§2.42.1ταῖς δʼ ἑξῆς ἡμέραις ταφὰς ποιησάμενοι τῶν νεκρῶν καὶ τοὺς κεκμηκότας ὑπὸ τραυμάτων ἀνακτησάμενοι δυνάμεις τε παρασκευάσαντες ἄλλας, ἐπειδὴ ἔδοξεν αὐτοῖς αὖθις ἑτέραν συνάψαι μάχην, εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ τῷ προτέρῳ χωρίον συνελθόντες ἄχρι νυκτὸς ἐμάχοντο.
During the following days, having buried the dead, recovered those exhausted by wounds, and prepared other forces, when they resolved to engage in another battle again, they assembled in the same place as before and fought until night.
§2.42.2ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ μάχῃ Ῥωμαίων ἀμφοτέροις ἐπικρατούντων τοῖς κέρασιν, ʽεἶχε δὲ τοῦ δεξιοῦ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν αὐτὸς ὁ Ῥωμύλος, τοῦ δὲ ἀριστεροῦ Λοκόμων ὁ Τυρρηνόσʼ τοῦ δὲ μέσου μηδέπω κρίσιν ἔχοντος, ὁ κωλύσας τὴν εἰς τέλος τῶν Σαβίνων ἧτταν καὶ εἰς ἀντίπαλα καταστήσας αὖθις τὰ λειπόμενα τοῖς νικῶσιν εἷς ἀνὴρ ἐγένετο Μέττιος Κούρτιος ὄνομα, ῥώμην τε σώματος πολὺς καὶ κατὰ χεῖρα γενναῖος, μάλιστα δʼ ἐπὶ τῷ μηδένα ὀκνεῖν φόβον ἢ §2.42.3κίνδυνον εὐδοκιμῶν.
In this battle, while the Romans were prevailing on both wings (Romulus himself had the command of the right, and Locumo the Tyrrhenian of the left), and the center had not yet reached a decision, the one who prevented the ultimate defeat of the Sabines and restored the remaining forces to an equal footing against the victors was one man, Mettius Curtius by name, a man of great bodily strength and valiant in hand-to-hand combat, but famous most of all for shrinking from no fear or danger.
οὗτος δʼ ἐτάχθη μὲν ἡγεῖσθαι τῶν κατὰ μέσην ἀγωνιζομένων τὴν φάλαγγα καὶ τοὺς ἀντιτεταγμένους ἐνίκα, βουληθεὶς δὲ καὶ τὰ κέρατα τῶν Σαβίνων μοχθοῦντα ἤδη καὶ ἐξωθούμενα εἰς τὸ ἴσον καταστῆσαι, παρακελευσάμενος τοῖς ἀμφʼ αὑτὸν ἐδίωκε τοὺς φεύγοντας τῶν πολεμίων ἐσκεδασμένους καὶ μέχρι τῶν πυλῶν αὐτοὺς ἤλασεν, ὥστε ἠναγκάσθη καταλιπὼν ἡμιτελῆ τὴν νίκην ὁ Ῥωμύλος ἐπιστρέψαι τε καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ νικῶντα τῶν πολεμίων ὤσασθαι μέρη.
He had been appointed to lead those fighting in the center of the phalanx and was defeating those drawn up against him; but wishing to bring also the wings of the Sabines, which were already hard-pressed and being pushed back, to an equal footing, he encouraged those around him and pursued the scattered ones of the fleeing enemy, driving them up to the gates, so that Romulus was compelled to leave his victory incomplete, turn back, and rush against the victorious parts of the enemy.
§2.42.4τὸ μὲν δὴ κάμνον τῶν Σαβίνων μέρος ἐν τῷ ἴσῳ πάλιν ἦν ἀπελθούσης τῆς μετὰ Ῥωμύλου δυνάμεως, ὁ δὲ κίνδυνος ἅπας περὶ τὸν Κούρτιον καὶ τοὺς σὺν ἐκείνῳ νικῶντας ἐγεγόνει.
