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the happy expedient of giving pay to the foldiers, in the year before Chrift 405. From this period, the military operations of the Romans were conducted on a bolder fcale. Formerly, their campaigns had been merely incurfions, which continued only a few days, and terminated by one engagement. The fenate now began to form greater enterprizes; and, instead of infignificant battles, they waged decifive wars. The taking of Veii is a prefage of the grandeur of the Romans. A multitude of fmall ftates and unconnected cities must neceffarily yield to the formidable and continual efforts of a people always in arms; and who united policy to the ene thufiafm of valour *.

CHAP. XXVIII.

Clufium befieged, and the Romans defeated by the Gauls Rome abandoned by its inhabitants, and burnt by the Gauls.

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ROM the earlieft periods of time, the Celta, or Gauls, overfpread the western parts of Europe. The early religion of the Romans, their language, and their customs, thew that this people were among the Aborigines of Italy. Barbarous tribes are always in a ftate of migration. The firft hoftile irruption of the Gauls into Italy, which history records, was in the reign of Tarquin the elder. They fpread themselves over the provinces fituated between the Alps and Appenines. They had been settled in these regions for two hundred years, when they befieged Clufium, allured by the wines of Italy-a frequent motive to the wars of bar barians.

The inhabitants of Clufium demanded affiftance from the Romans. The fenate, unwilling to quarrel with a people who had never offended them, fent a deputation of theer young patricians, of the Fabian family, to bring about an accommodation between the two nations. Being conducted to Brennus, the leader of the Gauls, they offered the mediation of Rome, and asked what injury the Clufini had done them, or what pretenfions any people from a remote country could have upon Hetruria. Brennus anfwered in a haughty tone, "That his right lay in his fword, and " that all things "belonged to the brave." The Fabii were highly provok ed at his anfwer; but, diffembling their refentment, they de

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fired leave to go into the town, under pretence of conferring with the magiftrates. As foon as they were admitted, they perfuaded the inhabitants to a vigorous defence, and even put themselves at the head of the befieged in a fally, in which Quintus Fabius, the chief of the ambaffadors, flew, with his own hand, one of the principal officers of the Gauls. Upon this, Brennus immediately broke up the fiege of Clufium, and fet out for Rome, having fent an herald before him to demand, that thofe ambaffadors, who had fo manifeftly violated the law of nations, fhould be delivered up to him. The affair was had before the fenate. The wifeft and most prudent thought the demand juft and reafonable; but as it concerned perfons of great confequence, they referred it to the aflembly of the people, who, inftead of condemning the three brothers, raifed them to the dignity of military tribunes, at the very next election. Brennus, confidering this as a high affront, haftened his march to Rome,

The fix military tribunes, at the head of forty thoufand men, advanced boldly againft the Gauls, whofe number exceeded feventy thousand. The two armies met near the river Allia, about fixty furlongs from Rome. The victory was decifive in favour of the Gauls, and the Romans, in the utmoft diforder, instead of returning to Rome, fled to Veil. The next day, Brennus marched his troops into the neighbourhood of Rome, and encamped on the banks of the Anio. There his fpies brought him word, that the gates of the city were open, and that not one Roman was to be feen on the ramparts. Brennus, fufpecting fome ambufcade, advanced very flowly, which gave the Romans an opportunity of fending into the capitol all the men who were fit to bear arms. The old men, women, and children, feeing the city quite defencelefs, fled to the neighbouring towns.

Amidit this general confufion, about four core of the moft illuftrious and venerable old men, rather than flee from their native country, chofe to devote themfelves to death by a vow, which Fabius, the high-pontiff, pronounced in their names. The Romans believed, that by thefe voluntary facrifices of themfelves, diforder and confufion were brought among the enemy. To complete their facrifice, with a folemnity becoming the magnanimity of the Romans, they dreffed themfelves in their pontifical, confular, and triumphal robes, according to their feveral ranks and ftations, and repairing to the forum feated themselves there, in their curule chairs, expecting the enemy and death with the greateft fortitude *

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At length, Brennus entered the city, which appeared to him like a mere defart; and this solitude increased his perplexity. Advancing towards the forum at the head of his troops, he was ftruck with admiration at the unexpected fight of the venerable old men, who had devoted themselves to death. The magnificence of their habits, the majesty of their countenances, their profound filence, and unmoved behaviour at the approach of the troops, ftruck the Gauls with fuch an awful reverence, that they took them for the gods of the country, and seemed afraid to advance. One of the foldiers, however, ventured to touch the beard of Marcus Papirius, who, unaccustomed to fuch familiarity, gave him a blow on the head with his ivory ftaff. The foldier, in revenge, immediately killed him; and the others, following his example, put. all the reft to the fword.

Brennus then laid fiege to the capitol, but was repulfed with great lofs. In order to be revenged of the Romans for their refiftance, he ordered the city to be burnt, the temples and edifices to be deftroyed, and the walls to be rafed to the ground. Thus the famous city of Rome was entirely demoJifhed. Nothing was to be feen in the place where it stood, but a few little hills covered with ruins.

