§19.9.1βασιλεὺς Ἠπειρωτῶν Πύρρος, βασιλέως Αἰακίδου, Ποπλίῳ Οὐαλερίῳ τῷ Ῥωμαίων ὑπάτῳ χαίρειν.
Pyrrhus, King of the Epirotes, son of King Aeacides, to Publius Valerius, Consul of the Romans, greeting.
πεπύσθαι μὲν εἰκός σε παρʼ ἑτέρων, ὅτι πάρειμι μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως Ταραντίνοις τε καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις Ἰταλιώταις ἐπικαλεσαμένοις βοηθήσων· καὶ μηδὲ ταῦτα ἀγνοεῖν, τίνων τε ἀνδρῶν ἀπόγονός εἰμι καὶ τίνας αὐτὸς ἀποδέδειγμαι πράξεις καὶ πόσην δύναμιν ἐπάγομαι καὶ ὡς τὰ πολέμια ἀγαθήν.
It is natural that you have already learned from others that I am present with my army to aid the Tarentines and the other Italiotes who have summoned me; and that you are not ignorant of these things either, namely from what men I am descended, what exploits I myself have performed, how great a force I bring with me, and how excellent it is in matters of war.
§19.9.2οἰόμενος δή σε τούτων ἕκαστον ἐπιλογιζόμενον μὴ περιμένειν, ἕως ἔργῳ καὶ πείρᾳ μάθῃς τὴν κατὰ τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἡμῶν ἀρετήν, ἀλλʼ ἀποστάντα τῶν ὅπλων χωρεῖν ἐπὶ τοὺς λόγους, συμβουλεύω τε σοι, περὶ ὧν ὁ Ῥωμαίων δῆμος διαφέρεται πρὸς Ταραντίνους ἢ Λευκανοὺς ἢ Σαυνίτας ἐμοὶ τὴν διάγνωσιν ἐπιτρέπειν — διαιτήσω γὰρ ἀπὸ παντὸς τοῦ δικαίου τὰ διάφορα — καὶ παρέξω τοὺς ἐμαυτοῦ φίλους ἁπάσας τὰς βλάβας ἀποτίνοντας, §19.9.3ἃς ἂν αὐτῶν ἐγὼ καταγνῶ.
Thinking, therefore, that you, considering each of these things, will not wait until you learn by deed and experience our valor in battles, but will rather lay aside your arms and resort to discussions, I advise you to submit to my arbitration the matters on which the Roman people are at variance with the Tarentines, the Lucanians, or the Samnites—for I shall arbitrate the differences in accordance with absolute justice—and I will guarantee that my friends shall pay in full for all the damages, which I myself may adjudge against them.
ὀρθῶς δὲ ποιήσετε καὶ ὑμεῖς βεβαιωτὰς παρασχόντες ὑπὲρ ὧν ἂν ἐκείνων τινὲς ἐπικαλῶσιν, ὅτι τὰ κριθέντα ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ φυλάξετε κύρια.
And you also will do right if you provide guarantors that you will keep as binding the decisions rendered by me concerning any charges that some of those people may bring against you.
ταῦτα ποιοῦσι μὲν ὑμῖν εἰρήνην ἐπαγγέλλομαι παρέξειν καὶ φίλος ἔσεσθαι καὶ ἐφʼ οὓς ἄν με παρακαλῆτε πολέμους προθύμως βοηθήσειν,
If you do this, I promise to grant you peace, to be your friend, and to aid you readily in whatever wars you may summon me to.
§19.9.4μὴ ποιοῦσι δʼ οὐκ ἂν ἐπιτρέψαιμι χώραν συμμάχων ἀνσδρῶν ἐξερημοῦν καὶ πόλεις Ἑλληνίδας ἀναρπάζειν καὶ σώματα ἐλεύθερα λαφυροπωλεῖν, ἀλλὰ κωλύσω τοῖς ὅπλοις, ἵνα παύσησθε ἤδη ποτὲ ἄγοντες καὶ φέροντες ὅλην Ἰταλίαν καὶ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ὡς δούλοις ἐντρυφῶντες.
But if you do not do this, I will not permit you to lay waste the territory of allied men, to plunder Greek cities, and to sell free persons as booty, but I will prevent you by force of arms, so that you may at last cease plundering all Italy and treating all men with insolence as if they were slaves.
ἐκδέξομαι δὲ τὰς σὰς ἀποκρίσεις μέχρι δεκάτης ἡμέρας· περαιτέρω γὰρ οὐκ ἂν ἔτι δυναίμην.
I shall expect your replies until the tenth day; for beyond that I should no longer be able to wait.