§8.21.1μετὰ τοῦτο χώρα θʼ, ὅσην διαπορεύοιτο, ὑποχείριος ἦν καὶ πόλις οὐδεμία ἠναντιοῦτο ἔξω Λαουινίου, ἣν πρώτην τε πόλιν οἱ σὺν Αἰνείᾳ κατάραντες εἰς Ἰταλίαν Τρῶες ἔκτισαν, καὶ ἀφʼ ἧς τὸ Ῥωμαίων ἦν γένος, ὡς καὶ πρότερόν μοι δεδήλωται.
After this, whatever land he passed through became subject to him, and no city opposed him except Lavinium, which was the first city that the Trojans who landed in Italy with Aeneas founded, and from which the race of the Romans sprang, as has also been shown by me before.
οἱ δʼ ἐν ταύτῃ κατοικοῦντες πάντα πρότερον ᾤοντο δεῖν ὑπομένειν, ἢ τὸ πρὸς τοὺς ἀπογόνους σφῶν §8.21.2πιστὸν ἐγκαταλιπεῖν.
But those who dwelt in this city thought they ought to endure everything beforehand rather than abandon their fidelity to their descendants.
ἐγένοντο μὲν οὖν καὶ τειχομαχίαι τινὲς αὐτόθι καρτεραὶ καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἐρυμάτων ὀξεῖαι μάχαι· οὐ μὴν ἑάλω γε τὸ τεῖχος ἀπὸ κράτους τῇ πρώτῃ ἐφόδῳ, ἀλλʼ ἐδόκει χρόνου δεῖν καὶ τριβῆς.
Therefore, some fierce assaults on the walls took place there, and sharp battles before the fortifications; yet the wall was not captured by storm at the first onset, but seemed to require time and delay.
ἀποστὰς οὖν τῆς πολιορκίας ὁ Μάρκιος περιετάφρευε κύκλῳ τὴν πόλιν καὶ ἀπεσταύρου, τὰς ὁδοὺς φυλάττων, ἵνα μήτʼ ἀγορὰ μήτʼ ἐπικουρία τις αὐτοῖς ἔξωθεν προσγένοιτο.
Marcius, therefore, desisting from the siege, dug a trench around the city and built a palisade, guarding the roads, so that neither provisions nor any reinforcement might come to them from without.
§8.21.3Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ τῶν τε κεκρατημένων ἤδη πόλεων τὸν ὄλεθρον ἀκούοντες καὶ τῶν προσθεμένων τῷ Μαρκίῳ τὴν ἀνάγκην, ταῖς τε πρεσβείαις ἐνοχλούμενοι ταῖς ἀφικνουμέναις ὡς αὐτοὺς ὁσημέραι παρὰ τῶν μενουσῶν ἐν τῇ φιλίᾳ καὶ δεομένων βοηθείας, τοῦ τε Λαουινίου τὸν περιτειχισμὸν ὀρρωδοῦντες ἐν χερσὶν ὄντα, καὶ εἰ τόδε τὸ φρούριον ἁλώσεται τὸν πόλεμον ἐπὶ σφᾶς ἥξειν εὐθὺς οἰόμενοι, μίαν ὑπέλαβον ἔσεσθαι πάντων τῶν κακῶν λύσιν, εἰ §8.21.4ψηφίσαιντο τῷ Μαρκίῳ τὴν κάθοδον.
And the Romans, hearing of the destruction of the cities already conquered and the necessity of those who had joined Marcius, and being harassed by the embassies arriving daily to them from those who remained in friendship and begged for aid, and dreading the siege of Lavinium which was in progress, and thinking that if this stronghold should be captured, the war would immediately come upon themselves, supposed that there would be one solution to all their evils, if they should vote for the return of Marcius.
καὶ ὅ τε δῆμος ἅπας ἐβόα τοῦτο, καὶ οἱ δήμαρχοι νόμον εἰσφέρειν ὑπὲρ ἀκυρώσεως τῆς καταδίκης ἐβούλοντο· ἀλλʼ οἱ πατρίκιοι ἠναντιώθησαν αὐτοῖς οὐκ ἀξιοῦντες τῶν δεδικασμένων λύειν οὐθέν.
And all the people shouted for this, and the tribunes wished to bring in a law for the annulment of his condemnation; but the patricians opposed them, deeming it right to annul nothing of what had been decided by judgment.
μὴ γενομένου δὲ προβουλεύματος ὑπὸ τῆς βουλῆς οὐδὲ τοῖς δημάρχοις ἔτι προθεῖναι γνώμην εἰς τὸν δῆμον ἐδόκει.
And since no preliminary decree was made by the senate, it did not seem fit to the tribunes to propose any motion to the people.
§8.21.5ὃ καὶ θαυμάζειν ἄξιον, ἀφʼ ἧς δήποτε αἰτίας ἡ βουλὴ σπουδάζουσα τὸν ἔμπροσθεν χρόνον ὑπὲρ τοῦ Μαρκίου τότε βουλομένῳ τῷ δήμῳ κατάγειν αὐτὸν ἠναντιώθη· πότερα πεῖραν αὐτοῦ ποιουμένη τῆς γνώμης καὶ τῷ μὴ συγχωρεῖν ἑτοίμως ἐπὶ τὸ μᾶλλον σπουδάζειν αὐτὸν παρορμῶσα, ἢ τὰς καθʼ ἑαυτῆς ἀπολύσασθαι βουλομένη διαβολὰς ὑπὲρ τοῦ μηθενὸς ὧν ἔπραττεν ὁ ἀνὴρ μήτε αἰτία μήτε συνεργὸς εἶναι.
Which is also worthy of wonder, for what reason indeed the senate, which had been zealous in the former time on behalf of Marcius, then opposed the people when they wished to recall him; whether making trial of their mind, and by not yielding readily inciting them to be more zealous, or wishing to clear themselves of the slanders against them, to the effect that they were neither the cause of nor accomplices in any of the things which the man was doing.
χαλεπὸν γὰρ ἦν ἀπόρρητον γενόμενον αὐτῆς τὸ βούλευμα συμβαλεῖν.
For it was difficult to conjecture their plan, which had been kept secret.