In the dead of the night, the Gauls had contrived to take the capitol by surprise. They proceeded with such filence, that they were not difcovered, either by the centinels, who were upon guard in the citadel, or even by the dogs; though these animals are ufually alarmed at the leaft noife. But they could not escape the vigilance of the geese, a flock of which was kept in the court of the capitol, in honour of Juno. On the first approach of the Gauls, they ran up and down, cackling and beating their wings, till they wakened Manlius, a patrician of great courage, who first attacked the enemy, and, with the affiftance of others, who haftened to his aid, drove the befiegers down the rock. For this heroic behaviour, Manlius was rewarded with the additional name of Capitolinus.

Camillus had retired to Ardea, a town in Latium, and moved by the calamity of his country, prevailed on the Ardeans to raise an army under his command, to oppose a party of the Gauls that were appointed to lay waste the neighbouring country. With this army he fo effectually deftroyed the enemy, that scarce any were left to carry the news of their defeat. This turn of fortune raised the fainting spirits of the Romans, who requested Camillus to forget all former injuries, and become their general. The fenate appointed

him

him dictator, and he broke off the treaty that was on foot between the Gauls and Romans, declaring that he only, as dictator, had the power of making peace. He then attacked the enemy, and fo entirely routed them, that all the Roman territories, were in a fhort time cleared from thefe fuccessful invaders. Thus was Rome, in its full glory, unexpectedly taken and reduced to the greatest extremity; and, in feven months, as unexpectedly recovered from its deplorable condition. Camillus, for the eminent fervices done to his country, had a noble triumph decreed him. This remarkable event happened, in the year before Christ 388.

CHAP. XXIX.

The city rebuilt.-Camillus made dictator.-Manlius condemned and thrown headlong from the Capitol.-The first Plebeian Conful.-Death and Character of Camillus.

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S great part of the citizens had withdrawn themselves from Rome, and the city was become a heap of ruins, the tribunes moved, that it should be entirely abandoned, and that the inhabitants fhould remove to Veii. This motion was opposed by Camillus, who reprefented to the people, "how difhonourable it would be to forfake the feat of their « ancestors, and to inhabit a conquered and enflaved city". Upon this, the city was ordered to be rebuilt with all diligence; and in lefs than twelve months, Rome rofe out of its afhes, and Camillus was looked on as a fecond founder.

This noble Roman was now made dictator a third time, when he defeated the Aqui, the Hetrurii, and other enemies of the republic. He alfo recovered from the Volfci fome towns they had lately taken from the Romans; for which atchievements he had the honour of a third triumph.

Soon after, Manlius Capitolinus, elated with the late fervice he had done his country, began to raise disturbances in the city, and difcovered an ambitious defign on the fovereignty. He was ftrongly oppofed by Camillus, and imprifoned by Cornelius Coffus, the dictator; but he was foon after fet at liberty by the fenate, for fear of the populace, who furrounded the prison day and night, and threatened to break it open. The moment he was fet at liberty, he renewed his factious intrigues. His houfe was crouded day and night

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with the mutinous, whom he harrangued without referve, ex horting them to fhake off the yoke they groaned under, to abolish the dignities of dictator and conful, to eftablifh an exact equality among all the members of the republic, and to make themselves an head, who might govern and keep in awe the patricians as well as the people. "If you judge me worthy of that honour," faid he, "the more power you "give me, the fooner you will be in poffeffion of what you "have fo long wifhed for. I defire authority with no other "view, but to make you all happy." It is faid, that a plot was formed to feize the citadel, and declare him king. The fenate alarmed at the danger which threatened the ftate, ordered the military tribunes to be watchful that the republic re ceived no damage; a form of words which was never used but in the greatest dangers, and which invested those magiftrates with an authority almost equal to that of a dictator. After this, different means were propofed for defeating the ill defigns of Manlius. Some were of opinion, that he should be affaffinated. But Marcus Manius and Quintius Publilius, two of the tribunes of the people, thought it more adviseable to take him off by the ufual forms of law, and offered to profecute him before the comitia, not doubting but the people would immediately defert him, when they faw their own tribunes become his accufers. This advice was approved, and Manlius was fummoned to his trial. The crime laid to his charge, was his aiming at fovereign power. He appear ed before his judges in deep mourning. But neither his own brothers, nor any of his relations changed their drefs, nor folicited the judges in his behalf, as was ufually done by the friends of a perfon accufed. So much did the love of liberty prevail in the hearts of the Romans, over all the ties of blood and kindred, Being found guilty, he was condemned to be thrown headlong from the capitol, which he had fo lately faved. His houfe was rafed to the ground; and it was de creed, that no patrician fhould ever after dwell in the capitol. Thus was Rome ever jealous of her liberty, and the greatest merit could not atone for the leaft attempt against it,

The ftruggle of parties at Rome ftill continued. The youngest daughter of Marcus Fabius Ambriftus was married to a Plebeian, and the eldeft to a Patrician, The rank and honours accruing to the eldeft, whofe husband was a mili tary tribune, filled the younger fifter with envy; and the interefted her father, her husband, and her friends, to renew the law formerly propofed, to admit the Plebeians to the higheft offices in the commonwealth. The contefts, in confe

quence

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