of the enemy, and not a few of
their own number also were killed. One of the consuls likewise
fell,--Manlius[8]: the populace chose Manlius[9] praetor for the third
time.

[Footnote 8: This was probably one of the Manlii Cincinnati.]

[Footnote 9: The second "Manlius" is evidently an error of Zonaras.
The name should be _Fabius_.]

Again was a war waged against them by the Etruscans. And when the
Romans were in dejection and at a loss to know how they should
withstand the enemy, the Fabii came to their help. [Sidenote: FRAG.
20^1] THEY, THREE HUNDRED AND SIX IN NUMBER, WHEN THEY SAW THAT THE
ROMANS WERE DEJECTED, were not following profitable counsels, and were
on all points in desperation, took upon themselves the burden of the
war against the Etruscans, exhibiting readiness to carry on the
conflict by themselves with their persons and with their wealth. They
occupied and fortified an advantageous position from which as a base
they harried the entire hostile domain, since the Etruscans would not
venture to engage in combat with them, or, if they ever did join
issue, were decisively defeated. But, upon the accession of allies,
the Etruscans laid an ambuscade in a wooded spot: the Fabii, being
masters of the whole field, assailed them without [Sidenote: FRAG.
20^2] precaution, fell into the snare, were surrounded and all
massacred. And their race would have entirely disappeared, had not one
of them because of his youth been left at home, in whose descendants
the family later attained renewed renown.

After the Fabii had been destroyed as related the Romans received
rough treatment at the hands of the Etruscans. Subsequently they
concluded a peace with the enemy, but turning against one another
committed many deeds of outrage, the populace not even refraining
from attack upon the praetors. They beat their assistants and shattered
their fasces and made the praetors themselves submit to investigation
on every pretext, great and small. They actually planned to throw
Appius Claudius into prison in the very midst of his term of office,
inasmuch as he persistently opposed them at every point and had
decimated the partners of his campaign after their giving way before
the Volsci in battle. Now decimation was the following sort of
process. When the soldiers had committed any grave offence the leader
told them off in groups of ten and taking one man of each ten (who had
drawn the lot) he would punish him by death. At Claudiu