§5.4.10Ἐν δὲ τῇ μεσογαίᾳ Καπύη μέν ἐστιν ἡ μητρόπολις, κεφαλὴ τῷ ὄντι κατὰ τὴν ἐτυμότητα τοῦ ὀνόματος· τὰ γὰρ ἄλλα πολίχνια νομίζοιτʼ ἂν κατὰ τὴν σύγκρισιν πλὴν Τεάνου Σιδικίνου· καὶ γὰρ αὕτη ἀξιόλογος.
In the interior, Capua is the metropolis, in truth the "head" according to the etymology of its name; for the other small towns would be considered as such only in comparison with it, except Teanum Sidicinum, for this also is noteworthy.
κεῖται δʼ ἐπὶ τῇ ὁδῷ τῇ Ἀππίᾳ αὕτη τε καὶ τῶν ἄλλων αἱ ἐπὶ Βρεντέσιον ἄγουσαι ἀπʼ αὐτῆς, Καλατία καὶ Καύδιον καὶ Βενεουεντόν·
Situated on the Appian Way are Capua itself and, of the other towns, those which lead from it to Brentesium, namely Calatia, Caudium, and Beneventum.
ἐπὶ δὲ Ῥώμης Κασιλῖνον ἵδρυται ἐπὶ τῷ Ὀυουλτούρνῳ ποταμῷ, ἐν ᾗ πολιορκούμενοι Πραινεστίνων ἄνδρες τετταράκοντα καὶ πεντακόσιοι πρὸς ἀκμάζοντα Ἀννίβαν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἀντέσχον, ὥσθʼ ὑπὸ λιμοῦ διακοσίων δραχμῶν πραθέντος μυός, ὁ μὲν πωλήσας ἀπέθανεν, ἐσώθη δʼ ὁ πριάμενος.
In the direction of Rome, Casilinum is situated on the river Volturnus, where five hundred and forty men of the Praenestines, when besieged, held out so long against Hannibal at the height of his power, that under the pressure of famine a mouse was sold for two hundred drachmae, and the seller died of hunger, while the buyer was saved.
ἰδὼν δʼ αὐτοὺς πλησίον τοῦ τείχους σπείροντας γογγύλην ἐθαύμαζεν, ὡς ἔοικεν, ὁ Ἀννίβας τῆς μακροθυμίας, εἰ ἐλπίζοιεν τέως ἀνθέξειν ἕως τελεσφορήσειεν ἡ γογγύλη· καὶ δὴ περιγενέσθαι πάντας φασὶ πλὴν ἀνδρῶν ὀλίγων τῶν ἢ λιμῷ διαλυθέντων ἢ ἐν ταῖς μάχαις.
And Hannibal, it seems, was amazed at their endurance when he saw them sowing turnips near the wall, wondering if they hoped to hold out until the turnips should bear fruit; indeed, they say that all survived except a few men who either perished of hunger or in the battles.
§5.4.11πρὸς δὲ ταῖς ῥηθείσαις ἔτι καὶ αὗται Καμπαναὶ πόλεις εἰσὶν ὧν ἐμνήσθημεν πρότερον, Κάλης τε καὶ Τέανον Σιδικῖνον, ἃς διορίζουσιν αἱ δύο Τύχαι ἐφʼ ἑκάτερα ἱδρυμέναι τῆς Λατίνης ὁδοῦ, καὶ ἔτι Σουέσσουλα καὶ Ἀτέλλα καὶ Νῶλα καὶ Νουκερία καὶ Ἀχέρραι καὶ Ἀβέλλα καὶ ἄλλαι ἔτι ἐλάττους τούτων κατοικίαι, ὧν ἐνίας Σαυνίτιδάς φασιν εἶναι.
In addition to those mentioned, these too are Campanian cities which we have mentioned before, namely Cales and Teanum Sidicinum, which are separated by the two statues of Fortune established on either side of the Latina Way, and also Suessula, Atella, Nola, Nuceria, Acerrae, Abella, and other still smaller settlements than these, some of which they say are Samnite.
