[8,38] Ταῦτα δὲ πράττοντες καὶ παρασκευαζόμενοι τῆς τ´ ἐλπίδος οὔπω ἀφιστάμενοι ὡς δυνατὸν ὑπάρχον ἔτι μεταπεισθῆναι τὸν Μάρκιον, εἰ μείζονι καὶ τιμιωτέρᾳ πρεσβείᾳ δεηθεῖεν αὐτοῦ, ψηφίζονται τούς θ´ ἱεροφάντας καὶ τοὺς οἰωνοσκόπους καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἅπαντας, ὅσοι τιμήν τινα ἱερὰν ἢ λειτουργίαν περὶ τὰ θεῖα δημοτελῆ λαβόντες εἶχον· εἰσὶ δὲ παρ´ αὐτοῖς ἱερεῖς καὶ θεραπευταὶ θεῶν πάνυ πολλοὶ καὶ αὐτοὶ οὗτοι διαφανέστατοι τῶν ἄλλων κατά τ´ οἴκους πατέρων καὶ ἀρετῆς οἰκείας ἀξίωσιν· ἔχοντας ἅμ´ αὐτοῖς τῶν ὀργιαζομένων τε καὶ θεραπευομένων θεῶν τὰ σύμβολα καὶ τὰς ἱερὰς ἀμπεχομένους ἐσθῆτας ἀθρόους ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα τῶν πολεμίων πορεύεσθαι τοὺς αὐτοὺς φέροντας τοῖς προτέροις λόγους. ὡς δ´ ἀφίκοντο οἱ ἄνδρες καὶ ἔλεξαν, ὅσα ἡ βουλὴ αὐτοῖς ἐπέστελλεν, οὐδὲ τούτοις ἔδωκεν ὁ Μάρκιος ἀπόκρισιν ὑπὲρ ὧν ἠξίουν, ἀλλ´ ἢ τὰ κελευόμενα ποιεῖν συνεβούλευεν ἀπιόντας, εἰ θέλουσιν εἰρήνην ἄγειν, ἢ προσδέχεσθαι τὸν πόλεμον ἥξοντα πρὸς τὴν πόλιν, καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἀπεῖπε μὴ διαλέγεσθαι πρὸς αὐτόν. ὡς δὲ καὶ ταύτης ἀπέτυχον τῆς πείρας οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι, πᾶσαν ἐλπίδα διαλλαγῆς ἀπογνόντες ὡς πολιορκησόμενοι παρεσκευάζοντο τοὺς μὲν ἀκμαιοτάτους ὑπὸ τῇ τάφρῳ καὶ παρὰ ταῖς πύλαις τάξαντες, τοὺς δ´ ἀφειμένους ἤδη στρατείας, οἷς ἔτι τὰ σώματα ἱκανὰ ἦν κακοπαθεῖν, ἐπὶ τοῖς τείχεσιν.

[8,38] While they were so engaged and were making their preparations, and were not yet ready to give up all hope, believing that Marcius could still be persuaded to relent if they sent a larger and more dignified embassy to intercede with him, they voted to send the pontiffs, the augurs, and all the others who were invested with any sacred dignity or public ministry relating to divine worship (there are among them large numbers of priests and ministers religion, these also being distinguished beyond their fellows not only for their ancestry, but for their reputation for personal merit as well), and that these, carrying with them the symbols of the gods whose rites and worship they performed, and wearing their priestly robes, should go in a body to the enemy's camp bearing the same message as the former envoys. When they arrived and delivered the message with which the senate had charged them, Marcius returned no other answer even to them concerning their demands, but advised them either to depart and do (p113) as he commanded, if they wished to have peace, or to expect the war to come to their very gates; and he forbade them to attempt any negotiations with him for the future. When the Romans failed in this attempt also, they gave up all hope of reconciliation and prepared for a siege, disposing the ablest of their men beside the moat and at the gates, and stationing upon the walls those who had been discharged from military service but whose bodies were still capable of enduring hardships.