Texte grec :
| [8,37] Ταῦτα ψηφισαμένης τῆς βουλῆς καὶ
πρεσβευτὰς ἑτέρους ἑλομένης δέκα ἄνδρας ἐκ τῶν ὑπατικῶν τοὺς
ἀξιώσοντας τὸν ἄνδρα μηθὲν ἐκφέρειν
ἐπίταγμα βαρὺ μηδ´ ἀνάξιον τῆς πόλεως, ἀλλὰ καταλύσαντα τὴν
ἔχθραν καὶ ἀναστήσαντα τὴν δύναμιν ἐκ
τῆς χώρας πειθοῖ καὶ διὰ λόγων συμβατηρίων ταῦτα
πειρᾶσθαι πράττειν, εἰ βούλεται βεβαίους τε καὶ εἰς
ἀεὶ διαμενούσας ποιήσασθαι τὰς ὁμολογίας τῶν πόλεων,
ὡς τῶν γε ὑπ´ ἀνάγκης τινὸς ἢ καιροῦ συγχωρουμένων καὶ
ἰδιώταις καὶ πόλεσιν ἅμα τῷ μεταπεσεῖν
τοὺς καιροὺς ἢ τὰς ἀνάγκας εὐθὺς διαλυομένων· οἱ
μὲν ἀποδειχθέντες ὑπ´ αὐτῆς πρέσβεις ἅμα τῷ πυθέσθαι τὴν
παρουσίαν τοῦ Μαρκίου πορευθέντες ὡς αὐτὸν πολλὰ ἐπαγωγὰ
διελέγοντο φυλάττοντες καὶ ἐν
τοῖς λόγοις τὸ ἀξίωμα τῆς πόλεως. ὁ δὲ Μάρκιος
ἄλλο μὲν οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς ἀπεκρίνατο, συνεβούλευε δὲ
κρεῖττόν τι βουλευσαμένους ἥκειν τριῶν ἐντὸς ἡμερῶν·
ταύτας γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἔσεσθαι μόνας ἀνοχὰς τοῦ πολέμου.
βουλομένων δέ τι πρὸς ταῦτα λέγειν τῶν ἀνδρῶν οὐκ
ἐπέτρεψεν, ἀλλ´ ἀπιέναι τὴν ταχίστην ἐκέλευσεν ἐκ τοῦ
χάρακος, ἀπειλήσας ὡς, εἰ μὴ ποιήσουσιν, ὡς κατασκόποις
χρήσεται· κἀκεῖνοι σιωπῇ ἀπιόντες εὐθὺς
ᾤχοντο. μαθόντες δ´ οἱ βουλευταὶ παρὰ τῶν πρέσβεων τὰς
αὐθάδεις ἀποκρίσεις τε καὶ ἀπειλὰς τοῦ
Μαρκίου στρατιὰν μὲν ὑπερόριον ἐξάγειν οὐδὲ τότε
ἐψηφίσαντο, εἴτε τὸ ἀπειροπόλεμον τῶν σφετέρων στρατιωτῶν·
νεοσύλλεκτοι γὰρ οἱ πλείους ἦσαν αὐτῶν· εὐλαβηθέντες, εἴτε τὴν
ἀτολμίαν τῶν ὑπάτων· ἥκιστα
γὰρ ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸ δραστήριον ἦν· σφαλερὰν ἡγησάμενοι
τηλικοῦτον ἀναιρεῖσθαι ἀγῶνα, εἴτ´ ἄρα καὶ τοῦ δαιμονίου σφίσιν
ἐναντιουμένου πρὸς τὴν ἔξοδον δι´
οἰωνῶν ἢ χρησμῶν Σιβυλλείων ἤ τινος ὀττείας πατρίου, ὧν οὐκ
ἠξίουν οἱ τότ´ ἄνθρωποι καθάπερ οἱ
νῦν ὑπερορᾶν· φυλάττειν δὲ τὴν πόλιν ἐπιμελεστέρᾳ
φυλακῇ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐρυμάτων τοὺς ἐπιόντας ἀμύνεσθαι διέγνωσαν.
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Traduction française :
| [8,37] The senate, having passed this decree, chosen ten other men from among the
ex-consuls as envoys to ask Marcius not to make any demand that was severe or
unworthy of the commonwealth, but laying aside his resentment and withdrawing his
forces from their territory, to endeavour to obtain his demands by persuasion and
conciliatory language, if he wished to make the compact between the two states firm
and enduring, since all concessions made either to individuals or to state under
compulsion of some necessity or crisis become void at once when the crisis or the
necessity changes. The envoys appointed by the senate, as soon as they were
informed of the arrival of Marcius, repaired to him and used many tempting
arguments, preserving also in their discussions, however, the dignity of the
commonwealth. But Marcius gave them no answer except to advise them to reach
some better decision and then return within three days; for they should have a truce
from war for that period only. And when the envoys desired to make some answer to
this, he would not permit it, but ordered them to quit the camp immediately,
threatening, if they refused, to treat them as spies. Thereupon they at once withdrew
in silence. The senators, upon being informed by the envoys of the haughty answer
and (p111) threats of Marcius, did not even then vote to send out an expeditionary force,
either because they feared the inexperience of their troops, most of whom were new
recruits, or because they regarded the timidity of the consuls — there was indeed no
boldness for action in them at all — as a serious risk in undertaking so great a
struggle, or perhaps too because Heaven opposed their expedition by means of
auspices, Sibylline oracles, or some traditional religious scruple — warnings which
the men of that age did not think fit to neglect as do those of to-day. However, they
resolved to guard the city with greater diligence and to repel from their ramparts any
who should attack them.
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