Ab urbe condita

Titus Livius (Livy)

Livy. History of Rome, Volumes 1-2. Roberts, Canon, Rev, translator. London, New York: J. M. Dent and Sons; E. P. Dutton and Co., 1912.

When he went out to meet his colleague, almost before they had had time to exchange mutual greetings, he asked: “Is all well, Volumnius? How are things going in Samnium? What induced you to leave your allotted province?”

Volumnius replied that all was going on satisfactorily and that he had come because he had been asked to do so by letter. If it was a forgery and there was nothing for him to do in Etruria he would at once countermarch his troops and depart.