greatest generals, Camillus, to be dictator; and he employed & part of the army in digging a long underground passage, which reached from the outside of the walls quite to the middle of the town, and came out at the temple of Juno in the citadel or castle. When it was known that all the waters of the Alban lake were drained off, a plan was made for attacking the city. Some of the soldiers clambered up the walls, others tried to break down the gates, and a third party rushed through the long dark passage, till they were exactly underneath the temple of Juno.

The king of Veii was at that very time offering sacrifices to the goddess, who was considered to be the especial protectress of the city. The Roman soldiers stood below the temple and heard the very words which were spoken by the priest, and before any alarm could be given, they rushed forth upon their enemies. It was in vain for the Veientines to resist. The Romans within the city opened the gates to their companions without, and the whole army poured in. The king was killed, numbers of the inhabitants were taken prisoners, and the whole treasures of the city were given up to the soldiers. The statue of Juno was carried to Rome, and a temple was built for the goddess upon one of the Roman hills.

Camillus, the dictator, had a splendid triumph on his return to Rome. A triumph was the great reward of a successful general. It was a grand procession through the streets of Rome, in which all the prisoners and treasures taken in the war were displayed.

The triumph of Camillus, after the fall of Veii, was disliked by the Roman people, because it showed too much pride. He entered the city in a splendid chariot, drawn by four milk-white horses,

and painted his face with vermillion. White horses were used particularly in honour of Jupiter and of the Sun; and the statues of the gods were generally painted with vermilion. It seemed, therefore, that Camillus considered himself equal to a god, and this the people were shocked at. What caused the soldiers to be still more angry, was his ordering them to return part of the spoils that had been taken from Veii, in order to assist him in making an offering to the god Apollo, which he had vowed to do, but had forgotten. Some time afterwards Camillus was accused of having hidden some treasures which he ought to have given up, and was obliged to go into exile.

B. C. 390.

CHAPTER XV.

INVASION OF THE GAULS.

ROME BURNT, 390.

CAMILLUS had not long been in exile before the Romans felt the want of his skill as a general; for the people of Clusium, a state in the north of Italy, sent to ask their assistance against the Gauls.

The Gauls were the inhabitants of that part of Europe which we now call France. They were a fierce, wild people, very tall and stong, with rough shaggy hair, which gave them a terrible look, and frightened all who saw them. The Alps lay between their country and Italy; but from time to time. parties of these savages used to cross the high snowy mountains, and come pouring down upon the bright fruitful valleys of Italy, to the great alarm of the inhabitants.

This was the case now. The people of Clusium were not strong enough to resist them, and therefore sent for help to the Romans. The Roman

senators, however, did not wish to go to war; and instead of raising an army they sent three sons of one of their senators, Fabius Ambustus, to try and make peace between the people of Clusium and the Gauls.

When the Roman ambassadors reached the camp of the Gauls they were taken before Brennus, the king, who was assembled with his council. They told him that they had come to make peace if possible, and asked him why he had invaded Clusium. Brennus replied, that his own country was too small for himself and his people. They wished no harm to the inhabitants of Clusium. They only desired

to share their lands.

The Fabii inquired what right they had to claim the land of strangers.

"Our right is in our swords," exclaimed the fierce Gaul, grasping his weapon. "All things belong to the brave." After this speech there was no hope of peace. A battle followed, in which the three Fabii fought, and one of them killed a chief officer of the Gauls.

It was entirely against the customs of all nations for an ambassador to fight; and when the Gauls heard what Fabius had done they were exceedingly enraged, and swore that they would be revenged for such an insult. A message was sent to Rome, requiring the senators to make amends to the Gauls for the conduct of their ambassadors, but nothing was done to satisfy them; and a short time afterwards the news came that king Brennus and seventy thousand of his fierce soldiers were approaching towards the city.

This was terrible news for the inhabitants. An

army was sent out, but it was defeated about eleven miles from Rome, near a small river called the Allia, a name which, as well as the day on which the defeat took place, was ever afterwards counted by the Romans as unlucky. The Gauls came on nearer and nearer, whilst the Romans sent away the women and children, and then began to make the best preparations they could think of for defending themselves.

Brennus remained for three days before Rome without venturing to attack it. He sent scouts or messengers to discover what the inhabitants were doing, and they brought him back word that the gates were open, and not a single human being was to be seen on the ramparts. It seemed difficult to believe that the Romans had left their city, and Brennus feared they wished to deceive him, but at length he could wait no longer, and he entered with his army. All was still and deserted. The Gauls could wander through the streets, and no one appeared to stop them; they could enter the houses,

they could seize upon every thing they liked, there was not a person to prevent them. At length they reached the forum. There sat eighty aged men in ivory chairs of state, and dressed in splendid purple robes. So still they were—so calm and motionless they scarcely looked like living men. The barbarians approached them, they thought them to be gods. For some time they gazed upon them with awe. Then one bolder than the rest put forth his hand and touched the long white beard of Marcus Papirius, a venerable priest. Papirius considered this action as an insult. He struck the Gaul on the head. The soldier's reverence was gone in an instant. He cut down Papirius with his sword; and his companions, growing eager and angry, instantly followed his example. The

poor old men were all murdered. And now the Gauls began to examine the city more closely. Part of it was built upon a steep rock; and when the barbarians looked up they saw a number of armed men standing upon the top of the strong walls. They knew then why it was that the city had been deserted. The Romans able to bear arms had shut themselves up in the capitol, with all the provisions that could be obtained, and were determined to defend themselves to the last. As for the eighty old men left in the forum, they were senators of very high rank, who thought that if they gave themselves up to death the gods would be satisfied, and would save their fellow country

men.

For eight long months from that time the Romans remained shut up in the capitol, suffering dreadfully from hunger, whilst the Gauls surrounded them below, unable to reach them, because the walls of the fortress were steep and high, and they could not clamber up, and yet resolved not to go away, although they had fully taken their revenge for the insult they had received, by plundering and burning the city. Rome was now a heap of ruins; and where it had once stood there were only wide desolate wastes, and a few houses still occupied by the Gauls.

Towards the end of the eight months, however, there was one attempt made by the barbarians to surprise the capitol which had very nearly succeeded. In walking round the steepest side, a soldier observed the print of footmarks.-They had been made by a daring young Roman, who was sent by his countrymen in the neighbourhood to tell the Romans in the capitol some good news; namely, that Camillus (who was in exile at Ardea) had collected an army, and had defeated some of the Gauls when

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