§9.6.1οὗ γενομένου καὶ προσπεσόντος εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην, εἰς ὁλοσχερῆ συνέβη ταραχὴν καὶ φόβον ἐμπεσεῖν τοὺς κατὰ τὴν πόλιν,
When this took place and the news reached Rome, the people in the city fell into utter confusion and panic.
§9.6.2ἅτε τοῦ πράγματος αἰφνιδίου μὲν ὄντος καὶ τελέως ἀνελπίστου διὰ τὸ μηδέποτε τὸν Ἀννίβαν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἀπηρκέναι τῆς πόλεως, ὑποτρεχούσης δέ τινος ἅμα καὶ τοιαύτης ἐννοίας ὡς οὐχ οἷόν τε τοὺς ἐναντίους ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἐγγίσαι καὶ καταθαρρῆσαι μὴ οὐ τῶν περὶ Καπύην στρατοπέδων ἀπολωλότων.
This was because the event was sudden and entirely unexpected, since Hannibal had never before advanced so close to the city, and at the same time a suspicion crept into their minds that the enemy could not have approached so near and behaved so boldly unless the legions at Capua had been destroyed.
§9.6.3διόπερ οἱ μὲν ἄνδρες τὰ τείχη προκατελάμβανον καὶ τοὺς πρὸ τῆς πόλεως εὐκαίρους τόπους, αἱ δὲ γυναῖκες περιπορευόμεναι τοὺς ναοὺς ἱκέτευον τοὺς θεούς, πλύνουσαι ταῖς κόμαις τὰ τῶν ἱερῶν ἐδάφη· §9.6.4τοῦτο γὰρ αὐταῖς ἔθος ἐστὶ ποιεῖν, ὅταν τις ὁλοσχερὴς τὴν πατρίδα καταλαμβάνῃ κίνδυνος.
Therefore, the men pre-occupied the walls and the advantageous positions in front of the city, while the women went round to the temples and supplicated the gods, sweeping the floors of the shrines with their hair; for this is their custom to do whenever any all-embracing danger threatens their country.
§9.6.5ἄρτι δὲ τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἀννίβαν κατεστρατοπεδευκότων καὶ διανοουμένων τῇ μετὰ ταῦθʼ ἡμέρᾳ καταπειράζειν αὐτῆς τῆς πόλεως, γίνεται παράδοξόν τι καὶ τυχικὸν σύμπτωμα πρὸς σωτηρίαν τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις.
But just as Hannibal and his men had encamped and were intending on the following day to make an attempt upon the city itself, an unexpected and providential coincidence occurred for the safety of the Romans.
§9.6.6οἱ γὰρ περὶ τὸν Γνάιον καὶ Πόπλιον τοῦ μὲν ἑνὸς στρατοπέδου πρότερον πεποιημένοι τὴν καταγραφὴν ἐνόρκους εἶχον τοὺς στρατιώτας εἰς ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν ἥξειν ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην, τοῦ δʼ ἑτέρου τότε τὰς καταγραφὰς ἐποιοῦντο καὶ δοκιμασίας.
For Gnaeus and Publius, having previously conducted the enlistment for one legion, had bound the soldiers by oath to assemble in arms at Rome on that very day, and were at that moment conducting the enlistment and review of the other.
§9.6.7ἐξ οὗ συνέβη πλῆθος ἀνδρῶν αὐτομάτως ἁθροισθῆναι πρὸς τὸν δέοντα καιρὸν εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην.
Consequently, it happened that a large body of men assembled of their own accord in Rome at the very moment of need.
οὓς ἐξαγαγόντες εὐθαρσῶς οἱ στρατηγοὶ καὶ παρεμβαλόντες πρὸ τῆς πόλεως ἐπέσχον τὴν ὁρμὴν τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἀννίβαν.
The generals, leading them out courageously and drawing them up in front of the city, checked the onset of Hannibal and his men.
§9.6.8οἱ γὰρ Καρχηδόνιοι τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ὥρμησαν, οὐχ ὅλως ἀπελπίζοντες αἱρήσειν κατὰ κράτος αὐτὴν τὴν Ῥώμην· συνθεασάμενοι δὲ τοὺς ὑπεναντίους παρατεταγμένους καὶ ταχέως διά τινος αἰχμαλώτου πυθόμενοι τὸ γεγονός, τῆς μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν ἐπιβολῆς ἀπέστησαν, τὴν δὲ χώραν ἐδῄουν ἐπιπορευόμενοι καὶ τὰς οἰκίας ἐνεπίμπρασαν.
For the Carthaginians at first advanced, not at all despairing of taking Rome itself by storm; but when they saw the enemy drawn up in order of battle, and quickly learned what had happened from a prisoner, they abandoned their design upon the city, and began to plunder the countryside as they marched through it, setting fire to the houses.
§9.6.9τὰς μὲν οὖν ἀρχὰς ἀναρίθμητον περιελασάμενοι λείας πλῆθος ἥθροισαν εἰς τὴν παρεμβολήν, ὡς ἂν εἰς ἄγραν ἥκοντες τοιαύτην
Thus, at the beginning, they drove off and collected an incalculable amount of booty into their camp, as if they had come to such a hunting ground.