[6,91] Ἐπεὶ δὲ κατέστη τὰ πράγματα καὶ τὸν
ἀπ´ ἀρχῆς κόσμον ἐκομίσατο ἡ πόλις, ἐπὶ τοὺς ἔξω
πολεμίους ὑπὸ τῶν ἡγεμόνων στρατιὰ κατελέγετο πολλὴν
εἰσενεγκαμένου προθυμίαν τοῦ δήμου καὶ δι´ ὀλίγου χρόνου
πάντα τὰ εἰς τὸν πόλεμον ἐπιτήδεια
εὐτρεπῆ ποιήσαντος. τῶν δ´ ὑπάτων διακληρωσαμένων
περὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας, ὡς ἔστιν αὐτοῖς ἔθος, Σπόριος μὲν
Κάσσιος, ὃς ἔλαχε τὴν τῶν κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ἐπιμέλειαν,
ὑπέμεινε μέρος τῆς κατειλεγμένης δυνάμεως τὸ ἀρκοῦν
λαβών· Πόστουμος δὲ Κομίνιος ἐξῆγε τὴν λοιπὴν
στρατιὰν Ῥωμαίων τ´ αὐτῶν ἀξιόχρεων ἄγων μοῖραν
καὶ Λατίνων τι συμμαχικὸν οὐκ ὀλίγον. κρίνας δὲ
Οὐολούσκοις ἐπιχειρεῖν πρώτοις πόλιν αὐτῶν Λογγόλαν ἐξ
ἐφόδου καταλαμβάνεται, ἐπιβαλομένων μὲν τῶν
ἐν αὐτῇ μεταποιεῖσθαί τινος ἀρετῆς καί τινα στρατιὰν
ὑπαίθριον ἀποστειλάντων, ᾗ τοὺς ἐπιόντας ἀνείρξειν
ἐπίστευον, αἰσχρῶς δ´ ἀναγκασθέντων φυγεῖν πρὶν ἢ
λαμπρόν τι ἔργον ἀποδείξασθαι καὶ οὐδ´ ἐν τῇ τειχομαχίᾳ
γενναῖον οὐδὲν διαπραξαμένων. μιᾷ γοῦν ἡμέρᾳ
τῆς τε γῆς αὐτῶν Ῥωμαῖοι ἐκράτησαν ἀκονιτὶ καὶ τὴν
πόλιν οὐ πολλὰ πραγματευθέντες κατὰ κράτος ἔλαβον.
ὁ δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατηγὸς τά τ´ ἐγκαταληφθέντα
χρήματα διαρπάσαι τοῖς στρατιώταις ἐφεὶς καὶ φρουρὰν ἐν
τῇ πόλει καταλιπὼν ἐξῆγε τὴν δύναμιν ἐφ´ ἑτέραν πόλιν τῶν
Οὐολούσκων, ἣ καλεῖται μὲν Πόλουσκα,
διάστημα δ´ οὐ πολὺ τῆς Λογγόλας ἀπέχει. οὐδενὸς
δ´ αὐτῷ τολμήσαντος ὑπαντῆσαι διανύσας τὴν χώραν
κατὰ πολλὴν εὐπέτειαν προσέβαλε τοῖς τείχεσι· τῶν
δὲ στρατιωτῶν οἱ μὲν τὰς πύλας διακόψαντες, οἱ δὲ
διὰ κλιμάκων ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος ἀναβάντες, αὐθημερὸν γίνονται
καὶ ταύτης τῆς πόλεως κύριοι. ὡς δὲ παρέλαβε
τὴν πόλιν, ὀλίγους μέν τινας ἐπιλέξας τοὺς αἰτίους
τῆς ἀποστάσεως ἀπέκτεινε, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς χρημάτων
ἀφαιρέσει ζημιώσας καὶ ὅπλα ἀφελόμενος, Ῥωμαίων
εἶναι τὸ λοιπὸν ἠνάγκασεν ὑπηκόους.
| [6,91] When affairs had been settled and the commonwealth restored to its former
state, an army was raised by the generals against their foreign foes, as the people now
displayed great alacrity and in a short time got everything ready that was necessary
for the war. The consuls having drawn lots for their official duties according to
custom, Spurius Cassius, to whom the oversight of affairs in the city fell, remained at
home, retaining a sufficient part of the forces which had been raised, while Postumus
Cominius took the field with the rest of the army, consisting of not only an adequate
part of the Romans themselves but also no small auxiliary force of Latins. And
deciding to attack the Volscians first, he took a city of theirs called Longula at the first
assault, though the inhabitants undertook to make some show of bravery and sent
some forces into the field in hopes of holding back the enemy; but these were (p127) put
to shameful flight before they had performed any brilliant action and did not display
the least courage even during the assault on their walls. At all events the Romans in
one day not only possessed themselves of their country without effort, but also took
their city by storm without much difficulty. The Roman general permitted the
soldiers to divide all the goods left in the city, and then, leaving a garrison there, led
his army against another city of the Volscians called Polusca, not far distant from
Longula. When none dared to oppose him, he marched through the country with
great ease and assaulted the walls; and then, some of the soldiers forcing open the
gates and others scaling the walls, they made themselves masters of this city also that
same day. After the consul had taken the city he chose out a few of the inhabitants
who had been the authors of the revolt and put them to death; and having punished
the rest by taking away their effects and disarmed them, he obliged them to be
subjects of the Romans for the future.
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