[10,43] Μετ´ οὐ πολὺ δὲ πάλιν τῶν δημάρχων τὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ νόμου εἰσφερόντων λόγον αἰφνιδίως τις ἀπαγγελεῖσα πολεμίων ἔφοδος ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν Τυσκλάνων πόλιν, αἰτία κωλύσεως ἀποχρῶσα ἐγένετο. τῶν γὰρ Τυσκλάνων κατὰ πλῆθος εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην ἀφικομένων καὶ λεγόντων, ὅτι δυνάμει πολλῇ πάρεισιν ἐπ´ αὐτοὺς Αἰκανοὶ καὶ τὴν μὲν χώραν αὐτῶν ἤδη διηρπάκασι, τὴν δὲ πόλιν, ἐὰν μή τις γένηται ταχεῖα ἐπικουρία, φθάσουσιν ἐντὸς ὀλίγων ἡμερῶν ἀράμενοι, ἡ μὲν βουλὴ τοὺς ὑπάτους αὐτοῖς ἐψηφίσατο βοηθεῖν ἀμφοτέρους, οἱ δ´ ὕπατοι στρατολογίαν προθέντες ἐκάλουν τοὺς πολίτας ἅπαντας ἐπὶ τὰ ὅπλα. ἐγένετο μὲν οὖν τις καὶ τότε στάσις ἐναντιουμένων τῇ καταγραφῇ τῶν δημάρχων καὶ τὰς ἐκ τῶν νόμων τιμωρίας οὐ συγχωρούντων ποιεῖσθαι κατὰ τῶν ἀπειθούντων· ἔπραξαν δ´ οὐθέν. συνελθοῦσα γὰρ ἡ βουλὴ γνώμην ἀπεδείξατο, τοὺς πατρικίους ἐπὶ τὸν πόλεμον ἐξιέναι σὺν τοῖς ἑαυτῶν πελάταις, τῶν δ´ ἄλλων πολιτῶν τοῖς μὲν βουλομένοις μετέχειν τῆς στρατείας ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τῆς πατρίδος γινομένης ὅσια εἶναι τὰ πρὸς θεούς, τοῖς δ´ ἐγκαταλείπουσι τοὺς ὑπάτους τἀναντία. ὡς δ´ ἀνεγνώσθη τὸ δόγμα τῆς βουλῆς ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, πολλοὶ καὶ τοῦ δήμου τὸν ἀγῶνα ἑκόντες ὑπέμειναν· οἱ μὲν ἐπιεικέστατοι δι´ αἰσχύνην, εἰ μηδὲν ἐπικουρήσουσι πόλει συμμάχῳ διὰ τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς εὔνοιαν ἀεί τι πρὸς τῶν ἐχθρῶν βλαπτομένῃ· ἐν οἷς ἦν καὶ ὁ Σίκκιος ἐκεῖνος ὁ κατηγορήσας ἐν τῷ δήμῳ τῶν σφετερισαμένων τὴν δημοσίαν γῆν, σπεῖραν ἐπαγόμενος ὀκτακοσίων ἀνδρῶν, οἳ στρατεύεσθαι μὲν οὐκέτι ὥραν εἶχον, ὥσπερ οὐδ´ ἐκεῖνος, οὐδ´ ἔπιπτον ὑπὸ τὰς ἀνάγκας τῶν νόμων, τιμῶντες δὲ τὸν ἄνδρα διὰ πολλὰς καὶ μεγάλας εὐεργεσίας, ἐξιόντος ἐπὶ τὸν πόλεμον οὐκ ἐδικαίωσαν ἀπολείπεσθαι. καὶ ἦν τοῦτο τὸ μέρος τῆς ἐξελθούσης τότε δυνάμεως ἐμπειρίᾳ τε ἀγώνων καὶ τῇ παρὰ τὰ δεινὰ εὐτολμίᾳ μακρῷ τοῦ ἄλλου ἄμεινον. οἱ δὲ πολλοὶ χάριτι καὶ παρακλήσει τῶν πρεσβυτάτων ὑπαχθέντες εἵποντο. ἦν δέ τι μέρος, ὃ τῶν ὠφελειῶν ἕνεκα τῶν ἐν ταῖς στρατείαις γινομένων πάντα κίνδυνον ἕτοιμον ἦν ὑπομένειν. καὶ δι´ ὀλίγου χρόνου δύναμις ἐξῆλθε πλήθει τε ἀποχρῶσα καὶ παρασκευαῖς κεχρημένη λαμπροτάταις. οἱ μὲν οὖν πολέμιοι προακούσαντες, ὅτι μέλλουσιν ἐπ´ αὐτοὺς ἐξάγειν Ῥωμαῖοι στρατιάν, ἀπῆγον ἐπ´ οἴκου τὰς δυνάμεις. οἱ δ´ ὕπατοι κατὰ σπουδὴν ἐλαύνοντες καταλαμβάνουσιν ἐστρατοπεδευκότας αὐτοὺς πόλεως Ἀντίου πλησίον ἐν ὑψηλῷ καὶ ἀποτόμῳ χωρίῳ καὶ τίθενται τὴν παρεμβολὴν τῆς ἐκείνων οὐ πρόσω. τέως μὲν οὖν ἐν ταῖς ἑαυτῶν ἐπέμενον ἀμφότεροι παρεμβολαῖς, ἔπειτα καταφρονήσαντες τῶν Ῥωμαίων Αἰκανοὶ τῆς οὐ προεπιχειρήσεως καὶ πλῆθος οὐχ ἱκανοὺς εἶναι νομίσαντες ἀγοράς τ´ αὐτῶν περιέκοπτον ἐξιόντες καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ προνομὴν ἀποστελλομένους ἢ χόρτον ἵπποις ἀνεκρούοντο καὶ τοῖς πρὸς ὑδρείαν καταβαίνουσιν αἰφνιδίως ἐπετίθεντο, προὐκαλοῦντό τ´ αὐτοὺς πολλάκις εἰς μάχην.

