And similarly the Romans, under the command of Caepio, on
that same day lost their camp to the Gauls, and afterwards, under
Lucullus, defeated Tigranes and the Armenians. King Attalus and Pompeius
the Great died on their own birthdays. And I could mention many others,
who have had both good and evil fortune on the same anniversaries. But
the Romans regard that day as especially unlucky, and on account of it,
two other days in every month are thought so, as superstitious feeling
is increased by misfortune. This subject I have treated at greater
length in my treatise on 'Roman Questions.'
XX. If, after the battle, the Gauls had at once followed up the
fugitives, nothing could have prevented their taking Rome and destroying
every one who was left in it; such terror did the beaten troops produce
when they reached home, and such panic fear seized upon every one.
However the barbarians scarcely believed in the completeness of their
victory, and betook themselves to making merry over their success and to
dividing the spoils taken in the Roman camp, so that they afforded those
who left the city time to effect their escape, and those who remained in
it time to recover their courage and make preparations for standing a
siege. They abandoned all but the Capitol to the enemy, and fortified it
with additional ramparts and stores of missiles. One of their first acts
was to convey most of their holy things into the Capitol, while the
Vestal virgins took the sacred fire and their other sacred objects and
fled with them from the city.
Pages:
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366