[5,22] Ταῦτα μαθόντες οἱ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ὕπατοι πρῶτον μὲν τὰ ἐκ τῶν ἀγρῶν χρήματά τε καὶ βοσκήματα καὶ ἀνδράποδα μετάγειν τοῖς γεωργοῖς ἐκέλευσαν εἰς τὰ πλησίον ὄρη φρούρια κατασκευάσαντες ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐρυμνοῖς ἱκανὰ σώζειν τοὺς εἰς αὐτὰ καταφυγόντας· ἔπειτα τὸν καλούμενον Ἰανίκολον ὄχθον· ἔστι δὲ τοῦτ´ ὄρος ὑψηλὸν ἀγχοῦ τῆς Ῥώμης πέραν τοῦ Τεβέριος ποταμοῦ κείμενον· ὀχυρωτέραις ἐκρατύναντο κατασκευαῖς τε καὶ φυλακαῖς, περὶ παντὸς ποιούμενοι μὴ γενέσθαι τοῖς πολεμίοις τὸ ἐπίκαιρον χωρίον ἐπιτείχισμα κατὰ τῆς πόλεως, καὶ τὰς εἰς τὸν πόλεμον παρασκευὰς ἐνταῦθ´ ἀπέθεντο· τά τ´ ἐντὸς τείχους ἐπὶ τὸ δημοτικώτερον καθίσταντο πολλὰ πολιτευόμενοι φιλάνθρωπα πρὸς τοὺς πένητας, ἵνα μὴ μεταβάλοιντο πρὸς τοὺς τυράννους ἐπὶ τοῖς ἰδίοις κέρδεσι πεισθέντες προδοῦναι τὸ κοινόν· καὶ γὰρ ἀτελεῖς αὐτοὺς ἁπάντων ἐψηφίσαντο εἶναι τῶν κοινῶν τελῶν, ὅσα βασιλευομένης τῆς πόλεως ἐτέλουν, καὶ ἀνεισφόρους τῶν εἰς τὰ στρατιωτικὰ καὶ τοὺς πολέμους ἀναλισκομένων ἐποίησαν, μέγα κέρδος ἡγούμενοι τοῖς κοινοῖς, εἰ τὰ σώματα μόνον αὐτῶν ἕξουσι προκινδυνεύοντα τῆς πατρίδος· τήν τε δύναμιν ἠσκημένην ἐκ πολλοῦ καὶ παρεσκευασμένην ἔχοντες ἐν τῷ προκειμένῳ τῆς πόλεως ἐστρατοπεδεύοντο πεδίῳ. βασιλεὺς δὲ Πορσίνας ἄγων τὴν στρατιὰν τὸ μὲν Ἰανίκολον ἐξ ἐφόδου καταλαμβάνεται καταπληξάμενος τοὺς φυλάττοντας αὐτὸ καὶ φρουρὰν Τυρρηνῶν ἐν αὐτῷ καθίστησιν· ἐπὶ δὲ τὴν πόλιν ἐλαύνων ὡς καὶ ταύτην δίχα πόνου παραστησόμενος, ἐπειδὴ πλησίον τῆς γεφύρας ἐγένετο καὶ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἐθεάσατο προκαθημένους τοῦ ποταμοῦ, παρεσκευάζετό τε πρὸς μάχην ὡς ἀναρπασόμενος αὐτοὺς πλήθει καὶ ἐπῆγε σὺν πολλῇ καταφρονήσει τὴν δύναμιν. εἶχον δὲ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν τοῦ μὲν ἀριστεροῦ κέρως οἱ Ταρκυνίου παῖδες, Σέξτος καὶ Τῖτος, Ῥωμαίων τ´ αὐτῶν τοὺς φυγάδας ἄγοντες καὶ ἐκ τῆς Γαβίων πόλεως τὸ ἀκμαιότατον ξένων τε καὶ μισθοφόρων χεῖρα οὐκ ὀλίγην· τοῦ δὲ δεξιοῦ Μαμίλιος ὁ Ταρκυνίου κηδεστής, ἐφ´ οὗ Λατίνων οἱ ἀποστάντες Ῥωμαίων ἐτάξαντο· βασιλεὺς δὲ Πορσίνας κατὰ μέσην τὴν φάλαγγα ἐτέτακτο. Ῥωμαίων δὲ τὸ μὲν δεξιὸν κέρας Σπόριος Λάρκιος καὶ Τῖτος Ἑρμίνιος κατεῖχον ἐναντίοι Ταρκυνίοις· τὸ δ´ ἀριστερὸν Μάρκος Οὐαλέριος ἀδελφὸς θατέρου τῶν ὑπάτων Ποπλικόλα καὶ Τῖτος Λουκρήτιος ὁ τῷ πρόσθεν ὑπατεύσας ἔτει Μαμιλίῳ καὶ Λατίνοις συνοισόμενοι· τὰ δὲ μέσα τῶν κεράτων οἱ ὕπατοι κατεῖχον ἀμφότεροι.

[5,22] The Roman consuls, being informed of these things, in the first place ordered all the husbandmen to remove their effects, cattle, and slaves from the fields to the neighbouring mountains, in the fastnesses of which they constructed forts sufficiently strong to protect those who flee thither. After that they strengthened with more effectual fortifications and guards the hill called Janiculum, which is a high mount near Rome lying on the other side of the river Tiber, taking care above all things that such an advantageous position should not serve the enemy as an outpost against the city; and they stored their supplies for the war there. Affairs inside the city they conducted in a more democratic manner, introducing many beneficent measures in behalf of the poor, lest these, induced by private advantage to betray the public interest, should go over to the tyrants. Thus they had a vote passed that they should be exempt from all the public taxes which they had paid while the city was under the kings, and also from all contributions for military purposes and wars, looking upon it as a great advantage to the (p67) state merely to make use of their persons in defending the country. And with their army long since disciplined and ready for action, they were encamped in the field that lies before the city. But King Porsena, advancing with his forces, took the Janiculum by storm, having terrified those who were guarding it, and placed there a garnison of Tyrrhenians. After this he proceeded against the city in expectation of reducing that also without any trouble; but when he came near the bridge and saw the Romans drawn up before the river, he prepared for battle, thinking to overwhelm them with his numbers, and led on his army with great contempt of the enemy. His left wing was commanded by the sons of Tarquinius, Sextus and Titus, who had with them the Roman exiles together with the choicest troops from the city of Gabii and no small force of foreigners and mercenaries; the right was led by Mamilius, the son-in-law of Tarquinius, and here were arrayed the Latins who had revolted from the Romans; King Porsena had taken his place in the centre of the battle-line. On the side of the Romans the right wing was commanded by Spurius Larcius and Titus Herminius, who stood opposite to the Tarquinii; the left by Marcus Valerius, brother to Publicola, one of the consuls, and Titus Lucretius, the consul of the previous year, who were to engage Mamilius and the Latins; the centre of the line between the wings was commanded by the two consuls.