόγῳ, ψήφισμα ποιοῦνται πάσας τὰς τῶν Τυρρηνῶν πόλεις κοινῇ τὸν κατὰ Ῥωμαίων πόλεμον ἐκφέρειν, τὴν δὲ μὴ μετέχουσαν τῆς στρατείας ἔκσπονδον εἶναι. ταῦτ´ ἐπικυρώσαντες ἐξῆγον τὰς δυνάμεις καὶ διαβάντες τὸν Τέβεριν ἀγχοῦ Φιδήνης τίθενται τὰ ὅπλα. γενόμενοι δὲ τῆς πόλεως ταύτης ἐγκρατεῖς διὰ προδοσίας στασιασάντων πρὸς ἀλλήλους τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ καὶ πολλὰ μὲν σώματα λαβόντες, πολλὴν δὲ λείαν ἐκ τῆς Ῥωμαίων χώρας ἐλαύνοντες ἀπῆλθον ἐπ´ οἴκου, φρουρὰν ἐν τῇ Φιδήνῃ καταλιπόντες ἀποχρῶσαν. αὕτη γὰρ ἡ πόλις ὁρμητήριον αὐτοῖς ἔσεσθαι κράτιστον ἐδόκει τοῦ κατὰ Ῥωμαίων πολέμου. βασιλεὺς δὲ Ταρκύνιος εἰς τοὐπιὸν ἔτος Ῥωμαίους τε σύμπαντας καθοπλίσας καὶ παρὰ τῶν συμμάχων ὅσους ἐδύνατο πλείστους παραλαβὼν ἐξῆγεν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἔαρος ἀρχομένου, πρὶν ἐκείνους συναχθέντας ἐξ ἁπασῶν τῶν πόλεων ἐπ´ αὐτὸν ὡς πρότερον ἐλθεῖν· καὶ διελὼν εἰς δύο μοίρας ἅπασαν τὴν δύναμιν τῆς μὲν Ῥωμαϊκῆς στρατιᾶς αὐτὸς ἡγούμενος ἐπὶ τὰς πόλεις τῶν Τυρρηνῶν ἐστράτευσε, τῆς δὲ συμμαχικῆς, ἐν ᾗ τὸ πλεῖστον μέρος ἦν τῶν Λατίνων, Ἠγέριον τὸν ἑαυτοῦ συγγενῆ στρατηγὸν ἀποδείξας ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐν Φιδήνῃ πολεμίους ἐκέλευσε χωρεῖν. ἡ μὲν οὖν συμμαχικὴ πλησίον τῆς Φιδήνης τὸν χάρακα οὐκ ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ χωρίῳ θεμένη διὰ τὸ καταφρονεῖν τῶν πολεμίων ὀλίγου τινὸς ἐδέησεν πᾶσα διαφθαρῆναι· οἱ γὰρ ἐν τῇ πόλει φρουροὶ βοήθειαν ἑτέραν παρὰ Τυρρηνῶν κρύφα μεταπεμψάμενοι καὶ φυλάξαντες καιρὸν ἐπιτήδειον ἐξελθόντες ἐκ τῆς πόλεως τόν τε χάρακα τῶν πολεμίων ἔλαβον ἐξ ἐφόδου φαύλως φυλαττόμενον καὶ τῶν ἐξεληλυθότων ἐπὶ τὰς προνομὰς πολὺν εἰργάσαντο φόνον. ἡ δὲ Ῥωμαίων δύναμις ἧς Ταρκύνιος ἡγεῖτο τὴν Οὐιεντανῶν κείρουσα καὶ λεηλατοῦσα χώραν καὶ πολλὰς ὠφελείας ἐξενεγκαμένη συνελθούσης ἐξ ἁπασῶν τῶν Τυρρηνίδων πόλεων μεγάλης τοῖς Οὐιεντανοῖς ἐπικουρίας εἰς μάχην καταστᾶσα νίκην ἀναμφίλογον ἀναιρεῖται· καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο διεξιοῦσα τὴν χώραν τῶν πολεμίων ἀδεῶς ἐπόρθει γενομένη τε πολλῶν μὲν σωμάτων ἐγκρατής, πολλῶν δὲ χρημάτων οἷα ἐξ εὐδαίμονος χώρας, τελευτῶντος ἤδη τοῦ θέρους οἴκαδε ἀπῄει.

[3,57] The Sabines, subdued by this calamity, grew sensible of their own weakness, and sending ambassadors, concluded a truce from the war for six years. But the Tyrrhenians, angered not only because they had been often defeated by the Romans, but also because Tarquinius had refused to restore to them the prisoners he held when they sent an embassy to demand them, but retained them as hostages, passed a vote that all the Tyrrhenian cities should carry on the war jointly against the Romans and that any city refusing to take part in the expedition should be excluded from their league. After passing this vote they led out their forces and, crossing the Tiber, encamped near Fidenae. And having gained possession of that city by treachery, there being a sedition among the inhabitants, and having taken a great many prisoners and carried off much booty from the Roman territory, they returned home, leaving a sufficient garrison in Fidenae; for they thought this city would be an excellent base from which to carry on the war against the Romans. But King Tarquinius, having for the ensuing year armed all the Romans and taken as many troops as he could get from his allies, led them out against the enemy at the beginning of spring, before the Tyrrhenians could be assembled from all their cities and march against him as they had done before. Then, having divided his whole army into two parts, he put himself at the head of the Roman (p215) troops and led them against the cities of the Tyrrhenians, while he gave the command of the allies, consisting chiefly of the Latins, to Egerius, his kinsman, and ordered him to march against the enemy in Fidenae. This force of allies, through contempt of the enemy, placed their camp in an unsafe position near Fidenae and barely missed being totally destroyed; for the garrison in the town, having secretly sent for fresh aid from the Tyrrhenians and watched for a suitable occasion, sallied forth from the town and captured the enemy's camp at the first onset, as it was carelessly guarded, and slew many of those who had gone out for forage. But the army of Romans, commanded by Tarquinius, laid waste and ravaged the country of the Veientes and carried off much booty, and when numerous reinforcements assembled from all the Tyrrhenian cities to aid the Veientes, the Romans engaged them in battle and gained an incontestable victory. after this they marched through the enemy's country, plundering it with impunity; and having taken many prisoners and much booty — for it was prosperous country — they returned home when the summer was now ending.