Texte grec :
| [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.
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Traduction française :
| [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.
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