Curiosities & wonders > Titus Livius' Roman history

470
TITUS LIVIUS*
Book Vi
his commission from the army. Having then got the
senate’s decree, ordaining, * That Camillus should, by
* an act of the comitia assembled by curire, be recalled
* from banishment; and by authority of the people be
* immediately appointed dictator, at the same time, that
‘ the army should have the general they desired.* Re¬
turning the same way, he posted to Veii with the news;
whence the commissioners were sent Camillus at Ardea,
who conducted him to Veii: or rather an act repealing
his banishment, was passed in the comitia assembled by
curire, and he declared dictator in his absence ; for it is
more likely that he did not move from Ardea, till he
had certain advices of the act passed by the senate ; be¬
cause he could not change the place of his retreat, with¬
out the voices of the people, nor take the auspices regu¬
larly in the army, in order to their entering upon action,
till he was appointed dictator.
CHAP. XLVII.
An attempt of the Gauls frustrated by the gallantry of
Manlius.
During these transactions at Veii, the citadel and
capitol of Rome were in extreme danger. The Gauls,
whether they had observed the impressions of a man’s
feet* in that place where the messenger from Veii had
climbed the rock, or of themselves had discovered that
it was accessible by the rock Carmentalis, it is certain,
that one night, when it was pretty clear, they first sent a
man before to examine the way, without his arms, which
they afterwards handed up to him ; and where it was
steep, they supported, lifted and lent each other a hand,
as the difiicuty of the place required, till they had reach¬
ed the top. This they did with so much silence, that
neither the ceutinels, nor even the dogs, animals that
are apt to stir at the least noise in the night-time, were
in the least alarmed. But they did not escape unnoticed
by the geese, which being sacred to Juno, the Romans,
in all their scarcity of provisions, had preserved alive.
This saved the capitol. For by their gagling and beat¬
ing their wings, they raised M. Manlius, a great soldier,
w ho had been consul three years before; he snatching