§15.8.1τοιαῦτα τοῦ Ῥωμαίου λέξαντος βουλευσάμενοι καθʼ αὑτοὺς οἱ πρόβουλοι τῶν Σαυνιτῶν τοιαύτην ἐξήνεγκαν ἀπόκρισιν· §15.8.2τοῦ μὲν ὀψισμοῦ τῆς ἐπὶ τὸν κατὰ Λατίνων πόλεμον συμμαχίας οὐ τὸ κοινὸν αἴτιον — ἐψηφισάμεθα γὰρ ἀποσταλῆναι τὴν στρατιὰν ὑμῖν — οἱ δὲ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν ἔχοντες αὐτῆς πλείονα χρόνον ἀναλώσαντες ἐν τῇ παρασκευῇ, καὶ ὑμεῖς αὐτοὶ θᾶττον ἐπειχθέντες ἐπὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα.
When the Roman had spoken thus, the council of the Samnites, having consulted among themselves, returned the following answer: "As for the delay of the alliance for the war against the Latins, the commonwealth was not the cause—for we voted that the army should be sent to you—but those who had the command of it spent too much time in the preparation, and you yourselves hastened too quickly to the contest.
τρισὶ γοῦν ἢ τέτταρσιν ἡμέραις ὕστερον τῆς μάχης οἱ πεμφθέντες ὑφʼ ἡμῶν ἀφίκοντο.
At any rate, those sent by us arrived three or four days after the battle.
§15.8.3περὶ δὲ τῆς Νεαπολιτῶν πόλεως, ἐν ᾗ τῶν ἡμετέρων τινές εἰσιν, τοσούτου δέομεν ἀδικεῖν ὑμᾶς, εἴ τινα τοῖς κινδυνεύουσι βοήθειαν εἰς σωτηρίαν κοινῇ παρεχόμεθα, ὥστʼ αὐτοὶ δοκοῦμεν ὑφʼ ὑμῶν ἀδικεῖσθαι μεγάλα.
Concerning the city of the Neapolitans, in which some of our people are, we are so far from doing you wrong, even if we are jointly providing some help for their safety to those in danger, that we ourselves think we are greatly wronged by you.
φίλην γὰρ ἡμῶν καὶ σύμμαχον οὖσαν τὴν πόλιν ταύτην οὐκ ἔναγχος οὐδʼ ἀφʼ οὗ τὰς πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐποιησάμεθα ὁμολογίας, ἀλλὰ δευτέρᾳ γενεᾷ πρότερον διὰ πολλὰς καὶ μεγάλας εὐεργεσίας, οὐθὲν ἀδικηθέντες ὑμεῖς κατεδουλώσασθε.
For this city, which was our friend and ally, not recently nor since we made the agreements with you, but two generations earlier because of many and great benefits, you enslaved, though you had suffered no wrong.
§15.8.4οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τούτῳ γε τῷ ἔργῳ τὸ κοινὸν ὑμᾶς τῶν Σαυνιτῶν ἠδίκησεν· ἰδιόξενοι δέ τινές εἰσιν, ὡς πυνθανόμεθα, καὶ φίλοι τῶν Νεαπολιτῶν οἱ κατὰ τὴν ἑαυτῶν προαίρεσιν τῇ πόλει βοηθοῦντες καί τινες καὶ διʼ ἀπορίαν ἴσως βίου μισθοφόροι.
Moreover, not even by this deed did the commonwealth of the Samnites wrong you; but there are certain private guest-friends, as we learn, and friends of the Neapolitans who are helping the city according to their own choice, and some perhaps also as mercenaries because of lack of livelihood.
% φέρειν δὲ τοὺς ὑπηκόους ὑμῶν οὐθὲν δεόμεθα· καὶ γὰρ ἄνευ Φουνδανῶν καὶ Φορμιανῶν ἱκανοὶ βοηθεῖν αὑτοῖς ἐσμεν, ἐὰν καταστῶμεν εἰς ἀνάγκην πολέμου.
And we have no need to win over your subjects; for even without the Fundani and the Formiani, we are capable of helping ourselves, if we are brought into the necessity of war.
§15.8.5ἡ δὲ παρασκευὴ τῆς στρατιᾶς ἡμῶν ἐστιν οὐχ ὡς ἀφαιρησομένων τοὺς ὑμετέρους ἀποίκους τὰ ἴδια, ἀλλʼ ὡς τὰ ἴδια ἑξόντων διὰ φυλακῆς.
And the preparation of our army is not as if we were going to deprive your colonists of their own property, but as if we were going to keep our own by guard.
ἀντιπροκαλούμεθά τε ὑμᾶς, εἰ βούλεσθε τὰ δίκαια ποιεῖν, ἐκχωρεῖν Φρεγέλλης, ἣν οὐ πρὸ πολλοῦ πολέμῳ κρατησάντων ἡμῶν, ὅσπερ ἐστὶ νόμος κτήσεως δικαιότατος, ὑμεῖς οὐδενὶ δικαίῳ σφετερισάμενοι δεύτερον ἔτος ἤδη κατέχετε.
And we challenge you in turn, if you wish to do what is just, to depart from Fregellae, which we conquered in war not long ago—which is the most just law of acquisition—but you, having usurped it with no right, have already been holding it for a second year.
τούτων ἡμεῖς τυχόντες οὐδὲν ὑποληψόμεθα ἀδικεῖσθαι. Vrsin.
If we obtain these things, we shall consider that we are in no way wronged."