Texte grec :
| [6,17] Ἐπισχὼν δὲ τὴν ὁρμὴν τοῦ πλήθους ἀπιέναι
τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐκέλευσεν ἀμεταστρεπτὶ φυλακῇ παραδοὺς
ἱππέων, οἳ προὔπεμψαν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τὸν Οὐολούσκων
χάρακα. ἐκβαλὼν δὲ τοὺς κατασκόπους εὐτρεπίζεσθαι
τὰ εἰς μάχην παρήγγειλε τοῖς στρατιώταις, ὡς ἐν τῇ
κατόπιν ἡμέρᾳ παραταξόμενος. ἐδέησε δ´ οὐδὲν αὐτῷ
μάχης· οἱ γὰρ ἡγεμόνες τῶν Οὐολούσκων πολλῆς ἔτι
νυκτὸς οὔσης ἀναστήσαντες τὴν στρατιὰν ᾤχοντο ἐπὶ
τὰ σφέτερα. ἁπάντων δὲ χωρησάντων αὐτῷ κατ´ εὐχὴν
θάψας τοὺς οἰκείους νεκροὺς καὶ τὴν στρατιὰν καθήρας
ἀνέστρεψεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἐκπρεπεῖ θριάμβῳ κοσμούμενος
ὅπλων τε σωρὸν ἐφ´ ἁμάξαις πολλαῖς κομίζων
καὶ χρημάτων στρατιωτικῶν παρασκευὰς ἀφθόνους
εἰσφέρων, καὶ τοὺς ἁλόντας ἐν τῇ μάχῃ πεντακοσίων
ἀποδέοντας ἑξακισχιλίους ἐπαγόμενος. ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν
λαφύρων ἐξελόμενος τὰς δεκάτας ἀγῶνάς τε καὶ θυσίας
τοῖς θεοῖς ἀπὸ τετταράκοντα ταλάντων ἐποίει καὶ ναῶν
κατασκευὰς ἐξεμίσθωσε Δήμητρι καὶ Διονύσῳ καὶ Κόρῃ
κατ´ εὐχήν. ἐσπάνισαν γὰρ αἱ τροφαὶ τοῦ πολέμου
κατ´ ἀρχὰς καὶ πολὺν αὐτοῖς παρέσχον φόβον ὡς
ἐπιλείψουσαι, τῆς τε γῆς ἀκάρπου γενομένης καὶ τῆς
ἔξωθεν ἀγορᾶς οὐκέτι παρακομιζομένης διὰ τὸν πόλεμον.
διὰ τοῦτο τὸ δέος ἀνασκέψασθαι τὰ Σιβύλλεια
τοὺς φύλακας αὐτῶν κελεύσας ὡς ἔμαθεν, ὅτι τούτους
ἐξιλάσασθαι τοὺς θεοὺς οἱ χρησμοὶ κελεύουσιν, εὐχὰς
αὐτοῖς ἐποιήσατο μέλλων ἐξάγειν τὸν στρατόν, ἐὰν
εὐετηρία γένηται κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ἐπὶ τῆς ἰδίας ἀρχῆς,
οἵα πρότερον ἦν, ναούς τ´ αὐτοῖς καθιδρύσεσθαι καὶ
θυσίας καταστήσεσθαι καθ´ ἕκαστον ἐνιαυτόν. οἱ δ´
ὑπακούσαντες τήν τε γῆν παρεσκεύασαν ἀνεῖναι πλουσίους
καρπούς, οὐ μόνον τὴν σπόριμον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν
δενδροφόρον, καὶ τὰς ἐπεισάκτους ἀγορὰς ἁπάσας
ἐπικλύσαι μᾶλλον ἢ πρότερον· ἅπερ ὁρῶν αὐτὸς ὁ Ποστόμιος
ἐψηφίσατο τὰς τῶν ναῶν τούτων κατασκευάς.
Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν δὴ τὸν τυραννικὸν ἀπωσάμενοι πόλεμον
εὐνοίᾳ θεῶν ἐν ἑορταῖς τε καὶ θυσίαις ἦσαν.
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Traduction française :
| [6,17] Having thus checked the rash impulse of the soldiers, he commanded the men to
depart without looking back, and put them in charge of a guard of horse, who
conducted them to the camp of the Volscians. After he had expelled the spies, he
commanded the soldiers to get everything ready for battle, as if he were going to
engage the next day. But he had no need of a battle, for the leaders of the Volscians
broke camp before dawn and returned home. All things having now gone according
to his wish, he buried his own dead, and having purified his army, returned to the city
with the pomp of a magnificent triumph, together with huge quantities of military
stores, followed by 5,500 prisoners taken in the battle. (p291) And having set apart the
tithes of the spoils, he spent forty talents in performing games and sacrifices to the
gods, and let contracts for the building of temples to Ceres, Liber and Libera, in
fulfilment of a vow he had made. It seems that provisions for the army had been
scarce in the beginning, and had caused the Romans great fear that they would fail
entirely, as the land had borne no crops and food from outside was no longer being
imported because of the war. Because of this fear he had ordered the guardians of the
Sibylline books to consult them, and finding that the oracles commanded that these
gods should be propitiated, he made vows to them, when he was on the point of
leading out his army, that if there should be the same abundance in the city during
the time of his magistracy as before, he would build temples to them and also appoint
sacrifices to be performed every year. These gods, hearing his prayer, caused the
land to produce rich crops, not only of grain but also of fruits, and all imported
provisions to be more plentiful than before; and when Postumius saw this, he
himself caused a vote to be passed for the building of these temples. The Romans,
therefore, having through the favour of the gods repelled the war brought upon them
by the tyrant, were engaged in feasts and sacrifices.
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