Confusing Sentence LL Book 2

[chodorov]

"Ad haec Tullus 'Nuntiate' inquit 'regi vestro regem Romanum deos facere testes uter prius populus legatos res repetentes superbe dimiserit, ut in eum omnes huius belli clades vertant!' "

This is the best meaning that I can come up with: To this Tullus said, "Tell your king that the Roman king makes the gods witnesses that whichever people will proudly (haughtily? Arrogantly?) dismiss diplomats (legatos res repetentes) first, on that people all the losses of this war will turn.

This sentence is early in chapter 43. On page 117 in my version. Does anyone have a better translation? The parts that are confusing me are the parts that I added extra thoughts to in parentheses. I appreciate any input.

[adrianus]

I would translate this way // Sic vertam:

Tullus, with regard to these things, said "Tell your king that the Roman king makes the Gods his witnesses that whatever nation before anything else arrogantly sends away his envoys seeking redress, let all the disasters of this war face it!

Tullus, with regard to these things, said "Tell your king that the Roman king makes the Gods his witnesses that, were a nation arrogantly before anything else to send away his envoys seeking redress, all the disasters of this war would face it!

Post scriptum

De "repetere res" collocatione, vide hunc nexum:

to demand back from the enemy things which they had taken as booty; hence, in gen., to demand satisfaction