§8.17.1οἱ δὲ Οὐολοῦσκοι τὸ μέγεθος τῆς κομιζομένης λείας ὁρῶντες καὶ περὶ τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀτολμίας ἀκούοντες, οἳ δὴ τέως τὴν ἀλλοτρίαν λεηλατοῦντες ἀδεῶς τότε τὴν αὑτῶν γῆν ἠνείχοντο δῃουμένην ὁρῶντες, αὐχήματός τε μεγάλου ἐνεπίμπλαντο καὶ ἐν ἐλπίδι ἦσαν ἡγεμονίας, ὡς δὴ ῥᾴδιον καὶ ἐν ἑτοίμῳ σφίσιν ὂν καταλῦσαι τὴν τῶν ἀντιπάλων ἰσχύν, θυσίας τε χαριστηρίους τοῖς θεοῖς ἐποιοῦντο καὶ σκύλων ἀναθέσει τοὺς νεὼς καὶ τὰς ἀγορὰς ἐκόσμουν καὶ ἦσαν ἅπαντες ἐν ἑορταῖς καὶ εὐπαθείαις τόν τε Μάρκιον ἀγάμενοι καὶ ὑμνοῦντες διετέλουν, ὡς εἴη τά τε πολέμια δεινότατος ἀνθρώπων καὶ στρατηγός, οἷος οὔτε Ῥωμαῖος οὔτε ἄλλος Ἑλλήνων ἢ βαρβάρων οὐδείς.
The Volscians, seeing the magnitude of the booty being carried off and hearing of the lack of courage on the part of the Romans—who indeed, though previously plundering the land of others without fear, were then tolerating the sight of their own land being ravaged—were filled with great pride and were in hope of supremacy, as though it were easy and ready at hand for them to destroy the power of their adversaries. They offered sacrifices of thanksgiving to the gods, decorated the temples and the forums with the dedication of spoils, and were all in festivities and enjoyments, continually admiring and singing praises of Marcius, as being the most formidable of men in warfare and a general such as no Roman, nor anyone else among the Greeks or barbarians, ever was.
§8.17.2μάλιστα δὲ τῆς τύχης αὐτὸν ἐμακάριζον ἅπαντα, ὅσοις ἐπιχειρήσειε, κατὰ γνώμην αὐτῷ προχωροῦντα ὁρῶντες δίχα πόνου· ὥστʼ οὐδεὶς ἦν τῶν ἐχόντων τὴν στρατεύσιμον ἡλικίαν, ὃς ἀπολείπεσθαι τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἠξίου, ἀλλὰ πάντες ὥρμηντο μετέχειν τῶν πράξεων καὶ συνῄεσαν ὡς αὐτὸν ἐξ ἁπάσης πόλεως.
And above all, they congratulated him on his fortune, seeing everything that he undertook turning out for him according to his mind without toil; so that there was no one of military age who thought fit to be left behind by the man, but all were eager to participate in his deeds and flocked to him from every city.
§8.17.3ὁ δὲ στρατηγός, ἐπειδὴ τὴν προθυμίαν τῶν Οὐολούσκων ἐπέρρωσε καὶ τὸ τῶν πολεμίων ἀνδρεῖον εἰς ταπεινὴν καὶ ἄνανδρον κατέκλεισεν ἀμηχανίαν, ἐπὶ τὰς συμμαχίδας αὐτῶν πόλεις, ὅσαι τὸ πιστὸν διεφύλαττον, ἦγε τὴν δύναμιν·
The general, when he had strengthened the eagerness of the Volscians and shut up the courage of the enemy into a low and cowardly helplessness, led his force against their allied cities, as many as preserved their allegiance.
καὶ αὐτίκα ἑτοιμασάμενος, ὅσα εἰς πολιορκίαν χρήσιμα ἦν, ἐπὶ Τολερίνους ἐλαύνει τοῦ Λατίνων ὄντας ἔθνους.
And having immediately prepared whatever was useful for a siege, he marched against the Tolerinians, who were of the Latin nation.
