Texte grec :
| [8,89] Ἐξελθόντων δὲ καὶ τῶν Ῥωμαίων
καὶ παραταξαμένων ἰσχυρὰ μάχη γίνεται καὶ ἱππέων
καὶ πεζῶν καὶ ψιλῶν ἴσῃ πάντων χρωμένων προθυμίᾳ
τε καὶ ἐμπειρίᾳ, καὶ τὸ νικᾶν ἑκάστου παρ´ ἑαυτὸν
μόνον τιθεμένου· ὡς δὲ νεκροί τ´ αὐτῶν πολλοὶ ἑκατέρωθεν, ἐν ᾧ
ἐτάχθησαν χωρίῳ, πεσόντες ἔκειντο,
καὶ ἡμιθνῆτες ἔτι πλείους {τῶν νεκρῶν}, οἱ δὲ παρὰ
τὸν ἀγῶνα καὶ τὰ δεινὰ ἔτι διαμένοντες ὀλίγοι ἦσαν,
καὶ οὐδὲ οὗτοι δρᾶν τὰ πολέμου ἔργα δυνάμενοι βαρυνόντων μὲν
αὐτοῖς τῶν σκεπαστηρίων τὰς εὐωνύμους
χεῖρας διὰ πλῆθος τῶν ἐμπεπηγότων βελῶν, καὶ οὐκ
ἐώντων ὑπομένειν τὰς προσβολάς, τετραμμένων δὲ
τῶν ἐγχειριδίων τὰς ἀκμάς, ἔστι δ´ ὧν καὶ κατεαγότων ὅλων, οἷς
οὐθὲν ἔτι ἦν χρῆσθαι, τοῦ τε κόπου,
ὃς δι´ ὅλης ἡμέρας ἀγωνιζομένοις αὐτοῖς πολὺς ἐγεγόνει,
παραλύοντος τὰ νεῦρα καὶ τὰς πληγὰς ἀσθενεῖς ποιοῦντος,
ἱδρῶτος δὲ καὶ δίψης καὶ ἄσθματος,
οἷα ἐν πνιγηρᾷ ὥρᾳ ἔτους τοῖς πολὺν χρόνον ἀγωνιζομένοις
συμπίπτειν φιλεῖ, παρ´ ἀμφοτέροις γινομένων,
τέλος οὐδὲν ἔλαβεν ἀξιόλογον ἡ μάχη, ἀλλ´ ἀγαπητῶς
ἀμφότεροι τῶν στρατηγῶν ἀνακαλουμένων ἀπῆλθον
ἐπὶ τοὺς ἑαυτῶν χάρακας· καὶ οὐκέτι μετὰ τοῦτ´ ἐξῄεσαν εἰς
μάχην οὐδέτεροι, ἀλλ´ ἀντικαθήμενοι παρεφύλαττον ἀλλήλων
τὰς ἕνεκα τῶν ἐπιτηδείων γινομένας
ἐξόδους. ἔδοξε μέντοι καὶ λόγος ἦν ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ πολύς, ὡς
δυναμένη τότε νικᾶν ἡ Ῥωμαίων δύναμις
ἑκουσία μηδὲν ἦν ἐργάσασθαι λαμπρὸν διὰ μῖσός
τε τοῦ ὑπάτου καὶ ὀργήν, ἣν εἶχε πρὸς τοὺς πατρικίους ἐπὶ τῷ
φενακισμῷ τῆς κληρουχίας. αὐτοὶ δ´ οἱ
στρατιῶται τὸν ὕπατον ὡς οὐχ ἱκανὸν στρατηγεῖν
ᾐτιῶντο, γράμματα πέμποντες ὡς τοὺς ἐπιτηδείους ἑαυτῶν
ἕκαστοι. καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐπὶ στρατοπέδου γινόμενα
τοιαῦτ´ ἦν· ἐν αὐτῇ δὲ τῇ Ῥώμῃ πολλὰ δαιμόνια σημεῖα ἐφαίνετο
δηλωτικὰ θείου χόλου κατά τε φωνὰς
καὶ ὄψεις ἀήθεις. πάντα δ´ εἰς τοῦτο συνέτεινεν, ὡς
οἵ τε μάντεις καὶ οἱ τῶν ἱερῶν ἐξηγηταὶ συνενέγκαντες
τὰς ἐμπειρίας ἀπεφαίνοντο, ὅτι θεῶν {χολοῦσθαὶ}
τινες οὐ κομίζονται τὰς νομίμους τιμὰς οὐ καθαρῶς
οὐδὲ ὁσίως ἐπιτελουμένων αὐτοῖς τῶν ἱερῶν. ζήτησις
δὴ μετὰ τοῦτο πολλὴ ἐκ πάντων ἐγίνετο, καὶ σὺν
χρόνῳ μήνυσις ἀποδίδοται τοῖς ἱεροφάνταις, ὅτι τῶν
παρθένων μία τῶν φυλαττουσῶν τὸ ἱερὸν πῦρ, Ὀπιμία ὄνομα
αὐτῇ, τὴν παρθενίαν ἀφαιρεθεῖσα μιαίνει
τὰ ἱερά. οἱ δ´ ἔκ τε βασάνων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀποδείξεων
μαθόντες, ὅτι τὸ μηνυόμενον ἦν ἀδίκημα ἀληθές, αὐτὴν
μὲν τῆς κορυφῆς ἀφελόμενοι τὰ στέμματα
καὶ πομπεύσαντες δι´ ἀγορᾶς ἐντὸς τείχους ζῶσαν κατώρυξαν·
δύο δὲ τοὺς ἐξελεγχθέντας διαπράξασθαι
τὴν φθορὰν μαστιγώσαντες ἐν φανερῷ παραχρῆμα ἀπέκτειναν
καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο καλὰ τὰ ἱερὰ καὶ τὰ μαντεύματα ὡς ἀφεικότων
αὐτοῖς τῶν θεῶν τὸν χόλον, ἐγίνετο.
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Traduction française :
| [8,89] When the Romans also came out and drew up their forces, a sharp engagement
ensued, not only of the horse, but of the foot and the light-armed troops as well, all
