[4,53] Πόλις ἦν ἐκ τοῦ Λατίνων γένους Ἀλβανῶν ἀπόκτισις ἀπέχουσα τῆς Ῥώμης σταδίους ἑκατὸν ἐπὶ τῆς εἰς Πραίνεστον φερούσης ὁδοῦ κειμένη· Γαβίους αὐτὴν ἐκάλουν· νῦν μὲν οὐκέτι συνοικουμένη πᾶσα, πλὴν ὅσα μέρη πανδοκεύεται κατὰ τὴν δίοδον, τότε δὲ πολυάνθρωπος εἰ καί τις ἄλλη καὶ μεγάλη. τεκμήραιτο δ´ ἄν τις αὐτῆς τὸ μέγεθος καὶ τὴν ἀξίωσιν ἐρείπια θεασάμενος οἰκιῶν πολλαχῇ καὶ τείχους κύκλον, ἔτι γὰρ ἕστηκεν αὐτοῦ τὰ πλεῖστα. εἰς ταύτην συνερρύησαν Πωμεντίνων τε τῶν ἐκ Συέσσης διαφυγόντων τινές, ὅτε τὴν πόλιν αὐτῶν Ταρκύνιος κατελάβετο, καὶ τῶν ἐκ Ῥώμης φυγάδων συχνοί· οὗτοι δεόμενοι καὶ λιπαροῦντες τιμωρῆσαί σφισι τοὺς Γαβίους καὶ πολλὰς ὑπισχνούμενοι δωρεάς, εἰ κατέλθοιεν ἐπὶ τὰ σφέτερα, τήν τε κατάλυσιν τοῦ τυράννου δυνατὴν ἀποφαίνοντες καὶ ῥᾳδίαν, ὡς καὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει συλληψομένων, ἔπεισαν αὐτοὺς συμπροθυμηθέντων καὶ Οὐολούσκων· ἐπρεσβεύσαντο γὰρ κἀκεῖνοι δεόμενοι συμμαχίας· τὸν κατὰ τοῦ Ταρκυνίου πόλεμον ἀναλαβεῖν. ἐγίνοντο δὴ μετὰ ταῦτα μεγάλοις στρατεύμασιν εἰς τὴν ἀλλήλων γῆν εἰσβολαὶ καὶ καταδρομαὶ μάχαι τε, ὅπερ εἰκός, τοτὲ μὲν ὀλίγοις πρὸς ὀλίγους, τοτὲ δὲ πᾶσι πρὸς πάντας, ἐν αἷς πολλάκις μὲν οἱ Γάβιοι τοὺς Ῥωμαίους τρεψάμενοι μέχρι τῶν τειχῶν καὶ πολλοὺς καταβαλόντες ἀδεῶς τὴν χώραν ἐπόρθουν, πολλάκις δ´ οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι τοὺς Γαβίους ὠσάμενοι καὶ κατακλείσαντες εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἀνδράποδα καὶ λείαν αὐτῶν πολλὴν ἀπῆγον.

[4,53] There was a city of the Latins, which had been founded by the Albans, distant one hundred stades from Rome and standing upon the road that leads to Praeneste. The name of this city was Gabii. To-day not all parts of it are still inhabited, but only those that lie next the highway and are given up to inns; but at that time it was as large and populous as any city. One may judge both of its extent and importance by observing the ruins of the buildings in many places and the circuit of the wall, most parts of which are still standing. To this city had flocked some of the Pometini who had escaped from Suessa when Tarquinius took their town and many of the banished Romans. These, by begging and imploring the Gabini to avenge the injuries they had received and by promising great rewards if they should be restored to their own possessions, and also by showing the overthrow of the tyrant to be not only possible (p443) but easy, since the people in Rome too would aid them, prevailed upon them, with the encouragement of the Volscians (for these also had sent ambassadors to them and desired their alliance) to make war upon Tarquinius. After this both the Gabini and the Romans made incursions into and laid waste one another's territories with large armies and, as was to be expected, engaged in battles, now with small numbers on each side and now with all their forces. In these actions the Gabini often put the Romans to flight and pursuing them up to their walls,89 slew many and ravaged their country with impunity; and often the Romans drove the Gabini back and shutting them up within their city, carried off their slaves together with much booty.