Titus Livius (Livy), The History of Rome, Book 9
Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D., Ed.

16. it is agreed that from this point onwards the war was brought to a conclusion by the consuls. Aulius finished in one successful battle the campaign against the Ferentani,¹ and having exacted hostages, received the surrender of the city itself, in which their defeated army had taken [2] refuge. with no less good fortune the other consul overcame the Satricans, who —though Roman citizens —had revolted, after the Caudine misfortune, to the Samnites, of whom they had admitted a garrison into their [3] city. for when the Roman army had drawn near the walls of Satricum, the townspeople sent ambassadors to sue humbly for peace; but the consul returned them a harsh answer: that unless they put to death the Samnite garrison or delivered it up, they must come back to him no more —a saying which struck more terror into their hearts than the threatened [4] assault. and so the envoys persisted in demanding of the consul how he supposed that they, being few and weak, could force so strong and well —armed a [5] garrison. but he bade them seek advice from those same men at whose instigation they had received the garrison into their city; and after they had with no small difficulty persuaded him to suffer them to consult their senate in the matter and report to him its decision, they went back to their [6] people. two factions kept the senate divided: one of these had for leaders the men who had inspired the revolt from Rome, the other was composed of loyal citizens; both, however, were equally anxious to accommodate the consul, so that they might be granted [7] peace. one party, seeing that the Samnite garrison was [p. 223]intending to escape on the following night —for they had² made no preparations for enduring a siege —deemed it sufficient to let the consul know at what hour and by what gate the enemy meant to leave, and what road he planned to [8] take. The others, who had opposed going over to the Samnites, that same night also opened a gate to the consul, and without letting the Samnites know, admitted his soldiers into the [9] city. in consequence of this double betrayal, the Samnite garrison was surprised and overpowered by an ambush laid in the woods about their road, while a shout went up in the city, which was filled with enemies. thus, in one crowded hour, the Samnites were slain and the Satricans captured, and all things brought under the power of the consul; who conducted an investigation, and, having ascertained who were responsible for the defection, had the guilty parties scourged and [10] beheaded; after which he imposed a strong garrison upon the Satricans and deprived them of their arms.

[11] Papirius Cursor then departed for Rome to celebrate his triumph, as those writers state who name him as the commander who recovered Luceria and sent the Samnites under the [12] yoke. no question, he was a man deserving of all praise as a soldier, excelling, as he did, not only in the vigour of his spirit, but in physical strength. he possessed remarkable fleetness of foot, which was even the source of his [13] surname.³ it is said that he vanquished all his mates at running, whether owing to the [p. 225]strength of his legs or to much exercise; that he⁴ had also the greatest capacity for food and [14] wine; and that no general was harder on his men, whether horse or foot, for his own constitution could never be overcome by [15] toil. it is related how his cavalrymen ventured once to ask him if in view of their good conduct he would not excuse them from some portion of their duties; to whom he answered, “that you may not say that I have excused you nothing, I freely excuse you from the duty of rubbing your backs when you [16] dismount.” and the man possessed a power of command which was equally effective with citizens and allies. a Praenestine praetor had, through timidity, been somewhat slow in bringing his men up from the supports to the fighting [17] line. Papirius strolled over to the praetor's tent and having bidden them call him out, commanded a lictor to prepare his [18] axe. hearing this the praetor stood aghast, but Papirius said to the lictor, “come, cut out this root; it is a nuisance to those who walk.” he then fined the man and let him go, half —dead with the fear of capital [19] punishment. there can be no doubt that in his generation, than which none was ever more fruitful of great qualities, there was no single man who did more to uphold the Roman State. indeed people regard him as one who might have been a match in generalship for Alexander the Great, if the latter, after subjugating Asia, had turned his arms against Europe.