§II"ὅτι Ὀλυμπιάδων τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἑπτὰ καὶ ἐνενήκοντα γεγενημένων, τῆς γῆς τῶν Κελτῶν οὐκ ἀρκούσης αὐτοῖς διὰ τὸ πλῆθος, ἀνίσταται μοῖρα Κελτῶν τῶν ἀμφὶ τὸν Ῥῆνον ἱκανὴ κατὰ ζήτησιν ἑτέρας γῆς· οἳ τό τε Ἄλπειον ὄρος ὑπερέβησαν, καὶ Κλουσίνοις, εὐδαίμονα γῆν ἔχουσι Τυρρηνῶν, ἐπολέμουν.
"That when the ninety-seventh Olympiad had taken place for the Greeks, their own land not being sufficient for the Celts because of their multitude, a considerable portion of the Celts around the Rhine emigrated in search of another land; these crossed the Alpine mountain and made war on the Clusians, who possessed a fertile land of the Tyrrhenians.
οὐ πάλαι δὲ οἱ Κλουσῖνοι Ῥωμαίοις ἔνσπονδοι γεγονότες ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς κατέφυγον.
And the Clusians, having not long before made a treaty with the Romans, fled to them for help.
καὶ οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι πρέσβεις συνέπεμψαν αὐτοῖς, Φαβίους τρεῖς, οἳ τοῖς Κελτοῖς ἔμελλον προαγορεύσειν ἀνίστασθαι τῆς γῆς ὡς Ῥωμαίων φίλης, καὶ ἀπειλήσειν ἀπειθοῦσιν.
And the Romans sent three envoys of the Fabii with them, who were to warn the Celts to depart from the land as being friendly to the Romans, and to threaten them if they did not obey.
ἀποκριναμένων δὲ τῶν Κελτῶν ὅτι ἀνθρώπων οὐδένα δεδίασιν οὔτε ἀπειλοῦντα σφίσιν οὔτε πολεμοῦντα, χρῄζοντες δὲ γῆς οὔπω τὰ Ῥωμαίων πολυπραγμονοῦσιν, οἱ πρέσβεις οἱ Φάβιοι τοὺς Κλουσίνους ἐνῆγον ἐπιθέσθαι τοῖς Κελτοῖς τὴν χώραν λεηλατοῦσιν ἀπερισκέπτως.
But when the Celts replied that they feared no man, whether threatening or making war on them, and that, though needing land, they were not yet meddling with the affairs of the Romans, the Fabian envoys incited the Clusians to attack the Celts, who were plundering the country incautiously.
καὶ συνεκδημοῦντες αὐτοῖς ἀναιροῦσι τῶν Κελτῶν πολὺ πλῆθος ἐν προνομῇ, καὶ τὸν ἡγούμενον ἐκείνου τοῦ μέρους αὐτὸς ὁ Ῥωμαίων πρεσβευτὴς Κόιντος Φάβιος ἀνεῖλέ τε καὶ ἐσκύλευσε, καὶ τὰ ὅπλα φορῶν ἐπανῆλθεν ἐς Κλούσιον. " §III"ὅτι ὁ τῶν Κελτῶν βασιλεὺς Βρέννος, τῶν Φαβίων τῶν Ῥωμαίων πολλοὺς ἀνελόντων Κελτῶν, μὴ δεξάμενος τοὺς Ῥωμαίων πρέσβεις, ἐπὶ τούτοις πρέσβεις ἐπιλεξάμενος ἐς κατάπληξιν, οἳ Κελτῶν ἁπάντων μεγάλων τὰ σώματα ὄντων ὑπερέβαλλον, ἐξέπεμπεν ἐς Ῥώμην, αἰτιώμενος τοὺς Φαβίους ὅτι πρεσβεύοντες παρὰ τοὺς κοινοὺς νόμους ἐπολέμησαν.
And sallying out with them, they slew a great multitude of the Celts while they were foraging, and the Roman envoy Quintus Fabius himself slew the leader of that portion and despoiled him, and returned to Clusium wearing his arms." "That the Celtic king Brennus, because the Roman Fabii had slain many Celts, would not receive the Roman envoys, and in response to this, having selected as envoys for intimidation those who exceeded in stature all the Celts (who were already of large stature), sent them to Rome, accusing the Fabii of having made war while serving as envoys, contrary to the common laws of nations.
ᾔτει τε τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐς δίκην ἐκδότους οἱ γενέσθαι, εἰ μὴ θέλουσι Ῥωμαῖοι κοινὸν αὐτῶν εἶναι τὸ ἔργον.
And he demanded that the men be surrendered to him for punishment, unless the Romans wished the deed to be their common act.
οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι συνεγίγνωσκον μὲν τοὺς Φαβίους ἁμαρτεῖν, αἰδοῖ δὲ οἴκου διαφέροντος χρήματα τοὺς Κελτοὺς πράξασθαι παρὰ σφῶν παρεκάλουν.
