Ab urbe condita

Q. Fabius and P. Decius were succeeded in the consulship by L. Postumius Megellus and M. Atilius Regulus.

Samnium was assigned to both of them as the field of operations in consequence of information received that three armies had been raised there, one being destined for Etruria, another was to ravage Campania, and the third was intended for the defence of their frontiers.

Illness kept Postumius in Rome, but Atilius marched out at once in accordance with the senate's instructions, with the view of surprising the Samnite armies before they had started on their expeditions.

He met the enemy, as though they had had a previous understanding, at a point where he himself was stopped from entering the Samnite country and at the same time barred any movement on their part towards Roman territory or the peaceable lands of her allies.

The two camps confronted each other, and the Samnites, with the recklessness that comes of despair, ventured upon an enterprise which the Romans, who had been so often victorious, would hardly have undertaken, namely an attack on the enemy's camp. Their daring attempt did not achieve its end, but it was not altogether fruitless.

During a great part of the day there had been so dense a fog that it was not only impossible to see anything beyond the rampart, but even people who were together were unable to see each other.

The Samnites, relying on their movements being concealed, came on in the dim twilight —what light there was being obscured by the fog —and

reached the outpost in front of the gate who were keeping a careless look-out, and who being thus attacked unawares had neither the strength nor the courage to offer any resistance. After disposing of the guard they entered the camp through the decuman gate and got

possession of the quaestor's tent, [*](This tent stood in the space between the porta decumana marked R and the Via Quintana marked Q in the plan of a Roman camp in the Class. Dict., where also the cavalry of the allies are marked who would be the nearest to the inrushing enemy. The Via Principalis ran from the one parta principalis (T) to the other (U).) the quaestor, L. Opimius Pansa, being killed. Then there was a general call to arms.

The consul roused by the tumult ordered two of the allied cohorts, those from Luca and Suessa, which happened to be the nearest, to protect the headquarters' tent, and then he mustered the maniples in the via principalis.

They got into line almost before they were in proper fighting trim, and they located the enemy by the direction of the shouting rather than by anything that they could see; as to his numbers they were quite unable to form any estimate.

Doubtful as to their position they at first retreated, and thus allowed the enemy to advance as far as the middle of the camp.

Seeing this the consul asked them whether they were going to be driven outside their rampart, and then try to recover their camp by assaulting it. Then they raised the battle-shout and steadily held their ground until they were able to take the offensive and force the

enemy back, which they did persistently without giving him a moment's respite, until they had driven him outside the gate and past the rampart. Further than that they did not venture to go in pursuit, because the bad light made them fear the possibility of a surprise.

Content with having cleared the enemy out of the camp they retired within the rampart, having killed about 300. On the Roman side, the outposts who were killed and those who fell round the quaestor's tent amounted to 230.