[5,45] Ῥωμαῖοι δ´ ἀγανακτοῦντες ἐπὶ τῇ συμφορᾷ καὶ τὸν ἕτερον τῶν ὑπάτων Ποστόμιον ἐν αἰτίαις ἔχοντες ἔγνωσαν ἁπάσαις δυνάμεσι στρατεύειν κατὰ τάχος ἐπὶ τὴν Σαβίνων γῆν, τήν τε ἧτταν αἰσχρὰν καὶ ἀνέλπιστον γενομένην ἐπανορθῶσαι προθυμούμενοι, καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ νεωστὶ ἀφικομένῃ παρὰ τῶν πολεμίων πρεσβείᾳ πολλὴν ὕβρις ἐχούσῃ καὶ αὐθάδειαν ἀχθόμενοι. ὡς γὰρ δὴ κρατοῦντες ἤδη καὶ δίχα πόνου τὴν Ῥώμην αἱρήσοντες αὐτῶν μὴ βουλομένων τὰ κελευόμενα ποιεῖν, Ταρκυνίοις τε διδόναι τὴν κάθοδον ἐκέλευον καὶ τῆς ἡγεμονίας σφίσι παραχωρεῖν πολιτείαν τε καταστήσασθαι καὶ νόμους, οὓς ἂν οἱ κεκρατηκότες τάξωσιν. ἀποκρινάμενοι δὲ τοῖς πρεσβευταῖς ἀπαγγέλλειν πρὸς τὸ κοινόν, ὅτι Ῥωμαῖοι κελεύουσι Σαβίνους ὅπλα τ´ ἀποθέσθαι καὶ παραδοῦναι σφίσι τὰς πόλεις ὑπηκόους τ´ εἶναι πάλιν, ὥσπερ πρότερον ἦσαν, ταῦτα δὲ ποιήσαντας {αὐτοὺς} ἥκειν τότε περὶ ὧν ἠδίκησαν ἢ κατέβλαψαν αὐτοὺς ἐν ταῖς πρότερον εἰσβολαῖς δεησομένους, εἰ βούλονται τυχεῖν εἰρήνης καὶ φιλίας· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ποιῶσι τὰ κελευόμενα προσδέχεσθαι τὸν πόλεμον ἥξοντα ἐπὶ τὰς πόλεις αὐτῶν οὐκ εἰς μακράν. τοιαῦτα ἐπιταχθέντες τε καὶ ἐπιτάξαντες ἀλλήλοις, ἐπειδὴ πᾶσιν ἐξηρτύσαντο τοῖς εἰς τὸν ἀγῶνα ἐπιτηδείοις, ἐξῆγον τὰς δυνάμεις, Σαβῖνοί τε τὴν κρατίστην ἐξ ἁπάσης πόλεως νεότητα ὅπλοις ἐκπρεπέσι κεκοσμημένην ἐπαγόμενοι, Ῥωμαῖοί τε πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τήν τε κατὰ πόλιν καὶ τὴν ἐν τοῖς φρουρίοις ἀναλαβόντες, ἱκανοὺς οἰόμενοι τοὺς ὑπὲρ τὴν στρατεύσιμον ἡλικίαν γεγονότας καὶ τὸν οἰκετικὸν ὄχλον τήν τε πόλιν καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς χώρας ἐρύματα φυλάττειν. καὶ συνελθόντες ὁμόσε τίθενται τοὺς χάρακας ἀμφότεροι μικρὸν ἀπέχοντας ἀλλήλων Ἠρήτου πόλεως, ἣ τοῦ Σαβίνων ἐστὶν ἔθνους, οὐ πρόσω.

[5,45] The Romans, resenting this defeat, for which they blamed Postumius, one of the consuls, resolved to make an expedition against the territory of the Sabines speedily with all their forces; they were not only eager to retrieve the shameful and unexpected defeat they had received, but were also angered at the very insolent and haughty embassy that had recently come to them from the enemy. For, as if already victorious and having it in their power to take Rome without any trouble if the Romans refused to do as they commanded, they had ordered them to grant a return to the Tarquinii, to yield the leadership to the Sabines, and to establish such a form of government and such laws as the conquerors should prescribe. Replying to the ambassadors, they bade them report to their general council that the Romans commanded the Sabines to lay down their arms, to deliver up their cities to them, and to be subject to them once more as they had been before, and after they had complied with these demands, then to come and stand trial for the injuries and damage they had done them in their former incursions, if they desired to obtain peace and friendship: and in case they refused to carry out these orders, they might expect to see the war (p133) soon brought home to their cities. Such demands having been given and received, both sides equipped themselves with everything necessary for the war and led out their forces. The Sabines brought the flower of their youth out of every city armed with splendid weapons; and the Romans drew out all their forces not only from the city but also from the fortresses, looking upon those above the military age and the multitude of domestic servants as a sufficient guard for both the city and the fortresses in the country. And the two armies, approaching each other, pitched their camps a little distance apart near the city of eretum, which belongs to the Sabine nation.