5.27
It was the custom of the
Faliscans to employ the same person as the master
and also as the attendant of their children, and
several boys used to be entrusted to one man's care;
a custom which prevails in Greece at the present
time. Naturally, the man who had the highest
reputation for learning was appointed to instruct
the children of the principal men. This man had
started the practice, in the time of peace, of
taking the boys outside the gates for games and
exercise, and he kept up the practice after the war
had begun, taking them sometimes a shorter,
sometimes a longer distance from the city gate.
Seizing a favourable opportunity, he kept up the
games and the conversations longer than usual, and
went on till he was in the midst of the Roman
outposts. He then took them into the camp and up to
Camillus in the headquarters tent. There he
aggravated his villainous act by a still more
villainous utterance. He had, he said, given Falerii
into the hands of the Romans, since those boys,
whose fathers were at the head of affairs in the
city, were now placed in their power. On hearing
this Camillus replied, "You, villain, have not come
with your villainous offer to a nation or a
commander like yourself. Between us and the
Faliscans there is no fellowship based on a formal
compact as between man and man, but the fellowship
which is based on natural instincts exists between
us, and will continue to do so. There are rights of
war as there are rights of peace, and we have learnt
to wage our wars with justice no less than with
courage. We do not use our weapons against those of
an age which is spared even in the capture of
cities, but against those who are armed as we are,
and who without any injury or provocation from us
attacked the Roman camp at Veii. These men you, as
far as you could, have vanquished by an
unprecedented act of villainy; I shall vanquish them
as I vanquished Veii, by Roman arts, by courage and
strategy and force of arms." He then ordered him to
be stripped and his hands tied behind his back, and
delivered him up to the boys to be taken back to
Falerii, and gave them rods with which to scourge
the traitor into the city. The people came in crowds
to see the sight, the magistrates thereupon convened
the senate to discuss the extraordinary incident,
and in the end such a revulsion of feeling took
place that the very people who in the madness of
their rage and hatred would almost sooner have
shared the fate of Veii than obtained the peace
which Capena enjoyed, now found themselves in
company with the whole city asking for peace. The
Roman sense of honour, the commander's love of
justice, were in all men's mouths in the forum and
in the senate, and in accordance with the universal
wish, ambassadors were despatched to Camillus in the
camp, and with his sanction to the senate in Rome,
to make the surrender of Falerii.
On being introduced to the senate, they are
reported to have made the following speech:
"Senators! vanquished by you and your general
through a victory which none, whether god or man,
can censure, we surrender ourselves to you, for we
think it better to live under your sway than under
our own laws, and this is the greatest glory that a
conqueror can attain. Through the issue of this war
two salutary precedents have been set for mankind.
You have preferred the honour of a soldier to a
victory which was in your hands; we, challenged by
your good faith, have voluntarily given you that
victory. We are at your disposal; send men to
receive our arms, to receive the hostages, to
receive the city whose gates stand open to you.
Never shall you have cause to complain of our
loyalty, nor we of your rule." Thanks were accorded
to Camillus both by the enemy and by his own
countrymen. The Faliscans were ordered to supply the
pay of the troops for that year, in order that the
Roman people might be free from the war-tax. After
the peace was granted, the army was marched back to
Rome.