[6,14] Ὁ δὲ Ποστόμιος ἐκείνην μὲν τὴν νύκτα κατεστρατοπέδευσεν ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ, τῇ δ´ ἑξῆς ἡμέρᾳ στεφανώσας τοὺς ἀριστεύσαντας ἐν τῇ μάχῃ καὶ τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους φυλάττεσθαι διαδοὺς ἔθυε τὰ νικητήρια τοῖς θεοῖς. ἔτι δ´ αὐτῷ τὸν στέφανον ἐπικειμένῳ καὶ τὰς ὑπερπύρους ἀπαρχὰς τοῖς βωμοῖς ἐπιτιθέντι σκοποί τινες ἀπὸ τῶν μετεώρων καταδραμόντες ἀγγέλλουσι πολέμιον ἐπὶ σφᾶς ἐλαύνειν στρατόν. ἦν δ´ ἐκ τοῦ Οὐολούσκων ἔθνους ἐπίλεκτος ἀκμὴ σύμμαχος ἀπεσταλμένη Λατίνοις, πρὶν ἢ τὴν μάχην αὐτῶν ἐπιτελεσθῆναι. ὡς δὲ δὴ ταῦτ´ ἔγνω, χωρεῖν ἅπαντας ἐκέλευσεν ἐπὶ τὰ ὅπλα καὶ μένειν ἐν τῷ χάρακι παρὰ ταῖς ἰδίαις ἕκαστον σημαίαις σιγὴν καὶ κόσμον φυλάττοντας, ἕως ἂν αὐτὸς ἃ χρὴ πράττειν παραγγείλῃ. οἱ δὲ τῶν Οὐολούσκων ἡγεμόνες ἐξ ἀπόπτου τῶν Ῥωμαίων παρεμβαλόντες ὡς εἶδον μεστὸν μὲν τὸ πεδίον νεκρῶν, ὀρθοὺς δὲ τοὺς χάρακας ἀμφοτέρους, προιόντα δ´ ἐκ τῶν ἐρυμάτων οὔτε πολέμιον οὔτε φίλον οὐδένα, τέως μὲν ἐθαύμαζον καὶ τίς ἦν ἡ κατειληφυῖα τύχη τὰ πράγματα ἀπόρως εἶχον συμβάλλειν. ἐπεὶ δὲ παρὰ τῶν ἀνασωζομένων ἐκ τῆς τροπῆς ἅπαντα τὰ περὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα ἔμαθον, ἐσκόπουν μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἡγεμόνων, τί χρὴ πράττειν. τοῖς μὲν οὖν θρασυτάτοις αὐτῶν ἐδόκει κράτιστον εἶναι χωρεῖν ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐξ ἐφόδου, τέως πολλοὶ μὲν ἔκαμον ὑπὸ τραυμάτων, ἀπειρήκεσάν θ´ ἅπαντες ὑπὸ κόπου ὅπλα τε ἄχρηστα τοῖς πλείστοις ἦν, τὰ μὲν ἀπεστομωμένα τὰς ἀκμάς, τὰ δὲ κατεαγότα καὶ βοήθεια παρὰ τῶν οἴκοθεν ἀκραιφνὴς οὔπω παρῆν οὐδεμία αὐτοῖς, ἡ δὲ σφῶν αὐτῶν δύναμις πολλή τε οὖσα καὶ ἀγαθὴ καὶ ὡπλισμένη καλῶς ἐμπειροπόλεμός τε καὶ οὐ προσδεχομένοις ἐξαπιναίως παροῦσα, φοβερὰ καὶ τοῖς εὐτολμοτάτοις φανήσεσθαι ἔμελλε.

[6,14] Postumius encamped that night on the field and the next day he crowned those who had distinguished themselves in the battle; and having appointed guards to take care of the prisoners, he proceeded to offer to the gods the sacrifices in honour of the victory. While he still wore the garland on his head and was laying the first burnt offerings on the altars, some scouts, running down from the heights, brought him word that a hostile army was marching against them. It consisted of chosen youth of the Volscian nation who had been sent out, before the battle was ended, to assist the Latins. Upon hearing of this he ordered all his men and to stay in the camp, each under his own standards, maintaining silence and keeping their ranks till he himself should (p283) give the word what to do. On the other side, the generals of the Volscians, encamping out of sight of the Romans, when they saw the field covered with dead bodies and both camps intact, and no one, either enemy or friend, stirring out of the entrenchments, were for some time amazed and at a loss to guess what turn of fortune had produced this state of affairs. But when they had learned all about the battle from those who were making their escape from the rout, they consulted with the other leaders what was to be done. The boldest of them thought it best to attempt to take the camp of the Romans by assault, while many of the foe were still disabled from their wounds and all were exhausted by toil, and the arms of most of them were useless, some having their edges blunted and others being broken, and no fresh forces from home were yet at hand to relieve them, whereas their own army was large and valiant, splendidly armed and experienced in war, and by coming suddenly upon men who were not expecting it was sure to appear formidable even to the boldest.