BRENNUS, the name or title of several princes of the ancient Gauls, supposed to be derived from the Kymrian brenhin, a king. A leader of the Senones, a Gallic nation in the upper part of Italy, the most famous person age i who is mentioned under this name made invasion nvasion nto the Roman territory about the year 390 s.c. A battle was fought near the river Allia, the Romans were totally defeated and Brennus took possession of the city, which had been previously abandoned by the inhabit ants. The capitol only was provided with a garrison, but several aged citizens of rank, amounting in the whole to about 80, had re solved to remain in the city and devote them selves to the infernal deities. Attired in their sacerdotal, consular and triumphal robes. they seated themselves in their chairs of office in the middle of the forum, awaiting death. When Brennus arrived at the forum, he was struck with astonishment at their venerable aspect. The Gauls looked upon them as so many statues of deities and feared to go near them, but ultimately they were all massacred. Rome was sacked and all the inhabitants who yet remained in their houses were slain. Bren nus then assaulted the capitol and being re pelled with considerable loss, he set fire to the city and leveled it to the ground. While the garrison of the capitol was in great distress Brennus attempted a surprise by night, in which he would have succeeded had not the cackling of the geese, sacred to Juno, alarmed the garrison, in consequence of which the Gauls were repulsed. After six months Bren
nus offered to raise the siege and leave the Roman territory for 1.000 pounds of gold. When the gold was weighed, Brennus threw his sword into the scale beside the weights and cried out, °Woe to the vanquished P Accord ing to Polybius the Gauls returned home in safety with their booty. According to the Roman legend followed by Livy, Brennus was defeated and his army entirely destroyed by Camillus, a distinguished Roman exile who had retired to the city of Ardea and who ar rived with succor in time to save the capitol. Another Brennus in 279 B.C. advanced into Greece with an enormous force, said to have amounted to 150,000 foot and 61,000 horse. After ravaging Macedonia he entered Thes saly and marched toward Thermopylae, where an army of 20,000 Greeks was assembled, sup ported by an Athenian fleet on the coast. The Gauls were repulsed in a sanguinary battle, but, in order to separate the Greeks, they dis persed themselves to plunder the country. Brennus himself attacked the temple of Del phi, which was defended by only 4,000 men, but was again repulsed and carried out of the battle fainting with his wounds. Unwilling to survive his defeat, he put an end to his life by copious draughts of wine. The Greeks attributed their victory to the assistance of Apollo.