d soul of the Roman interest, was, a great alarm had fallen on
another quarter. For almost all Etruria, taking up arms, were besieging
Sutrium, allies of the Roman people, whose ambassadors having applied to
the senate, imploring aid in their distress, obtained a decree, that the
dictator should at the earliest opportunity bear aid to the Sutrians.
And when the circumstances of the besieged would not suffer them to
brook the delay of this hope, and the small number of the townsmen were
spent with labour, watching, and wounds, all which fell heavily on the
same individuals, and when, the city being delivered up to the enemy by
a capitulation, they were leaving their habitations in a miserable
train, being discharged without their arms with only a single garment;
at that juncture Camillus happened to come up at the head of the Roman
army. And when the mournful crowd prostrated themselves at his feet, and
the address of the leading men, wrung from them by extreme necessity,
was followed by the weeping of women and boys, who were dragged along by
the companions of their exile, he bade the Sutrians to give over their
lamentations: that he brought with him grief and tears to the Etrurians.
He then orders the baggage to be deposited, and the Sutrians to remain
there with a small guard left with them, and the soldiers to follow him
in arms. Having thus proceeded to Sutrium with his army disencumbered,
he found, as he expected, every thing in disorder, as usually happens in
success; no advanced guard before the walls, the gates lying open, and
the conquerors dispersed, carrying out the booty from the houses of the
enemy. Sutrium is therefore taken a second time on the same day; the
Etrurians, lately victorious, are cut down in every quarter by their new
enemy, nor is time afforded them to collect and form one body, or even
to take up arms. When each pushed eagerly towards the gates, to try if
by any chance they could throw themselves into the fields, they found
the gates shut; for the dictator had given those orders in the first
instance. Upon this some took up arms, others, who happened to be armed
before the tumult came on them, called their friends together in order
to make battle; which would have been kindled by the despair of the
enemy, had not criers, sent in every direction through the city, issued
orders that their arms should be laid down, that the unarmed should be
spared, and that no one should be injured except those w