§8.10.1ὡς δὲ ταῦτʼ εἶπον οἱ πρέσβεις, ἐβουλεύοντο κατὰ σφᾶς οἱ σύνεδροι μεταστησάμενοι τοὺς ἄνδρας, καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἔκριναν ἃς χρὴ ἀποκρίσεις ποιήσασθαι, καλέσαντες αὐτοὺς πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸν σύλλογον ταύτην ἔδοσαν τὴν ἀπόφασιν. οὐ λανθάνετε ἡμᾶς, ὦ Οὐολοῦσκοι, φιλίας μὲν οὐδὲν δεόμενοι, πρόφασιν δʼ εὐπρεπῆ λαβεῖν βουλόμενοι τοῦ πολέμου.
When the envoys had said this, the senators, having made the men withdraw, deliberated among themselves, and when they had decided what answer they ought to make, they called them back to the assembly and gave this response: "You do not escape our notice, O Volscians, in that you do not at all desire friendship, but wish to find a plausible pretext for war.
ἃ γὰρ ἥκετε παρʼ ἡμῶν ἀπαιτοῦντες, καλῶς ἐπίστασθε οὐδέποτε ληψόμενοι· χρῄζετε γὰρ ἀδίκων τε καὶ ἀδυνάτων.
For what you have come to demand from us, you well know that you will never obtain; for you desire things both unjust and impossible.
§8.10.2εἰ μὲν οὖν δόντες ἡμῖν τὰ χωρία ἔπειτα μεταδόξαν ὑμῖν νῦν ἀπαιτεῖτε, ἀδικεῖσθε μὴ κομιζόμενοι, εἰ δὲ πολέμῳ ἀφαιρεθέντες οὐκέτι αὐτῶν ὄντες κύριοι, ἀδικεῖτε τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐφιέμενοι.
If, therefore, after giving us these places, you now demand them back because you have changed your mind, you are wronged by not recovering them; but if you were deprived of them in war and are no longer masters of them, you do wrong in coveting what belongs to others.
ἡμεῖς δὲ κρατίστας ἡγούμεθα κτήσεις, ἃς ἂν πολέμῳ κρατήσαντες λάβωμεν, οὔτε πρῶτοι καταστησάμενοι νόμον τόνδε οὔτε αὐτὸν ἀνθρώπων ἡγούμενοι εἶναι μᾶλλον ἢ οὐχὶ θεῶν· ἅπαντάς τε καὶ Ἕλληνας καὶ βαρβάρους εἰδότες αὐτῷ χρωμένους οὐκ ἂν ἐνδοίημεν ὑμῖν μαλακὸν οὐδὲν οὐδʼ ἂν ἀποσταίημεν ἔτι τῶν δορικτήτων.
We, indeed, consider those acquisitions most secure which we have taken and hold by war, neither being the first to establish this law nor believing it to belong to men rather than to the gods; and knowing that all men, both Greeks and barbarians, make use of it, we will not yield any weakness to you, nor will we ever depart from what was won by the spear.
§8.10.3πολλὴ γὰρ ἂν εἴη κακότης, εἴ τις ἃ μετʼ ἀρετῆς καὶ ἀνδρείας ἐκτήσατο, ταῦθʼ ὑπὸ μωρίας τε καὶ δειλίας ἀφαιρεθείη.
For it would be great cowardice if anyone should be deprived through folly and fear of what he acquired with virtue and bravery.
πολεμεῖν τʼ οὔτε μὴ βουλομένους ὑμᾶς ἀναγκάζομεν, οὔτε προθυμουμένους παραιτούμεθα, ἂν δʼ ἄρξησθε ἀμυνούμεθα.
And we neither force you to wage war when you do not wish it, nor do we beg off if you are eager, but if you begin it, we shall defend ourselves.
ταῦτα Οὐολούσκοις ἀπαγγέλλετε καὶ λέγετε, ὅτι λήψονται μὲν πρότεροι τὰ ὅπλʼ ἐκεῖνοι, θήσομεν δʼ ἡμεῖς ὕστεροι.
Report this to the Volscians, and say that they shall be the first to take up arms, but we shall be the last to lay them down."