1In the Roman army, though there were two consuls of equal power, the supreme command, which is the most salutary arrangement in the conduct of great affairs, rested with his colleague by Agrippa's concession, and the one preferred responded courteously to the compliance of the one who subordinated himself, sharing his plans and his credit and treating as his equal a man who was not. 2In the battle line Quinctius held the right wing, Agrippa the left; 2the centre is given to the legate Spurius Postumius Albus to hold, and they put the other legate, Publius Sulpicius, in command of the cavalry. 3The infantry on the right wing fought splendidly, though the Volsci resisted with no lack of vigour.
4Publius Sulpicius broke through the middle of the enemy line with the cavalry. 4Though he could have returned the same way to his own men before the enemy re-formed its disordered ranks, it seemed better to attack the enemy's rear; 4and in a moment, charging the line from behind, he would have scattered the enemy with terror on both sides, had not the cavalry of the Volsci and Aequi intercepted him with a fight of their own and held him for some time. 5Then indeed Sulpicius declared that there was no time for delay, crying out that they were surrounded and cut off from their own men unless they strained with all their might and finished the cavalry battle.
6Nor was it enough to put the cavalry to flight while leaving them intact; 6let them destroy horses and men, so that none might ride back from there to the battle or renew the fight; 6those men could not resist them, before whom a close-packed line of infantry had given way. 7His words did not fall on deaf ears. 7With a single charge they routed the whole cavalry, hurled a great number from their horses, and ran men and horses through with their javelins. 7That was the end of the cavalry battle. 8Then attacking the infantry line, they sent messengers to the consuls to report what had been done, at a point where the enemy line was already giving way.
8The news then both heightened the spirits of the victorious Romans and struck dismay into the Aequi as they fell back. 9They began to be beaten first in the centre, where the cavalry, let loose, had thrown the ranks into confusion; 10then the left wing began to be driven back by the consul Quinctius; 10on the right there was most toil. 10There Agrippa, fierce in youth and strength, seeing that the battle was going better in every part of the field than where he was, snatched standards from the standard-bearers and began to carry them forward himself, and even to throw some into the thick of the enemy; 11roused by fear of that disgrace, the soldiers charged the enemy.
11Thus victory was made equal on every side. 11A messenger then came from Quinctius to say that he was already victorious and threatening the enemy's camp; 11he did not wish to break in before he knew that the war was won on the left wing too; 12if Agrippa had already routed the enemy, he should bring his standards over to him, so that the whole army might take possession of the plunder together. 13The victorious Agrippa came, with mutual congratulations, to his victorious colleague and the enemy's camp. 13There, since the defenders were few and were routed in a moment, they burst into the fortifications without a fight and led the army back in possession of enormous plunder, having recovered also their own property, which had been lost in the ravaging of the fields.
14I find that they neither asked for a triumph themselves nor had one offered them by the senate, and no reason is recorded for the honour being spurned or not hoped for. 15As far as I can conjecture at so great a distance of time, since a triumph had been refused by the senate to the consuls Valerius and Horatius, who besides the Volsci and Aequi had won glory for finishing the Sabine war as well, the consuls felt ashamed to ask for a triumph for half as much achievement, lest, even if they obtained it, regard should seem to have been had for persons rather than merits.