Next morning the tribune Sulpitius assembled the troops. They rewarded Manlius for his courage; ex ecuted the captain of the guard for his negligence; and resolved that a flock of geese should ever after wards be kept in Rome at the public expense.
While Brennus continued the siege of the capitol. be was himself hemmed in by the activity of Camillus. Famine added itself to the other calamities both of the Gauls and the Romans; and a plague broke out in the camp of Brennus, which was pitched among the ruins of the city, and the bodies of the unburied Romans.
The brave defenders of the capitol were ignorant both of the distresses of their enemies, and of the ac tive exertions of their friends. Famine had reduced them to the last extremity of distress, and seeing no prospect of deliverance, Sulpitius was compelled to negotiate with the Gauls. On the condition that the Roman territory should be evacuated, Sulpitius agreed to pay 1000 pounds weight of gold (X45,000); but after the gold was brought, the Gauls weighed it with false weights; and when Sulpitius complained of the deception, Brennus threw his sword and belt into the scale, and exclaimed i rides.
While the broken spirit of the Romans was thus insulted amid the ruins of their city and of their for tunes, Camillus appeared at the gates with his army. With a chosen band he hastened to the conference, and learning on his way the insolence of Brennus, he exclaimed as lie approached, " Carry back the gold into the capitol, and you Gauls retire with your weights and scales. Rome must be ransomed by steel and not by gold." Brennus replied that the treaty was ratified by mutual oaths; but Camillus, invest ed with the supreme power, declared the contract to he void. Brennus flew into a rage, and both parties having drawn their swords, the Gauls after some loss retired into their camp, which they abandoned in the night, and, after a march of eight miles encamped on the Gabinian way. Camillus pursued them at break of day, defeated them after a faint resistance, and put great numbers to the sword. Besides those which were slain in the action and in the retreat, numbers were killed by the peasants, and not a Gaul survived to carry home to his country the tidings of this me morable action. Loaded with the spoils of the bar
barians, Camillus returned triumphant to the city, and was honoured as the father of his country, and the second founder of Rome.
The almost total destruction of the city induced many of the tribunes to propose to abandon it, and re move the seat of government to Veld, a city strongly fortified both by nature and art. The people were dis posed to enter into the measure; but Camillus, sup ported by the senate, urged the rebuilding of Rome by every appeal which could be made to their in terests and feelings. When the question was about to be decided, L. Lucretius was beginning to speak, when a centurion exclaimed in passing by, " Plant your colours ensign, this is the best place to stay in." Lucretius taking advantage of the words, cried out, " A happy omen; I adore the gods who gave it." The senate applauded his speech, and the decree for re building Rome was passed without opposition.
The rebuilding of the city was scarcely completed, when the Equi, Volsci, Latins, and Hernici, entered into a formidable combination against the Romans. Camillus was a third time chosen dictator, and having made Servilius his general of horse, he marshalled the citizens of all ages, and formed three armies. One was placed under A. Manlius, the second was sent to of Veii; and at the head of the third he marched to the relief of the tribunes, whom the Volsci and Latins had closely besieged in their camp. Upon the arrival of Camillus, the Volsci and Latins fortified their camp with huge trees newly cut down. Observing that the wind blew full on the enemy's camp, the dictator ordered a detachment to proceed with firebrands to the windward side to set it on fire, while with the main body he obtained possession of it, and leaving his son in it to guard the prisoners, he made himself master of Bela, the capital of the Equi. He then carried his arms against the Volsci, whom he speedily subdued.