[10,20] Κοίντου δὲ Φαβίου Οὐιβολανοῦ παρειληφότος τὴν ὑπατείαν τὸ τρίτον καὶ Λευκίου Κορνηλίου καὶ τελούντων πατρίους ἀγῶνας Αἰκανῶν ἄνδρες ἐπίλεκτοι πλῆθος ἀμφὶ τοὺς ἑξακισχιλίους ὁπλισμῷ τ´ εὐζώνῳ συνεσταλμένοι καὶ ἐν νυκτὶ ποιησάμενοι τὴν ἔξοδον σκότους ἔτι ὄντος ἐπὶ πόλιν ἀφικνοῦνται Τυσκλάνων, ἥ ἐστι μὲν τοῦ Λατίνων ἔθνους, ἀφέστηκε δὲ τῆς Ῥώμης οὐκ ἔλαττον σταδίων ἑκατόν. εὑρόντες δὲ ὡς ἐν εἰρήνῃ πύλας τε ἀκλείστους καὶ τεῖχος ἀφύλακτον αἱροῦσι τὴν πόλιν ἐξ ἐφόδου μνησικακοῦντες τοῖς Τυσκλάνοις, ὅτι τῇ Ῥωμαίων πόλει τά τε ἄλλα μετὰ προθυμίας συμπράττοντες διετέλουν, καὶ ἐν τῇ πολιορκίᾳ τοῦ Καπιτωλίου μόνοι συνήραντο τοῦ πολέμου. ἄνδρας μὲν οὐ πολλούς τινας ἐν τῇ καταλήψει διέφθειραν, ἀλλ´ ἔφθασαν ἤδη αὐτοὺς ὑπὸ τὴν ἅλωσιν τῆς πόλεως ὠσάμενοι διὰ τῶν πυλῶν οἱ ἔνδον, χωρὶς ἢ ὅσοι ὑπὸ νόσων ἢ γήρως φυγεῖν ἀδύνατοι ἦσαν, γύναια δὲ καὶ παιδία καὶ θεράποντας αὐτῶν ἠνδραποδίσαντο καὶ τὰ χρήματα διήρπασαν. ὡς δ´ ἀπηγγέλθη τὸ δεινὸν εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην ἐκ τῶν διαφυγόντων ἐκ τῆς ἁλώσεως, οἱ μὲν ὕπατοι βοηθεῖν ᾤοντο δεῖν τοῖς φυγάσι κατὰ τάχος καὶ τὴν πόλιν αὐτοῖς ἀποδιδόναι, ἀντέπραττον δὲ οἱ δήμαρχοι στρατιὰν οὐκ ἐῶντες καταγράφειν, ἕως ἂν ἡ περὶ τοὺς νόμους διενεχθῇ ψῆφος. ἀγανακτούσης δὲ τῆς βουλῆς καὶ διατριβὴν λαμβανούσης τῆς στρατείας ἕτεροι παρῆσαν ἀπὸ τοῦ Λατίνων ἔθνους ἀποσταλέντες, οἳ τὴν Ἀντιατῶν πόλιν ἤγγελλον ἐκ τοῦ φανεροῦ ἀφεστηκέναι, μιᾷ χρησαμένων γνώμῃ Οὐολούσκων τε τῶν ἀρχαίων οἰκητόρων τῆς πόλεως καὶ Ῥωμαίων τῶν ἀφικομένων ὡς αὐτοὺς ἐποίκων καὶ μερισαμένων τὴν γῆν. Ἑρνίκων τε ἄγγελοι κατὰ τοὺς αὐτοὺς παρῆσαν χρόνους δηλοῦντες, ὅτι Οὐολούσκων τε καὶ Αἰκανῶν δύναμις πολλὴ ἐξελήλυθε καί ἐστιν ἐν τῇ αὐτῶν ἤδη γῇ. τούτων ἅμα προσαγγελλομένων οὐδεμίαν ἀναστροφὴν ἔτι ποιεῖσθαι τοῖς ἐκ τοῦ συνεδρίου ἐδόκει, ἀλλὰ πανστρατιᾷ βοηθεῖν καὶ τοὺς ὑπάτους ἀμφοτέρους ἐξιέναι· ἐὰν δέ τινες ἀπολειφθῶσι τῆς στρατείας Ῥωμαίων ἢ τῶν συμμάχων, ὡς πολεμίοις αὐτοῖς χρῆσθαι. εἰξάντων δὲ καὶ τῶν δημάρχων καταγράψαντες τοὺς ἐν ἡλικίᾳ πάντας οἱ ὕπατοι καὶ τὰς παρὰ τῶν συμμάχων δυνάμεις μεταπεμψάμενοι κατὰ σπουδὴν ἐξῄεσαν ὑπολιπόμενοι φυλακὴν τῇ πόλει τρίτην μοῖραν τῆς ἐπιχωρίου στρατιᾶς. Φάβιος μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐν τῷ Τυσκλάνων ὄντας Αἰκανοὺς τὴν στρατιὰν ἦγε διὰ τάχους. τῶν δ´ οἱ μὲν πλείους ἀπεληλύθεσαν ἤδη διηρπακότες τὴν πόλιν, ὀλίγοι δέ τινες ὑπέμενον φυλάττοντες τὴν ἄκραν· ἔστι δὲ σφόδρα ἐχυρὰ καὶ οὐ πολλῆς δεομένη φυλακῆς. τινὲς μὲν οὖν φασι τοὺς φρουροὺς τῆς ἄκρας ἰδόντας ἐξιοῦσαν ἐκ τῆς Ῥώμης τὴν στρατιάν - εὐσύνοπτα γάρ ἐστιν ἐκ μετεώρου τὰ μεταξὺ χωρία πάντα - ἑκόντας ἐξελθεῖν, ἕτεροι δὲ ἐκπολιορκηθέντας ὑπὸ τοῦ Φαβίου καθ´ ὁμολογίαν παραδοῦναι τὸ φρούριον, τοῖς σώμασιν αὐτοῖς ἄδειαν αἰτησαμένους καὶ ζυγὸν ὑποστάντας.

