[8,10] Ὡς δὲ ταῦτ´ εἶπον οἱ πρέσβεις, ἐβουλεύοντο κατὰ σφᾶς οἱ σύνεδροι μεταστησάμενοι τοὺς ἄνδρας, καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἔκριναν ἃς χρὴ ἀποκρίσεις ποιήσασθαι, καλέσαντες αὐτοὺς πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸν σύλλογον ταύτην ἔδοσαν τὴν ἀπόφασιν. Οὐ λανθάνετε ἡμᾶς, ὦ Οὐολοῦσκοι, φιλίας μὲν οὐδὲν δεόμενοι, πρόφασιν δ´ εὐπρεπῆ λαβεῖν βουλόμενοι τοῦ πολέμου. ἃ γὰρ ἥκετε παρ´ ἡμῶν ἀπαιτοῦντες, καλῶς ἐπίστασθε οὐδέποτε ληψόμενοι· χρῄζετε γὰρ ἀδίκων τε καὶ ἀδυνάτων. εἰ μὲν οὖν δόντες ἡμῖν τὰ χωρία ἔπειτα μεταδόξαν ὑμῖν νῦν ἀπαιτεῖτε, ἀδικεῖσθε μὴ κομιζόμενοι, εἰ δὲ πολέμῳ ἀφαιρεθέντες οὐκέτι αὐτῶν ὄντες κύριοι, ἀδικεῖτε τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐφιέμενοι. ἡμεῖς δὲ κρατίστας ἡγούμεθα κτήσεις, ἃς ἂν πολέμῳ κρατήσαντες λάβωμεν, οὔτε πρῶτοι καταστησάμενοι νόμον τόνδε οὔτε αὐτὸν ἀνθρώπων ἡγούμενοι εἶναι μᾶλλον ἢ οὐχὶ θεῶν· ἅπαντάς τε καὶ Ἕλληνας καὶ βαρβάρους εἰδότες αὐτῷ χρωμένους οὐκ ἂν ἐνδοίημεν ὑμῖν μαλακὸν οὐδὲν οὐδ´ ἂν ἀποσταίημεν ἔτι τῶν δορικτήτων. πολλὴ γὰρ ἂν εἴη κακότης, εἴ τις ἃ μετ´ ἀρετῆς καὶ ἀνδρείας ἐκτήσατο, ταῦθ´ ὑπὸ μωρίας τε καὶ δειλίας ἀφαιρεθείη. πολεμεῖν τ´ οὔτε μὴ βουλομένους ὑμᾶς ἀναγκάζομεν, οὔτε προθυμουμένους παραιτούμεθα, ἂν δ´ ἄρξησθε ἀμυνούμεθα. ταῦτα Οὐολούσκοις ἀπαγγέλλετε καὶ λέγετε, ὅτι λήψονται μὲν πρότεροι τὰ ὅπλ´ ἐκεῖνοι, θήσομεν δ´ ἡμεῖς ὕστεροι.

[8,10] When the ambassadors had thus spoken, the senators ordered them to withdraw, after which they consulted by themselves. Then, when they had determined upon the answer they ought to make, they called them back into the senate and gave this decision: "We are not unaware, Volscians, that it is not friendship you want, but that you wish to find a specious pretext for war. For you well know that you will never obtain what you have come to demand (p31) of us, since you desire things that are unjust and impossible. If, indeed, having made a present to us of these places, you now, having changed your minds, demand them back, you are suffering a wrong if you do not recover them; but if, having been deprived of them by war and no longer having any claim to them, you demand them back, you are doing wrong in coveting the possessions of others. As for us, we regard as in the highest degree our possessions those that we gain through victory in war. We are not the first who have established this law, nor do we regard it as more a human than a divine institution. Knowing, too, that all nations, both Greeks and barbarians, make use of this law, we will never show any sign of weakness to you or relinquish any of our conquests hereafter. For it would be great baseness for one to lose through folly and cowardice what one has acquired by valour and courage. We neither force you to go to war against your will nor deprecate war if you are eager for it; but if you begin it, we shall defend ourselves. Return this answer to the Volscians, and tell them that, though they are the first to take up arms, we shall be the last to lay them down."