[15,5] ἀλλὰ καὶ διότι τοὺς φίλους αὐτῶν Καμπανοὺς πολλὰ καὶ μεγάλα ἔβλαπτον. ἡ δὲ βουλὴ τῶν Ῥωμαίων Καμπανῶν πολλάκις ἐμφανιζόντων καὶ ἀποδυρομένων κατὰ τῶν Νεαπολιτῶν, πρέσβεις ἐψηφίσατο πρὸς τοὺς Νεαπολίτας ἀποστεῖλαι τοὺς ἀξιώσοντας αὐτοὺς μηθὲν εἰς τοὺς ὑπηκόους τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας παρανομεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ διδόναι τὰ δίκαια καὶ λαμβάνειν, καί, εἴ γε διαφέρονται πρὸς ἀλλήλους, μὴ δι´ ὅπλων, ἀλλὰ διὰ λόγων, σύμβολα ποιησαμένους πρὸς αὐτούς, καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν εἰρήνην ἄγειν πρὸς ἅπαντας τοὺς περιοικοῦντας τὸ Τυρρηνικὸν πέλαγος, μήτ´ αὐτοὺς ἔργα πράττοντας, ἃ μὴ προσήκει Ἕλλησι, μήτε τοῖς πράττουσι συνεργοῦντας· μάλιστα δ´ εἰ δύναιντο θεραπείαις τῶν δυνατῶν παρασκευάσοντας ἀποστῆναι μὲν ἀπὸ Σαυνιτῶν τὴν πόλιν, σφίσι δ´ αὐτοῖς γενέσθαι φίλην. Ἔτυχον δὲ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον ἀφιγμένοι πρὸς τοὺς Νεαπολίτας πρέσβεις ὑπὸ Ταραντίνων ἀποσταλέντες, ἄνδρες ἐπιφανεῖς καὶ πρόξενοι διὰ γένους τῶν Νεαπολιτῶν· καὶ ἕτεροι ὑπὸ Νωλάνων ὁμόρων ὄντων καὶ σφόδρα τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἀσπαζομένων, τἀναντία τοὺς Νεαπολίτας ἀξιώσοντες μήτε σύμβολα ποιεῖσθαι πρὸς τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἢ τοὺς ὑπηκόους αὐτῶν μήτε διαλύεσθαι τὴν πρὸς Σαυνίτας φιλίαν. ἐὰν δὲ ταύτην ποιήσωνται Ῥωμαῖοι τοῦ πολέμου τὴν πρόφασιν, μὴ ὀρρωδεῖν, μηδ´ ὡς ἄμαχόν τινα τὴν ἰσχὺν αὐτῶν καταπεπλῆχθαι, ἀλλὰ μένειν γενναίως καὶ ὡς προσῆκεν Ἕλλησι πολεμεῖν, τῇ τ´ οἰκείᾳ πιστεύοντας δυνάμει καὶ τῇ παρὰ Σαυνιτῶν ἀφιξομένῃ βοηθείᾳ, ναυτικήν τ´ ἰσχὺν προσληψομένους ἔξω τῆς ἑαυτῶν, ἣν Ταραντῖνοι πέμψουσιν, ἐὰν ἄρα καὶ ταύτης δέωνται, πολλὴν καὶ ἀγαθήν.

[15,5] - - - but also because they were inflicting many grievous injuries on their friends the Campanians. The Roman senate, when the Campanians made repeated charges and complaints against the Neapolitans, voted to send ambassadors to the latter to demand that they should do no wrong to the subjects of the Roman empire, but should give and receive justice, and if they had any differences with one another, should settle them not by arms but by discussion, after first making a compact with them; and that for the future they should remain at peace with all the people dwelling along the Tyrrhenian sea, neither committing any acts themselves that were unbecoming to Greeks nor assisting others who did so; but in particular, the envoys, if they could do so by courting the favour of the influential men, were to get the city ready to revolt from the Samnites and become friendly to the Romans. 2 It chanced that at this same time ambassadors sent by the Tarentines had come to the Neapolitans, men of distinction who (p301) had inherited ties of hospitality with the Neapolitans; others also had come, sent by the Nolans, who were their neighbours and greatly admired the Greeks, to ask the Neapolitans on the contrary neither to make an agreement with the Romans or their subjects nor to give up their friendship with the Samnites. 3 If the Romans should make this their pretext for war, the Neapolitans were not to be alarmed or terrified by the strength of the Romans in the belief that it was some invincible strength, but to stand their ground nobly and fight as befitted Greeks, relying both on their own army and the reinforcements which would come from the Samnites, and, in addition to their own naval force, being sure of receiving a large and excellent one which the Tarentines would send them in case they should require that also.