The speech of Appius only availed to effect the post-
ponement of the voting. Sextius and Licinius were re-elected
for the tenth time. They carried a law providing that of the
ten keepers of the Sibylline Books, five should be chosen from
the patricians and five from the plebeians. This was regarded
as a further step towards opening the path to the consulship.
The plebs, satisfied with their victory, made the concession to
the patricians that for the present all mention of consuls should
be dropped. Consular tribunes were accordingly elected. Their
names were A. and M. Cornelius (each for the second time), M.
Geganius, P. Manlius, L. Veturius, and P. Valerius (for the
sixth time).
With the exception of the siege of Velitrae, in which the
result was delayed rather than doubtful, Rome was quiet so far
as foreign affairs went. Suddenly the City was startled by
rumours of the hostile advance of the Gauls. M. Furius
Camillus was nominated Dictator for the fifth time. He named
as his Master of the Horse T. Quinctius Poenus.
Claudius is our authority for the statement that a battle was
fought at the Anio with the Gauls this year, and that it was
then that the famous fight took place on the bridge in which
T. Manlius killed a Gaul who had challenged him and then
despoiled him of his golden collar in the sight of both armies.
I am more inclined, with the majority of authors, to believe that
these occurrences took place ten years later.
There was, however, a pitched battle fought this year by
the Dictator, M. F. Camillus, against the Gauls in the Alban
territory. Although, bearing in mind their former defeat, the
Romans felt a great dread of the Gauls, their victory was neither
doubtful nor difficult. Many thousands of the barbarians were
slain in the battle, many more in the capture of their camp.
Many others, making chiefly in the direction of Apulia, escaped,
some by distant flight, and others who had become widely
scattered and in their panic had lost their way.
By the joint consent of the senate and plebs a triumph was
decreed to the Dictator.
He had hardly disposed of that war before a more alarming
commotion awaited him at home. After tremendous conflicts,
the Dictator and the senate were worsted; consequently the
proposals of the tribunes were carried, and in spite of the opposi-
tion of the nobility the elections were held for consuls. L.
Sextius was the first consul to be elected out of the plebs.
Even that was not the end of the conflict. The patricians
refused to confirm the appointment, and matters were approach-
ing a secession of the plebs and other threatening signs of
appalling civic struggles. The Dictator, however, quieted the
disturbances by arranging a compromise; the nobility made a
concession in the matter of a plebeian consul, the plebs gave
way to the nobility on the appointment of a praetor to administer
justice in the City who was to be a patrician. Thus after their
long estrangement the two orders of the State were at length
brought into harmony.
The senate decided that this event deserved to be com-
memoratedand if ever the immortal gods merited men's
gratitude, they merited it thenby the celebration of the Great
Games, and a fourth day was added to the three hitherto
devoted to them. The plebeian aediles refused to superintend
them, whereupon the younger patricians were unanimous
in declaring that they would gladly allow themselves to be
appointed aediles for the honour of the immortal gods. They
were universally thanked, and the senate made a decree that
the Dictator should ask the people to elect two aediles from
amongst the patricians, and that the senate should confirm all
the elections of that year.
Book 7
BOOK VII
B.C. 366-341
FRONTIER WARS
Ch. 1