[10,20] Quintus Fabius Vibulanus (for the third time) and Lucius Cornelius having succeeded to the consulship and being employed in exhibiting the traditional games, a chosen body of the Aequians, amounting to about six thousand men and lightly equipped, set out from their confines by night and came, while it was still dark, to the city of Tusculum, which belongs to the Latin race and is not less than a hundred stades distant from Rome. And finding the gates not locked and the walls unguarded, it being a time of peace, they took the town by assault, to gratify their resentment against the Tusculans because these were always zealously assisting the Romans and particularly because they alone had aided them in their struggle when they were besieging the Capitol. The Aequians did not kill very many men in taking the city, since those inside, except such as were unable to flee because of illness or age, had forestalled them by crowding out three other gates just before the capture of the place; but they made slaves of their wives, children and domestics, and plundered their effects. As soon as news of the disaster was brought to Rome by those who had escaped capture, the consuls thought they ought to assist the fugitives promptly and restore their city to them; but the tribunes opposed them and would not permit an army to be enrolled until a votes should be taken concerning the law. While the senators were expressing their (p233) indignation and the expedition was being delayed, other messengers arrived, from the Latin nation, reporting that Antium had openly revolted by the joint action of the Volscians, who were the original inhabitants of the place, and of the Romans who had come to them as colonists and had received a portion of the land. Messengers from the Hernicans also arrived during these same days, informing them that a large force of Volscians and Aequians had marched forth and was already in the country of the Hernicans. All these things being reported at the same time, the senators resolved to make no further delay, but to go to the rescue with all their forces, and that both consuls should take the field; and if any of the Romans or the allies should decline to serve, to treat them as enemies. When the tribunes also yielded, the consuls, having enrolled all who were of military age and sent for the forces of the allies, hastily marched out, leaving a third part of their own army to guard the city. Fabius, accordingly, marched in haste against the Aequians who were in the Tusculans' territory. Most of these had already left the city after plundering it, but a few remained to guard the citadel, which is very strong and does not require a large garrison. Some state that the garrison of the citadel, seeing the army marching from Rome — for all the region lying between may be easily seen from a height — came out of their own accord; others say that after being reduced by Fabius to the necessity of surrendering they handed over the fortress by capitulation, stipulating (p235) that their lives should be spared and submitting to pass under the yoke.