§19.72.1μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Ἀγαθοκλῆς ὁρῶν ἔρημον οὖσαν τὴν Σικελίαν στρατοπέδων πολεμίων ἀδεῶς προσήγετο τὰς πόλεις καὶ τὰ χωρία.
After this, Agathocles, seeing that Sicily was empty of enemy armies, without fear brought the cities and strongholds over to his side.
ταχὺ δὲ πολλῶν ἐγκρατὴς γενόμενος ἰσχυρὰν κατεσκευάσατο τὴν δυναστείαν· καὶ γὰρ συμμάχων πλῆθος καὶ προσόδους ἁδρὰς καὶ στρατόπεδον ἀξιόλογον περιεποιήσατο.
Quickly getting many under his control, he established a strong hegemony; for indeed, he acquired a great number of allies, abundant revenues, and a noteworthy army.
§19.72.2χωρὶς γὰρ τῶν συμμάχων καὶ τῶν ἐκ Συρακουσσῶν καταγραφέντων εἰς τὴν στρατείαν μισθοφόρους ἐπιλέκτους εἶχε πεζοὺς μὲν μυρίους, ἱππεῖς δὲ τρισχιλίους πεντήκοντα.
For apart from the allies and those enrolled for the campaign from Syracuse, he had select mercenaries consisting of ten thousand infantry and three thousand and fifty cavalry.
ἐποιήσατο δὲ καὶ παρασκευὴν ὅπλων καὶ βελῶν παντοδαπῶν, εἰδὼς τοὺς Καρχηδονίους ἐπιτετιμηκότας τῷ Ἀμίλκᾳ περὶ τῶν συνθηκῶν, συντόμως δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν πόλεμον ἐξοίσοντας.
He also made preparation of weapons and missiles of all kinds, knowing that the Carthaginians had censured Hamilcar concerning the treaty and would shortly bring war against him.
καὶ τὰ μὲν περὶ Σικελίαν ἐν τούτοις τοῖς χρόνοις τοιαύτην ἔσχε τὴν κατάστασιν.
And such was the state of affairs in Sicily at this time.
§19.72.3κατὰ δὲ τὴν Ἰταλίαν Σαμνῖται διαπολεμοῦντες Ῥωμαίοις ἔτη πλείονα περὶ τῆς ἡγεμονίας Πληστικὴν μὲν φρουρὰν ἔχουσαν Ῥωμαϊκὴν ἐξεπολιόρκησαν, Σωρανοὺς δʼ ἔπεισαν κατασφάξαι μὲν τοὺς παρʼ αὐτοῖς Ῥωμαίους, συμμαχίαν δὲ πρὸς Σαμνίτας συνθέσθαι.
Meanwhile in Italy, the Samnites, who had been warring against the Romans for several years over the hegemony, besieged and took Plestica, which had a Roman garrison, and persuaded the Sorans to slaughter the Romans who were among them and to conclude an alliance with the Samnites.
§19.72.4μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Ῥωμαίων Σατικόλαν πολιορκούντων ἐπεφάνησαν μετὰ δυνάμεως ἁδρᾶς, σπεύδοντες λῦσαι τὴν πολιορκίαν· γενομένης οὖν μάχης ἰσχυρᾶς πολλοὶ μὲν παρʼ ἀμφοτέρων ἀνῃρέθησαν, τέλος δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ προτερήματος ἐγένοντο Ῥωμαῖοι.
After this, while the Romans were besieging Saticula, they appeared with a large force, eager to raise the siege; and a fierce battle having taken place, many were slain on both sides, but finally the Romans got the upper hand.
μετὰ δὲ τὴν μάχην ἐκπολιορκήσαντες τὴν πόλιν ἐπῄεσαν ἀδεῶς τὰ πλησίον πολίσματα καὶ χωρία προσαγόμενοι.
After the battle, having taken the city by siege, they advanced without fear, bringing the neighboring towns and strongholds over to their side.
