BRENNUS, the name or rather the title of several Gallic princes, is probably a Latin ized form of the Kyinric word brenhin, which signifies a king. The most famous B. was that leader of the Gauls who, in 390 B.C., crossed the Apennines, and hurrying through the country of the Sabines, at the head of 70,000 men, encountered and overthrew on the banks of the Allia (q.v.) the Roman army. Had the barbarians immediately followed up their advantage, Rome might have been obliterated from the earth; but instead of doing so they abandoned themselves to drunken delights on the battlefield, and gave the Romans time to fortify the capitol, whither were removed all the treasures and holy things of the city. When B. entered the gates he found that all the inhabitants of the city had fled, with the exception of the women and children, and old men, the last of whom, with pathetic heroism, had resolved not to survive the destruction of their homes, and so, the chief among them, clothed in their robes of sacerdotal or consular dignity, anal sitting in the curule chairs, waited the approach of their enemies, and received their death in majestic silence. B., having plundered the city, now besieged the capitol for six months. During the beleaguerment occured the famous night-attack, which would have been successful had not the cackling of the geese, kept in Juno's temple, awakened the garrison. At length, however, the Romans were compelled to enter into negotiations with the besiegers. They offered 1000 lbs. of gold for their ransom, which was agreed to. According to Polybius, B. and his Gauls returned home in safety with their booty; but the rather mythical Roman traditions affirm that, just as the Gauls were leaving the city, Camillus, who had been recalled from banishment and appointed dictator, appeared at the head of an army, attacked them, and, in two bloody battles, slew the whole of the barbarians to a man.
Another B., who occupies a conspicuous place in history, was that Gallic chief who invaded Greece, 279 B.C., at the head of 150,000 foot and 61,000 horse. After desolating Macedonia, B. forced his way through Thessaly to Thermopylie. The Grecian army fled at his approach. B. now rushed on with a division of his great host to Delphi. which he had resolved to plunder; but the Delphians having taken up a very advan tagcous position on some rocks, resisted his further progress. Assisted by the terrors of an earthquake and a terrible storm, besides, according to reverential tradition, by the supernatural help of Apollo, they utterly routed the Gauls, who fled in dismay. B. was taken prisoner, and drank himself to death in despair.
BRENTA (.3Iedoacus Major), a river of n. Italy, rises from two small lakes in the Tyrol; flows first in a southern, then in an eastern course through the Venetian territory; passes the towns Cismona and Bassano; receives an arm of the Bacchiglione below Padua, where it becomes navigable; and falls into the gulf of Venice, at the haven of Brondolo. The ancient bed of the B. was, some centuries ago, altered by the Venetians, who feared that their lagoons might be choked with sand by its floods. Afterwards, the old bed of the river was made use of as a canal, the Naviglio di Brenta. Magra, which forms the chief communication by water between Venice and Padua, while the B. is but little used for navigation.