§1.58.1πρῶτος δὲ ὁ Λατῖνος ἔγκλημα ποιούμενος τὸν αἰφνίδιόν τε καὶ ἀκατάγγελτον πόλεμον ἠξίου τὸν Αἰνείαν λέγειν, ὅστις ὢν καὶ τί βουλόμενος ἄγει καὶ φέρει τὰ χωρία πεπονθώς τε οὐδὲν δεινὸν πρότερος καὶ οὐκ ἀγνοῶν ὅτι τὸν ἄρχοντα πολέμου πᾶς ὁ προπαθὼν ἀμύνεται·
Latinus was the first to make a complaint, demanding that Aeneas explain this sudden and unheralded war, asking who he was and what he wanted by plundering the territories, since Latinus had suffered no prior harm, and was not ignorant that anyone who has been attacked will defend themselves against the initiator of the war.
παρασχόν τε ἂν αὐτῷ πᾶν, εἴ τινος ἐδεῖτο μετρίου, πρὸς φιλίαν καὶ παρʼ ἑκόντων εὑρίσκεσθαι τῶν ἐγχωρίων, παρελθὼν τὴν ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων δικαίωσιν αἴσχιον ἢ κάλλιον ἠξίωσε βίαν προσφέρων τὰ αὐτὰ λαμβάνειν.
He argued that if Aeneas stood in need of any moderate assistance, he would have obtained it all in friendship and from the willing inhabitants, but instead, bypassing the justice recognized by all mankind, he thought fit to seize these very things by offering violence, in a manner more shameful than honorable.
§1.58.2τοιαῦτα δὲ αὐτοῦ διαλεχθέντος ἀπεκρίνατο Αἰνείας· ἡμεῖς γένος μὲν Τρῶές ἐσμεν, πόλεως δὲ οὐ τῆς ἀφανεστάτης ἐν Ἕλλησιν ἐγενόμεθα·
When Latinus had spoken thus, Aeneas replied: "We are Trojans by race, and we come from a city that was not the least famous among the Greeks.
ἣν ἀφαιρεθέντες ὑπʼ Ἀχαιῶν δεκαετεῖ πολέμῳ χειρωθεῖσαν, ἀλῆται περιερχόμενοι πόλεώς τε καὶ χώρας ἐν ᾗ τὸ λοιπὸν οἰκήσομεν ἀπορίᾳ, θεοῖς δὲ κελεύουσι πειθόμενοι δεῦρʼ ἀφίγμεθα·
Having been deprived of it when it was subdued by the Achaeans in a ten years' war, we have been wandering as exiles, in want of a city and a land where we might settle for the future, and we have arrived here in obedience to the commands of the gods.
καὶ ἡμῖν ὡς τὰ θέσφατα λέγει λιμὴν τῆς πλάνης ἥδε ἡ γῆ μόνη λείπεται.
To us, as the oracles declare, this land alone is left as the harbor of our wandering.
ποριζόμεθα δὲ ἐκ τῆς χώρας ὧν ἡμῖν δεῖ δυστυχέστερον μᾶλλον ἢ εὐπρεπέστερον, ὡς ἥδιστα νεωστὶ ἐβουλόμεθα.
We are procuring from this country what we need in a manner more unfortunate than respectable, and not as we would have most gladly wished recently.
§1.58.3ἀμειψόμεθα δὲ αὐτὰ πολλαῖς καὶ ἀγαθαῖς ἔργων ἀμοιβαῖς παρέχοντες ὑμῖν καὶ σώματα καὶ ψυχὰς εὖ πρὸς τὰ δεινὰ πεπαιδευμένας χρῆσθαι ὁπόσα βούλεσθε, τὴν ὑμετέραν γῆν φυλάττοντες ἀδῄωτον, τὴν δὲ τῶν πολεμίων προθύμως συγκατακτώμενοι.
But we shall requite these things with many and good exchanges of deeds, offering to you both our bodies and our minds, well trained to face dangers, for you to use in whatever ways you wish, keeping your own land unravaged and eagerly helping you to conquer that of your enemies.
ἱκέται δὲ ὑμῶν γινόμεθα μὴ πρὸς ὀργὴν τὰ πεπραγμένα λαμβάνειν, ἐνθυμηθέντας ὡς οὐ σὺν ὕβρει, ἀλλʼ ὑπʼ ἀνάγκης ταῦτα βιασθέντες ἐποιοῦμεν· ἅπαν δὲ σύγγνωμον τὸ ἀκούσιον.
We become your suppliants, asking you not to receive what has been done with anger, reflecting that we did these things not with insolence, but forced by necessity; and every involuntary act is pardonable.
§1.58.4καὶ δεῖ ὑμᾶς μηδὲν ἐναντίον βουλεῦσαι περὶ ἡμῶν χεῖρας προεχομένων, εἰ δὲ μή, θεοὺς καὶ δαίμονας οἳ κατέχουσι τήνδε τὴν γῆν παραιτούμενοι συγγνώμονας ἡμῖν γενέσθαι καὶ ὧν ἠναγκασμένοι δρῶμεν πειρασόμεθα πολέμου ἄρχοντας ὑμᾶς ἀμύνεσθαι.
And you ought not to take any hostile counsel against us as we stretch forth our hands; otherwise, praying to the gods and spirits who hold this land to be merciful to us, we shall attempt to defend ourselves against you who are initiating the war, since we are forced to do what we do.
οὐ γὰρ ἂν νῦν πρώτου οὐδὲ μεγίστου πολέμου τοῦδε ἀπολαύσαιμεν. §1.58.5ὡς δὲ ταῦτα ὁ Λατῖνος ἤκουσεν ἀπεκρίνατο πρὸς αὐτόν· ἀλλʼ ἔγωγε εὔνοιάν τε πρὸς ἅπαν τὸ Ἑλληνικὸν γένος ἔχω καὶ συμφοραῖς ἀνθρώπων ἀναγκαίαις πάνυ ἄχθομαι, σώζεσθαί τε ὑμᾶς περὶ πολλοῦ ἂν ποιησαίμην, εἴ μοι δῆλοι γένοισθε οἰκήσεως δεόμενοι ἥκειν ἐν ἀποχρώσῃ τε γῆς μοίρᾳ καὶ πρὸς φιλίαν τῶν δοθησομένων μεθέξοντες, ἀλλʼ οὐ τὴν ἐμὴν δυναστείαν ἀφαιρησόμενοι πρὸς βίαν.
For we would not now experience this war as our first or our greatest." When Latinus heard this, he answered him: "Indeed, I have goodwill toward the whole Greek race and I am deeply grieved by the necessary misfortunes of mankind, and I would value your safety highly, if it should become clear to me that you have come in need of a settlement to dwell in a sufficient portion of land and to share in friendship what will be given to you, and not to take away my sovereignty by force.
εἰ δʼ ἐπαληθεύεται ὑμῖν ὅδʼ ὁ λόγος πίστεις τούτων ἀξιῶ δοῦναι καὶ λαβεῖν, αἳ φυλάξουσιν ἡμῖν ἀδόλους τὰς ὁμολογίας.
If this statement of yours is true, I demand that we give and receive pledges of these things, which will keep our agreements free from deceit."