Camillus, wishing
to confirm the enemy in this idea, would not move to prevent the country
being plundered before his eyes, but palisaded his camp and remained
quiet within it, until he saw that the foraging parties of the Gauls
straggled in careless disorder, while those in the camp did nothing but
eat and drink. Then, sending forward his light troops before daybreak to
be ready to harass the Gauls and prevent their forming their ranks
properly as they came out of their camp, he marched the heavy-armed men
down into the plain at sunrise, a numerous and confident body, and not,
as the Gauls fancied, a few disheartened men.
The very fact of his commencing the attack dashed the courage of the
Gauls; next, the attacks of the light troops, before they had got into
their wonted array and divided themselves into regiments, produced
disorder. When at last Camillus led on the heavy-armed troops, the Gauls
ran to meet them brandishing their swords, but the Romans with their
pikes advanced and met them, receiving their sword-cuts on their armour,
which soon made the Gaulish swords bend double, as they were made of
soft iron hammered out thin, while the shields of the Gauls were
pierced and weighed down by the pikes that stuck in them. They therefore
dropped their own arms, and endeavoured to seize the pikes and turn them
against their enemies. But the Romans, seeing them now defenceless,
began to use their swords, and slew many of the first ranks, while the
rest took to flight all over the flat country; for Camillus had taken
care to guard the hills and rough ground, while the Gauls knew that
they, in their over-confidence, had been at no pains to fortify their
camp, and that the Romans could easily take it.
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