§9.2.1haec non laeta magis quam vera vaticinatus exercitu educto circa Caudium castra quam potest occultissime locat;
Having prophesied these things, which were not more joyful than they were true, Pontius led out his army and pitched his camp around Caudium as secretly as possible.
§9.2.2inde ad Calatiam, ubi iam consules Romanos castraque esse audiebat, milites decem pastorum habitu mittit pecoraque diversos, alium alibi, haud procul Romanis pascere iubet praesidiis;
From there to Calatia, where he heard that the Roman consuls and their camp already were, he sent ten soldiers in the garb of shepherds, and ordered them to pasture their flocks in different directions, one in one place, another in another, not far from the Roman outposts.
§9.2.3ubi inciderint in praedatores, ut idem omnibus sermo constet: legiones Samnitium in Apulia esse, Luceriam omnibus copiis circumsedere, nec procul abesse, quin vi capiant.
When they should fall in with foragers, they were to tell all the same story: that the legions of the Samnites were in Apulia, besieging Luceria with all their forces, and were not far from taking it by force.
iam is rumor, §9.2.4et ante de industria vulgatus, venerat ad Romanos, sed fidem auxere captivi, eo maxime, quod sermo inter omnes congruebat.
Already this rumor, which had also been intentionally spread beforehand, had reached the Romans, but the captives increased its credibility, most of all because the story agreed among them all.
§9.2.5haud erat dubium, quin Lucerinis opem Romanus ferret, bonis ac fidelibus sociis, simul ne Apulia omnis ad praesentem terrorem deficeret; ea modo, qua irent, consultatio fuit.
There was no doubt that the Romans would bring aid to the Lucerians, good and faithful allies, and at the same time prevent all Apulia from revolting in the face of the present terror; the only consultation was which way they should go.
§9.2.6duae ad Luceriam ferebant viae, altera praeter oram superi maris, patens apertaque, sed quanto tutior, tanto fere longior, altera per furculas Caudinas, brevior;
There were two roads that led to Luceria: one along the coast of the Upper Sea, broad and open, but as much longer as it was safer; the other through the Caudine Forks, which was shorter.
§9.2.7sed ita natus locus est: saltus duo alti, angusti silvosique sunt, montibus circa perpetuis inter se iuncti; iacet inter eos satis patens, clausus in medio, campus herbidus aquosusque, per quem medium iter est;
But the nature of the place was this: there are two deep, narrow, and wooded passes, joined together by continuous mountains around them; between them lies a sufficiently wide, grassy, and well-watered plain, enclosed in the middle, through the midst of which the road runs.
§9.2.8sed antequam venias ad eum, intrandae primae angustiae sunt, et aut eadem, qua te insinuaveris, retro via repetenda aut, si ire porro pergas, per alium saltum, artiorem inpeditioremque, evadendum.
But before you come to it, the first narrow pass must be entered, and you must either retrace your steps backward by the same way by which you introduced yourself, or, if you proceed to go forward, you must escape through another pass, narrower and more obstructed.
§9.2.9in eum campum via alia per cavam rupem Romani demisso agmine cum ad alias angustias protinus pergerent, saeptas deiectu arborum saxorumque ingentium obiacente mole invenere.
When the Romans, with their column marching down into that plain by another road through a hollow rock, proceeded straight on toward the other narrow pass, they found it blocked by a barricade of felled trees and huge stones.
cum fraus hostilis apparuisset, praesidium etiam in summo saltu conspicitur.
When the enemy's stratagem became apparent, a garrison was also seen on the summit of the pass.
§9.2.10citati inde retro, qua venerant, pergunt repetere viam; eam quoque clausam sua obice armisque inveniunt.
Hurrying back from there by the way they had come, they proceeded to retrace their path; but they found that also closed by its own barrier and by armed men.
sistunt inde gradum sine ullius imperio, stuporque omnium animos ac velut torpor quidam insolitus membra tenet,
Thereupon they halted without anyone's order, and a stupor seized the minds of all, and a kind of strange torpor held their limbs.
§9.2.11intuentesque alii alios, cum alterum quisque conpotem magis mentis ac consilii ducerent, diu inmobiles silent;
And gazing at one another, since each thought the other more master of his mind and counsel, they remained for a long time motionless and silent.
§9.2.12deinde, ubi praetoria consulum erigi videre et expedire quosdam utilia operi, quamquam ludibrio fore munientes perditis rebus ac spe omni adempta cernebant, §9.2.13tamen, ne culpam malis adderent, pro se quisque nec hortante ullo nec imperante ad muniendum versi castra propter aquam vallo circumdant, sua ipsi opera laboremque inritum, §9.2.14praeterquam quod hostes superbe increpabant, cum miserabili confessione eludentes.
Then, when they saw the consuls' tents being pitched and some preparing tools useful for the work, although they saw that entrenching in a ruined state of affairs and with all hope taken away would be a laughing-stock, yet, lest they should add fault to their misfortunes, each for himself, without anyone encouraging or commanding, turned to fortifying and surrounded the camp with a rampart near the water, they themselves, as to their own work and useless labor, mocking it with a pitiable confession, besides the fact that the enemy was haughtily taunting them.
§9.2.15ad consules maestos, ne advocantes quidem in consilium, quando nec consilio nec auxilio locus esset, sua sponte legati ac tribuni conveniunt, militesque ad praetorium versi opem, quam vix di inmortales ferre poterant, ab ducibus exposcunt.
To the sorrowful consuls, who did not even call a council, since there was room neither for counsel nor for aid, the legates and tribunes assembled of their own accord, and the soldiers, turning toward the general's tent, demanded from their leaders the aid which the immortal gods themselves could scarcely bring.