[10,23] Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ τοιαῦτα ὑβρισθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς οὐκ εὐθὺς ὀργῇ ἐπιτρέψαντες ἐξήγαγον τὴν στρατιάν, ἀλλὰ καὶ δευτέραν ὡς αὐτὸν ἀπέστειλαν πρεσβείαν καὶ τοὺς Φητιάλεις καλουμένους ἄνδρας ἱερεῖς ἔπεμψαν ἐπιμαρτυρόμενοι θεούς τε καὶ δαίμονας, ὅτι μὴ δυνηθέντες τῶν δικαίων τυχεῖν ὅσιον ἀναγκασθήσονται πόλεμον ἐκφέρειν· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τὸν ὕπατον ἀπέστειλαν. ὁ δὲ Γράγχος, ἐπειδὴ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους προσιόντας ἔμαθεν, ἀναστήσας τὴν δύναμιν ἀπῆγε προσωτέρω, τῶν πολεμίων ἐκ ποδὸς ἑπομένων, βουλόμενος αὐτοὺς εἰς τοιαῦτα προαγαγέσθαι χωρία, ἐν οἷς πλεονεκτήσειν ἔμελλεν· ὅπερ καὶ συνέβη. φυλάξας γὰρ αὐλῶνα περικλειόμενον ὄρεσιν, ὡς ἐνέβαλον εἰς τοῦτον οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι διώκοντες αὐτόν, ὑποστρέφει τε καὶ στρατοπεδεύεται κατὰ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ αὐλῶνος ἔξω φέρουσαν ὁδόν. ἐκ δὲ τούτου συνεβεβήκει τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις οὐχ ὃν ἐβούλοντο ἐκλέξασθαι τόπον εἰς στρατοπεδείαν, ἀλλ´ ὃν ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ὁ καιρός, ἔνθα οὔθ´ ἵπποις χιλὸν εὔπορον ἦν λαμβάνειν, ὄρεσι περικλειομένου τοῦ τόπου ψιλοῖς καὶ δυσβάτοις, οὔθ´ ἑαυτοῖς τροφὰς ἐκ τῆς πολεμίας συγκομίζειν, ἐπειδὴ κατανάλωντο ἃς οἴκοθεν ἔφερον, οὔτε μεταστρατοπεδεύσασθαι τῶν πολεμίων ἀντικαθημένων καὶ κωλυόντων τὰς ἐξόδους. βιάσασθαί τε προελόμενοι καὶ προελθόντες εἰς μάχην ἀνεκρούσθησαν καὶ πολλὰς πληγὰς λαβόντες εἰς τὸν αὐτὸν κατεκλείσθησαν χάρακα. ὁ δὲ Κοίλιος ἐπαρθεὶς τῷ προτερήματι τούτῳ περιετάφρευέ τε αὐτοὺς καὶ περιεχαράκου καὶ πολλὰς ἐλπίδας εἶχε λιμῷ πιεσθέντας παραδώσειν αὐτῷ τὰ ὅπλα. ἀφικομένης δ´ εἰς Ῥώμην περὶ τούτων ἀγγελίας Κόιντος Φάβιος ὁ καταλειφθεὶς ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως ἔπαρχος ἀπὸ τῆς σὺν αὐτῷ στρατιᾶς ὅσον ἦν ἀκμαιότατόν τε καὶ κράτιστον ἐπιλέξας μέρος ἐπὶ συμμαχίαν ἔπεμψε τῷ ὑπάτῳ. ἡγεῖτο δὲ τῆς δυνάμεως ταύτης Τίτος Κοίντιος ὁ ταμίας ἀνὴρ ὑπατικός. πρὸς δὲ τὸν ἕτερον τῶν ὑπάτων Ναύτιον ἐπὶ τῆς ἐν Σαβίνοις στρατιᾶς ὄντα γράμματα διαπέμψας τά τε συμβάντα τῷ Μηνυκίῳ διεσάφησε καὶ αὐτὸν ἥκειν ἠξίου διὰ ταχέων. κἀκεῖνος ἐπιτρέψας τοῖς πρεσβευταῖς τὸν χάρακα φυλάττειν αὐτὸς σὺν ὀλίγοις ἱππεῦσιν εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην ἐλαύνει συντόνῳ χρησάμενος ἱππασίᾳ· εἰσελθὼν δ´ εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἔτι πολλῆς νυκτὸς οὔσης ἐβουλεύετο σὺν τῷ Φαβίῳ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων πολιτῶν τοῖς πρεσβυτάτοις, ὅ τι χρὴ ποιεῖν. ἐπεὶ δὲ πᾶσιν ἐδόκει δικτάτορος δεῖσθαι ὁ καιρός, ἀποδείκνυσιν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ταύτην Λεύκιον Κοίντιον Κικιννάτον. καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν ταῦτα διαπραξάμενος ᾤχετο πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸ στρατόπεδον,

[10,23] The Romans, though thus insulted by the man, did not immediately give way to their resentment and lead their army forth, but sent a second embassy to him and likewise the priests called fetiales, calling the gods and lesser divinities to witness that if they were unable to obtain satisfaction they should be obliged to wage a holy war; and after that they sent out the consul. When Gracchus learned that the Romans were approaching, he broke camp and retired with his forces to a greater distance, the enemy following close at his heels. His purpose was to lead them on into a region where he would have an advantage over them; and that is what in fact happened. For waiting until he found a valley surrounded by hills, he then, as soon as the Romans had entered it in pursuit of him, faced about and encamped astride the road that led out of the valley. (p245) As a consequence the Romans were unable to choose for their camp the place they preferred, but had to take the one the situation offered, where it was not easy either to get forage for the horses, the place being surrounded by hills that were bare and difficult of access, or to bring in provisions for themselves out of the enemy's country, since what they had brought from home had been consumed, nor yet easy to shift their camp while the enemy lay before them and blocked the exits. Choosing, therefore, to force their way out, they engaged in l and were repulsed, and after receiving many wounds were shut up again in the same camp. Cloelius, elated by this success, began to surround the place with a ditch and palisades and had great hopes of forcing them by famine to deliver up their arms to him. The news of this disaster being brought to Rome, Quintus Fabius, who had been left as prefect in charge of the city, chose out of his own army a body of the fittest and strongest men and sent them to the assistance of the consul; they were commanded by Titus Quintius, who was quaestor and an ex-consul. And sending a letter to Nautius, the other consul, who commanded the army in the country of the Sabines, he informed him of what had happened to Minucius and asked him to come in haste. Nautius committed the guarding of the camp to the legates and he himself with a small squadron of cavalry made a forced ride to Rome; and arriving in the city while it was still deep night, he took counsel with Fabius and the oldest of the other citizens concerning the measures that should be taken. When all were of the opinion (p247) that the situation required a dictator, he named Lucius Quintius Cincinnatus to that magistracy. Then, having attended to this business, he himself returned to the camp.