§15.4.1οἱ δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ὕπατοι πᾶσαν τὴν μεταξὺ γῆν ἀδεῶς διελθόντες τῶν μὲν οὐκ ἐναντιουμένων, τῶν δὲ συμπροπεμπόντων — πολλαὶ δʼ εἰσὶ δυσχωρίαι κατὰ τὴν ἐκ Ῥώμης εἰς Καμπανίαν ἄγουσαν ὁδὸν ὄρεσί τε καὶ τέλμασι καὶ θαλάτταις καὶ ποταμοῖς ναυσιπόροις διακλειόμεναι, ἃς οὐ ῥᾴδιον ἦν διελθεῖν ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων προκαταληφθείσας — §15.4.2καί τινα καὶ ποταμόν, ὃς διὰ τῆς Κασιλίνων χώρας καὶ πόλεως φέρεται, τριάκοντα τῆς Καπύης ἀπέχοντα στάδια, Οὐολτοῦρνον ὄνομα, τεττάρων οὐκ ἐλάττω πλέθρων ὄντα τὸ πλάτος, ξυλίνῃ γεφύρᾳ διαβάντες, ἣν ἐν τρισὶ κατεσκεύασαν ἡμέραις, διεξῄεσαν, ἵνα τοῖς μὲν τὰ σφέτερα φρονοῦσι Καμπανοῖς θάρσος ὡς τὰ κράτιστα προῃρημένοις ἐγγένηται, τοῖς δὲ τἀναντία δέος.
The Roman consuls safely traversed all the country in between, with some of the inhabitants offering no resistance and others escorting them on their way—for there are many difficult passes along the road leading from Rome to Campania, enclosed by mountains, marshes, the sea, and navigable rivers, which would not have been easy to pass through if they had been preoccupied by the enemy— and crossing also a certain river, Volturnus by name, which flows through the territory and city of Casilinum, thirty stades distant from Capua, being no less than four plethra in width, by a wooden bridge which they constructed in three days, they passed through, in order that the Campanians who favored their cause might feel courage as having chosen the best course, and those of the opposite side might feel fear.
§15.4.3καὶ προελθόντες ἐπέκεινα τῆς πόλεως ἀπὸ τετταράκοντα σταδίων Καπύης στρατοπεδεύονται ἐν ὑψηλῷ τόπῳ θέντες τὸν χάρακα, ἔνθα ὑπομένοντες τὰς παρὰ Σαυνιτῶν ἀγοράς τε καὶ συμμαχίας ἐκαραδόκουν.
And having advanced beyond the city forty stades from Capua, they encamped on a high place, setting up their palisade, where they remained and eagerly awaited the provisions and alliance from the Samnites.
οἱ δʼ ἄρα ὑπισχνοῦντο μὲν αὐτοῖς πλείω τῶν ἱκανῶν, ἐπήρκουν δʼ οὐδὲν ὅτι καὶ λόγου ἄξιον, στρατιάν τʼ ἀγείρειν ἐκ πάσης πόλεως σκηπτόμενοι κατέτριβον §15.4.4τοὺς χρόνους.
But the Samnites indeed promised them more than enough, but gave no assistance that was even worthy of mention, and under the pretense of gathering an army from every city, they wasted time.
ἀπογνόντες δὴ τῆς ἐκεῖθεν ἐπικουρίας καὶ τὰς μὲν ἑαυτῶν δυνάμεις ὁρῶντες οὐθὲν ἰσχύος ἐκ τοῦ χρόνου προσλαμβανούσας, τὰς δὲ τῶν πολεμίων μακρῷ πλείους γιγνομένας, ἐπὶ τὰ ἔργα χωρεῖν ἔγνωσαν.
Despairing therefore of assistance from that quarter, and seeing that their own forces were gaining no strength from the lapse of time, while those of the enemy were becoming far more numerous, they resolved to proceed to action.
§15.4.5ἐνθυμούμενοι δʼ ὅτι πολὺ τῆς στρατιᾶς ἐστι τὸ δυσάγωγον καὶ ταῖς ἐπιταγαῖς τῶν ἡγεμόνων ἀπειθές, ὡς ἐν ἄλλαις τε πολλαῖς πείραις ἐδήλωσε καὶ τὰ τελευταῖα ἐν τῇ Καμπανικῇ παραχειμασίᾳ, ἀφʼ ἧς εἰς τοσαύτην ἀπόνοιαν ἦλθον αὐτῶν τινες, ὥστε καὶ πόλεσιν ἐπιθέσθαι καὶ τὸν ὕπατον καταλιπεῖν καὶ κατὰ τῆς πατρίδος ὅπλα ἀναλαβεῖν, τούτους ᾤοντο δεῖν πρῶτον ἀποδεῖξαι σωφρονεστέρους, δεινότερον ποιήσαντες αὐτοῖς τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἡγεμόνων φόβον ἢ τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν πολεμίων κίνδυνον.
Reflecting that a large part of the army was difficult to lead and disobedient to the orders of their commanders, as had been shown in many other trials and most recently in the winter quarters in Campania—from which some of them had fallen into such madness as to attack cities, desert the consul, and take up arms against their native land—they thought they must first make these men more disciplined, by making the fear of their commanders more dreadful to them than the danger from the enemy.
§15.4.6ταῦτα διανοηθέντες ἐκκλησίαν συνῆγον, καὶ λέγει Μάλλιος· εσξορ.
With this in mind, they called an assembly, and Mallius spoke: