§15.7.1ὅτι μαθόντες οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι Σαυνίτας στρατιὰν ἀγείρειν τὸ μὲν πρῶτον πρέσβεις ἔπεμψαν, οἱ δὲ προχειρισθέντες ἐκ τῶν βουλευτῶν πρέσβεις ἐλθόντες ἐπὶ τοὺς προβούλους τῶν Σαυνιτῶν ἔλεξαν· §15.7.2ἀδικεῖτε, ἄνδρες Σαυνῖται, παραβαίνοντες τὰς ὁμολογίας, ἃς ἐποιήσασθε πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ὄνομα μὲν ὑποδυόμενοι συμμάχων, ἔργα δὲ πράττοντες πολεμίων, πολλαῖς μὲν ἡττηθέντες ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων μάχαις, δεήσει δὲ μεγάλῃ καταλυσάμενοι τὸν πόλεμον καὶ τυχόντες εἰρήνης οἵας ἐβούλεσθε· τὰ δὲ τελευταῖα φίλοι γενέσθαι τῆς πόλεως ἡμῶν προθυμηθέντες καὶ σύμμαχοι καὶ τοὺς αὐτοὺς Ῥωμαίοις ὀμόσαντες ἕξειν ἐχθροὺς καὶ φίλους.
When the Romans learned that the Samnites were gathering an army, they first sent ambassadors; and the ambassadors, chosen from among the senators, having arrived before the council of the Samnites, spoke as follows: "You do wrong, O Samnites, in violating the agreements which you made with us, assuming the name of allies but doing the deeds of enemies—even though you were defeated in many battles by the Romans, and brought the war to an end only with great entreaty, obtaining such a peace as you desired; and finally, you were eager to become friends and allies of our city, and swore to have the same enemies and friends as the Romans.
§15.7.3ὧν ἁπάντων ἐπιλαθόμενοι καὶ παρʼ οὐδὲν ἡγησάμενοι τοὺς ὅρκους ἐγκατελείπετε μὲν ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ πρὸς Λατίνους πολέμῳ καὶ πρὸς Οὐολούσκους συστάντι, οὓς διʼ ὑμᾶς ἐχθροὺς ἔχομεν οὐ βουλόμενοι τοῦ καθʼ ὑμῶν αὐτοῖς συνάρασθαι πολέμου·
Forgetting all these things and holding your oaths as nothing, you abandon us in our war against the Latins and the Volscians, who have united against us, whom we have as enemies on your account because we were unwilling to join them in their war against you.
ἐν δὲ τῷ παρελθόντι ἐνιαυτῷ Νεαπολίτας δεδιότας ἀναδεῖξαι τὸν καθʼ ἡμῶν πόλεμον ἁπάσῃ σπουδῇ καὶ προθυμίᾳ χρώμενοι παρωρμήσατε, μᾶλλον δʼ ἠναγκάσατε καὶ τὰς δαπάνας ἐπιχορηγεῖτε καὶ τὴν πόλιν διʼ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν ἔχετε.
In the past year, you incited, or rather compelled, with all zeal and eagerness, the Neapolitans, who were afraid to declare war against us; you supply them with expenses, and hold their city through your own agents.
§15.7.4νῦν δὲ παρασκευάζεσθε στρατιὰν ἐκ παντὸς ἀγείροντες τόπου, πρόφασιν μὲν ἑτέραν ποιούμενοι, τὸ δʼ ἀληθὲς ἐπὶ τοὺς ἡμετέρους ἐγνωκότες ἄγειν ἀποίκους· καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτας τὰς ἀδίκους πλεονεξίας Φουνδανοὺς παρακαλεῖτε καὶ Φορμιανοὺς καὶ ἄλλους τινάς, οἷς ἡμεῖς ἰσοπολιτείας μετεδώκαμεν.
And now you are preparing an army, gathering it from every place, making one pretext indeed, but in truth having resolved to lead it against our colonists; and for these unjust encroachments you invite the Fundani, the Formiani, and certain others to whom we granted equal citizenship.
§15.7.5οὕτω δὲ φανερῶς καὶ ἀναισχύντως συγχεόντων ὑμῶν τὰ περὶ τῆς φιλίας καὶ συμμαχίας ὅρκια, πρεσβείαν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐκρίναμεν ἀποστεῖλαι πρῶτον, καὶ μὴ πρότερον ἄρξαι τῶν ἔργων πρὶν ἢ πειραθῆναι τῶν λόγων. ἃ δὲ προκαλούμεθα ὑμᾶς, καὶ ὧν τυχόντες τὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς παρελθοῦσιν ὀργὴν ἀποπληρώσειν οἰόμεθα, ταῦτα ἔστι·
Since you are so openly and shamelessly violating the oaths concerning friendship and alliance, we decided first to send an embassy to you, and not to begin hostile actions before having made trial of words.
πρῶτον μὲν ἀπάγειν ὑμᾶς ἀξιοῦμεν τὴν ἀποσταλεῖσαν Νεαπολίταις συμμαχίαν, ἔπειτα μηδεμίαν ἐκπέμπειν στρατιὰν κατὰ τῶν ἀποίκων τῶν ἡμετέρων μηδὲ τοὺς ὑπηκόους ἐπὶ πάσας τὰς πλεονεξίας παρακαλεῖν· §15.7.6εἰ δὲ μὴ πᾶσι δόξαντα ταῦτα ὑμῖν ἔπραττόν τινες, ἀλλʼ ἀπὸ τῆς ἑαυτῶν γνώμης, παραδοῦναι τοὺς ἄνδρας ἡμῖν ἐπὶ δίκην.
What we demand of you, and by obtaining which we think we shall satisfy our anger over past occurrences, are these: first, we demand that you withdraw the auxiliary force sent to the Neapolitans; next, that you send no army against our colonists, nor invite our subjects to every kind of encroachment; and if certain persons did these things not by the decision of you all, but of their own mind, that you deliver them up to us for punishment.
τούτων τυχόντες ἀρκούμεθα, μὴ τυχόντες δὲ θεοὺς καὶ δαίμονας, οὓς ἐν ταῖς συνθήκαις ὠμόσατε, μαρτυρόμεθα, καὶ τοὺς εἰρηνοδίκας ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἄγοντες ἐληλύθαμεν.
If we obtain these things, we shall be satisfied; but if not, we call to witness the gods and deities by whom you swore in the treaties, and we have come bringing the fetiales for this purpose."