CHAP. IV.

(Of the World, 3670—Of Rome, 370.)

The city being [1]destroyed by the Gauls, the Romans had [2]thoughts of [3]leaving it, and [4]removing to [5]Veii; but were [6]dissuaded from that [7]design by [8]Camillus; [9]whilst [10]Marcus Manlius (who [11]obtained the [12]surname of [13]Capitolinus for his [14]noble [15]defence of the [16]Capitol) [17]endeavoured by [18]ambition and [19]popular [20]favour [21]to possess himself of the [22]supreme [23]power, he was [24]thrown from the [25]Tarpeian rock, which he had [26]defended, in the year 370.

In the year 377, there was a [27]strong [28]contest [29]between the [30]nobility and the [31]people. [32]C. Licinius Stolo and [33]L. Sextius, [34]tribunes of [35]the people, [36]proposed a [37]law for [38]choosing [39]one of the consuls out [40]of the people. They [41]carried their point at last, in the year 387, and in the [42]following year [43]L. Sextius was elected consul.

[44]After this, the Romans had [45]war with the [46]Tiburtes, the [47]Tarquinenses, and [48]Falisci; and again with the [49]Gauls, who being [50]drawn up [51]in order of [52]battle, one of them [53]sent a [54]challenge to the Romans, and was [55]slain by [56]one M. Valerius, a [57]tribune of the [58]soldiers, by the [59]assistance of a [60]crow, who [61]from thence had the [62]surname of [63]Corvinus.

[64]But of all their [65]wars, none was more [66]troublesome and [67]lasting than that [68]against the [69]Samnites; which the Romans [70]undertook the year of the city 411, at the [71]request of the [72]Campani. It [73]lasted [74]seventy years; [75]though they were [76]several times [77]beaten, as in the year 413, in which the [78]Latins [79]rose up in arms [80]against the Romans, but were the year after [81]conquered by the [82]consuls Torquatus and Decius; the [83]former of whom [84]beheaded his own [85]son for [86]fighting [87]without his [88]order; the [89]other [90]devoted himself to [91]destruction for the [92]army; after which the [93]enemies [94]submitted, but [95]soon after [96]rebelling again, they were [97]at last [98]entirely [99]reduced in the year 416.

[100]About this time the [101]Gauls [102]made a [103]peace with the Romans, which they [104]kept [105]thirty years. But in 450, the [106]Cisalpine, [107]together with the [108]Transalpine [109]Gauls, and the [110]Tuscans, [111]laid waste the [112]Roman [113]territories. The Cisalpine [114]returning [115]home [116]loaded with [117]spoils, [118]fell out together about them. [119]Four years after that, having [120]joined the [121]Samnites and [122]Tuscans, they fell [123]upon the Roman [124]army [125]commanded by [126]L. Scipio, the [127]proprætor, in which [128]battle, [129]P. Decius [130]the consul [131]devoted himself.

[132]Ten years after this, the [133]Galli Senones being [134]invited by the [135]Lucani, [136]Brutii, Samnites, and Tuscans, [137]besieged [138]Aretium, and having [139]vanquished [140]L. Cæcilius the [141]prætor, [142]killed 13,000 Romans; which [143]overthrow the consul Dolobella [144]revenged upon them [145]soon after; for having [146]routed the [147]Gauls, and [148]taken their city of Sena, [149]he sent a [150]colony there. The [151]Boii being [152]moved at the [153]hard [154]fate of the [155]Senones, [156]entered into an [157]alliance with the [158]Tuscans, and [159]engaged the Romans at the [160]lake of [161]Vadimon; in which [162]battle [163]almost [164]all the Tuscans were [165]slain, and very [166]few of the Boii [167]escaped. This [168]happened in the year of the city 471; but in the [169]following year the Boii were [170]entirely [171]reduced, which was [172]about three years [173]before [174]Pyrrhus, [175]came into [176]Italy.

The [177]Palæpolitani [178]likewise, [179]where [180]now [181]Naples is, [182]venturing to make war upon the Romans, were [183]subdued the third year [184]after, [185]that is to say, in the year of the city 428, by [186]Publius the proconsul.