§12.11.1ἐν δὲ τῷ μεταξὺ χρόνῳ Οὐιεντανῶν τις ἔμπειρος τῆς ἐπιχωρίου μαντικῆς διὰ προγόνων ἐτύγχανε φυλακὴν ἔχων τοῦ τείχους, ἐγεγόνει δέ τις αὐτῷ τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς Ῥώμης λοχαγῶν ἐκ παλαιοῦ γνώριμος.
In the meantime, a certain one of the Veientes, who was skilled by ancestral tradition in the local art of divination, happened to have guard of the wall, and one of the centurions from Rome had been an acquaintance of his of old.
οὗτος ὁ λοχαγὸς ἐγγὺς τοῦ τείχους ποτὲ γενόμενος καὶ τοὺς συνήθεις ἀσπασμοὺς τῷ ἀνδρὶ ἀποδοὺς οἰκτείρειν αὐτὸν ἔφη τῆς καταληψομένης ἅμα τοῖς ἄλλοις συμφορᾶς, ἐὰν ἡ πόλις ἁλῷ.
This centurion, having once come near the wall and offered the customary greetings to the man, said that he pitied him because of the disaster that would overtake him along with the others if the city should be taken.
§12.11.2καὶ ὁ Τυρρηνὸς ἀκηκοὼς τὴν ὑπέρχυσιν τῆς Ἀλβανίδος λίμνης καὶ τὰ παλαιὰ περὶ αὐτῆς προειδὼς θέσφατα ἀναγελάσας· οἷον, ἔφησεν, ἐστὶν ἀγαθὸν τὸ προειδέναι τὰ μέλλοντα. ὑμεῖς δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἀγνωσίαν τῶν ἀποβησομένων πόλεμον ἀτελῆ καὶ πόνους ἀνηνύτους ἀντλεῖτε τὴν Οὐιεντανῶν πόλιν ἀναστήσειν οἰόμενοι.
And the Tyrrhenian, having heard of the overflow of the Alban lake and knowing beforehand the ancient oracles concerning it, laughed out and said: "What a good thing it is to know the future beforehand!" "But you," he said, "in your ignorance of what will turn out, endure an incomplete war and endless labors, thinking that you will destroy the city of the Veientes.
εἰ δέ τις ὑμῖν ἐδήλωσεν, ὅτι τῇ πόλει τῇδε τότε πέπρωται ἁλῶναι, ὅταν ἡ πρὸς Ἀλβανῷ λίμνη σπανίσασα τῶν αὐθιγενῶν ναμάτων μηκέτι μίσγηται θαλάττῃ, ἐπαύσασθε ἂν αὐτοί τε δαπανώμενοι καὶ §12.11.3ἡμᾶς ἐνοχλοῦντες. ταῦτα ὁ Ῥωμαῖος μαθὼν πολὺς ἐν τῷ σκοπεῖν καθʼ ἑαυτὸν γενόμενος, τότε μὲν ἀπῄει, τῇ δʼ ἑξῆς προειπὼν τοῖς χιλιάρχοις, ἃ διενοεῖτο, παρῆν ἐπὶ τὸν αὐτὸν τόπον ἄνοπλος, ὥστε μηδεμίαν ὑποψίαν ἐπιβουλῆς τὸν Τυρρηνὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ λαβεῖν.
If anyone had declared to you that it is fated for this city to be taken at that time, when the lake near Alba, lacking its native springs, no longer mingles with the sea, you would have ceased both being consumed yourselves and, harassing us." The Roman, having learned this and having become much occupied in pondering it by himself, went away for that time, but on the next day, after disclosing to the military tribunes what he was planning, he came to the same place unarmed, so that the Tyrrhenian might have no suspicion of a plot against him.
χρησάμενος δὲ τοῖς συνήθεσιν ἀσπασμοῖς πρῶτον μὲν ὑπὲρ τῆς κατεχούσης τὸ Ῥωμαικὸν στρατόπεδον ἀμηχανίας διελέγετο ἄλλʼ, ἐφʼ οἷς ἡσθήσεσθαι τὸν Τυρρηνὸν ὑπελάμβανεν, ἔπειτα ἐξηγητὴν αὑτῷ γενέσθαι ἠξίου σημείων τινῶν καὶ τεράτων νεωστὶ τοῖς χιλιάρχοις γεγονότων.
Having offered the customary greetings, he first spoke of the distress possessing the Roman camp and of other matters at which he assumed the Tyrrhenian would be pleased, and then requested him to become an interpreter for him of certain signs and portents that had recently occurred to the military tribunes.
§12.11.4πείθεται τοῖς λόγοις ὁ μάντις οὐδεμίαν δεδοικὼς ἐξαπάτην καὶ τοὺς συνόντας αὐτῷ μεταστῆναι κελεύσας αὐτὸς ἠκολούθει μόνος τῷ λοχαγῷ.
The diviner, fearing no deception, was persuaded by his words and, having ordered those with him to withdraw, followed the centurion alone.
ὁ δὲ Ῥωμαῖος ὑπαγόμενος αὐτὸν ἀπωτέρω τοῦ τείχους διὰ τῶν πρὸς ἀπάτην μηχανηθέντων λόγων, ὡς ἐγγὺς ἐγένετο τοῦ περιτειχίσματος, περιλαβὼν ταῖς χερσὶν ἀμφοτέραις μέσον αἴρεταί τε καὶ πρὸς τὸ Ῥωμαικὸν ἀποφέρεται στρατόπεδον.
But the Roman, drawing him further away from the wall by means of words devised for deception, as he came near the circumvallation, clasped him around the waist with both hands, lifted him up, and carried him away to the Roman camp.