§4.54.1συνεχῶς δὲ τούτων γινομένων ἠναγκάζοντο ἀμφότεροι τῆς χώρας ὅσα ἦν ἐρυμνὰ τειχίζοντες φρουρὰν ἐν αὐτοῖς καθιστάναι καταφυγῆς τῶν γεωργῶν ἕνεκα· ὅθεν ὁρμώμενοι τά τε λῃστήρια, καὶ εἴ τι ἀποσπασθὲν ἴδοιεν μέρος ὀλίγον ἀπὸ πολλοῦ στρατοῦ καὶ οἷα εἰκὸς ἐν προνομαῖς ἀσύντακτον διὰ καταφρόνησιν, κατιόντες ἀθρόοι διέφθειρον· καὶ τῶν πόλεων ὅσα ἦν ἐπίμαχα καὶ ῥᾴδια ληφθῆναι διὰ κλιμάκων ἐξοικοδομεῖν τε καὶ ἀποταφρεύειν δεδοικότες τὰς αἰφνιδίους ἀλλήλων ἐφόδους.
Since these things occurred continually, both sides were forced, by fortifying whatever parts of their territory were strong, to station garrisons in them for the sake of offering refuge to the farmers; setting out from there, they would come down in a body and destroy both the raiding parties and any small detachment they might see separated from a large army and, as is natural during foraging, disorganized through contempt of the enemy; and, fearing each other's sudden attacks, they built up the walls and dug trenches around whatever parts of their cities were vulnerable and easy to be taken by ladders.
§4.54.2μᾶλλον δʼ ὁ Ταρκύνιος περὶ ταῦτʼ ἐνεργὸς ἦν καὶ τῆς πόλεως τὰ πρὸς τοὺς Γαβίους φέροντα τοῦ περιβόλου διὰ πολυχειρίας ἐξωχυροῦτο τάφρον ὀρυξάμενος εὐρυτέραν καὶ τεῖχος ἐγείρας ὑψηλότερον καὶ πύργοις διαλαβὼν τὸ χωρίον πυκνοτέροις· κατὰ τοῦτο γὰρ ἐδόκει μάλιστα τὸ μέρος ἡ πόλις ἀνώχυρος εἶναι, πάντα τὸν ἄλλον περίβολον ἀσφαλὴς ἐπιεικῶς οὖσα καὶ δυσπρόσιτος.
Tarquinius was even more active in these matters, and with a great number of hands he fortified the parts of the city's circuit that faced toward the Gabians by digging a wider trench, raising a higher wall, and strengthening the place with more frequent towers; for on this side especially the city seemed to be unfortified, whereas along all the rest of its circuit it was reasonably secure and difficult of access.
§4.54.3ἔμελλε δʼ, ὃ πάσαις φιλεῖ συμβαίνειν ταῖς πόλεσιν ἐν τοῖς μακροῖς πολέμοις δῃουμένης διὰ τὰς συνεχεῖς τῶν πολεμίων εἰσβολὰς τῆς γῆς καὶ μηκέτι τοὺς καρποὺς ἐκφερούσης, σπάνις ἁπάσης τροφῆς ἐν ἀμφοτέραις ἔσεσθαι καὶ δεινὴ περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἀθυμία· κάκιον δὲ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἐπίεζεν ἢ τοὺς Γαβίους ἡ τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἔνδεια, καὶ οἱ πενέστατοι αὐτῶν μάλιστα κάμνοντες ὁμολογίας ᾤοντο δεῖν ποιήσασθαι πρὸς τοὺς Γαβίους καὶ τὸν πόλεμον ἐφʼ οἷς ἂν ἐκεῖνοι θέλωσι διαλύσασθαι.
And there was bound to be—as is wont to happen to all cities in long wars when their land is ravaged by the continuous incursions of the enemy and no longer yields crops— a scarcity of all provisions in both, and a terrible despondency regarding the future; but the lack of necessaries pressed more severely upon the Romans than upon the Gabians, and the poorest of them, suffering the most, thought they ought to make terms with the Gabians and end the war on whatever conditions the latter might wish.