[8,12] Ἀποδεξαμένων δὲ καὶ ταύτην τὴν γνώμην τῶν Οὐολούσκων ἐξῄεσαν οἱ στρατηγοὶ διὰ ταχέων, πρὶν ἔκπυστα γενέσθαι Ῥωμαίοις τὰ βουλεύματα, πολλὴν ἐπαγόμενοι στρατιὰν ἑκούσιον· ἧς μέρος μὲν ὁ Τύλλος ἔχων εἰς τὴν Λατίνων χώραν ἐνέβαλεν, ἵνα περισπάσειε τῶν πολεμίων τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἐπικουρίαν, τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν ὁ Μάρκιος ἄγων ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἤλασεν. οἷα δ´ ἀπροσδοκήτου τοῦ κακοῦ τοῖς κατὰ τὴν χώραν διατρίβουσιν ἐπιπεσόντος πολλὰ μὲν ἑάλω σώματα Ῥωμαίων ἐλεύθερα, πολλὰ δ´ ἀνδράποδα, βοῶν τε καὶ ὑποζυγίων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων βοσκημάτων χρῆμα οὐκ ὀλίγον· σῖτός θ´ ὅσος ἐγκατελήφθη καὶ σίδηρος καὶ ὅσοις ἄλλοις χώρα γεωργεῖται, τὰ μὲν ἡρπάσθη, τὰ δὲ διεφθάρη. τελευτῶντες γὰρ καὶ πῦρ εἰς τὰς αὐλὰς φέροντες ἐνέβαλλον Οὐολοῦσκοι, ὥστε πολλοῦ χρόνου μηδ´ ἀναλαβεῖν αὐτὰς δύνασθαι τοὺς ἀποβαλόντας. μάλιστα δὲ τοῦτ´ ἔπασχον αἱ τῶν δημοτῶν κτήσεις, αἱ δὲ τῶν πατρικίων ἔμειναν ἀσινεῖς· εἰ δέ τινες ἐβλάβησαν, εἰς ἀνδράποδα καὶ βοσκήματα ἔδοξαν βλαβῆναι. τοῦτο γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ Μαρκίου παρηγγέλλετο τοῖς Οὐολούσκοις, ἵνα δι´ ὑποψίας ἔτι μᾶλλον οἱ πατρίκιοι γένοιντο τοῖς δημοτικοῖς καὶ μὴ ἐξαιρεθείη τὸ στασιάζον ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, ὅπερ καὶ συνέβη. ὡς γὰρ ἠγγέλθη τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἡ καταδρομὴ τῆς χώρας, καὶ ἔγνωσαν οὐκ ἐξ ἴσου γεγονυῖαν ἅπασι τὴν συμφοράν, κατεβόων μὲν τῶν πλουσίων οἱ πένητες ὡς ἐπαγόντων σφίσι τὸν Μάρκιον, ἀπελογοῦντο δ´ οἱ πατρίκιοι καὶ κακουργίαν τινὰ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ ταύτην ἀπέφαινον. βοηθεῖν δὲ τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις ἢ σώζειν τὰ περιόντα δι´ ὑποψίαν τ´ ἀλλήλων καὶ δέος προδοσίας οὐθεὶς ἠξίου· ὥστε κατὰ πολλὴν ἄδειαν ὁ Μάρκιος ἀπῆγε τὴν στρατιὰν καὶ κατέστησεν ἅπαντας ἐπὶ τὰ οἰκεῖα παθόντας μὲν οὐδὲν δεινόν, δράσαντας δ´ ὅσα ἠξίουν, καὶ πολλῶν εὐπορήσαντας χρημάτων. ἧκε δὲ καὶ ὁ Τύλλος ὀλίγον ὕστερον ἐκ τῆς Λατίνων χώρας πολλὰς ἐπαγόμενος ὠφελείας· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκεῖ δύναμιν ἔσχον ὁμόσε χωρεῖν τοῖς πολεμίοις {μαχησόμενοι} ἀπαράσκευοί τ´ ὄντες καὶ παρ´ ἐλπίδα τοῦ δεινοῦ σφίσιν ἐπιπεσόντος. ἐκ δὲ τούτου πᾶσα πόλις ἐπῆρτο ταῖς ἐλπίσι, καὶ θᾶττον ἢ ὡς ἄν τις ὑπέλαβεν ἥ τε καταγραφὴ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἐγίνετο, καὶ τἆλλα ὑπηρετεῖτο, ὅσων τοῖς στρατηγοῖς ἔδει.

[8,12] The Volscians having approved of this proposal also, the generals marched out in haste at the head of a numerous army of volunteers before the Romans were informed of their plans. With a part of this force Tullus invaded the territory of the Latins, in order to cut off from the enemy any assistance from that quarter; and with the remainder Marcius marched against the Romans' territory. As the calamity fell unexpectedly upon the inhabitants of the country, many Romans of free condition were taken and many slaves and no small number of oxen, beasts of burden, and other cattle; as for the corn that was found there, the iron tools and the other implements with which the land is tilled, some were carried away and others destroyed. For at the last the Volscians set fire to the country-houses, so that it would be a long time before those who had lost (p35) them could restore them. The farms of the plebeians suffered most in this respect, while those of the patricians remained unharmed, or, if they received any damage, it seemed to fall only on their slaves and cattle. For Marcius thus instructed the Volscians, in order to increase the suspicion of the plebeians against the patricians and to keep the sedition alive in the state; and that is just what happened. For when this raid upon the country was reported to the Romans and they learned that the calamity had not fallen upon all alike, the poor clamoured against the rich, accusing them of bringing Marcius against them, while the patricians endeavoured to clear themselves by declaring that this was some malicious trick on the part of the general. But neither of them, because of mutual jealousy and fear of treachery, thought fit either to come to the rescue of what was being destroyed or to save what was left; so that Marcius had full liberty to withdraw his army and to bring all his men home after they had done as much harm as they pleased, while suffering none themselves, and had enriched themselves with much booty. Tullus also arrived a little later from the territory of the Latins, bringing with him many spoils; for there too the inhabitants had no army with which to engage the enemy, since they were unprepared and the calamity fell upon them unexpectedly. As a result of this every city of the Volscians was buoyed up with hope, and more quickly than anyone would have expected not only were the troops enrolled, but everything else was supplied that the generals needed.