§6.10.1ἔτι δʼ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος τὰ εἰς τὸ γενναῖον ἐπαγωγὰ θάρσος τι δαιμόνιον ἐμπίπτει τῇ στρατιᾷ, καὶ ὥσπερ ἐκ μιᾶς ψυχῆς ἅπαντες ἀνεβόησαν ἅμα· θάρσει τε καὶ ἄγε. καὶ ὁ Ποστόμιος ἐπαινέσας τὸ πρόθυμον αὐτῶν καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς εὐξάμενος, ἐὰν εὐτυχὲς καὶ καλὸν τέλος ἀκολουθήσῃ τῇ μάχῃ, θυσίας τε μεγάλας ἀπὸ πολλῶν ἐπιτελέσειν χρημάτων καὶ ἀγῶνας καταστήσεσθαι πολυτελεῖς, οὓς ἄξει ὁ Ῥωμαίων δῆμος ἀνὰ §6.10.2πᾶν ἔτος, ἀπέλυσεν ἐπὶ τὰς τάξεις.
While he was still saying these things that lead to noble courage, a certain divine bravery fell upon the army, and as if from a single soul, they all cried out together: "Take courage, and lead!" And Postumius, having praised their eagerness and prayed to the gods that, if a fortunate and noble end should follow the battle, he would perform great sacrifices at great expense and establish costly games which the Roman people would celebrate every year, dismissed them to their ranks.
ὡς δὲ τὸ σύνθημα τὸ παρὰ τῶν ἡγεμόνων παρέλαβον καὶ τὰ παρακλητικὰ τῆς μάχης αἱ σάλπιγγες ἐνεκελεύσαντο, ἐχώρουν ἀλαλάξαντες ὁμόσε, πρῶτον μὲν οἱ ψιλοί τε καὶ ἱππεῖς ἀφʼ ἑκατέρων, ἔπειθʼ αἱ πεζαὶ φάλαγγες ὁπλισμούς τε καὶ τάξεις ὁμοίας ἔχουσαι· καὶ γίνεται πάντων ἀναμὶξ μαχομένων καρτερὸς ἀγὼν καὶ ἐν χερσὶ πᾶσα ἡ μάχη.
And when they received the watchword from their commanders, and the trumpets sounded the signals for battle, they advanced into close quarters with a shout, first the light-armed troops and the cavalry on both sides, and then the infantry phalanxes having similar armor and formations; and a fierce contest arose with all fighting mixed together, and the whole battle was at hand-to-hand range.
§6.10.3ὡς δὲ πολὺ τὸ παράλογον ἀμφοτέροις τῆς δόξης ἦν·
But how great was the variance of expectation for both sides!
οὐδέτεροι γὰρ ἐλπίσαντες μάχης δεήσειν σφίσιν, ἀλλὰ τῇ πρώτῃ ἐφόδῳ τοὺς πολεμίους ὑπολαβόντες φοβήσειν, Λατῖνοι μὲν τῷ πλήθει τῆς σφετέρας ἵππου πιστεύσαντες, ἧς οὐδὲ τὸ ῥόθιον ᾤοντο τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἱππεῖς ἀνέξεσθαι, Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ τῷ τολμηρῶς· καὶ ἀπερισκέπτως ἐπὶ τὰ δεινὰ χωροῦντες καταπλήξεσθαι τοὺς πολεμίους·
For neither expected that there would be need of a battle for them, but supposed that they would terrify the enemy with their first onset—the Latins trusting in the multitude of their own cavalry, whose very onset they thought the Roman cavalry would not withstand, and the Romans believing that by advancing boldly and recklessly into dangers they would strike terror into the enemy.
ταῦτα ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων καταδοξάσαντες ἐν ἀρχαῖς τἀναντία ἑώρων γινόμενα.
Having formed these expectations about one another, in the beginning they saw the opposite happening.
οὐκέτι δὲ τὸ τῶν ἀντιπολεμίων δέος, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἴδιον θάρσος ἑκάτεροι τοῦ τε σωθήσεσθαι καὶ τοῦ νικήσειν αἴτιον σφίσι νομίσαντες ἀγαθοὶ μαχηταὶ καὶ ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ἐφάνησαν.
And no longer regarding the fear of their enemies, but each side believing that their own courage was the cause for them both of being saved and of conquering, they showed themselves brave fighters even beyond their strength.
ἐγίνοντο δὲ ποικίλαι καὶ ἀγχίστροφοι περὶ αὐτοὺς αἱ τοῦ ἀγῶνος τύχαι.
And the fortunes of the struggle around them became varied and fast-turning.