led nor endured any longer. Accordingly, whilst the
dictator is engaged in person in holding a levy, in ordering his master
of the horse, Lucius Valerius, to bring up the troops from Veii, in
making preparations and arrangements, so that he may attack the enemy on
equal terms, in the mean time the army of the Capitol, wearied out with
keeping guard and with watches, having surmounted all human sufferings,
whilst nature would not suffer famine alone to be overcome, looking
forward from day to day, to see whether any succour would come from the
dictator, at length not only food but hope also failing, and their arms
weighing down their debilitated bodies, whilst the guards were being
relieved, insisted that there should be either a surrender, or that they
should be bought off, on whatever terms were possible, the Gauls
intimating in rather plain terms, that they could be induced for no very
great compensation to relinquish the siege. Then the senate was held and
instructions were given to the military tribunes to capitulate. Upon
this the matter was settled between Quintus Sulpicius, a military
tribune, and Brennus, the chieftain of the Gauls, and one thousand
pounds' weight of gold was agreed on as the ransom of a people, who were
soon after to be the rulers of the world. To a transaction very
humiliating in itself, insult was added. False weights were brought by
the Gauls, and on the tribune objecting, his sword was thrown in in
addition to the weight by the insolent Gaul, and an expression was heard
intolerable to the Romans, "Woe to the vanquished!"

49. But both gods and men interfered to prevent the Romans from living
on the condition of being ransomed; for by some chance, before the
execrable price was completed, all the gold being not yet weighed in
consequence of the altercation, the dictator comes up, and orders the
gold to be removed, and the Gauls to clear away. When they, holding out
against him, affirmed that they had concluded a bargain, he denied that
the agreement was a valid one, which had been entered into with a
magistrate of inferior authority without his orders, after he had been
nominated dictator; and he gives notice to the Gauls to get ready for
battle. He orders his men to throw their baggage in a heap, and to get
ready their arms, and to recover their country with steel, not with
gold, having before their eyes the temples of the gods, and their wives
and children, and the soil of their country dis