[5,37] Ἐνιαυτῷ δὲ πέμπτῳ μετὰ τὴν ἐκβολὴν τοῦ βασιλέως, ὀλυμπιὰς μὲν ἦν ἐνάτη καὶ ἑξηκοστή, ἣν ἐνίκα στάδιον Ἰσχόμαχος Κροτωνιάτης τὸ δεύτερον, ἄρχων δ´ Ἀθήνησιν Ἀκεστορίδης, ὕπατοι δὲ Ῥωμαίων Μάρκος Οὐαλέριος ἀδελφὸς Οὐαλερίου Ποπλικόλα καὶ Πόπλιος Ποστόμιος Τούβερτος ἐπικαλούμενος. ἐπὶ τούτων ἕτερος ἐξεδέξατο Ῥωμαίους πόλεμος ἐκ τῶν ἔγγιστα οἰκούντων, ὃς ἤρξατο μὲν ἀπὸ λῃστηρίων, προὔβη δ´ εἰς πολλοὺς καὶ μεγάλους ἀγῶνας, ἐχώρησε μέντοι τελευτῶν εἰς διαλλαγὰς εὐπρεπεῖς ἐπὶ τῆς τετάρτης μετὰ τούσδε τοὺς ἄνδρας ὑπατείας πάντα τὸν μεταξὺ χρόνον πολεμηθείς. Σαβίνων γάρ τινες καταγνόντες ἀσθένειαν τῆς πόλεως ἐκ τοῦ Τυρρηνικοῦ πταίσματος, ὡς οὐκέτι τὴν ἀρχαίαν ἀξίωσιν ἀναληψομένης, ἐπετίθεντο τοῖς εἰς τὴν χώραν κατιοῦσιν ἐκ τῶν ἐρυμάτων λῃστήρια καταστησάμενοι, καὶ πολλὰ τοὺς γεωργοὺς ἔβλαπτον. ὑπὲρ ὧν ἀποστείλαντες οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι πρεσβείαν πρὶν ἐπὶ τὰ ὅπλα χωρῆσαι δίκας ᾔτουν καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἠξίουν μηδὲν εἰς τοὺς ἐργαζομένους τὴν γῆν παρανομεῖν. αὐθάδεις δὲ λαβόντες ἀποκρίσεις προεῖπον αὐτοῖς τὸν πόλεμον. καὶ γίνεται ἡ μὲν πρώτη ἔξοδος ἑνὸς τῶν ὑπάτων Οὐαλερίου σὺν ἱππεῦσι καὶ ψιλῶν τοῖς ἀκμαιοτάτοις αἰφνίδιος ἐπὶ τοὺς ληιζομένους τὴν χώραν καὶ φόνος τῶν καταληφθέντων ἐν ταῖς προνομαῖς συχνῶν ὄντων πολύς, οἷα εἰκὸς ἀνθρώπων ἀσυντάκτων τε καὶ οὐ προῃσθημένων τὴν ἔφοδον. ἔπειτα τῶν Σαβίνων πολλὴν ἀποστειλάντων ἐπ´ αὐτοὺς στρατιὰν ὑφ´ ἡγεμόνι τεταγμένην ἐμπείρῳ πολέμου Ῥωμαίων ἑτέρα γίνεται ἐπ´ αὐτοὺς ἔξοδος ἁπάσαις ταῖς δυνάμεσιν ἀγόντων ἀμφοτέρων τῶν ὑπάτων. Ποστόμιος μὲν οὖν πλησίον τῆς Ῥώμης ἐν ὀρεινοῖς τόποις κατεστρατοπέδευσε δεδιώς, μή τις ἔφοδος ἐκ τῶν φυγάδων ἐπ´ αὐτὴν γένηται αἰφνίδιος· Οὐαλέριος δ´ ἐγγὺς τῶν πολεμίων παρὰ ποταμὸν Ἀνίητα, ὃς ἐκ πόλεως μὲν Τιβύρων καθ´ ὑψηλοῦ πολὺς ἐκχεῖται σκοπέλου, φέρεται δὲ διὰ τῆς Σαβίνων τε καὶ Ῥωμαίων πεδιάδος ὁρίζων τὴν ἑκατέρων χώραν· συνάπτει δὲ τὸ ῥεῦμα τῷ Τεβέρει ποταμῷ καλὸς μὲν ὀφθῆναι, γλυκὺς δὲ πίνεσθαι.

[5,37] The46 fifth year after the expulsion of the king occurred the sixty-ninth Olympiad, at which Ischomachus of Croton won the foot-race for the second time, Acestorides being archon at Athens, and Marcus Valerius, brother of Valerius Publicola, and Publius Postumius, surnamed Tubertus, consuls at Rome. In their consulship another war awaited the Romans, this one stirred up by their nearest neighbours. It began with acts of brigandage and developed into many important engagements; however, it ended in an honourable peace in the third consulship after this one, having been carried on during that whole interval without intermission. For some of the Sabines, deciding that the commonwealth was weakened by the defeat she had received from the Tyrrhenians and would never be able to recover her ancient prestige, attacked those who came down into the wood fields from the strongholds by organizing bands of robbers, and they caused many injuries to the husbandmen. For these acts the Romans, sending an embassy before resorting to arms, sought satisfaction and demanded that for the future they should commit no lawless acts against those who cultivated the land; and having received a haughty answer, they declared war against them. First an expedition was conducted by one of the consuls, (p109) who with the horse and the flower of the light-armed foot fell suddenly upon those who were laying waste the country; and there was great slaughter among the many men surprised most their plundering, as may well be imagined, since they were keeping no order and had no warning of the attack. Afterwards, when the Sabines sent a large army against them commanded by a general experienced in war, the Romans made another expedition against them with all their forces, led by both consuls. Postumius encamped on heights near Rome, fearing lest some sudden attempt might be made upon the city by the exiles; and Valerius posted himself not far from the enemy, on the bank of the river Anio, which after passing through the city of Tibur pours in a vast torrent from a high rock, and running through the plain belonging to both the Sabines and the Romans, serves as a boundary to both their territories, after which this river, which is fair to look upon and sweet to drink, mingles its stream with the Tiber.