[6,5] Μαθόντες δ´ οἱ στρατηγοὶ τῶν πολεμίων καταλαμβανόμενα καὶ τὰ κατὰ νώτου σφῶν ἐρυμνὰ καὶ οὐδὲ περὶ τῆς οἴκοθεν ἀγορᾶς χρηστὰς ἔτι ἐλπίδας ἔχοντες ὡς ἀσφαλῶς σφίσι παρακομισθησομένης, ἀπαράξαι τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἔγνωσαν ἀπὸ τοῦ λόφου, πρὶν ἢ χάρακι καὶ τάφρῳ κρατύνασθαι. ἀναλαβὼν δὲ τὴν ἵππον ἅτερος αὐτῶν Σέξτος ἤλαυνεν ἀνὰ κράτος {αὐτήν,} ὡς οὐ δεξομένης αὐτὸν τῆς. Ῥωμαϊκῆς ἵππου. γενναίως δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἱππέων τοὺς ἐπιόντας ὑπομεινάντων μέχρι μέν τινος ἀντεῖχεν ὑποστρέφων τε καὶ αὖθις ἐπάγων· ἐπεὶ δ´ ἥ τε φύσις τοῦ χωρίου τοῖς μὲν ἤδη κρατοῦσι τῶν ἄκρων μεγάλα πλεονεκτήματα παρεῖχε, τοῖς δὲ κάτωθεν ἐπιοῦσιν οὐδὲν ὅ τι μὴ πολλὰς πάνυ πληγὰς καὶ πόνους ἀνηνύτους ἔφερε, καὶ αὖθις ἑτέρα παρῆν δύναμις τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἐπιλέκτων ἀνδρῶν ἐκ τῆς πεζικῆς φάλαγγος ἐπίκουρος, ἣν ὁ Ποστόμιος κατὰ πόδας ἀπέστειλεν, οὐδὲν ἔτι πράττειν δυνάμενος ἀπῆγε τὴν ἵππον ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα· καὶ οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι βεβαίως κρατοῦντες τὸ χωρίον προφανῶς κρατύνονται τὴν φυλακήν. μετὰ τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον τοῖς περὶ Μαμίλιον καὶ Σέξτον ἐδόκει μὴ πολὺν διὰ μέσου ποιεῖν τὸν χρόνον, ἀλλ´ ὀξείᾳ κρῖναι τὰ πράγματα μάχῃ. τῷ δὲ δικτάτορι τῶν Ῥωμαίων καταρχὰς οὕτως ἔχοντι προαιρέσεως{, ὡς} ἀμαχητὶ καταλύσεσθαι τὸν πόλεμον καὶ παντὸς μάλιστα διὰ τὴν ἀπειρίαν τῶν ἀντιστρατήγων τοῦτο ποιήσειν ἐλπίσαντι, τότ´ ἐφάνη χωρεῖν ἐπὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα. ἑάλωσαν γάρ τινες ὑπὸ τῶν φρουρούντων τὰς ὁδοὺς ἱππέων ἄγγελοι γράμματα φέροντες παρ´ Οὐολούσκων πρὸς τοὺς στρατηγοὺς τῶν Λατίνων δηλοῦντα, ὅτι πολλαὶ δυνάμεις αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ συμμαχίαν ἥξουσιν εἰς ἡμέραν τρίτην μάλιστα καὶ αὖθις ἕτεραι παρ´ Ἑρνίκων. τὰ μὲν δὴ παρασχόντα τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν αὐτῶν ταχεῖαν παρατάξεως ἀνάγκην τέως οὐ προαιρουμένοις ταῦτ´ ἦν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὰ σημεῖα ἤρθη παρ´ ἑκατέρων τῆς μάχης, προῄεσαν εἰς τὸ μεταξὺ χωρίον ἀμφότεροι καὶ ἐξέτασσον τὰς δυνάμεις κατὰ τάδε· Σέξτος μὲν Ταρκύνιος ἐπὶ τοῦ λαιοῦ τῶν Λατίνων ἐτάχθη κέρατος, Ὀκταούιος δὲ Μαμίλιος ἐπὶ τοῦ δεξιοῦ, τὴν δὲ κατὰ μέσον στάσιν εἶχεν ὁ ἕτερος τῶν Ταρκυνίου παίδων Τῖτος, ἔνθα καὶ Ῥωμαίων οἵ τε αὐτόμολοι καὶ οἱ φυγάδες ἐτάχθησαν. ἡ δ´ ἵππος ἅπασα τριχῇ διαιρεθεῖσα τοῖς κέρασιν ἀμφοτέροις προσενεμήθη καὶ τοῖς κατὰ μέσην τεταγμένοις τὴν φάλαγγα. τῆς δὲ Ῥωμαίων στρατιᾶς τὸ μὲν ἀριστερὸν κέρας εἶχεν ὁ ἱππάρχης Τῖτος Αἰβούτιος ἐναντίος Ὀκταουΐῳ Μαμιλίῳ, τὸ δὲ δεξιὸν Τῖτος Οὐεργίνιος ὁ ὕπατος Σέξτῳ Ταρκυνίῳ στάσιν ἐναντίαν ἐπέχων· τὰ δὲ μέσα τῆς φάλαγγος αὐτὸς ὁ δικτάτωρ Ποστόμιος ἐξεπλήρου Τίτῳ Ταρκυνίῳ καὶ τοῖς περὶ αὐτὸν φυγάσι χωρήσων ὁμόσε· πλῆθος δὲ τῆς συνελθούσης δυνάμεως εἰς τὴν παράταξιν ἀφ´ ἑκατέρου στρατεύματος ἦν Ῥωμαίων μὲν ἐπὶ δισμυρίοις τε καὶ τετρακισχιλίοις πεζοὶ τριακοσίων δέοντες, χίλιοι δ´ ἱππεῖς· Λατίνων δὲ σὺν τοῖς συμμάχοις τετρακισμύριοι μάλιστα πεζοὶ καὶ τρισχίλιοι ἱππεῖς.

