§23.36.1Gracchus minus centum militum iactura castris hostium potitus Cumas se propere recepit, ab Hannibale metuens, qui super Capuam in Tifatis habebat castra.
Gracchus, having gained possession of the enemy's camp with the loss of less than a hundred soldiers, withdrew himself hastily to Cumae, fearing Hannibal, who had his camp on Mount Tifata above Capua.
§23.36.2nec eum provida futuri fefellit opinio: nam simul Capuam ea clades est nuntiata, ratus Hannibal ab re bene gesta insolenter laetum exercitum tironum magna ex parte et servorum spoliantem victos praedasque agentem ad Hamas se inventurum, §23.36.3citatum agmen praeter Capuam rapit, obviosque ex fuga Campanorum dato praesidio Capuam duci, saucios vehiculis portari iubet.
Nor did his foresight of the future deceive him; for as soon as that disaster was reported to Capua, Hannibal, thinking that he would find at Hamae an army of recruits for the most part and of slaves, insolently rejoicing because of their successful exploit, despoiling the conquered and driving off the booty, hurried his column at a rapid pace past Capua, and ordered those of the Campanians whom he met in flight to be led to Capua with a guard assigned, and the wounded to be carried in vehicles.
§23.36.4ipse Hamis vacua ab hostibus castra nec quicquam praeter recentis vestigia caedis strataque passim corpora sociorum invenit.
He himself at Hamae found the camp empty of enemies, and nothing except the recent traces of slaughter and the bodies of his allies strewn all over.
§23.36.5auctores erant quidam, ut protinus inde Cumas duceret urbemque oppugnaret.
There were some who advised that he should lead his forces straight from there to Cumae and besiege the city.
§23.36.6id quamquam haud modice Hannibal cupiebat, ut, quia Neapolim non potuerat, Cumas saltem maritimam urbem haberet, tamen, quia praeter arma nihil secum miles raptim acto agmine extulerat, retro in castra super Tifata se recepit.
Although Hannibal desired this in no small degree, so that, because he had not been able to gain Neapolis, he might at least have Cumae, a maritime city, nevertheless, because the soldiers, in their rapidly conducted march, had carried out nothing with themselves besides their arms, he withdrew back into his camp above Tifata.
§23.36.7inde fatigatus Campanorum precibus sequenti die cum omni apparatu oppugnandae urbis Cumas redit, perpopulatoque agro Cumano mille passus ab urbe castra locat, §23.36.8cum Gracchus magis verecundia in tali necessitate deserendi socios inplorantis fidem suam populique Romani substitisset quam satis fidens exercitui.
Then, worn out by the entreaties of the Campanians, on the following day he returned to Cumae with all the apparatus for besieging the city, and having thoroughly ravaged the Cumaean territory, he pitched camp a mile from the city, while Gracchus had remained there, more out of shame at abandoning in such a necessity allies who were imploring his own faith and that of the Roman people, than because he was sufficiently trusting in his army.
§23.36.9nec alter consul Fabius, qui ad Cales castra habebat, §23.36.10Volturnum flumen traducere audebat exercitum, occupatus primo auspiciis repetendis, dein procurandis prodigiis, quae alia super alia nuntiabantur, expiantique ea haud facile litari haruspices respondebant.
Nor did the other consul, Fabius, who had his camp near Cales, dare to lead his army across the Volturnus river, being occupied at first with repeating the auspices, then with expiating the prodigies which were reported one after another; and to him as he was expiating them, the haruspices replied that it was not easy to obtain favorable omens.