[5,62] Ταῦτα προκαλουμένων τῶν πρεσβευτῶν οὐκ ἀξιοῦσα δίκην ὑποσχεῖν Ἀρικηνοῖς ἡ βουλή, περὶ ὧν οἱ κατηγοροῦντες ἔμελλον γίνεσθαι κριταί, καὶ οὐδὲ μέχρι τούτων κριτὰς ἔσεσθαι ὑπολαμβάνουσα τοὺς ἐχθρούς, ἀλλὰ προσθήσειν ἔτι βαρύτερα τούτων ἐπιτάγματα, δέχεσθαι τὸν πόλεμον ἐψηφίσαντο. τῆς μὲν οὖν ἀρετῆς ἕνεκα καὶ τῆς ἐμπειρίας τῶν ἀγώνων οὐδεμίαν ὑπελάμβανον καταλήψεσθαι τὴν πόλιν συμφοράν, τὸ δὲ πλῆθος ὠρρώδει τῶν πολεμίων· καὶ πολλαχῇ διαπέμπουσα πρέσβεις παρεκάλει τὰς πλησιοχώρους πόλεις ἐπὶ συμμαχίαν, ἀντιπρεσβευομένων εἰς τὰς αὐτὰς καὶ τῶν Λατίνων καὶ πολλὰ τῆς Ῥώμης κατηγορούντων. Ἕρνικες μὲν οὖν κοινῇ συνελθόντες ὕποπτα καὶ οὐδὲν ὑγιὲς ἀμφοτέραις ταῖς πρεσβείαις ἀπεκρίναντο, συμμαχήσειν μὲν οὐδετέροις λέγοντες κατὰ τὸ παρόν, βουλεύσεσθαι δ´ ὁπότεροι δικαιότερα ἀξιοῦσι κατὰ σχολήν, τῇ δὲ βουλῇ χρόνον ἐνιαύσιον ἀποδώσειν. Ῥότολοι δὲ Λατίνοις μὲν ἐπικουρίαν πέμψειν ἄντικρυς ὑπέσχοντο, Ῥωμαίοις δ´ ἐὰν βουληθῶσι καταλύσασθαι τὴν ἔχθραν, διὰ σφῶν μετριωτέρους παρέξειν Λατίνους ἔφασαν καὶ τὰς συμβάσεις αὐτοῖς διαιτήσειν. Οὐολοῦσκοι δὲ καὶ θαυμάζειν ἔλεγον τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀναισχυντίας, ὅτι συνειδότες ἑαυτοῖς, ὅτι τά τ´ ἄλλα ἠδικηκότες ἦσαν αὐτοὺς καὶ τὰ τελευταῖα {ὡς} τῆς χώρας τὴν κρατίστην αὐτοὺς ἀφελόμενοι κατεῖχον, οὐδὲν ἧσσον ἐτόλμησαν ἐπὶ συμμαχίαν ἐχθροὺς ὄντας σφᾶς παρακαλεῖν, συνεβούλευόν τ´ αὐτοῖς ἀποδοῦσι τὴν χώραν τότε παρ´ αὐτῶν ὡς φίλων ἀπαιτεῖν τὰ δίκαια. Τυρρηνοὶ δ´ ἀμφοτέροις ἐμποδὼν ἐγίνοντο, Ῥωμαίοις μὲν σπονδὰς γεγονέναι λέγοντες οὐ πρὸ πολλοῦ, πρὸς δὲ Ταρκυνίους συγγένειαν εἶναι σφίσι καὶ φιλίαν. τοιαῦτα τούτων ἀποκριναμένων οὐθὲν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι ταπεινωθέντες, ὃ παθεῖν εἰκὸς ἦν τοὺς μέγαν τε πόλεμον αἰρομένους καὶ πάσας ἀπεγνωκότας τὰς συμμαχικὰς ἐλπίδας, ἀλλὰ ταῖς οἰκείαις δυνάμεσι πιστεύοντες μόναις πολλῷ προθυμότεροι πρὸς τὸν ἀγῶνα ἐγίνοντο, ὡς διὰ τὴν ἀνάγκην ἄνδρες ἀγαθοὶ παρὰ τοὺς κινδύνους ἐσόμενοι, καὶ ἐὰν κατὰ νοῦν πράξωσι ταῖς ἰδίαις ἀρεταῖς κατορθώσαντες τὸν πόλεμον οὐδενὶ κοινωσόμενοι τῆς δόξης. τοσοῦτον αὐτοῖς φρονήματος καὶ τόλμης ἐκ τῶν πολλῶν ἀγώνων περιῆν.

[5,62] This was the proposal made by the ambassadors; but the senate was unwilling to plead its cause with the Aricians in a controversy in which their accusers would be the judges, and they did not imagine that their enemies would even confine their judgment to these charges alone, but would add other demands still more grievous than these; and accordingly they voted to accept war. So far, indeed, as bravery and experience in warfare were concerned, they did not suppose any misfortune would befall the commonwealth, but the multitude of their enemies alarmed them; and sending ambassadors in many directions, they invited the neighbouring cities to an alliance, while the Latins in their turn sent counter-embassies to the same cities and bitterly assailed Rome. The Hernicans, meeting together, gave suspicious and insincere answers to both embassies, saying that they would not for the present enter into an alliance with either, but would consider at leisure which of the two nations made the juster claims, and that they would give a year's time to that consideration. The Rutulians openly promised the Latins that they would send them assistance, and assured the Romans that, if they would consent to give up their enmity, they through their influence would cause the Latins to moderate their demands and would mediate a peace between them. The Volscians said they even wondered at the shamelessness of the Romans, who, though conscious of the many injuries they had done them, and (p189) particularly of the latest, in taking from them the best part of their territory and retaining it, had nevertheless had the effrontery to invite them, who were their enemies, to an alliance; and they advised them first to restore their lands and then to ask satisfaction from them as from friends. The Tyrrhenians put obstacles in the way of both sides by alleging that they had lately made a treaty with the Romans and that they had ties of kinship and friendship with the Tarquinii. Notwithstanding these answers, the Romans abated nothing of their spirit, which would have been a natural thing for those who were entering upon a dangerous war and had given up hope of any assistance from their allies; but trusting to their own forces alone, they grew much more eager for the contest, in the confidence that because of their necessity they would acquit themselves as brave men in the face of danger, and that if they succeeded according to their wish and won the war by their own valour, the glory of it would not have to be shared with anyone else. Such spirit and daring had they acquired from their many contests in the past.