§19.72.5τοῦ δὲ πολέμου περὶ τὰς ἐν Ἀπουλίᾳ πόλεις συνεστῶτος οἱ μὲν Σαμνῖται πάντας τοὺς ἐν ἡλικίᾳ στρατείας ὄντας καταγράψαντες ἐστρατοπέδευσαν πλησίον τῶν πολεμίων, ὡς περὶ τῶν ὅλων κριθησόμενοι.
While the war was raging around the cities in Apulia, the Samnites, having enrolled all those of military age, encamped near the enemy, as if to decide the whole issue.
§19.72.6ἃ δὴ πυθόμενος ὁ δῆμος τῶν Ῥωμαίων καὶ διαγωνιάσας περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος δύναμιν προέπεμψε πολλήν.
On learning this, the Roman people, being in great anxiety about the future, sent forward a large force.
εἰωθότες δʼ ἐν τοῖς ἐπικινδύνοις καιροῖς αὐτοκράτορα τοῦ πολέμου καθιστᾶν τινὰ τῶν ἀξιολόγων ἀνδρῶν προεχειρίσαντο τότε Κόιντον Φάβιον καὶ μετʼ αὐτοῦ Κόιντον Αὔλιον ἵππαρχον.
Being accustomed in times of danger to appoint one of the notable men as dictator of the war, they chose at that time Quintus Fabius, and with him Quintus Aulius as master of the horse.
§19.72.7οὗτοι δὲ τὰς δυνάμεις παραλαβόντες παρετάξαντο πρὸς τοὺς Σαμνίτας περὶ τὰς καλουμένας Λαυστόλας καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἀπέβαλον.
These men, having taken over the forces, drew up in battle array against the Samnites near the place called Lautulae, and lost many of their soldiers.
τροπῆς δὲ γενομένης καθʼ ἅπαν τὸ στρατόπεδον ὁ μὲν Αὔλιος καταισχυνθεὶς ἐπὶ τῇ φυγῇ μόνος ὑπέστη τῷ πλήθει τῶν πολεμίων, οὐ κρατήσειν ἐλπίζων, ἀλλʼ ἀήττητον τὴν πατρίδα τὸ καθʼ αὑτὸν μέρος ἀποδεικνύων.
When a rout occurred throughout the whole army, Aulius, ashamed of the flight, alone withstood the multitude of the enemy, not hoping to prevail, but showing his country to be undefeated so far as lay in his power.
§19.72.8οὗτος μὲν οὖν οὐ μετασχὼν τοῖς πολίταις τῆς κατὰ τὴν φυγὴν αἰσχύνης ἰδίᾳ περιεποιήσατο θάνατον ἔνδοξον· οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι φοβηθέντες μὴ τὰ κατὰ τὴν Απουλίαν πράγματα τελέως ἀποβάλωσιν, ἀποικίαν ἐξέπεμψαν εἰς Λουκερίαν πόλιν ἐπιφανεστάτην τῶν ἐν τοῖς τόποις.
Thus, not sharing with his fellow citizens the shame of flight, he won for himself an honorable death; but the Romans, fearing lest they should completely lose their position in Apulia, sent a colony to Luceria, the most famous of the cities in those regions.
ἐκ ταύτης δὲ ὁρμώμενοι διεπολέμουν τοῖς Σαμνίταις, οὐ κακῶς τῆς ἀσφαλείας προνοησάμενοι· §19.72.9διὰ γὰρ ταύτην τὴν πόλιν οὐ μόνον ἐν τούτῳ τῷ πολέμῳ προετέρησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τοὺς μετὰ ταῦτα γενομένους ἕως τῶν καθʼ ἡμᾶς χρόνων διετέλεσαν ὁρμητηρίῳ χρώμενοι κατὰ τῶν πλησίον ἐθνῶν.
Starting from this as a base, they continued the war against the Samnites, having made no poor provision for their safety; for because of this city, they not only got the upper hand in this war, but also during those which occurred after this, down to our own times, they continued to use it as a base of operations against the neighboring nations.