ἱστορίαι Historiai
Liv. 34.14 The History of Rome, Livy; served verbatim
After attending to the auspices the consul started at midnight in order that he mig ht take up the position which he intended to secure before the enemy were aware of his movements. He led his troops round to the rear of the enemy's campaxed formed them into line at daybreak, after which he sent three cohorts right up to the hostile rampart.5, Startled by the appear-ance of the Romans behind their lines, the barbarians flew to arms. Meanwhile the consul briefly addressed his men.“There 巧no hope," he said.“anywhere but in courage, and indeed I 了.尸、.尸r have t吐en care that there shall not be. Between us and our camp is the enemy, and behind us enemy country. The noblest course is also the safest, and that is to rest all your hopes in vour valour." Then he ordered the cohorts to be recalled that their feigned retreat might draw the natives out of their came. .tiis anticipations were reansea. 1 ney tnougnt tnat the tcomans had retired through fear, and bursting out of, their camp they covered with their numbers the whole of the ground between their camp and the Roman line of battle. Whilst they were hurriedly forming their ranks the consul, whose dispositions were completed, commenced the attack. The cavalry on the two wings were the first to get into action, but those on the 吨ht were immediately repulsed and their hasty retirement created alarm amongst the infantry. On seeing this, the consul ordered two picked cohorts to be taken round the enemy's right and to show themselves in his rear before the infantry became engaged. This menace to the enemv made the battle a more even one:sUU。the riant wing. Dotn cavatrv ana inrantrv. had become so demoralised that the consul seized some of them with his own hand and turned them towards the foe. As long as the action was confined to the discharge of missiles it was equally contested on both sides, but now the Roman right where the panic and flight began was with difficulty holding its ground; the left, on the other hand, was pressing back the barbarians in front, and the cohorts in the rear were creating a panic amongst them. When they had discharged their iron javelins and fire darts they drew their swords and the fighting became more furious. They were no longer wounded by chance hits from a distance, but foot to foot with the foe they had only their strength and courage to trust to.

The Greek stands ready in the workroom; the English is served. Both faces will read together.

← Liv. 34.13 contents Liv. 34.15 →

The History of Rome, Livy — translated by Rev. Canon Roberts, 1912
Apparatus shelf + pinned Wikisource — Livy, The History of Rome (Rev. Canon Roberts translation, Everyman's Library) · Rev. Canon Roberts, Everyman's Library (J. M. Dent & Sons / E. P. Dutton), first issue 1912; six volumes
license: public-domain (the Roberts translation's Everyman first issue is 1912, pre-1930; Wikisource dates the translation 1905 — either way decades inside the US public domain; digital-door text carries no additional rights)