Texte grec :
| [6,25] Διατριβομένου δ´ εἰς ταῦτα πολλοῦ χρόνου
ὁ ἕτερος τῶν ὑπάτων Σερουίλιος· ἦν γὰρ ἡ στρατεία
κατὰ κλῆρον ἐκείνῳ προσήκουσα· πολλῇ δεήσει καὶ
θεραπείᾳ παρασκευασάμενος τὸ δημοτικὸν συνάρασθαι
τοῦ πολέμου, δύναμιν ἔχων οὐκ ἐκ καταλόγου
προσηναγκασμένην, ἀλλ´ ἑκούσιον, ὡς οἱ καιροὶ
παρεκάλουν, ἐξῆλθεν ἐπὶ τὸν πόλεμον ἔτι τῶν Οὐολούσκων
παρασκευαζομένων καὶ Ῥωμαίους μὲν οὔτε προσδεχομένων
μετὰ δυνάμεως ἥξειν ἐπὶ σφᾶς, οὕτω στασιαστικῶς
πολιτευομένους καὶ ἐχθρῶς ἔχοντας πρὸς ἀλλήλους,
οὔτ´ εἰς χεῖρας ἥξειν τοῖς ἐπιοῦσιν οἰομένων· σφίσι
δὲ πολλὴν ἐξουσίαν ὑπάρχειν ὁπότε βούλοιντο τοῦ
πολέμου ἄρχειν. ἐπειδὴ δ´ ᾔσθοντο πολεμεῖν δέον
αὐτοὶ πολεμούμενοι, τότε δὴ καταπεπληγότες τὸ τῶν
Ῥωμαίων τάχος, ἱκετηρίας ἀναλαβόντες ἐκ τῶν πόλεων
οἱ γεραίτατοι προῄεσαν ἐπιτρέποντες τῷ Σερουϊλίῳ
χρῆσθαι σφίσιν ὡς ἡμαρτηκόσιν ὅ τι βούλοιτο. ὁ δὲ
τροφὰς τῷ στρατεύματι παρ´ αὐτῶν λαβὼν ἐσθῆτάς
τε καὶ τριακοσίους υἱοὺς εἰς ὁμηρείαν ἐκ τῶν ἐπιφανεστάτων
οἴκων ἐπιλεξάμενος ᾤχετο, λελύσθαι τὸν
πόλεμον ὑπολαβών. ἦν δ´ ἄρα τοῦτ´ οὐ λύσις, ἀναβολὴ δέ τις
καὶ παρασκευῆς ἀφορμὴ τοῖς φθασθεῖσι
τῷ παρ´ ἐλπίδα τῆς ἐφόδου, ἀπελθόντος τε τοῦ τῶν
Ῥωμαίων στρατεύματος ἐξήπτοντο πάλιν οἱ Οὐολοῦσκοι
τοῦ πολέμου τάς τε πόλεις φραξάμενοι, καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο
χωρίον ἐπιτήδειον ἦν ἀσφάλειαν σφίσι παρασχεῖν διὰ
φυλακῆς κρείττονος ἔχοντες· συνήπτοντο δ´ αὐτοῖς τοῦ
κινδύνου φανερῶς μὲν Ἕρνικες καὶ Σαβῖνοι, κρύφα
δὲ καὶ ἄλλων συχνοί. Λατῖνοι δὲ πρεσβείας πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ
συμμαχίας αἴτησιν ἀφικομένης δήσαντες τοὺς
ἄνδρας εἰς Ῥώμην ἤγαγον. οἷς ἡ βουλὴ τῆς βεβαίου
πίστεως χάριν ἀποδιδοῦσα καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον τῆς εἰς τὸν
ἀγῶνα προθυμίας· ἕτοιμοι γὰρ ἦσαν ἑκούσιοι συμπολεμεῖν· ὃ
μάλιστα μὲν βούλεσθαι αὐτοὺς ᾤετο, δι´ αἰσχύνης δ´ ἔχειν
αἰτήσασθαι, τοῦτ´ αὐτοῖς ἐχαρίσατο,
τοὺς ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις ἁλόντας αὐτῶν ἑξακισχιλίων
ὀλίγον ἀποδέοντας προῖκα δωρησαμένη καὶ ὡς ἂν μάλιστα
κόσμον ἡ δωρεὰ προσήκοντα τῇ συγγενείᾳ λάβοι
πάντας αὐτοὺς ἐσθῆσιν ἀμφιέσασα ἐλευθέροις σώμασι
πρεπούσαις. τῆς δὲ συμμαχίας οὐδὲν αὑτῇ ἔφη δεῖν
τῆς Λατίνων ἱκανὰς λέγουσα εἶναι τὰς οἰκείας τῇ Ῥώμῃ
δυνάμεις ἀμύνασθαι τοὺς ἀφισταμένους. ταῦτ´ ἐκείνοις
ἀποκριναμένη ψηφίζεται τὸν κατ´ Οὐολούσκων πόλεμον.
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Traduction française :
| [6,25] Much time being consumed in this wrangling, one of the consuls, Servilius (for it
had fallen to his lot to conduct the campaign), having, by much entreating and
courting of the populace, prevailed upon them to assist in the war, took the field with
an army not raised by a compulsory levy but consisting of volunteers, as the times
required. Meanwhile the Volscians were still employed in their preparations (p315) and
neither expected that the Romans, divided into factions as they were and engaged in
mutual animosities, would march against them with an army, nor thought they would
come to close quarters with any who attacked them, but imagined that they
themselves were at full liberty to begin the war whenever they thought fit. But when
they found themselves attacked and perceived that they must attack in turn, then at
last the oldest among them, alarmed by the speed of the Romans, came out of their
cities with olive branches and surrendered themselves to Servilius, to be treated as he
should think fit for their offences. And he, taking from them provisions and clothing
for his army and choosing out of the most prominent families three hundred men to
serve as hostages, departed, assuming that the war was ended. In reality, however,
this was not an end of the war, but rather a postponement, as it were, and an
opportunity for those who had been surprised by the unexpected invasion to make
their preparations; and the Roman army was no sooner gone than the Volscians again
turned their attention to war by fortifying their towns and reinforcing the garrisons of
any other places that were suitable to afford them security. The Hernicans and the
Sabines assisted them openly in their hazardous venture, and many others secretly;
but the Latins, when ambassadors went to them to ask for their assistance, bound the
men and carried them to Rome. The senate, in return for the Latins' steadfast
adherence to their alliance and still more for the eagerness they showed to take part
in the war (for they were ready to assist (p317) them of their own accord), granted to
them a favour they thought they desired above all things but were ashamed to ask for,
which was to release without ransom the prisoners they head taken from them during
the wars, the number of whom amounted to almost six thousand, and that the gift
might, so far as possible, take on a lustre becoming to their kinship, they clothed
them all with the apparel proper to free men. As to the Latins' offer of assistance, the
senate told them they had no need of it, since the national forces of Rome were
sufficient to punish those who revolted. After they had given this answer to the Latins
they voted for the war against the Volscians.
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