9.42
After
bringing to a victorious close the war which had been allotted to his
colleague, Fabius returned to his own sphere of action. As he had conducted
operations with such success the senate followed the precedent set by the
people in the previous year and extended his command for a third year in
spite of the strenuous opposition of Appius Claudius who was now consul,
the other consul being L. Volumnius. I find in some annalists that Appius
was a candidate for the consulship while he was still censor, and that L.
Furius, a tribune of the plebs, stopped the election until he had resigned his
censorship. A new enemy, the Sallentines, had appeared, and the conduct of
this war was assigned to his colleague; Appius himself remained in Rome
with the view of strengthening his influence by his domestic administration,
as the attainment of military glory was in other hands. Volumnius had no
cause to regret this arrangement, he fought many successful actions and took
some of the enemy's cities by storm. He was lavish in distributing the spoil,
and this generosity was rendered still more pleasing by his frank and cordial
manner; by qualities such as these he made his men keen to face any perils or
labours. Q. Fabius, as proconsul, fought a pitched battle with the Samnites
near the city of Allifae. There was very little uncertainty as to the result; the
enemy were routed and driven to their camp, and they would not have held
that had more daylight been left. Before night, however, their camp was
completely invested, so that none could escape. On the morrow while it was
still twilight they made proposals for surrender, and their surrender was
accepted on condition that the Samnites should be dismissed with one
garment apiece after they had all passed under the yoke. No provision had
been made for their allies, and as many as 7000 of them were sold into
slavery. Those who declared themselves Hernicans were separated and
placed under guard; subsequently Fabius sent them all to the senate in Rome.
After inquiries had been made as to whether they had fought for the
Samnites against Rome as conscripts or as volunteers, they were committed
to the custody of the Latin cities. The new consuls, P. Cornelius Arvina and
Q. Marcius Tremulus, were ordered to bring the whole question of the
prisoners before the senate. The Hernicans resented this, and a national
council was held at Anagnia in what they call the Maritime Circus; the whole
nation thereupon, with the exception of Aletrium, Ferentinae, and Verulae,
declared war against Rome.