[5,41] Ἐπεὶ δὲ παρεσκεύαστο ἅπαντα ἀμφοτέροις, πρῶτον μὲν ἐξῆγον οἱ Σαβῖνοι τὰς δυνάμεις καὶ ποιοῦνται δύο παρεμβολὰς μίαν μὲν ὕπαιθρον οὐ πρόσω Φιδήνης, ἑτέραν δ´ ἐν αὐτῇ Φιδήνῃ φυλακῆς τε τῶν ἔνδον ἕνεκα καὶ καταφυγῆς τῶν ἔξω στρατοπεδευόντων, ἄν τι γένηται πταῖσμα περὶ αὐτούς. ἔπειτα οἱ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ὕπατοι μαθόντες τὴν τῶν Σαβίνων ἐπὶ σφᾶς ἔλασιν καὶ αὐτοὶ πάντας ἄγοντες τοὺς ἐν ἀκμῇ στρατοπεδεύονται χωρὶς ἀλλήλων, Οὐαλέριος μὲν ἀγχοῦ τῆς ὑπαίθρου τῶν Σαβίνων παρεμβολῆς, Λουκρήτιος δ´ ὀλίγον ἄπωθεν ἐπ´ ὄχθου τινός, ὅθεν ἦν ὁ ἕτερος χάραξ καταφανής. ἡ μὲν οὖν τῶν Ῥωμαίων ὑπόληψις ἦν {συμβαλεῖν τοῖς πολεμίοις αὐτίκα}, ὡς ἐν ἀγῶνι φανερῷ τοῦ πολέμου ταχείαν ἕξοντος τὴν κρίσιν, ὁ δὲ τῶν Σαβίνων στρατηγὸς ὀρρωδῶν ἐκ τοῦ φανεροῦ συμφέρεσθαι πρὸς εὐτολμίαν τε καὶ καρτερίαν ἀνθρώπων ἅπαντα τὰ δεινὰ ὑπομένειν ἑτοίμων νύκτωρ ἐπιχειρεῖν αὐτοῖς ἔγνω· καὶ παρασκευασάμενος τάφρου τε χώσει καὶ χάρακος ἐπιβάσει ἃ πρόσφορα εἶναι ἔμελλεν, ἐπειδὴ πάντα ἐγένετο τὰ πρὸς τὸν ἀγῶνα εὐτρεπῆ, μετὰ τὸν πρῶτον ὕπνον ἀναστήσας τὸ κράτιστον τοῦ στρατοῦ μέρος ἄξειν ἐπὶ τὸ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἔμελλεν ἔρυμα, τοῖς τ´ ἐν Φιδήνῃ κατεστρατοπεδευκόσι παρήγγειλεν, ἐπειδὰν ἐξεληλυθότας αἴσθωνται τοὺς σφετέρους ἐξιέναι καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῆς πόλεως κούφῃ ἐσταλμένους ὁπλίσει· ἔπειτα λοχήσαντας ἐν χωρίοις ἐπιτηδείοις ἐκέλευσεν, εἴ τινες ἐπίκουροι τοῖς περὶ τὸν Οὐαλέριον ἐκ τῆς ἑτέρας στρατιᾶς ἐπίοιεν, ἀναστάντας καὶ κατὰ νώτου γενομένους σὺν βοῇ τε καὶ πατάγῳ πολλῷ χωρεῖν ἐπ´ αὐτούς. ὁ μὲν δὴ Σέξτος ταῦτα βουλευσάμενος καὶ τοῖς λοχαγοῖς φράσας, ἐπειδὴ κἀκείνοις ἦν βουλομένοις, περιέμεινε τὸν καιρόν· αὐτόμολος δέ τις ἐλθὼν εἰς τὸν χάρακα τῶν Ῥωμαίων μηνύει τὴν διάνοιαν αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν ὕπατον, καὶ μετ´ οὐ πολὺ τῶν ἱππέων τινὲς ἧκον ἄγοντες αἰχμαλώτους τῶν Σαβίνων, οὓς ἐπὶ ξυλισμὸν ἐξεληλυθότας συνέλαβον. οὗτοι χωρὶς ἀλλήλων ἀνακρινόμενοι, τί παρασκευάζεται πράττειν σφῶν {αὐτῶν} ὁ στρατηγός, λέγουσιν, ὅτι κλίμακας τεκταίνεται καὶ διαβάθρας· ὅπου δ´ αὐταῖς καὶ ὁπότε μέλλοι χρῆσθαι, οὐκ ἔφασαν εἰδέναι. ταῦτα μαθὼν ὁ Οὐαλέριος ἀποστέλλει τὸν πρεσβευτὴν Λάρκιον εἰς τὸν ἕτερον χάρακα τήν τε διάνοιαν τῶν πολεμίων ἀπαγγελοῦντα τῷ κατέχοντι τὴν παρεμβολὴν ἐκείνην Λουκρητίῳ, καὶ τίνα χρὴ τρόπον ἐπιχειρεῖν τοῖς πολεμίοις ὑποθησόμενον· αὐτὸς δὲ τοὺς ταξιάρχους καὶ λοχαγοὺς καλέσας καὶ φράσας ὅσα τοῦ τ´ αὐτομόλου καὶ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων ἤκουσε καὶ παρακαλέσας ἄνδρας ἀγαθοὺς εἶναι καιρὸν εἰληφέναι νομίσαντας εὐχῆς ἄξιον, ἐν ᾧ δίκας λήψονται παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν καλάς, ἅ τε δέοι πράττειν ἑκάστοις ὑποθέμενος καὶ τὸ σύνθημα δοὺς ἀπέλυσεν ἐπὶ τὰς τάξεις.