§8.17.4οἱ δὲ Τολερῖνοι πρὸ πολλοῦ παρασκευασάμενοι τὰ εἰς τὸν πόλεμον καὶ τὰ ἐκ τῆς χώρας εἰς τὴν πόλιν συγκεκομικότες ἐδέχοντο αὐτὸν ἐπιόντα καὶ χρόνον μέν τινʼ ἀντεῖχον ἀπὸ τῶν τειχῶν μαχόμενοι καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν πολεμίων κατέτρωσαν· ἔπειθʼ ὑπὸ τῶν σφενδονητῶν ἀναστελλόμενοι καὶ μέχρι δείλης ὀψίας ταλαιπωροῦντες πολλὰ μέρη τοῦ τείχους ἐξέλιπον.
The Tolerinians, having prepared everything for the war long before and having gathered into the city their possessions from the country, received him as he approached, and for some time held out, fighting from the walls, and wounded many of the enemy; then, being repulsed by the slingers and hard-pressed until late afternoon, they abandoned many parts of the wall.
τοῦτο §8.17.5καταμαθὼν ὁ Μάρκιος τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις στρατιώταις παρήγγειλε κλίμακας προσφέρειν κατὰ τὰ γυμνούμενα μέρη τοῦ περιβόλου, αὐτὸς δὲ τοὺς κρατίστους τῆς στρατιᾶς ἀναλαβὼν ἐπὶ τὰς πύλας ἵεται βαλλόμενος ἀπὸ τῶν πύργων, καὶ διαρρήξας τοὺς μοχλοὺς παρέρχεται πρῶτος εἰς τὴν πόλιν.
Marcius, having observed this, ordered the rest of the soldiers to bring ladders against the exposed parts of the wall, while he himself, taking the strongest men of the army, rushed to the gates under fire from the towers, and breaking through the bolts, entered first into the city.
ἦν δʼ ὑφεστηκὸς ταῖς πύλαις πολὺ καὶ καρτερὸν στῖφος τῶν πολεμίων, οἳ δέχονταί τʼ αὐτὸν ἐρρωμένως καὶ μέχρι πολλοῦ διεκαρτέρουν ἀγωνιζόμενοι· πολλῶν δʼ ἀναιρεθέντων τρέπονται οἱ λοιποὶ καὶ σκεδασθέντες ἔφευγον ἀνὰ τοὺς στενωπούς.
There was a large and sturdy body of the enemy posted at the gates, who received him vigorously and persevered in fighting for a long time; but when many of them were slain, the rest were routed and fled, dispersing through the narrow streets.
§8.17.6ὁ δʼ ἠκολούθει κτείνων τοὺς καταλαμβανομένους, ὅσοι μὴ τὰ ὅπλα ῥίψαντες εἰς ἱκεσίας ἐτράποντο· ἐν δὲ τούτῳ καὶ οἱ διὰ τῶν κλιμάκων ἀναβαίνοντες ἐκράτουν τοῦ τείχους.
And he followed, killing those whom he overtook, except such as threw down their arms and turned to supplications; in the meantime, those who climbed by the ladders got possession of the wall.
τοῦτον δὴ τὸν τρόπον ἁλούσης τῆς πόλεως ἐξελόμενος ὁ Μάρκιος ἐκ τῶν λαφύρων ὅσα θεοῖς τʼ ἀναθήματα καὶ κόσμος ταῖς Οὐολούσκων πόλεσιν ἔμελλε γενέσθαι, τὰ λοιπὰ τοῖς στρατιώταις ἐφῆκε διαρπάσαι.
The city having been captured in this manner, Marcius, after setting aside from the spoils such as were destined to be offerings to the gods and ornaments for the cities of the Volscians, abandoned the rest to the soldiers to plunder.
§8.17.7ἦν δὲ πολλὰ μὲν αὐτόθι σώματα, πολλὰ δὲ χρήματα, πολὺς δὲ σῖτος, ὥστε μὴ ῥᾴδιον εἶναι μιᾷ πάντα ἐκκομίσαι τοὺς κρατήσαντας ἡμέρᾳ, ἀλλʼ ἐκ διαδοχῆς ἄγοντες καὶ φέροντες τὰ μὲν αὐτοί, τὰ δʼ ἐπὶ τῶν ὑποζυγίων πολὺν ἠναγκάσθησαν διατρῖψαι χρόνον.
There were many captives there, much money, and much grain, so that it was not easy for the victors to carry everything away in a single day, but carrying them off in turn, some themselves and others on the beasts of burden, they were forced to consume a long time.