§25.15.1et Campani audita sua pariter sociorumque clade legatos ad Hannibalem miserunt, qui nuntiarent duos consules ad Beneventum esse, diei iter a? Capua, tantum non ad portas et muros bellum esse; ni propere subveniat, celerius Capuam quam Arpos in potestatem hostium venturam.
And the Campanians, on hearing of their own and their allies' disaster, sent envoys to Hannibal to report that the two consuls were at Beneventum, a day's march from Capua, and that the war was all but at their gates and walls; unless he should bring help quickly, Capua would come into the possession of the enemy more swiftly than Arpi had.
§25.15.2ne Tarentum quidem, non modo arcem, tanti debere esse, ut Capuam, quam Carthagini aequare sit solitus, desertam indefensamque populo Romano tradat.
Not even Tarentum, not to mention its citadel, ought to be of such value as to hand over Capua, which he had been accustomed to equal with Carthage, deserted and undefended to the Roman people.
§25.15.3Hannibal curae sibi fore rem Campanam pollicitus in praesentia duo milia equitum cum legatis mittit, quo praesidio agros populationibus possent prohibere.
Hannibal, having promised that the Campanian cause would be his concern, sent for the present two thousand cavalry along with the envoys, by which protection they might prevent the lands from being plundered.
§25.15.4Romanis interim sicut aliarum rerum, arcis Tarentinae praesidiique, quod ibi obsideretur, cura est.
Meanwhile, the Romans had anxiety for the citadel of Tarentum and the garrison besieged there, as well as for other matters.
C. Servilius legatus, ex auctoritate patrum a P. Cornelio praetore in Etruriam ad frumentum coemendum missus, cum aliquot navibus onustis in portum Tarentinum inter hostium custodias pervenit.
C. Servilius, the lieutenant, sent by the authority of the senate by P. Cornelius the praetor into Etruria to purchase grain, arrived with several loaded ships in the harbor of Tarentum through the enemy's guards.
§25.15.5cuius adventu, qui ante in exigua spe vocati saepe ad transitionem ab hostibus per conloquia erant, ultro ad transeundum hostis vocabant sollicitabantque.
Upon his arrival, those who before had little hope and had often been invited to desertion by the enemy through conferences, now in turn began to invite and urge the enemy to desert.
et erat satis validum praesidium traductis ad arcem Tarenti tuendam a Metaponto militibus.
And there was a sufficiently strong garrison, as soldiers had been transferred from Metapontum to protect the citadel of Tarentum.
§25.15.6itaque Metapontini extemplo metu, quo tenebantur, liberati ad Hannibalem defecere.
Therefore, the Metapontines, immediately freed from the fear by which they were held, defected to Hannibal.
§25.15.7hoc idem, edem ora maris et Thurini fecerunt.
The Thurians also on the same coast did the same.
movit eos non Tarentinorum magis defectio Metapontinorumque, quibus indidem ex Achaia oriundi etiam cognatione iuncti erant, quam ira in Romanos propter obsides nuper interfectos.
They were moved not so much by the defection of the Tarentines and Metapontines, to whom they were joined also by kinship, being sprung from the same Achaea, as by anger against the Romans because of the hostages recently put to death.
§25.15.8eorum amici cognatique litteras ac nuntios ad Hannonem Magonemque, qui in propinquo in Bruttiis erant, miserunt, si exercitum ad moenia admovissent, se in potestatem eorum urbem tradituros esse.
Their friends and relatives sent letters and messages to Hanno and Mago, who were nearby in the Bruttian territory, stating that if they moved their army to the walls, they would deliver the city into their power.
M. Atinius Thuriis cum modico praesidio praeerat,
M.
§25.15.9quem facile elici ad certamen temere ineundum rebantur posse non militum, quos perpaucos habebat, fiducia, quam iuventutis Thurinae; eam ex industria centuriaverat armaveratque ad talis casus.
Atinius was in command at Thurii with a moderate garrison, whom they believed could easily be lured into rashly entering a contest, not through reliance on his soldiers, of whom he had very few, but on the Thurian youth, whom he had purposely organized into centuries and armed for such emergencies.
§25.15.10divisis copiis inter se duces Poeni cum agrum Thurinum ingressi essent, Hanno cum peditum agmine infestis signis ire ad urbem pergit, Mago cum equitatu tectus collibus apte ad tegendas insidias oppositis subsistit.
Having divided their forces between them, when the Carthaginian leaders had entered the Thurian territory, Hanno proceeded with a column of infantry with hostile standards toward the city, while Mago halted with the cavalry, concealed by hills suitably situated for covering an ambush.
