lent general, an extraordinary commander, had been selected, who
thinks that whilst he does nothing victory will fly down from heaven
into his lap." Afterwards they gave expression to these same sentiments
openly during the day, and to others still more outrageous; that "they
would either fight without the general's orders, or would proceed in a
body to Rome." The centurions, too, began to mix with the soldiers; and
they murmured not only in their own quarters, but now their observations
began to be confounded together at head-quarters and at the general's
tent, and the crowd increased to the magnitude of an assembly, and they
now shouted from all quarters that "they should go forthwith to the
dictator; that Sextus Tullius should speak in behalf of the army, so as
became his courage."

13. Tullius was now for the seventh time first centurion of a legion,
nor was there in the army, at least among those who served in the
infantry, a man more distinguished by his conduct. He, at the head of a
body of the soldiers, proceeds to the tribunal, and to Sulpicius, not
more surprised at the crowd than at Tullius, the leader of the crowd, a
soldier most obedient to command, he says: "Dictator, the whole army,
conceiving that they have been condemned by you of cowardice, and kept
without their arms by way of disgrace, has entreated me to plead their
cause before you. In truth, if having deserted our post any where, if
turning our backs to the enemy, if the disgraceful loss of our
standards could be laid to our charge, I would still think it but just
that we should obtain this from you, that you would suffer us to redeem
our fault by our bravery, and to blot out the memory of our disgrace by
newly acquired glory. Even the legions defeated at the Allia, when they
afterwards set out from Veii, recovered by their valour the same country
which they had lost through a panic. We, by the bounty of the gods, your
good fortune, and that of the Roman people, have both our cause and our
glory uninjured. Though of glory I would scarcely venture to say any
thing; since both the enemy scoff at us with every kind of insult, as
women hiding ourselves behind a rampart; and you, our general, what we
grieve at still more, judge your army to be without spirit, without
arms, without hands; and before you had made trial of us, you have so
despaired of us, as to consider yourself to be the leader of a set of
maimed and disabled men. For what else shall we b