camillus-第5章

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determiners　of　all　causes　by　which　war　may　justifiably　be　made。　The
senate　referring　the　whole　matter　to　the　people；　and　the　priests
there；　as　well　as　in　the　senate；　pleading　against　Fabius；　the
multitude；　however；　so　little　regarded　their　authority；　that　in
scorn　and　contempt　of　it　they　chose　Fabius　and　the　rest　of　his
brothers　military　tribunes。　The　Gauls；　on　hearing　this；　in　great
rage　threw　aside　every　delay；　and　hastened　on　with　all　the　speed
they　could　make。　The　places　through　which　they　marched；　terrified　with
their　numbers　and　the　splendour　of　their　preparations　for　war；　and
in　alarm　at　their　violence　and　fierceness；　began　to　give　up　their
territories　as　already　lost；　with　little　doubt　but　their　cities
would　quickly　follow；　contrary；　however；　to　expectation；　they　did　no
injury　as　they　passed；　nor　took　anything　from　the　fields；　and；　as　they
went　by　any　city；　cried　out　that　they　were　going　to　Rome；　that　the
Romans　only　were　their　enemies；　and　that　they　took　all　others　for
their　friends。
　　Whilst　the　barbarians　were　thus　hastening　with　all　speed；　the
military　tribunes　brought　the　Romans　into　the　field　to　be　ready　to
engage　them；　being　not　inferior　to　the　Gauls　in　number　（for　they
were　no　less　than　forty　thousand　foot）；　but　most　of　them　raw　soldiers；
and　such　as　had　never　handled　a　weapon　before。　Besides；　they　had
wholly　neglected　all　religious　usages；　had　not　obtained　favourable
sacrifices；　nor　made　inquiries　of　the　prophets；　natural　in　danger
and　before　battle。　No　less　did　the　multitude　commanders　distract　and
confound　their　proceedings；　frequently　before；　upon　less　occasions；
they　had　chosen　a　single　leader；　with　the　title　of　dictator；　being
sensible　of　what　great　importance　it　is　in　critical　times　to　have
the　soldiers　united　under　one　general　with　the　entire　and　absolute
control　placed　in　his　hands。　Add　to　all；　the　remembrance　of　Camillus's
treatment；　which　made　it　now　seem　a　dangerous　thing　for　officers　to
command　without　humouring　their　soldiers。　In　this　condition　they
left　the　city；　and　encamped　by　the　river　Allia；　about　ten　miles　from
Rome；　and　not　far　from　the　place　where　it　falls　into　the　Tiber；　and
here　the　Gauls　came　upon　them；　and；　after　a　disgraceful　resistance；
devoid　of　order　and　discipline；　they　were　miserably　defeated。　The　left
wing　was　immediately　driven　into　the　river；　and　there　destroyed；　the
right　had　less　damage　by　declining　the　shock；　and　from　the　low　grounds
getting　to　the　tops　of　the　hills；　from　whence　most　of　them
afterwards　dropped　into　the　city；　the　rest；　as　many　as　escaped；　the
enemy　being　weary　of　the　slaughter；　stole　by　night　to　Veii；　giving
up　Rome　and　all　that　was　in　it　for　lost。
　　This　battle　was　fought　about　the　summer　solstice；　the　moon　being
at　full；　the　very　same　day　in　which　the　sad　disaster　of　the　Fabii
had　happened；　when　three　hundred　of　that　name　were　at　one　time　cut　off
by　the　Tuscans。　But　from　this　second　loss　and　defeat　the　day　got　the
name　of　Alliensis　from　the　river　Allia；　and　still　retains　it。　The
question　of　unlucky　days；　whether　we　should　consider　any　to　be　so；　and
whether　Heraclitus　did　well　in　upbraiding　Hesiod　for　distinguishing
them　into　fortunate　and　unfortunate；　as　ignorant　that　the　nature　of
every　day　is　the　same；　I　have　examined　in　another　place；　but　upon
occasion　of　the　present　subject；　I　think　it　will　not　be　amiss　to　annex
a　few　examples　relating　to　this　matter。　On　the　fifth　of　their　month
Hippodromius；　which　corresponds　to　the　Athenian　Hecatombaeon；　the
Boeotians　gained　two　signal　victories；　the　one　at　Leuctra；　the　other
at　Ceressus；　about　three　hundred　years　before；　when　they　overcame
Lattamyas　and　the　Thessalians；　both　which　asserted　the　liberty　of
Greece。　Again；　on　the　sixth　of　Boedromion；　the　Persians　were　worsted
by　the　Greeks　at　Marathon；　on　the　third；　at　Plataea；　as　also　at
Mycale；　on　the　twenty…fifth；　at　Arbela。　The　Athenians；　about　the
full　moon　in　Boedromion；　gained　their　sea…victory　at　Naxos　under　the
conduct　of　Chabrias；　on　the　twentieth；　at　Salamis；　as　we　have　shown　in