§25.15.11Atinius peditum tantum agmine per exploratores comperto in aciem copias educit et fraudis intestinae et hostium insidiarum ignarus.
Atinius, having learned through scouts only of the column of infantry, led his forces out to battle, ignorant both of the internal treachery and of the enemy's ambush.
§25.15.12pedestre proelium fuit persegne paucis in prima acie pugnantibus Romanis, Thurinis expectantibus magis quam adiuvantibus eventum; et Carthaginiensium acies de industria pedem referebat, ut ad terga collis ab equite suo insessi hostem incautum pertraheret.
The infantry battle was very sluggish, with few Romans fighting in the front rank, and the Thurians waiting for rather than helping the outcome; and the Carthaginian line was purposely retreating, so that it might draw the unwary enemy to the rear of the hills occupied by their cavalry.
§25.15.13quo ubi est ventum, coorti cum clamore equites prope inconditam Thurinorum turbam nec satis fido animo, unde pugnabat, stantem extemplo in fugam averterunt.
When they reached that spot, the cavalry, rising up with a shout, immediately routed the almost unorganized crowd of the Thurians, who stood with not very loyal minds where they were fighting.
§25.15.14Romani, quamquam circumventos hinc pedes, hinc eques urgebat, tamen aliquamdiu pugnam traxere.
The Romans, although pressed on one side by the infantry and on the other by the cavalry who surrounded them, nevertheless prolonged the fight for some time.
postremo et ipsi terga vertunt atque ad urbem fugiunt.
At last they too turned their backs and fled to the city.
§25.15.15ibi proditores conglobati cum popularium agmen patentibus portis accepissent, ubi Romanos fusos ad urbem ferri viderunt, conclamant instare Poenum, permixtosque et hostis urbem invasuros, ni propere portas claudant.
There the traitors, having gathered together and admitted the column of their fellow citizens through the open gates, when they saw the Romans routed and rushing to the city, shouted that the Carthaginian was pressing on and that the enemy also, mixed with them, would invade the city unless they closed the gates quickly.
ita exclusos Romanos praebuere hosti ad caedem, Atinius tamen cum paucis receptus.
Thus they shut out the Romans and exposed them to the enemy for slaughter, though Atinius was admitted with a few men.
§25.15.16seditio inde paulisper tenuit cum alii manendum in Romanae societatis fide, alii cedendum fortunae et tradendam urbem victoribus censerent.
Then a discord held them for a short time, as some thought they should remain in the loyalty of the Roman alliance, while others thought they should yield to fortune and deliver the city to the victors.
ceterum, ut plerumque fortuna et consilia mala vicerunt:
But, as usually happens, fortune and bad counsels prevailed.
§25.15.17Atinio cum suis ad mare ac naves deducto, magis quia ipsi ob imperium in se mite ac iustum consultum volebant, quam respectu Romanorum, Carthaginienses in urbem accipiunt.
Having escorted Atinius with his men to the sea and the ships, more because they themselves wished his safety on account of his mild and just command over them than out of respect for the Romans, they admitted the Carthaginians into the city.
§25.15.18consules a Benevento in Campanum agrum legiones ducunt non ad frumenta modo, quae iam in herbis erant, §25.15.19corrumpenda, sed ad Capuam oppugnandam, nobilem se consulatum tam opulentae urbis excidio rati facturos, simul et ingens flagitium imperio dempturos, quod urbi tam propinquae tertium annum inpunita defectio esset.
The consuls led the legions from Beneventum into the Campanian territory, not only to destroy the grain, which was already in the blade, but to besiege Capua, thinking that they would make their consulship noble by the destruction of so wealthy a city, and at the same time remove a great disgrace from the empire, because the rebellion of a city so close had gone unpunished for the third year.
§25.15.20ceterum ne Beneventum sine praesidio esset, et ut ad subita belli, si Hannibal, quod facturum haud dubitabant, ad opem ferendam sociis Capuam venisset, equitis vim sustinere possent, Ti.
But, so that Beneventum might not be without a garrison, and so that they might be able to withstand the force of the cavalry in sudden emergencies of war if Hannibal, as they had no doubt he would do, should come to Capua to bring aid to his allies, they ordered Ti.
Gracchum ex Lucanis cum equitatu ac levi armatura Beneuentum venire iubent: legionibus stativisque ad obtinendas res in Lucanis aliquem praeficeret.
Gracchus to come from Lucania to Beneventum with his cavalry and light-armed troops; he was to put someone in charge of the legions and stationary camps in Lucania to maintain affairs there.