§23.44.1ad ea Herennius Bassus respondit multos annos iam inter Romanum Nolanumque populum amicitiam esse, cuius neutros ad eam diem paenitere, et sibi, si cum fortuna mutanda fides fuerit, sero iam esse mutare. §23.44.2an dedituris se Hannibali fuisse accersendum Romanorum praesidium? cum iis, qui ad sese tuendos venissent, omnia sibi et esse consociata et ad ultimum fore. §23.44.3hoc conloquium abstulit spem Hannibali per proditionem recipiendae Nolae; itaque corona oppidum circumdedit, ut simul ab omni parte moenia adgrederetur. §23.44.4quem ut successisse muris Marcellus vidit, instructa intra portam acie cum magno tumultu erupit.
To this Herennius Bassus replied that there had already been friendship between the Roman and Nolan peoples for many years, of which neither party had repented up to that day, and for themselves, if loyalty had to be changed with fortune, it was already too late to change. Or had they had to summon a Roman garrison if they were going to surrender themselves to Hannibal? With those who had come to protect them, everything had been shared by them and would be to the end. This conference took away from Hannibal the hope of recovering Nola by treachery; therefore, he surrounded the town with a ring of troops, so that he might attack the walls from all sides at the same time. When Marcellus saw that the enemy had approached the walls, having drawn up his battle line inside the gate, he burst out with a great clamor.
aliquot primo impetu perculsi caesique sunt; dein concursu ad pugnantis facto aequatisque viribus atrox esse coepit pugna, memorabilisque inter paucas fuisset, ni ingentibus procellis effusus imber diremisset pugnantis. §23.44.5eo die commisso modico certamine atque inritatis animis in urbem Romani, Poeni in castra receperunt sese: nam Poenorum prima eruptione perculsi ceciderunt haud plus quam triginta, Romani quinquaginta. §23.44.6imber continens per noctem totam usque ad horam tertiam diei insequentis tenuit; itaque quamquam utraque pars avidi certaminis erant, eo die tenuerunt sese tamen munimentis. §23.44.7tertio die Hannibal partem copiarum praedatum in agrum Nolanum misit.
Some were knocked down and slain at the first onset; then, a rush being made toward the combatants and forces being equalized, a fierce battle began to be fought, and it would have been memorable among a few, had not a rain pouring down with huge storms separated the combatants. On that day, after a moderate battle had been joined and spirits provoked, the Romans withdrew into the city, the Carthaginians into their camp; for of the Carthaginians, knocked down in the first sally, not more than thirty fell, of the Romans fifty. Continuous rain lasted through the whole night until the third hour of the following day; therefore, although both parties were eager for battle, on that day they nevertheless kept themselves within their fortifications. On the third day, Hannibal sent a part of his forces to plunder into the Nolan territory.
quod ubi animadvertit Marcellus, extemplo in aciem copias eduxit; neque Hannibal detractavit.
When Marcellus noticed this, he immediately led his forces out into battle array; and Hannibal did not decline.
mille fere passuum inter urbem erant castraque; eo spatio — et sunt omnia campi circa Nolam — concurrerunt. §23.44.8clamor ex parte utraque sublatus proximos ex cohortibus iis, quae in agros praedatum exierant, ad proelium iam commissum revocavit. §23.44.9et Nolani aciem Romanam auxerunt, quos conlaudatos Marcellus in subsidiis stare et saucios ex acie efferre iussit, pugna abstinere, ni ab se signum accepissent.
There was about a mile between the city and the camp; in that space—and everything around Nola is plain—they rushed together. The shout raised on both sides recalled those nearest of the cohorts which had gone out into the fields to plunder to the battle already joined. The Nolans also reinforced the Roman line, whom, after praising them, Marcellus ordered to stand in reserve and to carry the wounded out of the battle line, and to abstain from fighting unless they received a signal from him.