Texte grec :
| [3,25] Ταῦτα παρὰ τὰς τάξεις ἁπάσας παρεξιὼν
ἔλεγε, καὶ αὐτίκα τοὺς μὲν Φιδηναίους δέος εἰσέρχεται
παλινπροδοσίας ὡς κατεστρατηγημένους ὑπὸ τοῦ
Ἀλβανοῦ, ἐπεὶ οὔτε ἀντιμεταταξάμενον αὐτὸν εἶδον
οὔτ´ ἐπὶ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους εὐθὺς αὐτὸν ἐλαύνοντα, ὥσπερ
ὑπέσχετο αὐτοῖς, τοὺς δὲ Ῥωμαίους ἐπῆρεν εἰς εὐτολμίαν
καὶ θάρσους ἐνέπλησεν ὁ λόγος· καὶ μέγα ἐμβοήσαντες
ὁρμῶσιν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἀθρόοι. τροπὴ
δὲ γίνεται μετὰ τοῦτο τῶν Φιδηναίων καὶ φυγὴ
πρὸς τὴν πόλιν ἄκοσμος. ὁ δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς
ἐπιρράξας αὐτοῖς τὴν ἵππον περιφόβοις οὖσι καὶ
τεταραγμένοις καὶ μέχρι τινὸς διώξας, ὡς ἔμαθεν
ἐσκεδασμένους ἀπ´ ἀλλήλων καὶ οὔτε λογισμὸν ἔτι τοῦ
συστῆναι ληψομένους οὔτε δύναμιν ἔχοντας, ἀφεὶς
τοὺς φεύγοντας ἐπὶ τὸ συνεστηκὸς ἔτι καὶ διαμένον
τῶν πολεμίων ἐχώρει μέρος. καὶ γίνεται καλὸς μὲν
καὶ ὁ τῶν πεζῶν ἀγών, ἔτι δὲ καλλίων ὁ τῶν ἱππέων.
οὐ γὰρ ἐνέκλινον οἱ τῇδε τεταγμένοι Οὐιεντανοὶ τὴν
ἔφοδον ὑπὸ τῆς Ῥωμαϊκῆς ἵππου καταπλαγέντες,
ἀλλ´ ἀντεῖχον ἄχρι πολλοῦ. ἔπειτα μαθόντες ὅτι τὸ
εὐώνυμον σφῶν ἥττηται καὶ πᾶσα ἡ Φιδηναίων τε
καὶ τῶν ἄλλων συμμάχων στρατιὰ φεύγει προτροπάδην,
δείσαντες μὴ κυκλωθῶσιν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀναστραφέντων
ἐκ τοῦ διωγμοῦ τρέπονται καὶ αὐτοὶ λύσαντες
τὰς τάξεις καὶ διὰ τοῦ ποταμοῦ σώζειν ἑαυτοὺς ἐπειρῶντο.
ὅσοι μὲν οὖν ἐρρωμενέστατοί τε αὐτῶν ἦσαν
καὶ ἥκιστα ὑπὸ τραυμάτων βαρυνόμενοι νεῖν τε οὐκ
ἀδύνατοι δίχα τῶν ὅπλων τὸ ῥεῖθρον διεπεραιοῦντο,
ὅσοι δὲ τούτων τινὸς ἐνέλιπον ἐν ταῖς δίναις ἀπέθνησκον·
ὀξὺ γὰρ τοῦ Τεβέριος περὶ τὴν Φιδήνην
καὶ σκολιὸν τὸ ῥεῦμα. ὁ δὲ Τύλλος μοίρᾳ τινὶ τῶν
ἱππέων κελεύσας τοὺς ἐπὶ τὸν ποταμὸν ὠθουμένους
κτείνειν, αὐτὸς ἐπὶ τὸ στρατόπεδον τῶν Οὐιεντανῶν
τὴν ἄλλην δύναμιν ἄγων ἐξ ἐφόδου γίνεται κύριος
αὐτοῦ· καὶ τὰ μὲν Ῥωμαίων πράγματα παραδόξου
τυχόντα σωτηρίας ἐν τούτοις ἦν.
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Traduction française :
| [3,25] These words he repeated as he rode past all the ranks. And immediately the
Fidenates became afraid of counter-treachery, suspecting that the Alban had deceived
them by a stratagem, since they did not see either that he had changed his battle
order so as to face the other way or that he was promptly charging the Romans,
according to his promise; (p113) but the Romans, on their side, were emboldened by the
words of Tullus and filled with confidence, and giving a great shout, they rushed in a
body against the enemy. Upon this, the Fidenates gave way and fled toward their city
in disorder. The Roman king hurled his cavalry against them while they were in this
fear and confusion, and pursued them for some distance; but when he learned that
they were dispersed and separated from one another and neither likely to take
thought for getting together again nor in fact able to do so, he gave over the pursuit
and marched against those of the enemy whose ranks were still unbroken and
standing their ground. And now there took place a brilliant engagement of the
infantry and a still more brilliant one on the part of the cavalry. For the Veientes, who
were posted at this point, did not give way in terror at the charge of the Roman horse,
but maintained the fight for a considerable time. Then, learning that their left wing
was beaten and that the whole army of the Fidenates and of their other allies was in
headlong flight, and fearing to be surrounded by the troops that had returned from
the pursuit, they also broke their ranks and fled, endeavouring to save themselves by
crossing the river. Accordingly, those among them who were strongest, least
disabled by their wounds, and had some ability to swim, got across the river, without
their arms, while all who lacked any of these advantages perished in the eddies; for
the stream of the Tiber near Fidenae is rapid and has many windings. Tullus ordered
a detachment of the horse to cut down those of the (p115) enemy who were pressing
toward the river, while he himself led the rest of the army to the camp of the Veientes
and captured it by storm. This was the situation of the Romans after they had been
unexpectedly preserved from destruction.
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