§10.47.1μέσαι τʼ ἤδη νύκτες ἦσαν, καὶ ὁ Σίκκιος μνησικακῶν τοῖς ὑπάτοις τῆς ἐπὶ τὸν θάνατον ἀποστολῆς εἰς νοῦν βάλλεται τὴν δόξαν ἀφελέσθαι τοῦ κατορθώματος.
It was already midnight, and Siccius, bearing a grudge against the consuls for sending him to his death, cast it in his mind to deprive them of the glory of the success.
κοινωσάμενος δὲ τοῖς ἀμφʼ αὐτὸν ἣν εἶχε διάνοιαν, ἐπειδὴ πᾶσιν ὀρθῶς ἐφαίνετο, καὶ οὐθεὶς ἦν ὃς οὐκ ἐθαύμαζε τῆς τε φρονήσεως καὶ τῆς τόλμης τὸν ἄνδρα, λαβὼν τὰ ὅπλα καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους κελεύσας ἀναλαβεῖν, πρῶτον μὲν ἀνθρώπους ὅσους ἐν τῷ χάρακι κατέλαβε τῶν Αἰκανῶν καὶ ἵππους καὶ τἆλλα ὑποζύγια κατέκοψεν· ἔπειτα ὑφῆψε τὰς σκηνὰς ὅπλων τε καὶ σίτου καὶ ἐσθῆτος καὶ τῶν εἰς τὸν πόλεμον ἐπιτηδείων γεμούσας τῶν τε ἄλλων χρημάτων, ὧν ἐκ τῆς Τυσκλάνων λείας ἐπήγοντο πολλῶν πάνυ ὄντων.
Having communicated the intention he had to those about him, since it seemed right to all, and there was no one who did not admire the man for both his wisdom and his daring, he took up his arms and, ordering the others to do the same, first slaughtered all the Aequians whom he found in the camp, along with the horses and other beasts of burden; then he set fire to the tents, which were full of arms, grain, clothing, and military supplies, as well as other goods, of which there were very many that they had brought from the Tusculan booty.
§10.47.2ὡς δʼ ἅπαντα ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς ἠφάνιστο, περὶ τὸν ὄρθρον ἀπῄει φέρων οὐθὲν ὅτι μὴ τὰ ὅπλα, καὶ διανύσας σπουδῇ τὴν ὁδὸν εἰς Ῥώμην παρῆν.
When everything had been destroyed by the fire, about dawn he departed, carrying nothing except his arms, and having completed the journey in haste, he arrived in Rome.
ὡς δʼ ὤφθησαν ἄνθρωποι καθωπλισμένοι παιανίζοντές τε καὶ σπουδῇ χωροῦντες αἵματι πολλῷ πεφυρμένοι, δρόμος ἐγίνετο καὶ πολλὴ προθυμία τῶν βουλομένων ἰδεῖν τʼ αὐτοὺς καὶ τὰ πραχθέντα ἀκοῦσαι.
And when armed men were seen singing the paean and marching in haste, defiled with much blood, there was a running together and great eagerness of those who wished to see them and hear what had been done.
§10.47.3οἱ δὲ μέχρις ἀγορᾶς ἐλθόντες ἐδήλωσαν τοῖς δημάρχοις τὰ γενόμενα, κἀκεῖνοι συναγαγόντες ἐκκλησίαν ἐκέλευον αὐτοὺς πρὸς ἅπαντας λέγειν.
Having reached the Forum, they reported what had happened to the tribunes, who, having assembled the assembly, ordered them to speak to everyone.
ὄχλου δὲ πολλοῦ συναχθέντος παρελθὼν ὁ Σίκκιος τήν τε νίκην αὐτοῖς ἐδήλωσε καὶ τὸν τρόπον τοῦ ἀγῶνος ἐνεφάνισε, καὶ ὅτι παρὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ἀρετὴν καὶ τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ πρεσβυτέρων ἀνδρῶν ὀκτακοσίων, οὓς ἀποθανουμένους ἀπέστειλαν οἱ ὕπατοι, ὅ τε χάραξ ὁ τῶν Αἰκανῶν ἐλήφθη καὶ ἡ δύναμις ἡ παραταξαμένη τοῖς ὑπάτοις ἠναγκάσθη φυγεῖν· §10.47.4ἠξίου τε αὐτοὺς μηδενὶ τῆς νίκης ἑτέρῳ τὴν χάριν εἰδέναι καὶ τελευτῶν ἔτι προσέθηκεν ἐκεῖνον τὸν λόγον, ὅτι τὰς ψυχὰς καὶ τὰ ὅπλα σώζοντες ἥκομεν, ἄλλο δὲ οὐδὲν τῶν κεκρατημένων οὔτε μεῖζον οὔτʼ ἔλαττον ἐξενεγκάμενοι. §10.47.5ὁ δὲ δῆμος ἀκούσας τὸν λόγον εἰς οἶκτόν τε καὶ δάκρυα προὔπεσεν ὁρῶν μὲν τὰς ἡλικίας τῶν ἀνδρῶν, ἐνθυμούμενος δὲ τὰς ἀρετάς, ἀγανακτῶν δὲ καὶ νεμεσῶν τοῖς ἐπιβαλομένοις τοιούτων ἀνδρῶν ἐρημῶσαι τὴν πόλιν.
When a great crowd had gathered, Siccius came forward and declared the victory to them, and revealed the manner of the battle, and that by the personal valor of himself and the eight hundred older men with him, whom the consuls had sent to perish, the camp of the Aequians was taken and the force drawn up against the consuls was forced to flee; and he requested them to attribute the gratitude for the victory to no other person, and at the end he added also these words: "We come back saving our lives and arms, and we have brought away nothing else of the things captured, either greater or smaller." And the people, hearing his speech, fell into pity and tears, seeing the age of the men, reflecting on their virtues, and being indignant and angry at those who had attempted to deprive the city of such men.
ἐγεγόνει δέ, ὃ προὔλαβεν ὁ Σίκκιος, μῖσος εἰς τοὺς ὑπάτους ἐξ ἁπάντων τῶν πολιτῶν.
And there arose, as Siccius had anticipated, a hatred against the consuls on the part of all the citizens.
§10.47.6οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡ βουλὴ τὸ πρᾶγμα μετρίως ἤνεγκεν, ἣ οὔτʼ ἐψηφίσατο αὐτοῖς πομπὴν θριάμβων οὔτε ἄλλο τι τῶν ἐπὶ καλοῖς ἀγῶσι γινομένων.
For not even the senate bore the matter with moderation; they voted them neither a triumphal procession nor any other of the honors that are customary for glorious struggles.
τὸν μέντοι Σίκκιον ὁ δῆμος, ἐπειδὴ καθῆκεν ὁ τῶν ἀρχαιρεσίων καιρός, δήμαρχον ἀπέδειξεν, ἧς κύριος ἦν τιμῆς ἀποδιδούς.
However, the people, when the time for the elections came, appointed Siccius a tribune, an honor of which they had the power to bestow.
καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐπιφανέστατα τῶν τότε πραχθέντων τοιάδʼ ἦν.
And such were the most illustrious of the deeds performed at that time.