History of Rome

​The following year, in the consulship of Lucius Papirius Crassus and Kaeso Duillius, was marked by a war with the Ausones that was novel rather than great.

​This nation inhabited the city of Cales; they had joined arms with their neighbors, the Sidicini, and in a single, by no means memorable battle, the army of the two peoples was routed, being both readier to flee and safer in their flight itself owing to the proximity of their cities.

​Nor, however, was the care of that war dismissed by the senators, because so many times already the Sidicini had either themselves started a war, or brought help to those who did, or been the cause of hostilities.

​Therefore, they exerted every effort to make Marcus Valerius Corvus, the greatest general of that time, consul for the fourth time.

​Marcus Atilius Regulus was given to Corvus as his colleague; and lest by any chance there should be a mistake of fortune, a request was made of the consuls that this province should be assigned to Corvus without casting lots. Having received the victorious army from the former consuls, ​he set out for Cales, whence the war had arisen, and when, by a shout and the first onset, he had routed the enemy, who were cautious even from the memory of the previous battle, he proceeded to assault the walls themselves.

​And indeed, such was the eagerness of the soldiers that they wished to advance to the walls with ladders immediately and maintained that they would scale them.

​Corvus, because this was difficult to do, preferred to accomplish his undertaking by the labor of his soldiers rather than by their danger. Therefore, he constructed a ramp and moved up penthouses and towers to the wall, but a chance opportunity anticipated the use of them.

​For Marcus Fabius, a Roman captive, having broken his chains on a festival day through the negligence of his guards, suspended from a rope tied to a battlement of the wall, down along the wall among the works of the Romans, ​when he had lowered himself by his hands, he persuaded the general to attack the enemy while they were heavy with wine and feasting. Nor were the Ausones with their city captured with any greater struggle than they had been routed in the field. A vast amount of booty was taken, and after a garrison had been placed in Cales, the legions were marched back to Rome. The consul triumphed in accordance with a decree of the senate, and, ​lest Atilius should be without a share of the glory, both consuls were ordered to lead the army against the Sidicini.

​Before that, in accordance with a decree of the senate, they named Lucius Aemilius Mamercinus as dictator for the purpose of holding the elections; he appointed Quintus Publilius Philo as master of the horse. While the dictator was holding the elections, Titus Veturius and Spurius Postumius were created consuls. They, ​although a part of the war with the Sidicini still remained, yet, in order to forestall the desire of the plebs by a benefit, referred to the senate the question of sending a colony to Cales;

​and a decree of the senate having been passed that two thousand five hundred men should be enrolled for that purpose, they appointed Kaeso Duillius, Titus Quinctius, and Marcus Fabius as the three commissioners for leading the colony and distributing the land.