showing equal ardour and experience and every man placing his hopes of victory in
himself alone. At last, however, the bodies of the dead on both sides lay in great
numbers where they had fallen at the posts assigned to them, and the men who were
barely alive were even more numerous than the dead, while those who still continued
the fight and faced its dangers were but few, and even these were unable to perform
the tasks of war; for their shields, because of the multitude of spears that had stuck in
them, weighed down their left arms and would not permit them to sustain the
enemy's onsets, and their daggers had their edges blunted or in some cases were
entirely shattered and no longer of any use, and the great weariness of the men, who
had fought the whole day, slackened their sinews and weakened their blows, and
sweat, thirst, and want of breath afflicted both armies, as is wont to happen when
men fight long in the stifling heat of summer. Thus the battle came to an end that was
anything but remarkable; but both sides, as soon as their generals ordered a retreat to
be sounded, gladly returned to their camps. After that neither army any longer
ventured out for battle, but lying over against one another, they kept watch on each
other's movements when any detachments went out for supplies. It was believed,
however, according to the report common (p277) in Rome, that the tendency, though it
was then in their power to conquer, deliberately refused to perform any brilliant
action because of hatred for the consul and the resentment they felt against the
patricians for having played a tricking of them in the matter of the allotment of land.
Indeed, the soldiers themselves, in letters they sent to their friends, accused the
consul of being unfit to command.
While these things were happening in the camp, in Rome itself many prodigies in
the way of unusual voices and sights occurred as indications of divine wrath. And
they all pointed to this conclusion, as the augurs and the interpreters of religious
matters declared, after pooling their experiences, that some of the gods were angered
because they were not receiving their customary honours, as their rites were not
being performed in a pure and holy manner. Thereupon strict inquiry was made by
everyone, and at last information was given to the pontiffs that one of the virgins who
guarded the sacred fire, Opimia by name, had lost her virginity and was polluting
the holy rites. The pontiffs, having by tortures and other proofs found that the
information was true, took from her head the fillets, and solemnly conducting her
through the Forum, buried her alive inside the city walls. As for the two men who
were convicted of violating her, they ordered them to be (p279) scourged in public and
then put to death at once. Thereupon the sacrifices and the auguries became
favourable, as if the gods had given up their anger against them.
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