4.58
During this year the
armistice with Veii expired, and ambassadors and
fetials were sent to demand satisfaction. When they
reached the frontier they were met by a deputation
from Veii, who begged them not to go there before
they themselves had an audience of the Roman senate.
They obtained from the senate the withdrawal of the
demand for satisfaction, owing to the internal
troubles from which Veii was suffering. So far were
the Romans from seeking their opportunity in the
misfortunes of others! A disaster was incurred on
Volscian ground in the loss of the garrison at
Verrugo. So much depended here upon a few hours that
the soldiers who were being besieged by the
Volscians and begging for assistance could have been
relieved if prompt measures had been taken. As it
was, the relieving force only arrived in time to
surprise the enemy, who, fresh from the massacre of
the garrison, were scattered in quest of plunder.
The responsibility for the delay rested more with
the senate than with the consular tribunes; they
heard that the garrison were offering a most
determined resistance, and they did not reflect that
there are limits to human strength which no amount
of courage can transcend. The gallant soldiers were
not unavenged either in their lives or their deaths.
The following year the consular tribunes were
P. Cornelius Cossus, Cnaeus Cornelius Cossus,
Numerius Fabius Ambustus, and L. Valerius Potitus.
Owing to the action of the senate of Veii, a war
with that city was threatened. The envoys whom Rome
had sent to demand satisfaction received the
insolent reply that unless they speedily departed
from the city and crossed the frontiers the
Veientines would give them what Lars Tolumnius had
given. The senate were indignant and passed a decree
that the consular tribunes should bring before the
people at the earliest possible day a proposal to
declare war against Veii. No sooner was the subject
brought forward than the men who were liable for
service protested. They complained that the war with
the Volscians had not been brought to a close, the
garrisons of two forts had been annihilated, and the
forts, though recaptured, were held with difficulty,
there was not a single year in which there was not
fighting, and now, as if they had not enough work on
hand, they were preparing for a fresh war with a
most powerful neighbour who would rouse the whole of
Etruria. This disaffection amongst the plebs was
fanned by their tribunes, who were continually
giving out that the most serious war was the one
going on between the senate and the plebs, who were
purposely harassed by war and exposed to be
butchered by the enemy and kept as it were in
banishment far from their homes lest the quiet of
city life might awaken memories of their liberties
and lead them to discuss schemes for distributing
the State lands amongst colonists and securing a
free exercise of their franchise. They got hold of
the veterans, counted up each man's campaigns and
wounds and scars, and asked what blood was still
left in him which could be shed for the State. By
raising these topics in public speeches and private
conversations they produced amongst the plebeians a
feeling of opposition to the projected war. The
subject was therefore dropped for the time, as it
was evident that in the then state of opinion it
would, if brought forward, be rejected.