[20,17] τὸ ἄπορον πλῆθος, ᾧ καλῶν καὶ δικαίων φροντὶς ἦν οὐδεμία, παρακρουσθὲν ὑπὸ Σαυνίτου τινὸς εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ συνέρχεται. καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐπὶ τοῖς ὄρεσιν ἄγραυλον καὶ κακόπαθον τὸν βίον εἶχεν, ἐπεὶ δὲ πλεῖον ἤδη καὶ ἀξιόμαχον ἐδόκει γεγονέναι, πόλιν ἐχυρὰν καταλαμβάνεται, ὅθεν ὁρμώμενον ἐληίζετο πᾶσαν τὴν κύκλῳ χώραν. ἐπὶ τούτους ἐξήγαγον στρατιὰν οἱ ὕπατοι καὶ οὐ πολλῇ σὺν πραγματείᾳ τὴν πόλιν αἱρησάμενοι τοὺς μὲν αἰτίους τῆς ἀποστάσεως αἰκισάμενοι ῥάβδοις ἀπέκτειναν, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἐλαφυροπώλησαν. ἔτυχε τῷ πρότερον ἐνιαυτῷ πεπραμένη μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων δορικτήτων ἡ γῆ, καὶ τὸ πεσὸν ἀπὸ τῆς τιμῆς ἀργύριον διῃρημένον τοῖς πολίταις.

[20,17] (20.9) The multitude of the needy, who had no thought for what was honourable and just, flocked together, misled by a certain Samnite. And at first they led a life of hardship in the open upon the mountains; but when at length they seemed to have become more numerous and to be adequate for battle, they seized a strong city and with that as their base plundered all the country round about. 2 Against these men the consuls led forth an army, and having without much difficulty taken their city, (p431) they scourged with rods and put to death the authors of the revolt and sold the rest as booty. It chanced that the land had been sold the previous year along with the other conquests of the spear, and the money realized from its price had been divided among the citizens.