1The contests at home were over; 1a war with Veii arose, and the Sabines had joined their arms with them. 1The consul Publius Valerius, having summoned auxiliaries from the Latins and Hernici, was sent with an army to Veii and at once attacked the Sabine camp, which had been placed before the walls of their allies, and caused such panic that, while they ran out in scattered groups, some one way, some another, to ward off the enemy's attack, the gate against which he had first advanced was taken. 2Then within the rampart there was slaughter rather than battle. 2The uproar from the camp penetrates into the city as well; 2the Veientes run to arms in as great a panic as if Veii had been captured.
2Some go to the help of the Sabines, others attack the Romans, intent with all their force on the camp. 3For a little while the Romans were turned and thrown into confusion; 3then they too faced both ways and resisted, and the cavalry sent in by the consul routs and puts the Tuscans to flight; 3and in the same hour two armies, two of the most powerful and greatest neighbouring peoples, were overcome. 4While this was happening at Veii, the Volsci and Aequi had pitched camp in Latin territory and laid waste the country. 4The Latins by themselves, taking the Hernici as allies, without either a Roman general or Roman help, drove them out of their camp; 5besides recovering their own property, they gained enormous booty.
5Nevertheless the consul Gaius Nautius was sent from Rome against the Volsci; 5it was not liked, I suppose, that allies should get into the habit of waging wars with their own forces and strategy, without a Roman general and army. 6There was no kind of disaster and humiliation not inflicted upon the Volsci, and yet they could not be driven to fight a pitched battle.