§9.31.1consules inter se provincias partiti; Iunio Samnites, Aemilio novum bellum Etruria sorte obvenit.
The consuls divided the provinces between themselves; the Samnites fell to Iunius, and a new war, Etruria, fell by lot to Aemilius.
§9.31.2in Samnio Cluviani praesidium Romanum, quia nequiverat vi capi, obsessum fame in deditionem acceperant Samnites verberibusque foedum in modum laceratos occiderant deditos.
In Samnium, the Roman garrison at Cluviae, because it could not be taken by force, had been besieged by hunger and forced to surrender; the Samnites, having accepted their surrender, put them to death after lacerating them in a shocking manner with scourging.
§9.31.3huic infensus crudelitati Iunius, nihil antiquius oppugnatione Cluviani ratus, quo die adgressus est moenia, vi cepit atque omnes puberes interfecit.
Resentful of this cruelty, Iunius, thinking nothing more important than the storming of Cluviae, on the very day he attacked the walls, took them by force and put all the adult males to death.
§9.31.4inde victor exercitus Bovianum ductus.
Thence the victorious army was led to Bovianum.
caput hoc erat Pentrorum Samnitium longe ditissimum atque opulentissimum armis virisque.
This was the capital of the Pentrian Samnites, by far the richest and most powerful in arms and men.
§9.31.5ibi, quia haud tantum irarum erat, spe praedae milites accensi oppido potiuntur.
There, because there was not so much anger, the soldiers, fired by the hope of booty, made themselves masters of the town.
minus itaque saevitum in hostes est; praedae plus paene quam ex omni Samnio umquam egestum benigneque omnis militi concessa.
Consequently, there was less severity shown towards the enemy; almost more booty was carried away than had ever been taken from the whole of Samnium, and all of it was generously granted to the soldiers.
et postquam praepotentem armis Romanum §9.31.6nec acies subsistere ullae nec castra nec urbes poterant, omnium principum in Samnio eo curae sunt intentae, ut insidiis quaereretur locus, si qua licentia populandi effusus exercitus excipi ac circumveniri posset.
And after they saw that against the Roman, prepotent in arms, neither any battle lines, nor camps, nor cities could stand their ground, the attention of all the leading men in Samnium was directed to this: that a place for an ambush should be sought, in case the army, dispersed in any license of plundering, could be caught and surrounded.
transfugae agrestes et captivi, §9.31.7quidam forte, pars consilio oblati, congruentia ad consulem adferentes, quae et vera erant, pecoris vim ingentem in saltum avium conpulsam esse, perpulerunt, ut praedatum eo expeditae ducerentur legiones.
Rustic deserters and captives, some presenting themselves by chance, others by design, bringing consistent reports to the consul—which were also true—that a vast quantity of cattle had been driven into a pathless defile, persuaded him to lead the legions thither, unencumbered, for the sake of plunder.
§9.31.8ibi ingens hostium exercitus itinera occultus insederat et, postquam intrasse Romanos vidit saltum, repente exortus cum clamore ac tumultu incautos invadit.
There a huge army of the enemy lay hidden, occupying the paths, and as soon as it saw the Romans enter the defile, suddenly rising with a shout and tumult, it fell upon them while they were off their guard.
§9.31.9et primo nova res trepidationem fecit, dum arma capiunt, sarcinas congerunt in medium; dein postquam, ut quisque liberaverat se onere aptaveratque armis, ad signa undique coibant et notis ordinibus in vetere disciplina militiae iam sine praecepto ullius sua sponte struebatur acies, §9.31.10consul ad ancipitem maxime pugnam advectus desilit ex equo et Iovem Martemque atque alios testatur deos se nullam suam gloriam inde, sed praedam militi quaerentem in eum locum devenisse §9.31.11neque in se aliud quam nimiam ditandi ex hoste militis curam reprehendi posse; ab eo se dedecore nullam rem aliam quam virtutem militum vindicaturam.
And at first, the novelty of the situation caused confusion, while they were taking up arms and piling their baggage into the center; then, after each man, as soon as he had freed himself from his burden and fitted himself with arms, began to assemble from all sides to the standards, and the battle line was being formed of its own accord, without anyone's command, in familiar ranks according to the ancient discipline of warfare, The consul, riding up to where the struggle was most critical, leaped from his horse and called Jupiter, Mars, and the other gods to witness that he had come into that place seeking no glory for himself from it, but only booty for his soldiers; and that nothing could be blamed in him except an excessive care to enrich his soldiers from the enemy; and that from that disgrace nothing other than the valor of his soldiers would deliver him.
§9.31.12coniterentur modo uno animo omnes invadere hostem, victum acie, castris exutum, nudatum urbibus, ultimam spem furto insidiarum temptantem et loco, non armis fretum.
Let them only strive with one mind to attack the enemy, who, defeated in the field, stripped of their camp, and denuded of their cities, were trying their last hope by the stealth of an ambush, relying on the ground, not on arms.
§9.31.13sed quem esse iam virtuti Romanae inexpugnabilem locum Fregellana arx Soranaque et ubicumque iniquo successum erat loco memorabantur.
But what place could now be impregnable to Roman valor? The citadel of Fregellae, that of Sora, and every place where a successful attempt had been made on unfavorable ground, were recalled to mind.
§9.31.14his accensus miles, omnium inmemor difficultatium, vadit adversus inminentem hostium aciem. ibi paulum laboris fuit, dum in adversum clivum erigitur agmen;
Fired by these words, the soldiers, forgetting all difficulties, advanced against the threatening line of the enemy.
§9.31.15ceterum postquam prima signa planitiem summam ceperunt sensitque acies aequo se iam institisse loco, versus extemplo est terror in insidiatores easdemque latebras, quibus se paulo ante texerant, palati atque inermes fuga repetebant.
There was a little difficulty there while the column was marching up the opposing slope; but after the front ranks gained the top of the level ground, and the line felt that it was now standing on equal footing, the terror was instantly turned upon the ambushers, who, scattered and unarmed, sought again in flight the same hiding places in which they had sheltered themselves shortly before.
§9.31.16sed loca difficilia hosti quaesita ipsos tum sua fraude inpediebant.
But the difficult ground which had been sought out to distress the enemy now hindered themselves by their own artifice.
itaque ergo perpaucis effugium patuit; caesa ad viginti milia hominum victorque Romanus ad oblatam ab hoste praedam pecorum discurrit.
And so, escape lay open to very few; about twenty thousand men were slain, and the victorious Romans dispersed to gather the booty of cattle offered by the enemy.