ch. 262.26Immediately afterwards a fresh alarm was created
at Rome by the Sabines, but it was more a sudden raid than a
regular war. News was brought during the night that a Sabine
army had advanced as far as the Anio on a predatory
expedition, and that the farms in that neighbourhood were
being harried and burnt. A. Postumius, who had been the
Dictator in the Latin war, was at once sent there with the
whole of the cavalry force; the consul Servilius followed
with a picked body of infantry. Most of the enemy were
surrounded by the cavalry while scattered in the fields; the
Sabine legion offered no resistance to the advance of the
infantry. Tired out with their march and the nocturnal
plundering-a large proportion of them were in the farms full
of food and wine—they had hardly sufficient strength to
flee.
The Sabine war was announced and concluded in one night, and
strong hopes were entertained that peace had now been secured
everywhere. The next day, however, envoys from the Auruncans
came with a demand for the evacuation of the Volscian
territory, otherwise they were to proclaim war. The army of
the Auruncans had begun their advance when the envoys left
home, and the report of its having been seen not far from
Aricia created so much excitement and confusion amongst the
Romans that it was impossible either for the senate to take
the matter into formal consideration, or for a favourable
reply to be given to those who were commencing hostilities,
since they were themselves taking up arms to repel them.
They marched to Aricia; not far from there they engaged the
Auruncans and in one battle finished the war.
