Rome gains a haughty family and loses a hero:
After all of this, the Sabines invaded the Roman lands; Marcus Valerius (the brother of Publicola) and Postumius Tubertus were selected as consuls. As the wars were conducted by the wisdom and presence of Publicola, Marcus won in two battles, in the second of which he lost no Romans but slaughtered 13,000 of the enemy.
In the following year, Publicola served as consul again, and an assault of the allied Sabines and Latin tribes against Rome was expected. There was among the Sabines a man named Appius Claudius who was foremost of his countrymen in riches and bodily strength, while also being famed for his virtue and his wonderful speech. He was resented for these things and was charged by his countrymen with attempting to stop the war. On that account, he went to Rome and persuaded several of his friends and attendants to follow him. Publicola gave them all a friendly welcome, and enrolled Claudius in the senate. From this point, he conducted himself as a shrewd citizen, and arrived at the height of reputation; he left the Claudian gens absolutely flourishing at the height of fame. The Sabines made this the pretext for war, and threatened the city with a great army. Publicola led the Romans against them and conducted his army well; in a short time, he had destroyed all of the enemy. He helped the populace greatly with the spoils and captives. He held a triumph for the victory, and handing the city over to the succeeding consuls, he died straightaway. He was buried and mourned by the people for an entire year.
Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Σαβίνων ἐμβαλόντων εἰς τὴν χώραν ὕπατος ἀνεδείχθη Μάρκος Οὐαλέριος ἀδελφὸς Ποπλικόλα καὶ Ποστούμιος Τούβερτος. πραττομένων δὲ τῶν πολέμων γνώμῃ καὶ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ Ποπλικόλα, δυσὶ μάχαις ὁ Μάρκος ἐνίκησεν, ὧν ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ μηδένα ῾Ρωμαίων ἀποβαλὼν τρισχιλίους ἐπὶ μυρίοις τῶν πολεμίων ἀνεῖλε. Τῷ δ’ ἑξῆς ἔτει πάλιν ὑπάτευε Ποπλικόλας. καὶ προσεδοκᾶτο Σαβίνων τε καὶ Λατίνων ὁμονοησάντων κατὰ τῆς ῾Ρώμης προσέλασις. ἦν δ’ ἐν Σαβίνοις ἀνὴρ ῎Αππιος Κλαύδιος ἔν τε χρήμασι καὶ ῥώμῃ σώματος πρωτεύων, ἐν ἀρετῆς δὲ μάλιστα δόξῃ ἐπιφανὴς καὶ λόγου δεινότητι· ὃς διὰ ταῦτα φθονούμενος ἐπεβουλεύετο παρὰ τῶν ὁμογενῶν ὅτι συνεβούλευε καταπαύειν τὸν πόλεμον. διὸ αὐτός τε τῇ ῾Ρώμῃ προσεληλύθει καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν φίλων τε καὶ οἰκείων συνέπεσθαί οἱ συνέπεισεν. οὓς ὁ Ποπλικόλας φιλοφρόνως ἐδέξατο, τῇ βουλῇ τὸν Κλαύδιον προσγραψάμενος. ὅθεν καὶ ἐμφρόνως πολιτευόμενος ἀνέδραμεν εἰς τὸ πρῶτον ἀξίωμα, καὶ γένος μέγα τὸ Κλαυδίων κατέλιπεν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἀνθῆσαν καὶ προεληλυθὸς εἰς δόξης ἀκρότητα. οἱ δὲ Σαβῖνοι καὶ τοῦτο τοῦ πολέμου ποιησάμενοι πρόφασιν στρατῷ μεγάλῳ κατὰ τῆς ῾Ρώμης ἐπήλασαν. οἷς τοὺς ῾Ρωμαίους ὁ Ποπλικόλας ἀντεπαγαγών, καὶ στρατηγήσας ὡς ἄριστα, μικροῦ πάντας ἀπώλεσε· καὶ τὸν δῆμον ἐκ τῶν λαφύρων καὶ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων ὠφέλησεν. ἀγαγὼν δ’ ἐπὶ τῇ νίκῃ θρίαμβον, καὶ τοῖς μετ’ αὐτὸν πάτοις παραδοὺς τὴν πόλιν, εὐθὺς ἐτελεύτησε, δημοσίᾳ ταφεὶς καὶ θρηνηθεὶς ἐφ’ ὅλον ἐνιαυτόν.
