V. In the tenth year of the war, the Senate recalled all the rest of the generals, and made Camillus Dictator.  He chose Cornelius Scipio to be his Master of the Knights, and made a vow to the gods, that, if he succeeded in bringing the war to a glorious close, he would celebrate a great festival, and build a shrine to the goddess whom the Romans call Mater Matuta.  This goddess, from the rites with which she is worshipped, one would imagine to be the same as the Greek Leukothea.  For they bring a slave girl into the temple and beat her, and then drive her out; they take their brothers’ children in their arms in preference to their own, and generally their ceremonies seem to allude to the nursing of Bacchus, and to the misfortunes which befell Ino because of her husband’s concubine.  After this, Camillus invaded the Faliscan territory, and in a great battle overthrew that people, and the Capenates who came to their assistance.  Next, he turned his attention to the siege of Veii, and, perceiving that it would be a difficult matter to take the city by assault, he ordered mines to be dug, as the ground near the walls was easily worked, and the mines could be sunk to a sufficient depth to escape the notice of the besieged.  As this work succeeded to his wish, he made a demonstration above ground to call the enemy to the walls and distract their attention, while others made their way unperceived through the mine to the Temple of Juno in the citadel, the largest and most sacred edifice in the city.  Here, it is said, was the King of the Veientines, engaged in sacrificing.  The soothsayer inspected the entrails, and cried with a loud voice, that the goddess would give the victory to whoever offered that victim.  The Romans in the mine, hearing these words, quickly tore up the floor, and burst through it with shouts and rattling arms.  The enemy fled in terror, and they seized the victims and carried them to Camillus.  However, this story sounds rather fabulous.

The city was stormed, and the Romans carried off an enormous mass of plunder.  Camillus, who viewed them from the citadel, at first stood weeping, but when, congratulated by the bystanders, raised his hands to heaven and said, “Great Jupiter, and all ye other gods, that see all good and evil deeds alike, ye know that it is not in unrighteous conquest, but in self-defence, that the Romans have taken this city of their lawless enemies.  If,” he continued, “there awaits us any reverse of fortune to counterbalance this good luck, I pray that it may fall, not upon the city or army of Rome, but, as lightly as may be, upon my own head.”  After these words he turned round to the right, as is the Roman habit after prayer, and while turning, stumbled and fell.  All those present were terrified at the omen, but he recovered himself, saying that, as he had prayed, he had received a slight hurt to temper his great good fortune.