§13.1.1Καμίλλου τὴν Φαλερίων πόλιν πολιορκοῦντος Φαλίσκων τις εἴτʼ ἀπεγνωκὼς τὴν πόλιν εἴτε κέρδη θηρώμενος ἴδια παῖδας ἐκ τῶν ἐπιφανεστάτων οἴκων παρακρουσάμενος — ἦν δὲ διδάσκαλος γραμμάτων — ἐξήγαγεν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, ὡς περιπατήσοντάς τε πρὸ τοῦ τείχους καὶ τὸ Ῥωμαικὸν στρατόπεδον θεασομένους.
While Camillus was besieging the city of Falerii, a certain Faliscan—who was a schoolmaster—either despairing of the city or seeking his own private gain, deceived the children of the most prominent families and led them out of the city, under the pretext of taking them for a walk in front of the wall and viewing the Roman camp.
§13.1.2ὑπαγόμενος δὲ κατὰ μικρὸν αὐτοὺς προσωτέρω τῆς πόλεως ἐπὶ φυλακτήριον Ῥωμαικὸν ἄγει καὶ τοῖς ἐκδραμοῦσι παραδίδωσιν, ὑφʼ ὧν ἀχθεὶς ἐπὶ τὸν Κάμιλλον ἔφη·
Leading them on by degrees further from the city, he brought them to a Roman outpost and delivered them to those who ran out.
βεβουλεῦσθαι μὲν ἔτι πάλαι τὴν πόλιν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων ποιῆσαι, οὐδενὸς δὲ κύριος ὢν οὔτε ἄκρας οὔτε πυλῶν οὔθʼ ὅπλων τοῦτον ἐξευρηκέναι τὸν τρόπον, ὑποχειρίους ποιῆσαι τοὺς υἱεῖς τῶν εὐγενεστάτων, ἄφυκτον ἀνάγκην ὑπολαβὼν τοὺς πατέρας αὐτῶν καταλήψεσθαι τῆς σωτηρίας τῶν τέκνων περιεχομένους τάχιον παραδοῦναι Ῥωμαίοις τὴν πόλιν.
Being brought by them before Camillus, he said that he had long since resolved to put the city into the hands of the Romans, but since he was master of nothing, neither of the citadel nor the gates nor the weapons, he had devised this method, namely, to get the sons of the noblest citizens into his power, assuming that an inescapable necessity would overtake their fathers, who clung to the safety of their children, to surrender the city to the Romans all the more quickly.
§13.1.3ὁ μὲν δὴ ταῦτʼ ἔλεγε πολλὰς ἐλπίδας ἔχων θαυμαστούς τινας ἐξοίσεσθαι μισθοὺς τῆς προδοσίας.
He indeed said this with great hopes of receiving some wonderful reward for his treachery.