§31.10.1omnium animis in bellum Macedonicum versis repente, nihil minus eo tempore timentibus, Gallici tumultus fama exorta.
While the minds of all were turned toward the Macedonian war, suddenly, a thing they were fearing least at that time, the rumor of a Gallic uprising arose.
§31.10.2Insubres Cenomanique et Boii excitis Celinibus Ilvatibusque et ceteris Ligustinis populis Hamilcare Poeno duce, qui in iis locis de Hasdrubalis exercitu substiterat, Placentiam invaserant; §31.10.3et direpta urbe ac per iram magna ex parte incensa, vix duobus milibus hominum inter incendia ruinasque relictis, traiecto Pado ad Cremonam diripiendam pergunt.
The Insubres, Cenomani, and Boii, having excited the Celini, Ilvates, and other Ligurian peoples, under the leadership of Hamilcar the Carthaginian, who had remained in those places from Hasdrubal's army, had invaded Placentia; and after the city was plundered and for the most part burned in anger, with scarcely two thousand people left among the fires and ruins, they crossed the Po and proceeded to plunder Cremona.
§31.10.4vicinae urbis audita clades spatium colonis dedit ad claudendas portas praesidiaque per muros disponenda, ut obsiderentur tamen prius quam expugnarentur nuntiosque mitterent ad praetorem Romanum.
The news of the disaster of the neighboring city gave space to the colonists to close the gates and distribute guards along the walls, so that they might at least be besieged before they were taken by storm, and might send messengers to the Roman praetor.
§31.10.5L. Furius Purpurio tum provinciae praeerat cetero ex senatus consulto exercitu dimisso praeter quinque milia socium ac Latini nominis; cum iis copiis in proxima regione provinciae circa Ariminum substiterat.
Lucius Furius Purpurio was then in charge of the province, the rest of the army having been disbanded in accordance with a decree of the senate, except for five thousand of the allies and the Latin name; with these forces he had halted in the nearest region of the province around Ariminum.
is tum senatui scripsit, quo in tumultu provincia esset: §31.10.6duarum coloniarum, quae ingentem illam tempestatem Punici belli subterfugissent, alteram captam ac direptam ab hostibus, alteram oppugnari; §31.10.7nec in exercitu suo satis praesidii colonis laborantibus fore, nisi quinque milia socium quadraginta milibus hostium — tot enim in armis esse — trucidanda obicere velit, et tanta sua clade iam inflatos excidio coloniae Romanae augeri hostium animos.
He then wrote to the senate in what a state of tumult the province was: that of the two colonies which had escaped that huge tempest of the Punic War, one had been captured and plundered by the enemy, and the other was being besieged; and that there would not be enough protection in his army for the laboring colonists, unless he wished to expose five thousand of the allies to be slaughtered by forty thousand of the enemy—for so many were in arms—and that the spirits of the enemy, already puffed up by such a great disaster of ours, were being increased by the destruction of a Roman colony.