1As generals for that war, by the vote of all the peoples, Attius Tullius and Gnaeus Marcius, the Roman exile, were chosen, and in Marcius somewhat more hope was placed. 2And he by no means disappointed that hope, so that it was easily seen that the strength of Rome lay more in its generals than in its army. 2Setting out first for Circei, he drove out the Roman colonists from there and handed the city over to the Volsci as a free town; 3from there, crossing over by side-roads to the Latin Way, he took the towns of Satricum, Longula, Polusca, Corioli and Mugilla — these from the Romans; 4then he recovered Lavinium; 4then in succession he took Corbio, Vitellia, Trebium, Labici and Pedum.
5Finally he leads from Pedum towards the city, and pitching camp at the Cluilian Trench five miles from the city, he ravages from there the Roman territory, sending guards among the raiders to keep the lands of the patricians untouched, either because he was more hostile to the plebs, or so that discord might arise from it between senators and plebs. 7And it would certainly have arisen — so much were the tribunes inciting the plebs, already fierce in themselves, by their accusations against the leading men of the state — but fear from outside, the strongest bond of harmony, joined their minds together, however suspicious and hostile to one another.
7The only point of disagreement was that the senate and the consuls placed their hope nowhere else but in arms, while the plebs preferred anything to war. 8Spurius Nautius and Sextus Furius were by now consuls. 9As they were reviewing the legions and distributing garrisons along the walls and at the other places where it had been decided to have outposts and watches, a huge crowd demanding peace first terrified them with a mutinous uproar, then forced them to summon the senate and to bring forward a motion on sending envoys to Gnaeus Marcius. 9The senators accepted the motion, once it became plain that the spirit of the plebs was wavering, and envoys were sent to Marcius about peace.
10They brought back a harsh answer: if their land were restored to the Volsci, peace could be discussed; 11if they wished to enjoy the spoils of war at their ease, he, mindful both of his fellow citizens' wrongs and of his hosts' kindness, would strive to make it plain that his spirit had been provoked by exile, not broken. 12Then when the same men were sent a second time they were not admitted into the camp. 12The priests too, it is related, went as suppliants to the enemy's camp, wearing their insignia; 12they moved his mind no more than the envoys had.