5.17
From that time the
captive prophet began to be held in very high
esteem, and the consular tribunes, Cornelius and
Postumius, began to make use of him for the
expiation of the Alban portent and the proper method
of appeasing the gods. At length it was discovered
why the gods were visiting men for neglected
ceremonies and religious duties unperformed. It was
in fact due to nothing else but the fact that there
was a flaw in the election of the magistrates, and
consequently they had not proclaimed the Festival of
the Latin League and the sacrifice on the Alban
Mount with the due formalities. There was only one
possible mode of expiation, and that was that the
consular tribunes should resign office, the auspices
to be taken entirely afresh, and an interrex
appointed. All these measures were earned out by a
decree of the senate. There were three interreges in
succession -L. Valerius, Q. Servilius Fidenas, and
M. Furius Camillus. During all this time there were
incessant disturbances owing to the tribunes of the
plebs hindering the elections until an understanding
was come to that the majority of the consular
tribunes should be elected from the plebeians.
Whilst this was going on the national council of
Etruria met at the Fane of Voltumna. The Capenates
and the Faliscans demanded that all the cantons of
Etruria should unite in common action to raise the
siege of Veii; they were told in reply that
assistance had been previously refused to the
Veientines because they had no right to seek help
from those whose advice they had not sought in a
matter of such importance. Now, however, it was
their unfortunate circumstances and not their will
that compelled them to refuse. The Gauls, a strange
and unknown race, had recently overrun the greatest
part of Etruria, and they were not on terms of
either assured peace or open war with them. They
would, however, do this much for those of their
blood and name, considering the imminent danger of
their kinsmen -if any of their younger men
volunteered for the war they would not prevent their
going. The report spread in Rome that a large number
had reached Veii, and in the general alarm the
internal dissensions, as usual, began to calm down.