Curiosities & wonders > Titus Livius' Roman history

J-4-2.
TITUS LIVIUS*
Book II.
CHAP. XXVI.
The Sabines and Arunci defeated.
IMMEDIATELY after this> a war with the Sabines
menaced Rome, but. it was rather a tumult than a war.
The city was alarmed in the night, with an account, that
the Sabine army was ravaging the country, and had ad¬
vanced as far as the Anio, plundering and burning all
the farm-houses in their way. A. Posthumius, who had
been dictator in the war with the Latins, was immedi¬
ately sent against them with the cavalry, and the consul
Servilius followed him with a select body of infantry.
Most of the stragglers were cot oft by the horse, and the
resistance the Sabine legions made against the foot, when
they came up with them, was net vigorous. Exhausted
with their march, and plundering the country in the
night, and many of them overcharged with eating and
drinking in the houses as they had come along, had not
strength enough left to carry them away.
The war with the Sabines being begun and ended the
same night, the next day, when the Romans thought
they had now secured peace with all their neighbours,
the ambassadors of the Arunci came to the senate,
threatening them with an immediate declaration of war,
if they did not withdraw their troops from the territory
of the Volsci. At the same time that the couriers took
their departure for Rome, the army of the Aruuci began
their march. The report that it w-as seen near Aricia,
occasioned such hurry and confusion at Rome, that the
senate could not be properly consulted, and whilst they
were arming themselves, they could not give a deliberate
answer to those who had laid them under that necessity.
They immediately march for Aricia writh a hostile army,
nor was it far from thence, that they came up with the
Arunci, whom they discussed in one battle.