Brennus, after taking possession of Rome, posted a force to watch the Capitol, and himself went down to the Forum, and wondered at the men who sat there silent, with all their ornaments, how they neither rose from their seats at the approach of the enemy, nor changed colour, but sat leaning on their staffs with fearless confidence, quietly looking at one another.  The Gauls were astonished at so strange a sight, and for a long time they forbore to approach and touch them, as if they were superior beings.  But when one of them ventured to draw near to Marcus Papirius and gently stroke his long beard, Papirius struck him on the head with his staff, at which the barbarian drew his sword and slew him.  Upon this they fell upon the rest and killed them, with any other Romans whom they found, and spent many days in plundering the houses, after which they burned them and pulled them down in their rage at the men in the Capitol, because they would not surrender, but drove them back when they assaulted it.  For this reason they wreaked their vengeance on the city, and put to death all their captives, men and women, old and young alike.

XXIII.  As the siege was a long one, the Gauls began to want for provisions.  They divided themselves into two bodies, one of which remained with the king and carried on the siege, while the others scoured the country, plundering and destroying the villages, not going all together in a body, but scattered in small detachments in various directions, as their elation at their success caused them to have no fear about separating their forces.  Their largest and best disciplined body marched towards Ardea, where Camillus, since his banishment, had lived as a private person.  All his thoughts, however, were bent not upon avoiding or fleeing from the Gauls, but upon defeating them if possible.  And so, seeing that the people of Ardea were sufficient in numbers, but wanting in confidence because of the want of experience and remissness of their leaders, he first began to tell the younger men that they ought not to ascribe the misfortunes of the Romans to the bravery of the Gauls, for the misconduct of the former had given them a triumph which they did not deserve.  It would, he urged, be a glorious thing, even at the risk of some danger, to drive away a tribe of savage barbarians, who if they were victorious always exterminated the vanquished:  while, if they only showed bravery and confidence, he could, by watching his opportunity, lead them to certain victory.  As the younger men eagerly listened to these words, Camillus proceeded to confer with the chief magistrates of the Ardeates.  After obtaining their consent also, he armed all those who were capable of service, but kept them within the walls, as he wished to conceal their presence from the enemy who were now close at hand.  But when the Gauls after scouring the country returned laden with plunder and carelessly encamped in the plain, and when at night by the influence of wine and sleep