Σαυνῖται δὲ πρότερον μὲν καὶ μέχρι τῆς Λατίνης τῆς περὶ Ἀρδέαν ἐξοδίας ποιούμενοι, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα αὐτὴν τὴν Καμπανίαν πορθοῦντες πολλὴν ἐκέκτηντο δύναμιν· καὶ γὰρ ἄλλως δεσποτικῶς ἄρχεσθαι μεμαθηκότες ταχὺ ὑπούργουν τοῖς προστάγμασι.
The Samnites, who formerly made incursions even as far as the part of Latium around Ardea, and after that laid waste Campania itself, possessed great power; for in general, having learned to be ruled in an autocratic manner, they quickly obeyed commands.
νυνὶ δʼ ἐκπεπόνηνται τελέως ὑπό τε ἄλλων καὶ τὸ τελευταῖον ὑπὸ Σύλλα τοῦ μοναρχήσαντος Ῥωμαίων, ὃς ἐπειδὴ πολλαῖς μάχαις καταλύσας τὴν τῶν Ἰταλιωτῶν ἐπανάστασιν τούτους σχεδόν τι μόνους συμμένοντας ἑώρα καὶ ὁμοίως ὁρμῶντας, ὥστε καὶ ἐπʼ αὐτὴν τὴν Ῥώμην ἐλθεῖν, συνέστη πρὸ τοῦ τείχους αὐτοῖς, καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἐν τῇ μάχῃ κατέκοψε κελεύσας μὴ ζωγρεῖν τοὺς δὲ ῥίψαντας τὰ ὅπλα, περὶ τρισχιλίους ἄνδρας ἢ τετρακισχιλίους φασίν, εἰς τὴν δημοσίαν ἔπαυλιν τὴν ἐν τῷ Κάμπῳ καταγαγὼν εἷρξε· τρισὶ δὲ ὕστερον ἡμέραις ἐπιπέμψας στρατιώτας ἅπαντας ἀπέσφαξε, προγραφάς τε ποιούμενος οὐκ ἐπαύσατο πρὶν ἢ πάντας τοὺς ἐν ὀνόματι Σαυνιτῶν διέφθειρεν ἢ ἐκ τῆς Ἰταλίας ἐξέβαλε· πρὸς δὲ τοὺς αἰτιωμένους τὴν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ὀργὴν ἔφη καταμαθεῖν ἐκ τῆς πείρας, ὡς οὐδέποτʼ ἂν εἰρήνην ἀγάγοι Ῥωμαίων οὐδὲ εἷς, ἕως ἂν συμμένωσι καθʼ ἑαυτοὺς Σαυνῖται.
But now they have been completely worn out by others and finally by Sulla, who became the sole ruler of the Romans; who, when he had put down the uprising of the Italiots in many battles, and saw that these people almost alone remained together and were making a similar onset, so as even to march against Rome itself, confronted them before the wall, and cut them down in the battle, ordering his men to make no prisoners; and those who threw down their arms, about three thousand or four thousand men, they say, he brought down to the public villa in the Campus and imprisoned them; and three days later, having sent in soldiers, he slaughtered them all, and he did not cease making proscriptions until he had destroyed all who bore the name of Samnites or had cast them out of Italy; and to those who blamed him for such great anger, he said that he had learned from experience that not a single Roman could ever enjoy peace as long as the Samnites remained together by themselves.
τοιγάρ τοι νυνὶ κῶμαι γεγόνασιν αἱ πόλεις· ἔνιαι δʼ ἐκλελοίπασι τελέως, Βοιανὸν Αἰσερνία Πάννα Τελεσία συνεχὴς Ὀυενάφρῳ καὶ ἄλλαι τοιαῦται, ὧν οὐδεμίαν ἄξιον ἡγεῖσθαι πόλιν· ἡμεῖς δʼ ἐπέξιμεν μέχρι τοῦ μετρίου διὰ τὴν τῆς Ἰταλίας δόξαν καὶ δύναμιν.
Therefore, indeed, their cities have now become villages, and some have completely disappeared, namely Bovianum, Aesernia, Panna, Telesia continuous with Venafrum, and other such places, none of which is worthy to be deemed a city; but we shall go over them within moderate limits because of the fame and power of Italy.
Βενεουεντὸν δʼ ὅμως συνέστηκεν εὖ καὶ Ὀυενουσία.
Beneventum, however, and Venusia still hold together well.