[8,9] Τοιαῦτα μὲν ὁ Μάρκιος εἶπεν. οἱ δὲ Οὐολοῦσκοι λέγοντός τε τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἔτι δῆλοι ἦσαν ἀγάμενοι τοὺς λόγους, καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἐπαύσατο μεγάλῃ βοῇ πάντες ἐπεσήμηναν ὡς τὰ κράτιστα ὑποθεμένῳ λόγον τ´ οὐθενὶ προθέντες ἐπικυροῦσι τὴν γνώμην. γραφέντος δὲ τοῦ δόγματος εὐθὺς ἐξ ἑκάστης πόλεως τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους ἄνδρας ἑλόμενοι πρεσβευτὰς εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην ἀπέστειλαν· τῷ δὲ Μαρκίῳ ψηφίζονται βουλῆς τε μετουσίαν ἐν ἁπάσῃ πόλει καὶ ἀρχὰς ἐξεῖναι πανταχόσε μετιέναι καὶ τῶν ἄλλων, ὁπόσα τιμιώτατα ἦν παρ´ αὐτοῖς, μετέχειν. καὶ πρὶν ἢ τὰς Ῥωμαίων ἀποκρίσεις ἀναμεῖναι, πάντες ἔργου εἴχοντο παρασκευαζόμενοι τὰ πολέμια· ὅσοι τ´ ἦσαν αὐτῶν ἄθυμοι τέως κακωθέντες ἐν ταῖς προτέραις μάχαις, τότε πάντες ἐπερρώσθησαν ὡς τὴν Ῥωμαίων καθαιρήσοντες ἰσχύν. οἱ δ´ εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην ἀποσταλέντες ὑπ´ αὐτῶν πρέσβεις καταστάντες ἐπὶ τὴν βουλὴν ἔλεγον· Ὅτι Οὐολούσκοις περὶ πολλοῦ ἐστι καταλύσασθαι τὰ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ἐγκλήματα καὶ τὸν λοιπὸν χρόνον εἶναι φίλοις καὶ συμμάχοις ἄνευ δόλου καὶ ἀπάτης. ἔσεσθαι δὲ τὸ πιστὸν αὐτοῖς τῆς φιλίας βέβαιον ἀπέφαινον, εἰ κομίσαιντο γῆν τε τὴν ἑαυτῶν καὶ πόλεις, ἃς ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων ἀφῃρέθησαν· ἄλλως δ´ οὔτ´ εἰρήνην οὔτε φιλότητα βεβαίαν ὑπάρξειν αὐτοῖς· τὸ γὰρ ἀδικούμενον ἀεὶ πολέμιον εἶναι τῷ πλημμελοῦντι φύσει. ἠξίουν τε μὴ καταστῆσαι σφᾶς εἰς ἀνάγκην πολέμου τῶν δικαίων ἀποτυγχάνοντας.

[8,9] Thus Marcius spoke. And the Volscians not only made it clear while he was yet speaking that they were pleased with his words, but, after he had done, they all with a great shout signified that they found his advice most excellent; and permitting no one else to speak, they adopted his proposal. After the decree had been drawn up they at once chose the most important men out of every city and sent them (p29) to Rome as ambassadors. As for Marcius, they voted that he should be a member of the senate in every city and have the privilege of standing for the magistracies everywhere, and should share in all the other honours that were most highly prized among them. Then, without waiting for the Romans' answer, the all set to work and employed themselves in warlike preparations; and all of them who had hitherto been dejected because of their defeats in the previous battles now took courage, feeling confident that they would overthrow the power of the Romans. In the mean time the ambassadors they had sent to Rome, upon being introduced into the senate, said that the Volscians were very desirous that their complaints against the Romans should be settled and that for the future they should be friends and allies without fraud or deceit. And they declared that it would be a sure pledge of friendship if they received back the lands and the cities which had been taken from them by the Romans; otherwise there would be neither peace nor secure friendship between them, since the injured party is always by nature an enemy to the aggressor. And they asked the Romans not to reduce them to the necessity of making war because of their failure to obtain justice.