[6,5] (p251) The generals of the enemy, finding that the strong places which lay in their rear were also being occupied, and no longer feeling any confident hopes that even their provisions from home would get through to them safely, resolved to drive the Romans from the hill before they could fortify it with a palisade and ditch. And Sextus, one of the two generals, taking the horse with him, rode up to them full speed in the expectation that the Roman horse would not await his attack. But when these bravely withstood their charge, he maintained the fight for some time, alternately retiring and renewing the attack; and then, since the nature of the ground offered great advantages to those who were already in possession of the heights, while bringing to those who attacked from below nothing but many blows and ineffectual hardships, and since, moreover, a fresh force of chosen legionaries, sent by Postumius to follow close upon the heels of the first detachment, came to the assistance of the Romans, he found himself unable to accomplish anything further and led the horse back to the camp; and the Romans, now secure in the possession of the place, openly strengthened the garrison there. After this action Mamilius and Sextus determined not to let much time intervene, but to decide the issue by an early battle. The Roman dictator, who at first had not been of this mind, but had hoped to end the war without a battle, founding his hopes of doing so chiefly on the inexperience of the opposing generals, (p253) now resolved to engage. For some couriers had been captured by the horse that patrolled the roads, bearing letters from the Volscians to the Latin generals to inform them that numerous forces would come to their assistance in about two days, and still other forces from the Hernicans. These were the considerations that reduced their commanders to an immediate necessity of fighting, though until then they had not been of this mind. After the signals for battle had been raised on both sides, the two armies advanced into the space between their camps and drew up in the following manner: Sextus Tarquinius was posted on the left wing of the Latins and Octavius Mamilius on the right; Titus, the other son of Tarquinius, held the centre, where also the Roman deserters and exiles were posted. And, all their horse being divided into three bodies, two of these were placed on the wings and one in the centre of the battle-line. The left of the Roman army was commanded by Titus Aebutius, the Master of the Horse, who stood opposite to Octavius Mamilius; the right by Titus Verginius, the consul, facing Sextus Tarquinius; the centre of the line was commanded by the dictator Postumius in person, who proposed to encounter Titus Tarquinius and the exiles with him. The number of the forces of each army which drew up for battle was: on the side of the Romans 23,700 foot and 1000 horse, and (p255) on that of the Latins and their allies about 40,000 foot and 3000 horse.