[8,11] Ταύτας οἱ πρέσβεις τὰς ἀποκρίσεις λαβόντες ἀπήγγειλαν τῷ πλήθει τῶν Οὐολούσκων. συναχθείσης οὖν αὖθις ἐκκλησίας μετὰ τοῦτο κυροῦται δόγμα κοινὸν τοῦ ἔθνους προειπεῖν Ῥωμαίοις τὸν πόλεμον. ἔπειθ´ αἱροῦνται στρατηγοὺς αὐτοκράτορας τοῦ πολέμου Τύλλον τε καὶ Μάρκιον δυνάμεις τε ψηφίζονται καταγράφειν καὶ χρήματ´ εἰσφέρειν καὶ τἆλλα παρασκευάσασθαι, ὅσων ὑπελάμβανον δεήσειν τῷ πολέμῳ. μελλούσης δὲ διαλύεσθαι τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀναστὰς ὁ Μάρκιος ἔφησεν· Ἃ μὲν ἐψήφισται τὸ κοινὸν ὑμῶν, ἔχει καλῶς καὶ γινέσθω κατὰ τὸν οἰκεῖον ἕκαστα καιρόν· ἐν ὅσῳ δὲ τὰ στρατεύματα μέλλετε καταγράφειν καὶ τἆλλα εὐτρεπίζειν ἕξοντά τινας ὥσπερ εἰκὸς ἀσχολίας καὶ διατριβάς, ἐγὼ καὶ Τύλλος ἔργου ἐχώμεθα. ὅσοις οὖν ὑμῶν βουλομένοις ἐστὶ προνομεῦσαι τὴν τῶν πολεμίων καὶ πολλὴν ἀποτεμέσθαι λείαν, ἴτε σὺν ἡμῖν. ὑποδέχομαι δ´ ὑμῖν, ἐὰν θεὸς συλλάβῃ, πολλὰς καὶ καλὰς δώσειν ὠφελείας. ἔτι γὰρ ἀπαράσκευοί εἰσι Ῥωμαῖοι δύναμιν οὔπω συνεστηκυῖαν ὁρῶντες ὑμετέραν, ὥστ´ ἀδεῶς ἡμῖν ὑπάρξει πᾶσαν ὅσην ἂν βουλώμεθα τῆς ἐκείνων χώρας καταδραμεῖν.

[8,11] The ambassadors, having received this answer, reported it to the Volscian people. Another assembly was accordingly called and a decree of the whole nation was passed to declare war against the Romans. After this they appointed Tullus and Marcius generals for the war with full power and voted to levy troops, to raise money, and to prepare everything else they thought would be necessary for the war, When the assembly was about to be dismissed, Marcius rose up (p33) and said: "What your league has voted is all well and good; and let each provision be carried out at the proper season. But while you are planning to enrol your armies and making other preparations which, in all probability, will involve some to and delay, let Tullus and me set to work. As many of you, therefore, as wish to plunder the enemy's territory and to gain much booty, come with us. I undertake, with the assistance of Heaven, to give you many rich spoils. For the Romans, observing that your forces have not yet been assembled, are as yet unprepared; so that we shall have an opportunity of overrunning as large a part of their country as we please without molestation."