[5,41] After all the necessary preparations had been made on both sides, the Sabines first led out their forces and formed two camps, one of which was in the open not far from Fidenae, and the other in Fidenae itself, to serve both as a guard for the citizens and as a refuge for those who lay encamped without the city, in case any disaster should befall them. Then, when the Roman consuls learned of the Sabines' expedition against them, they too led out all their men of military age and encamped apart from each other, Valerius near the camp of the Sabines that lay in the open, and Lucretius not far distant, upon a hill from which the other camp was clearly in view. It was the opinion of the Romans that the fate of the war would quickly be decided by an open battle; but the general of the Sabines, dreading to engage openly against the boldness and constancy of men prepared to face every danger, resolved to attack them by night, and having prepared everything that would be of use for filling up the ditch and scaling the wall, he was intending, now that all was in readiness for the (p121) attack, to rouse up the flower of his army after the first watch and lead them against the entrenchments of the Romans. He also gave notice to the troops encamped in Fidenae that, as soon as they perceived that their comrades were come out of the camp, they also should march out of the city, with light equipment; and then, after setting ambuscades in suitable places, if any reinforcements should come to Valerius from the other army, they were to rise up and, getting behind them, attack them with shouts and a great din. This was the plan of Sextus, who communicated it to his centurions; and when they also approved of it, he waited for the proper moment. But a deserter came to the Roman camp and informed the consul of the plan, and a little later a party of horse came in bringing some Sabine prisoners who had been captured while they were out to get wood. These, upon being questioned separately as to what their general was preparing to do, said that he was ordering ladders and gang-boards to be constructed; but where and when he proposed to make use of them, they professed not to know. After learning this, Valerius sent his legate Larcius to the other camp to acquaint Lucretius, who had the command of it, with weight intention of the enemy and to advise him in what way they ought to attack the enemy. He himself summoned the tribunes and the centurions, and informing them of what he had learned both from the deserter and from the prisoners, exhorted them to acquit themselves as brave men, confident that they had got the best (p123) opportunity they could wish for to take a glorious revenge upon their enemies; and after advising them what each of them should do and giving the watchword, he dismissed them to their commands.