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

15. The assembly was dismissed, and a council of¹ war was held to determine whether they should press the siege with all their forces, or should employ one army and its general to test the dispositions of the Apulians around them —a people whose sympathies were still in doubt. [2] The consul Publilius set out on a march through Apulia and in a single expedition either subjugated, or by granting terms, received into alliance, a goodly number of states. [3] Papirius, too, who had remained behind at Luceria to conduct the siege, soon found the outcome answerable to his hopes; for all the roads by which supplies were wont to be brought in from Samnium were blocked, and the Samnite garrison were reduced by hunger to send a deputation to the Roman consul with an offer to release the horsemen who were the cause of the war, on condition that he would raise the siege. [4] Papirius replied that they ought to have gone to Pontius, the son of Herennius, at whose instance they had sent the Romans under the yoke, to find out what the vanquished deserved to suffer; [5] however, since they preferred that their enemies should decide on a just penalty for them, rather than propose one for themselves, he bade them take word to Luceria that they should leave their arms, packs, sumpter animals, and all the noncombatants, within the walls; [6] the soldiers he [p. 219]intended to send under the yoke, clad only in their² tunics, inflicting on them no new disgrace, but requiting that which had first been put upon the Romans. [7] they made no objection, and seven thousand men were sent under the yoke. huge spoils were captured in Luceria, and all the standards and arms which had been lost at Caudium were retaken, and, to cap the climax of their joy, the horsemen were recovered whom the Samnites had assigned, as pledges of peace, to be guarded at Luceria. [8] there is scarce any other Roman victory more glorious for its sudden reversal of fortune, especially if it is true, as I find in certain annals, that Pontius the son of Herennius, the Samnite general —in —chief, was sent with the rest under the yoke, to expiate the humiliation of the consuls.

[9] be that as it may, I am not greatly surprised that there should be some doubt as to the general of the enemy who was surrendered and disgraced; the amazing thing is the uncertainty whether it was Lucius Cornelius, as dictator —with Lucius Papirius Cursor, as master of the horse —who [10] won these victories at Caudium and subsequently at Luceria, and, because of the signal vengeance that he exacted for Rome's shame, enjoyed a triumph which I should be inclined to rate as the best —deserved of all down to that time, next after that of Furius Camillus; or whether that honour belongs to the consuls —and particularly to Papirius. [11] this doubt is attended with another —whether at the ensuing election Papirius Cursor was retained in office in recognition of his victory at Luceria, being returned for a third time to the consulship, together with Quintus Aulius Cerretanus —then chosen for the second time —or [p. 221]whether it was Lucius Papirius Mugillanus, and the³ mistake was a matter of the surname.