§3.70.1in exercitu Romano cum duo consules essent potestate pari, quod saluberrimum in administratione magnarum rerum est, summa imperii concedente Agrippa penes collegam erat, et praelatus ille facilitati summittentis se comiter respondebat communicando consilia laudesque et aequando inparem sibi.
In the Roman army, although the two consuls were of equal power—a thing which is most salutary in the administration of great affairs—by the concession of Agrippa, the supreme command was in the hands of his colleague; and he who was thus preferred responded courteously to the ease of the one who humbled himself, by sharing his plans and honors, and by making his unequal partner equal to himself.
§3.70.2in acie Quinctius dextrum cornu, Agrippa sinistrum tenuit; Sp. Postumio Albo legato datur media acies tuenda, legatum alterum P. Sulpicium equitibus praeficiunt.
In the battle line, Quinctius held the right wing, Agrippa the left; the defense of the center of the line was entrusted to the legate Spurius Postumius Albus, and they placed the other legate, Publius Sulpicius, in command of the cavalry.
§3.70.3pedites ab dextro cornu egregie pugnavere haud segniter resistentibus Volscis.
The infantry on the right wing fought excellently, with the Volscians resisting not sluggishly.
§3.70.4P. Sulpicius per mediam hostium aciem cum equitatu perrupit.
Publius Sulpicius broke through the center of the enemy's line with the cavalry.
unde cum eadem reverti posset ad suos, priusquam hostis turbatos ordines reficeret, terga inpugnare hostium satius visum est; momentoque temporis in aversam incursando aciem ancipiti terrore dissipasset hostes, ni suo proprio eum proelio equites Volscorum et Aequorum exceptum aliquamdiu tenuissent.
Although he could have returned from there by the same way to his own men before the enemy could reform their disordered ranks, it seemed better to attack the enemy's rear; and in a moment of time, by charging into the rear of their line, he would have scattered the enemy with a double terror, had not the cavalry of the Volscians and Aequians met him and held him for some time in a combat of their own.
§3.70.5ibi vero Sulpicius negare cunctandi tempus esse, circumventos interclusosque ab suis vociferans, ni equestre proelium conixi omni vi perficerent.
There indeed Sulpicius cried out that there was no time for delaying, shouting that they would be surrounded and cut off from their own men, unless they exerted all their strength to finish the cavalry battle.
§3.70.6nec fugare equitem integrum satis esse; conficerent equos virosque, ne quis reveheretur inde ad proelium aut integraret pugnam; non posse illos resistere sibi, quibus conferta peditum acies cessisset. §3.70.7haud surdis auribus dicta.
"Nor is it enough to put unbroken cavalry to flight; they must finish off both horses and men, so that no one may ride back from there to the battle or renew the fight; those whom the dense line of infantry had yielded to cannot resist us." These words were not spoken to deaf ears.
inpressione una totum equitatum fudere, magnam vim ex equis praecipitavere, ipsos equosque spiculis confodere.
With a single charge they routed the entire cavalry, threw many of them headlong from their horses, and transfixed both the men and their horses with javelins.
is finis pugnae equestris fuit.
This was the end of the cavalry battle.
§3.70.8tunc adorti peditum aciem nuntios ad consules rei gestae mittunt, ubi iam inclinabatur hostium acies.
Then, attacking the infantry line, they sent messengers of what had been done to the consuls, where the enemy's line was already beginning to give way.
nuntius deinde et vincentibus Romanis animos auxit et referentes gradum perculit Aequos.
The message then both increased the courage of the victorious Romans and struck terror into the Aequians who were retreating.
§3.70.9in media primum acie vinci coepti, qua permissus equitatus turbaverat ordines;
They began to be defeated first in the center of the line, where the cavalry, having been let loose, had thrown their ranks into confusion.
§3.70.10sinistrum deinde cornu ab Quinctio consule pelli coeptum; in dextro plurimum laboris fuit.
Then the left wing began to be pushed back by the consul Quinctius; on the right wing, there was the greatest amount of labor.
ibi Agrippa, aetate viribusque ferox, cum omni parte pugnae melius rem geri quam apud se videret, arrepta signa ab signiferis ipse inferre, quaedam iacere etiam in confertos hostes coepit; §3.70.11cuius ignominiae metu concitati milites invasere hostem.
There Agrippa, fierce in his youth and strength, when he saw that the battle was going better in every other part than in his own, having snatched the standards from the standard-bearers, began to carry them forward himself, and even to throw some into the thick of the enemy; stirred by the fear of this disgrace, the soldiers fell upon the enemy.
ita aequata ex omni parte victoria est.
Thus the victory was made equal in every part.
nuntius tum a Quinctio venit victorem iam se imminere hostium castris; nolle inrumpere, antequam sciat debellatum et in sinistro cornu esse; §3.70.12si iam fudisset hostes, conferret ad se signa, ut simul omnis exercitus praeda potiretur.
A messenger then came from Quinctius, stating that he, now victorious, was close upon the enemy's camp; but that he did not wish to break in before he knew that the battle was completely finished on the left wing also; if Agrippa had already routed the enemy, he should bring his standards to him, so that the whole army might enjoy the booty at the same time.
§3.70.13victor Agrippa cum mutua gratulatione ad victorem collegam castraque hostium venit.
Agrippa, victorious, with mutual congratulations came to his victorious colleague and the camp of the enemy.
ibi paucis defendentibus momentoque fusis sine certamine in munitiones inrumpunt praedaque ingenti conpotem exercitum suis etiam rebus recuperatis, quae populatione agrorum amissae erant, reducunt.
There, since only a few were defending it and were routed in a moment, they broke into the fortifications without a struggle, and led back the army, enriched with immense booty, and having recovered even their own belongings which had been lost in the devastation of the fields.
§3.70.14triumphum nec ipsos postulasse nec delatum iis ab senatu accipio, nec traditur causa spreti aut non sperati honoris.
I find that they neither requested a triumph nor was it offered to them by the senate, nor is any reason recorded why this honor was despised or not hoped for.
§3.70.15ego quantum in tanto intervallo temporum conicio, cum Valerio atque Horatio consulibus, qui praeter Volscos et Aequos Sabini etiam belli perfecti gloriam pepererant, negatus ab senatu triumphus esset, verecundiae fuit pro parte dimidia rerum consulibus petere triumphum, ne, etiamsi impetrassent, magis hominum ratio quam meritorum habita videretur.
For my part, as far as I can conjecture at such a distance of time, since a triumph had been denied by the senate to the consuls Valerius and Horatius, who besides the Volscians and Aequians had also won the glory of completing the Sabine war, it was a matter of modesty for the consuls to seek a triumph for only a half portion of achievements, lest, even if they should obtain it, regard for persons rather than for merits should seem to have been had.