The Romans admitted that the Fabii had done wrong, but out of respect for an outstanding house, they urged the Celts to accept money from them instead.
οὐ πειθομένων δὲ χειροτονοῦσι τοὺς Φαβίους ἐπὶ τὴν ἐτήσιον ἀρχὴν χιλιάρχους, καὶ τοῖς πρεσβεύουσι τῶν Κελτῶν ἔφασαν οὐ δύνασθαι νῦν οὐδὲν ἐς τοὺς Φαβίους ἄρχοντας ἤδη.
When the Celts would not agree, they elected the Fabii as military tribunes for the annual office, and told the Celtic envoys that they could now do nothing against the Fabii, who were already in office.
τοῦ δʼ ἐπιόντος ἔτους ἥκειν αὐτούς, ἂν ἔτι μηνίωσιν, ἐκέλευον.
But they bade them return in the following year, if they were still angry.
Βρέννος δὲ καὶ ὅσοι Κελτῶν ἦσαν ὑπʼ ἐκείνῳ, νομίσαντες ὑβρίσθαι καὶ χαλεπῶς ἐνεγκόντες ἐς τοὺς ἄλλους Κελτοὺς περιέπεμπον, ἀξιοῦντες αὐτοὺς συνεφάψασθαι τοῦδε τοῦ πολέμου.
Brennus and those Celts under him, thinking themselves insulted and bearing it ill, sent messengers around to the other Celts, asking them to take part in this war.
καὶ πολλῶν ἀφικομένων ἄραντες ἤλαυνον ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥώμην. "
And when many had arrived, they broke camp and marched against Rome." "And he undertook to carry letters through the enemy to the Capitol." "That Caedicius, bringing a letter from the senate concerning the consular authority, entreated Camillus not to bear any grudge against his country at present because of his punishment.
§IV"ὁ δὲ ὑφίσταται γράμματα διοίσειν διὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἐς τὸ Καπιτώλιον. "
But Camillus, stopping him while he was still speaking, said: 'I would not have prayed that the Romans should long for me, if I had expected that their longing for me would be of such a nature.
§V"ὅτι Καιδίκιος γράμμα φέρων ἀπὸ τῆς βουλῆς περὶ τῆς ὑπάτου ἀρχῆς, παρεκάλει τὸν Κάμιλλον μηδὲν ἐν τῷ παρόντι μηνῖσαι τῇ πατρίδι τῆς ζημίας. ὁ δὲ ἐπισχὼν αὐτὸν ἔτι λέγοντα εἶπεν,
οὐκ ἂν ηὐξάμην ἐπιποθῆσαί με Ῥωμαίους, εἰ τοιαύτην ἤλπισα τὴν ἐπιπόθησιν αὐτοῖς ἔσεσθαι. νῦν δὲ δικαιοτέραν εὐχὴν εὔχομαι, γενέσθαι τῇ πατρίδι χρήσιμος ἐς τοσοῦτον ἀγαθοῦ ἐς ὅσον κακοῦ περιελήλυθεν. "
But now I make a more righteous prayer, that I may be of as much service to my country as she has fallen into misfortune.'" "That the Celts, being unable by any device to ascend the citadel, remained quiet, intending to reduce those inside by famine.
§VI"ὅτι Κελτοὶ μηδεμιᾷ μηχανῇ δυνηθέντες ἐπιβῆναι τῆς ἀκροπόλεως, ἠρέμουν ὡς λιμῷ τοὺς ἔνδον παραστησόμενοι. καί τις ἀπὸ τοῦ Καπιτωλίου κατέβαινεν ἱερεύς, ὄνομα Δόρσων, ἐπὶ ἐτήσιον δή τινα ἱερουργίαν ἐς τὸν τῆς Ἑστίας νεὼν στέλλων τὰ ἱερὰ διὰ τῶν πολεμίων, αἰδεσθέντων ἢ καταπλαγέντων αὐτοῦ τὴν τόλμαν ἢ τὴν εὐσέβειαν, ἢ τὴν ὄψιν ἱερὰν οὖσαν.
And a certain priest, named Dorso, came down from the Capitol, conveying the sacred objects through the enemy to the temple of Vesta for some annual sacred rite, while the enemy either respected or were astounded at his daring or his piety, or because his appearance was sacred.
ὁ μὲν δὴ κινδυνεύειν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἱερῶν ἑλόμενος ὑπʼ αὐτῶν ἐσώζετο τῶν ἱερῶν.
He, indeed, having chosen to run risk for the sake of the sacred objects, was saved by those very sacred objects.
καὶ τόδε φησὶν ὧδε γενέσθαι Κάσσιος ὁ Ῥωμαῖος. "
And Cassius the Roman says that this happened in this way."