All
those present were terrified at the omen, but he recovered himself,
saying that, as he had prayed, he had received a slight hurt to temper
his great good fortune.
VI. When the city was sacked, he determined to send the statue of Juno
to Rome, according to his vow. When workmen were assembled for this
purpose, he offered sacrifice, and prayed to the goddess to look kindly
on his efforts, and to graciously take up her abode among the gods of
Rome. It is said that the statue answered that it wished to do so, and
approved of his proceedings. But Livy tells us that Camillus offered his
prayers while touching the statue, and that some of the bystanders said,
"She consents, and is willing to come." However, those who insist on the
supernatural form of the story have one great argument in their favour,
in the marvellous fortune of Rome, which never could from such small
beginnings have reached, such a pitch of glory and power without many
direct manifestations of the favour of Heaven. Moreover, other
appearances of the same kind are to be compared with it, such as that
statues have often been known to sweat, have been heard to groan, and
have even turned away and shut their eyes, as has been related by many
historians before our own time. And I have heard of many miraculous
occurrences even at the present day, resting on evidence which cannot be
lightly impugned. However, the weakness of human nature makes it equally
dangerous to put too much faith in such matters or to entirely
disbelieve them, as the one leads to superstition and folly, and the
other to neglect and contempt of the gods.
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