§9.15.1συναχθείσης δὲ μετὰ τοῦτο τῆς βουλῆς ὑπὸ τῶν ὑπάτων καὶ σκέψεως γενομένης, τίνα χρὴ πολεμεῖν τοῖς Οὐιεντανοῖς τρόπον, ἡ νικῶσα ἦν γνώμη, στράτευμα συνεστηκὸς ἔχειν ἐπὶ τοῖς ὁρίοις, ὃ διὰ φυλακῆς ἕξει τὴν χώραν θυραυλοῦν καὶ αἰεὶ μένον ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις.
After this, when the senate was assembled by the consuls and a deliberation was held as to what manner they ought to make war on the Veientes, the prevailing opinion was to keep a standing army on the borders, which by keeping guard should hold the country, bivouacking and always remaining under arms.
ἐλύπει δʼ αὐτοὺς ἥ τʼ εἰς τοὺς φρουροὺς δαπάνη πολλὴ σφόδρα ἐσομένη, τοῦ τε κοινοῦ ταμιείου διὰ τὰς συνεχεῖς στρατείας ἐξαναλωμένου καὶ τῶν ἰδίων βίων ἀπειρηκότων ταῖς εἰσφοραῖς· καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον ἡ τῶν ἀποσταλησομένων φρουρῶν καταγραφὴ τίνα τρόπον ἂν γένοιτο, ὡς οὐκ ἂν ἑκουσίων γέ τινων προκειμένων ἁπάντων, καὶ μὴ ἐκ διαδοχῆς, ἀλλὰ συνεχῶς ταλαιπωρεῖν ὑποστησομένων.
But they were troubled by the very great expense that would be incurred for the guards, since the public treasury was exhausted by the continuous expeditions and private livelihoods were worn out by the war taxes; and even more so, in what manner the enlistment of the guards to be sent could be made, since it was expected that none would volunteer when all had the prospect before them, not of serving in rotation, but of enduring hardships continuously.
§9.15.2ἀδημονούσης δʼ αὐτῆς ἐπʼ ἀμφοτέροις τούτοις συγκαλέσαντες οἱ δύο Φάβιοι τοὺς μετέχοντας τοῦ σφετέρου γένους καὶ βουλευσάμενοι μετʼ αὐτῶν ὑπέσχοντο τῇ βουλῇ τοῦτο τὸ κινδύνευμα αὐτοὶ περὶ πάντων ἑκόντες ὑπομενεῖν, πελάτας τε τοὺς ἑαυτῶν ἐπαγόμενοι καὶ φίλους καὶ τέλεσι τοῖς ἰδίοις, ὅσον ἂν χρόνον ὁ πόλεμος διαμένῃ, στρατευόμενοι.
When the senate was in distress over both of these matters, the two Fabii, having called together those who shared in their gens and having deliberated with them, promised the senate that they themselves would voluntarily undergo this hazardous task on behalf of everyone, bringing along their own clients and friends, and serving at their own expense for as long a time as the war should continue.
§9.15.3ἀγασθέντων δʼ αὐτοὺς ἁπάντων τοῦ γενναίου τῆς προθυμίας καὶ τὸ νικᾶν παρʼ ἓν τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον τιθεμένων, κλεινοὶ καὶ περιβόητοι καθʼ ὅλην τὴν πόλιν ὄντες ἐξῄεσαν ἀναλαβόντες τὰ ὅπλα σὺν εὐχαῖς καὶ θυσίαις.
When everyone admired the nobility of their zeal and considered victory to depend on this single enterprise, they, being famous and celebrated throughout the whole city, went out, taking up their arms with prayers and sacrifices.
ἡγεῖτο δʼ αὐτῶν Μάρκος Φάβιος ὁ τῷ παρελθόντι ὑπατεύσας ἔτει καὶ νικήσας τοὺς Τυρρηνοὺς τῇ μάχῃ, τετρακισχιλίους μάλιστα ἐπαγόμενος, ὧν τὸ μὲν πλεῖον πελατῶν τε καὶ ἑταίρων ἦν, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ Φαβίων γένους ἓξ καὶ τριακόσιοι ἄνδρες.
They were led by Marcus Fabius, who had been consul in the preceding year and had defeated the Tyrrhenians in battle, bringing with him about four thousand men, the greater part of whom were clients and companions, and from the Fabian gens three hundred and six men.
εἵπετο δʼ αὐτοῖς μετʼ οὐ πολὺ καὶ ἡ Ῥωμαίων δύναμις, ἧς ἡγεῖτο Καίσων Φάβιος ὁ ἕτερος τῶν ὑπάτων.
And there followed them not long after also the Roman force, which Caeso Fabius, the other of the consuls, led.
§9.15.4γενόμενοι δὲ ποταμοῦ Κρεμέρας πλησίον, ὃς οὐ μακρὰν ἀπέχει τῆς Οὐιεντανῶν πόλεως, ὑπὲρ ὄχθου τινὸς ἀποτόμου καὶ περιρρῶγος ἐπετείχιζον αὐτοῖς φρούριον ἱκανὸν φυλάττεσθαι τοσαύτῃ στρατιᾷ τάφρους τʼ ὀρυξάμενοι περὶ αὐτὸ διπλᾶς καὶ πύργους ἐγείραντες πυκνούς· καὶ ὠνομάσθη τὸ φρούριον ἐπὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ Κρεμέρα.