The hard-pressed part of the Sabines was indeed on an equal footing again after the departure of the force with Romulus, but all the danger had come upon Curtius and those who were victorious with him.
χρόνον μὲν οὖν τινα οἱ Σαβῖνοι δεξάμενοι τοὺς Ῥωμαίους λαμπρῶς ἠγωνίσαντο, ἔπειτα πολλῶν ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς συνιόντων ἐνέκλινάν τε καὶ διέσωζον ἑαυτοὺς ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα, πολλὴν τοῦ Κουρτίου παρέχοντος αὐτοῖς εἰς τὸ μὴ διώκεσθαι τεταραγμένως, ἀλλὰ βάδην ἀποχωρεῖν ἀσφάλειαν.
Now for some time the Sabines, having received the Romans, fought brilliantly; then, as many rushed against them, they gave way and saved themselves to the camp, Curtius providing them with great safety so that they were not pursued in disorder, but retreated at a walk.
§2.42.5αὐτὸς γὰρ εἱστήκει μαχόμενος καὶ τὸν Ῥωμύλον ἐπιόντα ἐδέχετο, γίνεταί τε τῶν ἡγεμόνων αὐτῶν συμπεσόντων ἀλλήλοις μέγας καὶ καλὸς ἀγών.
For he himself stood fighting and received the charging Romulus, and a great and noble contest arose as the leaders themselves clashed with each other.
ἔξαιμος δὲ ὢν ἤδη καὶ καταβελὴς ὁ Κούρτιος ὑπῄει κατʼ ὀλίγον, καὶ αὐτὸν ἐκ τῶν κατόπιν ὑπεδέχετο λίμνη βαθεῖα, ἣν περιελθεῖν μὲν χαλεπὸν ἦν περικεχυμένων πανταχόθεν τῶν πολεμίων, διελθεῖν δὲ ὑπό τε ἰλύος πλήθους, ἣν τὰ πέριξ τέλματα εἶχε, καὶ βάθους ὕδατος τοῦ κατὰ μέσην αὐτὴν συνεστῶτος ἄπορον.
But Curtius, being already exhausted from loss of blood and covered with wounds, retreated little by little, and a deep lake received him from behind, which it was difficult to go around since the enemy was poured around him from all sides, and impossible to pass through because of the abundance of mud which the surrounding marshes contained and the depth of the water gathered in its center.
§2.42.6ταύτῃ πλησιάσας ἔρριψεν ἑαυτὸν εἰς τὸ νᾶμα σὺν τοῖς ὅπλοις, καὶ ὁ Ῥωμύλος ὡς αὐτίκα δὴ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐν τῇ λίμνῃ διαφθαρησομένου ʽκαὶ ἅμα ἀδύνατον ἦν κατὰ τέλματός τε αὐτὸν καὶ διʼ ὕδατος πολλοῦ διώκεινʼ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἄλλους Σαβίνους τρέπεται·
Approaching this, he threw himself into the stream with his arms; and Romulus, thinking that the man would immediately perish in the lake (and at the same time it was impossible to pursue him through the marsh and much water), turned against the other Sabines.
ὁ δὲ Κούρτιος πολλὰ μοχθήσας σὺν χρόνῳ σώζεταί τε ἐκ τῆς λίμνης τὰ ὅπλα ἔχων καὶ εἰς τὸν χάρακα ἀπάγεται.
But Curtius, after much struggling, in time was saved from the lake with his arms and was led away to the camp.
οὗτος ὁ τόπος ἀνακέχωσται μὲν ἤδη, καλεῖται δʼ ἐξ ἐκείνου τοῦ πάθους Κούρτιος λάκκος ἐν μέσῳ μάλιστα ὢν τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀγορᾶς.
This place has now indeed been filled up, but because of that disaster it is called the Lacus Curtius, being in the very middle of the Roman Forum.