[15,9] Μετὰ τοῦτο παραλαβὼν τὸν λόγον ὁ τῶν Ῥωμαίων εἰρηνοδίκης εἶπεν· Οὐθὲν ἔτι τὸ κωλῦσόν ἐστιν, οὕτω φανερῶς ἀνῃρηκότων ὑμῶν τὰ περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης ὅρκια - - - βουλεύεσθε τὸν Ῥωμαίων δῆμον αἰτιάσασθαι. πάντα γὰρ αὐτῷ πέπρακται κατὰ τοὺς ἱερούς τε καὶ πατρίους νόμους, τά τε πρὸς τοὺς θεοὺς ὅσια καὶ τὰ πρὸς ἀνθρώπους δίκαια, δικασταὶ δὲ τῶν μενόντων ἐν ταῖς ὁμολογίαις οἱ λαχόντες πολέμους ἐπισκοπεῖν ἔσονται θεοί. Μέλλων δ´ ἀπιέναι τήν τε περιβολὴν κατὰ κεφαλῆς εἵλκυσε καὶ τὰς χεῖρας ἀνασχὼν εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, ὡς ἔθος ἐστίν, ἀρὰς ἐποιήσατο τοῖς θεοῖς· εἰ μὲν ἄδικα πάσχουσα ὑπὸ Σαυνιτῶν ἡ Ῥωμαίων πόλις καὶ μὴ δυναμένη μετὰ λόγου καὶ κρίσεως διαλῦσαι τὰς διαφορὰς ἐπὶ τὰ ἔργα χωρήσαι, βουλάς τ´ ἀγαθὰς αὐτῇ θεοὺς καὶ δαίμονας ἐπὶ νοῦν ἄγειν, καὶ πράξειεν πᾶσι διδόναι τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐντυχεῖν, εἰ δ´ αὐτή τι πλημμελοῦσα περὶ τὰ τῆς φιλίας ὅρκια προφάσεις κατασκευάζεται τῆς ἔχθρας οὐκ ἀληθεῖς, μήτε βουλὰς ὀρθοῦν αὐτοῖς μήτε πράξεις.

[15,9] Thereupon the Roman fetialis, taking the floor, said: "There is no longer anything to prevent, now that you Samnites have so openly violated your oaths to maintain the peace, - - - and do not plan to lay the blame upon the Roman people. For everything has been done by them in according to the sacred and time-honoured laws, both what is holy in the sight of the gods and just in the sight of men, and the judges to decide which people has abided by the compact will be the gods whose province it is to watch over wars." 2 As he was about to depart, he drew his mantle down over his head, and raising his hands toward however, as is the custom, he uttered prayers to the gods: "If the Roman commonwealth, having suffered wrongs at the hands of the Samnites and being unable to settle the differences by argument and a decision, should proceed to deeds, may the gods and lesser divinities not only inspire her mind with good counsels but also grant that her undertakings in all her wars may prove successful; but if she herself is guilty of any violation of the oaths of friendship (p313) and is trumping up false grounds for hostility, may they prosper neither her counsels nor her undertakings."