Ab urbe condita

Two thousand one hundred combatants were cut off and made prisoners and an enormous quantity of plunder was seized.

To avoid loading the army with a lot of heavy baggage Decius called his men together and addressed them thus: “Are you going to content yourselves with this one victory and this spoil? Raise your hopes and expectations to the height of your courage. All the cities of the Samnites and all the wealth left in them are yours now that their legions, routed in so many battles, have at last been driven by you beyond their frontiers.

Sell what you now hold and attract traders by the hope of profit to follow our armies; I shall frequently supply you with things for sale.

Let us go on to the city of Romulea where still greater spoil awaits you but not greater exertions.” The booty was then sold and the men, urging on their commander, marched to Romulea. Here, too, no siege works were constructed, no artillery employed, the moment the standards were brought up to the walls no resistance on the part of the defenders could keep the men back; they planted their scalingladders just where they happened to be, and swarmed on to the walls.