[10,43] Not long afterwards, when the tribunes again introduced the subject of the law, the sudden announcement that enemies had made an attack upon Tusculum furnished a sufficient reason for preventing such action. For the Tusculans, coming to Rome in great numbers, said that the Aequians had come against them with a large army, that they had (p311) already plundered their country, and unless some assistance were speedily sent, they would be masters of the city within a few days. Upon this the senate ordered that both consuls should go to the rescue; and the consuls, having announced a levy, summoned all the citizens to arms. On this occasion also there was something of a sedition, as the tribunes opposed the levy and would not permit the punishments ordained by law to be inflicted on the disobedient. But they accomplished nothing. For the senate met and passed a resolution ordering that the patricians should take the field with their clients, and declaring that to such of the other citizens as were willing to take part in this expedition undertaken for the preservation of the fatherland the gods were propitious, but to those who deserted the consuls they were unpropitious. When the decree of the senate was read in the assembly, many also of the populace voluntarily consented to enter the struggle, the more respectable moved by shame if they should not succour an allied city which because of its attachment to the Romans was always suffering some injury at the hands of is foes. Among these was Siccius, who in the popular assembly had inveighed against those who had appropriated the public land, and he brought with him a cohort of eight hundred men; these were, like himself, past the military age and not subject to the compulsion of the laws, but as they honoured him because of his many great services, they did not think it right to desert him when he was setting out to war. Indeed, this contingent of the force which set out at that time was far superior to (p313) the rest of the army in point both of experience in action and of courage in the face of dangers. The majority of those who followed along were led to do so out of goodwill toward the oldest citizens and because of their exhortations. And there was a certain element which was reduce to undergo any peril for the sake of the booty that is acquired in campaigns. Thus in a short time an army took the field that was sufficient in numbers and most splendidly equipped. The enemy, who had learned in advance that the Romans intended to lead out an army against them, were returning homeward with their forces. But the consuls, making a forced march, came up with them while they lay encamped on a high and steep hill near the city of Antium and placed their camp not far from that of the foe. For some time both armies remained in their camps; then the Aequians, despising the Romans for not having taken the initiative in attacking, and judging their army to be insufficient in numbers, sallied out and cut off their provisions, drove back those who were sent out for provender or fodder for their horses, fell suddenly upon those who went for water, and challenged them repeatedly to battle.