[17,3] Ἡ μὲν δὴ φανερὰ τοῦ Σαυνιτικοῦ πολέμου πρόφασις καὶ πρὸς ἅπαντας εὐπρεπὴς λέγεσθαι ἡ Λευκανῶν ἐγένετο βοήθεια τῶν καταφυγόντων ἐπ´ αὐτούς· ὡς κοινὸν δή τι τοῦτο καὶ πάτριον ἔθος τῇ Ῥωμαίων πόλει τοῖς ἀδικουμένοις καὶ καταφεύγουσιν ἐπ´ αὐτὴν βοηθεῖν· ἡ δ´ ἀφανὴς καὶ μᾶλλον αὐτοὺς ἀναγκάζουσα διαλύεσθαι 〈τὴν〉 φιλίαν ἡ τῶν Σαυνιτῶν ἰσχὺς πολλή τ´ ἤδη γεγονυῖα καὶ ἔτι πλείων γενήσεσθαι νομιζομένη, 〈εἰ〉 Λευκανῶν τε χειρωθέντων καὶ δι´ αὐτοὺς τῶν προσοίκων ἀκολουθήσειν ἔμελλε τά {τε} βαρβαρικὰ ἔθνη τὰ προσεχῆ τούτοις. αἵ τε δὴ σπονδαὶ μετὰ τὴν ἄφιξιν τῶν πρεσβευτῶν εὐθὺς ἐλέλυντο, καὶ στρατιαὶ δύο κατεγράφοντο.

[17,3] (16.14) The published reason, then, for the Samnite war and the one that was plausible enough to be announced to the world was the assistance extended to the Lucanians who had turned to them for help, since this was a general and time-honoured practice with the Roman state to aid those who were wronged and turned to her for help. But the undisclosed reason and the one which was more cogent in leading them to give up their friendship with the Samnites was the power of that nation, which had already become great, and promised to become greater still if, upon the subjugation of the Lucanians and, because of them, of their neighbours, the barbarian tribes adjoining them were going to follow the same course. The treaty, accordingly, was promptly abrogated after the return of the ambassadors, and two armies were enrolled.