ch. 532.53 [Note] The domestic conflicts
came to an end; war began again with the Veientines, with
whom the Sabines had formed an armed league. The Latin and
Hernican auxiliaries were summoned, and the consul P.
Valerius was sent with an army to Veii. He at once attacked
the Sabine
camp, which was situated in front of the walls of their
allies, and created such confusion that while small bodies of
the defenders were making sorties in various directions to
repel the attack, the gate against which the assault had been
first made was forced, and once inside the rampart it became
a massacre
rather than a battle. The noise in the camp penetrated even
to the city, and the Veientines flew to arms, in a state of
as great alarm as if Veii itself was taken. Some went to the
help of the Sabines, others attacked the Romans, who were
wholly occupied with their assault on the camp. For a few
moments they were checked and thrown into confusion; then,
forming front in both directions, they offered a steady
resistance while the cavalry whom the consul had ordered to
charge routed the Tuscans and put them to flight. In the same
hour, two armies, the two most powerful of the neighbouring
states, were overcome.
Whilst this was going on at Veii, the Volscians and
Aequi had encamped in the Latin territory and were ravaging
their
borders. The Latins, in conjunction with the Hernici drove
them out of their camp without either a Roman general or
Roman troops. They recovered their own property and obtained
immense booty in addition. Nevertheless, the consul C.
Nautius was sent from Rome against the Volscians. They did
not approve, I think, of the custom of allies carrying on war
in their own strength and on their own methods, without any
Roman general or army. There was no kind of injury or insult
that was not practised against the Volscians; they could not,
however, be driven to fight a regular battle.