our　treatise　on　Days。　Thargelion　was　a　very　unfortunate　month　to　the
barbarians；　for　in　it　Alexander　overcame　Darius's　generals　on　the
Granicus；　and　the　Carthaginians；　on　the　twenty…fourth；　were　beaten
by　Timoleon　in　Sicily；　on　which　same　day　and　month　Troy　seems　to
have　been　taken；　as　Ephorus；　Callisthenes；　Damastes；　and　Phylarchus
state。　On　the　other　hand；　the　month　Metagitnion；　which　in　Boeotia　is
called　Panemus；　was　not　very　lucky　to　the　Greeks；　for　on　its　seventh
day　they　were　defeated　by　Antipater；　at　the　battle　in　Cranon；　and
utterly　ruined；　and　before；　at　Chaeronea；　were　defeated　by　Philip；　and
on　the　very　same　day；　same　month；　and　same　year；　those　that　went
with　Archidamus　into　Italy　were　there　cut　off　by　the　barbarians。　The
Carthaginians　also　observe　the　twenty…first　of　the　same　month；　as
bringing　with　it　the　largest　number　and　the　severest　of　their
losses。　I　am　not　ignorant　that；　about　the　Feast　of　Mysteries；　Thebes
was　destroyed　the　second　time　by　Alexander；　and　after　that；　upon　the
very　twentieth　of　Boedromion；　on　which　day　they　lead　forth　the
mystic　Iacchus；　the　Athenians　received　a　garrison　of　the
Macedonians。　On　the　selfsame　day　the　Romans　lost　their　army　under
Caepio　by　the　Cimbrians；　and　in　a　subsequent　year；　under　the　conduct
of　Lucullus；　overcame　the　Armenians　and　Tigranes。　King　Attalus　and
Pompey　died　both　on　their　birthdays。　One　could　reckon　up　several
that　have　had　variety　of　fortune　on　the　same　day。　This　day；
meantime；　is　one　of　the　unfortunate　ones　to　the　Romans；　and　for　its
sake　two　others　in　every　month；　fear　and　superstition；　as　the　custom
of　it　is；　more　and　more　prevailing。　But　I　have　discussed　this　more
accurately　in　my　Roman　Questions。
　　And　now；　after　the　battle；　had　the　Gauls　immediately　pursued　those
that　fled；　there　had　been　no　remedy　but　Rome　must　have　wholly　been
ruined；　and　those　who　remained　in　it　utterly　destroyed；　such　was　the
terror　that　those　who　escaped　the　battle　brought　with　them　into　the
city；　and　with　such　distraction　and　confusion　were　themselves　in
turn　infected。　But　the　Gauls；　not　imagining　their　victory　to　be　so
considerable；　and　overtaken　with　the　present　joy；　fell　to　feasting　and
dividing　the　spoil；　by　which　means　they　gave　leisure　to　those　who　were
for　leaving　the　city　to　make　their　escape；　and　to　those　that
remained　to　anticipate　and　prepare　for　their　coming。　For　they　who
resolved　to　stay　at　Rome；　abandoning　the　rest　of　the　city；　betook
themselves　to　the　Capitol；　which　they　fortified　with　the　help　of
missiles　and　new　works。　One　of　their　principal　cares　was　of　their　holy
things；　most　of　which　they　conveyed　into　the　Capitol。　But　the
consecrated　fire　the　vestal　virgins　took；　and　fled　with　it；　as
likewise　their　other　sacred　things。　Some　write　that　they　have
nothing　in　their　charge　but　the　ever…living　fire　which　Numa　had
ordained　to　be　worshipped　as　the　principle　of　all　things；　for　fire
is　the　most　active　thing　in　nature；　and　all　production　is　either
motion；　or　attended　with　motion；　all　the　other　parts　of　matter；　so
long　as　they　are　without　warmth；　lie　sluggish　and　dead；　and　require
the　accession　of　a　sort　of　soul　or　vitality　in　the　principle　of
heat；　and　upon　that　accession；　in　whatever　way；　immediately　receive
a　capacity　either　of　acting　or　being　acted　upon。　And　thus　Numa；　a
man　curious　in　such　things；　and　whose　wisdom　made　it　thought　that　he
conversed　with　the　Muses；　consecrated　fire；　and　ordained　it　to　be　kept
ever　burning；　as　an　image　of　that　eternal　power　which　orders　and
actuates　all　things。　Others　say　that　this　fire　was　kept　burning　in
front　of　the　holy　things；　as　in　Greece；　for　purification；　and　that
there　were　other　things　hid　in　the　most　secret　part　of　the　temple；
which　were　kept　from　the　view　of　all；　except　those　virgins　whom　they
call　vestals。　The　most　common　opinion　was；　that　the　image　of　Pallas；
brought　into　Italy　by　Aeneas；　was　laid　up　there；　others　say　that　the
Samothracian　images　lay　there；　telling　a　story　how　that　Dardanus
carried　them　to　Troy；　and　when　he　had　built　the　city；　celebrated　those
rites；　and　dedicated　those　images　there；　that　after　Troy　was　taken；
Aeneas　stole　them　away；　and　kept　them　till　h