[5,50] Ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς ἑβδομηκοστῆς ὀλυμπιάδος, ἣν ἐνίκα στάδιον Νικέας Λοκρὸς ἐξ Ὀποῦντος, ἄρχοντος Ἀθήνησι Σμύρου, παραλαμβάνουσι τὴν ὕπατον ἀρχὴν Πόστομος Κομίνιος καὶ Τῖτος Λάρκιος· ἐφ´ ὧν ἀπέστησαν αἱ Λατίνων πόλεις ἀπὸ τῆς Ῥωμαίων φιλίας, Ὀκταουΐου Μαμιλίου τοῦ κηδεύσαντος Ταρκυνίῳ τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους ἐξ ἑκάστης πόλεως, τοὺς μὲν ὑποσχέσεσι δώρων, τοὺς δὲ δεήσεσι πείσαντος συμπρᾶξαι τοῖς φυγάσι τὴν κάθοδον. καὶ γίνεται κοινὴ τῶν συναγομένων εἰς Φερεντῖνον ἀγορὰ πλὴν μιᾶς τῆς Ῥωμαίων πόλεως· ταύτῃ γὰρ οὐκ ἐπήγγειλαν μόνῃ παρεῖναι, καθάπερ εἰώθεσαν· ἐν ᾗ ψῆφον ἐνεγκεῖν ἔδει τὰς πόλεις περὶ τοῦ πολέμου καὶ στρατηγοὺς ἀποδεῖξαι καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων βουλεύσασθαι παρασκευῶν. ἐτύγχανε δὲ κατὰ τὸν χρόνον τοῦτον ἀπεσταλμένος ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων πρεσβευτὴς Μάρκος Οὐαλέριος ἀνὴρ ὑπατικὸς εἰς τὰς ὁμόρους πόλεις δεησόμενος αὐτῶν μηδὲν νεωτερίζειν· ἐλῄστευον γὰρ ἐξ αὐτῶν τινες τοὺς ὁμοτέρμονας ἀγροὺς ὑπὸ τῶν δυνατῶν ἀποστελλόμενοι καὶ πολλὰ τοὺς γεωργοὺς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἔβλαπτον· ὃς ἐπειδὴ τὴν κοινὴν σύνοδον ἔγνω τῶν πόλεων γιγνομένην ἐπὶ τῷ διενεγκεῖν ἁπάσας τὴν περὶ τοῦ πολέμου ψῆφον, ἐλθὼν ἐπὶ τὸν σύλλογον καὶ λόγον αἰτησάμενος παρὰ τῶν προέδρων ἔλεξεν, ὅτι πεμφθείη μὲν ὑπὸ τῆς πόλεως πρεσβευτὴς πρὸς τὰς ἀποστελλούσας τὰ λῃστήρια πόλεις δεησόμενος αὐτῶν τοὺς ἐνόχους τοῖς ἀδικήμασιν ἐξευρούσας ἐκδοῦναι σφίσι τιμωρίας ὑφέξοντας κατὰ τὸν νόμον, ὃν ἐν ταῖς συνθήκαις ὥρισαν, ὅτε συνετίθεντο τὴν φιλίαν, καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἀξιώσων φυλάττειν, ἵνα μηδὲν ἁμάρτημα γένηται κοινόν, ὃ διαστήσει τήν τε φιλίαν αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν συγγένειαν. ὁρῶν δ´ ἁπάσας συνεληλυθυίας τὰς πόλεις ἐπὶ τῷ κατὰ Ῥωμαίων πολέμῳ καὶ τοῦτ´ ἐκ πολλῶν μὲν καὶ ἄλλων καταλαμβανόμενος, μάλιστα δ´ ὅτι Ῥωμαίοις μόνοις οὐ παρήγγειλαν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀγορὰν παρεῖναι, γεγραμμένον ἐν ταῖς συνθήκαις ἁπάσας παρεῖναι τὰς πόλεις ταῖς κοιναῖς ἀγοραῖς, ὅσαι τοῦ Λατίνων εἰσὶ γένους, παραγγειλάντων αὐταῖς τῶν προέδρων, θαυμάζειν, τί δήποτε παθόντες ἢ τί κατηγορεῖν ἔχοντες τῆς πόλεως οἱ σύνεδροι μόνην οὐ παρέλαβον ἐκείνην ἐπὶ τὸν σύλλογον, ἣν πρώτην τε πασῶν ἔδει παρεῖναι καὶ πρώτην ἐρωτᾶσθαι γνώμην ἡγεμονίαν ἔχουσαν τοῦ ἔθνους, ἧς ἔτυχε παρ´ αὐτῶν ἑκόντων ἀντὶ πολλῶν καὶ μεγάλων εὐεργεσιῶν.

[5,50] In the seventieth Olympiad (the one in which Niceas of Opus in Locris won the foot-race), Smyrus being archon at Athens, Postumus Cominius and Titus Larcius took over the consulship. In their year of office the cities of the Latins withdrew from the friendship of the Romans, Octavius Mamilius, the son-in-law of Tarquinius, having prevailed upon the most prominent men of every city, partly by promises of gifts and partly by entreaties, to assist in restoring the exiles. And a general assembly was held of all the cities that were wont to meet at Ferentinum except Rome (for this was the only city they had not notified as usual to be present), at which the cities were to give their votes concerning war, to choose generals, and to consider the other (p149) preparations. Now it happened that at this time Marcus Valerius, a man of consular rank, had been sent as ambassador by the Romans to the neighbouring cities to ask them not to begin any revolt; for some of their people sent out by the men in power were plundering the neighbouring fields and doing great injury to the Roman husbandmen. This man, upon learning that the general assembly of the cities was being held so that all might give their votes concerning the war, came to the assembly; and requesting of the presidents leave to speak, he said that he had been sent as ambassador by the commonwealth to the cities that were sending out the bands of robbers, to ask of them that they would seek out the men who were guilty of these wrongs and deliver them up to be punished according to the provision which they had laid down in the treaty when they entered into their league of friendship, and also to demand that they take care for the future that no fresh offence should occur to disrupt their friendship and kinship. But, observing that all the cities had met together in order to declare war against the Romans — a purpose which he recognized, not only from many other evidences, but particularly because the Romans were the only persons they had not notified to be present at the assembly, although it was stipulated in the treaty that all the cities of the Latin race should be represented at the general assemblies when summoned by the presidents — he said he wondered what provocation or what cause of complaint against the commonwealth had caused the deputies to omit Rome from the cities they had invited to the assembly, when she ought to have been the first of all to be represented and the first (p151) to be asked her opinion, inasmuch as she held the leadership of the nation, which she had received from them with their own consent in return for many great benefits she had conferred upon them.