XXXIII. Before they had finished rebuilding the city they became
involved in a war, for the Aequians, Volscians, and Latins combined
their forces and invaded the country, while the Etruscans besieged
Sutrium, a city in alliance with Rome. The tribunes in command of the
Roman forces encamped near the Marcian heights, and were there besieged
by the Latins and in danger of having their camp taken. They sent to
Rome for assistance, and the Romans appointed Camillus dictator for the
third time. About this war there are two different accounts, of which I
will mention the legendary one first:--It is said that the Latins,
either merely as a pretext, or really wishing to amalgamate the two
races as before, sent a demand to Rome for free unmarried women to be
delivered up for them to marry. As the Romans were at their wits' ends
what to do, because they feared to go to war, being scarcely recovered
from their late mishap, while they suspected that the women would be
used as hostages if they gave them up, and that the proposal of
intermarriage was merely a feint, a slave girl named Tutula, or, as some
say, Philotis, advised the magistrates to send her and the best-looking
of the female slaves, dressed like brides of noble birth, and that she
would manage the rest. The magistrates approved of her proposal, chose
such girls as she thought suitable, and having dressed them in fine
clothes and jewellery, handed them over to the Latins, who were encamped
at no great distance from the city.
Pages:
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383