Texte grec :
| [3,18] Ἀπαιτούσης δὲ τῆς ὑποθέσεως καὶ τὸν
τρόπον διεξελθεῖν τῆς μάχης ἀκριβῶς καὶ τὰ μετὰ
ταύτην γενόμενα πάθη θεατρικαῖς ἐοικότα περιπετείαις
μὴ ῥᾳθύμως διελθεῖν πειράσομαι καὶ περὶ
τούτων ἐπ´ ἀκριβείας ἕκαστον, ὡς ἐμὴ δύναμις, εἰπεῖν.
ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ χρόνος ἧκεν ἐν ᾧ τέλος ἔδει λαβεῖν
τὰς ὁμολογίας, ἐξῄεσαν μὲν αἱ τῶν Ῥωμαίων δυνάμεις
πανστρατιᾷ, ἐξῄεσαν δὲ μετὰ ταῦθ´ οἱ νεανίσκοι τοῖς
πατρῴοις θεοῖς εὐξάμενοι καὶ προῆγον ἅμα τῷ βασιλεῖ
κατευφημούμενοί τε ὑπὸ παντὸς τοῦ κατὰ τὴν
πόλιν ὄχλου καὶ παττόμενοι τὰς κεφαλὰς ἄνθεσιν·
ἤδη δὲ καὶ ἡ τῶν Ἀλβανῶν ἐξεληλύθει στρατιά.
ἐπεὶ δὲ κατεστρατοπεδεύσαντο πλησίον ἀλλήλων μεταίχμιον
ποιησάμενοι τὸν διείργοντα τὴν Ῥωμαίων
ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀλβανῶν ὅρον, ἔνθα καὶ πρότερον εἶχον
ἑκάτεροι τοὺς χάρακας, πρῶτον μὲν ἱερὰ θύσαντες
ὤμοσαν ἐπὶ τῶν ἐμπύρων στέρξειν τὴν τύχην, ἣν ἂν
ἐκ τῆς μάχης τῶν ἀνεψιῶν ἑκατέρα πόλις ἐξενέγκηται,
καὶ φυλάξειν τὰς ὁμολογίας βεβαίους μηδένα προσάγοντες
αὐταῖς δόλον αὐτοί τε καὶ γένος τὸ ἐξ αὐτῶν·
ἐπεὶ δὲ τὰ πρὸς θεοὺς ὅσια διεπράξαντο, θέμενοι τὰ
ὅπλα προῆγον ἐκ τοῦ χάρακος ἀμφότεροι θεαταὶ τῆς
μάχης ἐσόμενοι τριῶν ἢ τεττάρων σταδίων τὸ μεταξὺ
χωρίον τοῖς ἀγωνιζομένοις καταλιπόντες· καὶ μετ´ οὐ
πολὺ παρῆν τούς τε Κορατίους ὁ τῶν Ἀλβανῶν στρατηγὸς
ἄγων καὶ τοὺς Ὁρατίους ὁ τῶν Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς
ὡπλισμένους τε κάλλιστα καὶ τὸν ἄλλον ἔχοντας
κόσμον οἷον ἄνθρωποι λαμβάνουσιν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ. γενόμενοι
δὲ σύνεγγυς ἀλλήλων τὰ μὲν ξίφη τοῖς ὑπασπισταῖς
παρέδωκαν, προσδραμόντες δὲ περιέβαλλον
ἀλλήλοις κλαίοντες καὶ τοῖς ἡδίστοις ὀνόμασιν ἀνακαλοῦντες,
ὥστε εἰς δάκρυα προπεσεῖν ἅπαντας καὶ
πολλὴν ἀστοργίαν κατηγορεῖν σφῶν τε αὐτῶν καὶ
τῶν ἡγεμόνων, ὅτι παρὸν ἄλλοις τισὶ σώμασι κρῖναι
τὴν μάχην εἰς ἐμφύλιον αἷμα καὶ συγγενικὸν ἄγος
τὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν πόλεων ἀγῶνα κατέκλεισαν. παυσάμενοι
δὲ τῶν ἀσπασμῶν οἱ νεανίσκοι καὶ τὰ ξίφη παρὰ
τῶν ὑπασπιστῶν λαβόντες ἀναχωρησάντων τῶν πέλας
ἐτάξαντό τε καθ´ ἡλικίαν καὶ συνῄεσαν ὁμόσε.
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Traduction française :
| [3,18] As my subject requires not only that a full account of the way the battle was
fought should be given, but also that the subsequent tragic events, which resemble
the sudden reversals of fortune seen upon the stage, should be related in no
perfunctory manner, I shall endeavour, as far as I am able, to give an accurate
account of every (p71) incident. When the time came, then, for giving effect to the terms
of the agreement, the Roman forces marched out in full strength, and afterwards the
youths, when they had offered up their prayers to the gods of their fathers; they
advanced accompanied by the king, while the entire throng that filed the city
acclaimed them and strewed flowers upon their heads. By this time the Albans' army
also had marched out. And when the armies had encamped near one another,
leaving as an interval between their camps the boundary that separated the Roman
territory from that of the Albans, each side occupying the site of its previous camp,
they first offered sacrifice and swore over the burnt offerings that they would
acquiesce in whatever fate the event of the combat between the cousins should allot
to each city and that they would keep inviolate their agreement, neither they nor their
posterity making use of any deceit. Then, after performing the rites which religion
required, both the Romans and Albans laid aside their arms and came out in front of
their camps to be spectators of the combat, leaving an interval of three or four stades
for the champions. And presently appeared the Alban general conducting the Curiatii
and the Roman king escorting the Horatii, all of them armed in the most splendid
fashion and withal dressed like men about to die. When they came near to one
another they gave their swords to their armour-bearers, and running to one another,
embraced, weeping and calling each other by the tenderest names, so that all the
spectators were moved to tears and accused both themselves and their leaders of
great heartlessness, (p73) in that, when it was possible to decide the battle by other
champions, they had limited the combat on behalf of the cities to men of kindred
blood and compelled the pollution of fratricide. The youths, after their embraces were
over, received their swords from their armour-bearers, and the bystanders having
retired, they took their places according to age and began the combat.
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