Having arrived near the river Cremera, which is not far distant from the city of the Veientes, they built on a steep and precipitous hill a fortress sufficient for such an army to be guarded, having dug double ditches around it and raised numerous towers; and the fortress was named Cremera after the river.
οἷα δὲ πολυχειρίας τʼ ἐργαζομένης καὶ ὑπάτου συλλαμβάνοντος, §9.15.5θᾶττον ἢ κατὰ δόξαν ἐτελέσθη τὸ ἔργον.
Since a multitude of hands was working and the consul was assisting, the work was completed faster than expected.
καὶ μετὰ τοῦτʼ ἐξαγαγὼν τὴν δύναμιν παρήλασεν ἐπὶ θάτερα μέρη τῆς Οὐιεντανῶν χώρας τὰ πρὸς τὴν ἄλλην ἐστραμμένα Τυρρηνίαν, ἔνθα ἦν τοῖς Οὐιεντανοῖς τὰ βοσκήματα, οὐδέποτε στρατὸν ἥξειν Ῥωμαίων ἐκεῖ προσδεχομένοις.
And after this, having led out his force, he marched to the other parts of the territory of the Veientes which faced the rest of Etruria, where the cattle of the Veientes were, as they never expected that an army of the Romans would come there.
περιβαλόμενος δὲ πολλὴν λείαν ἀπῆγεν ἐπὶ τὸ νεόκτιστον φρούριον, χαίρων ἐπὶ τῇ ἄγρᾳ κατʼ ἀμφότερα, τῆς τʼ οὐ διὰ μακροῦ τῶν πολεμίων τιμωρίας ἕνεκα, καὶ ὅτι τοῖς φρουροῖς τοῦ χωρίου πολλὴν ἔμελλε παρέξειν εὐπορίαν.
Having surrounded much booty, he led it back to the newly-founded fortress, rejoicing in the capture for two reasons, both because of the immediate punishment of the enemy and because he was going to provide a great abundance of supplies to the guards of the place.
οὐδὲν γὰρ οὔτʼ εἰς τὸ δημόσιον ἀνήνεγκεν, οὔτε τοῖς στρατευομένοις ἀπένειμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρόβατα καὶ ὑποζύγια καὶ ζεύγη βοεικὰ καὶ σίδηρον καὶ τἆλλα, ὅσα εἰς γεωργίαν ἐπιτήδεια ἦν, τοῖς περιπόλοις τῆς χώρας ἐχαρίσατο.
For he neither delivered anything to the treasury nor distributed it to those who had served in the campaign, but gave both the sheep, the beasts of burden, the yokes of oxen, the iron, and everything else that was suitable for agriculture as a gift to the patrols of the territory.
§9.15.6ταῦτα διαπραξάμενος ἀπῆγεν ἐπʼ οἴκου τὴν στρατιάν.
Having accomplished these things, he led the army back home.
τοῖς δὲ Οὐιεντανοῖς μετὰ τὸν ἐπιτειχισμὸν τοῦ χωρίου κακῶς πάνυ τὰ πράγματʼ εἶχεν, οὔτε τὴν γῆν ἔτι δυναμένοις ἀσφαλῶς γεωργεῖν οὔτε τὰς ἔξωθεν εἰσαγομένας ἀγορὰς δέχεσθαι.
But for the Veientes, after the fortifying of the place, their affairs were in a very bad state, as they were no longer able to cultivate their land safely nor to receive the provisions imported from outside.
§9.15.7νείμαντες γὰρ εἰς τέτταρα μέρη τὴν στρατιὰν οἱ Φάβιοι, τῷ μὲν ἑνὶ διεφύλαττον τὸ χωρίον, τοῖς δὲ τρισὶ τὴν χώραν τῶν πολεμίων ἄγοντές τε καὶ φέροντες ἀεὶ διετέλουν· καὶ πολλάκις τῶν Οὐιεντανῶν ἐκ τοῦ φανεροῦ τʼ αὐτοῖς ἐπιθεμένων χειρὶ οὐκ ὀλίγῃ καὶ εἰς χωρία ἐνέδραις κατεχόμενα ὑπαγομένων, περιῆσαν ἀμφοτέρως καὶ πολλοὺς νεκροὺς ποιήσαντες ἀσφαλῶς ἀπῄεσαν εἰς τὸ χωρίον.
For the Fabii, having divided their army into four parts, guarded the fortress with one part, and with the other three parts continuously plundered the territory of the enemy; and though the Veientes often attacked them openly with no small force and decoyed them into places held by ambushes, they prevailed in both circumstances and, having caused many deaths, safely returned to the fortress.
ὥστʼ οὐδʼ ὁμόσε χωρεῖν αὐτοῖς ἔτι οἱ πολέμιοι ἐτόλμων, ἀλλὰ τειχήρεις μένοντες τὰ πολλὰ καὶ κλέπτοντες τὰς ἐξόδους διετέλουν, καὶ ὁ μὲν χειμὼν ἐκεῖνος οὕτως ἐτελεύτα.
Consequently, the enemy no longer dared to come to close quarters with them, but remained for the most part within their walls and continuously made secret sorties, and that winter ended in this manner.