VIII, 1.—­After a long interval the Romans under the leadership of Gaius Junius were again warring with the Samnites, when they met with disaster.  While Junius was pillaging the hostile territory, the Samnites conveyed their possessions into the Avernian[14] woods, so-called from the fact that on account of the closeness of the trees no bird flies into them.  Being there ensconced they set out some herds without herdsmen or guards and quietly sent some pretended deserters who guided the Romans to the booty apparently lying at their disposal.  But when the latter had entered the wood, the Samnites surrounded them and did not cease from slaughter till they were completely tired out.  And though the Samnites fought on many other occasions against the Romans and were defeated, they would not be quiet, but having acquired the Gauls, besides others, as allies, they made preparations to march upon Rome itself.  The Romans, when they learned of it, fell into alarm, for their original inclination to do so was augmented by many portents.  On the Capitol blood is reported to have issued for three days from the altar of Jupiter, together with honey on one day, and milk on a second—­if anybody can believe it:  and in the Forum a bronze statue of Victory set upon a stone pedestal was found standing upon the ground below, without any one’s having moved it; and, as it happened, it was facing in that direction from which the Gauls were already approaching.  This of itself was enough to terrify the populace, who were even more dismayed by ill-omened interpretations published by the seers.  However, a certain Manius, by birth an Etruscan, encouraged them by declaring that Victory, even if she had descended, had gone forward, and being now settled more firmly on the ground indicated to them mastery in the war.  Accordingly, many sacrifices, too, should be offered to the gods; for their altars, and particularly those on the Capitol, where they sacrifice thank-offerings for victory, were regularly stained with blood in the midst of their successes and not in their disasters.  From these developments, then, he persuaded them to expect some fortunate outcome, but from the honey to expect disease (because invalids crave it) and from the milk famine; for they should encounter so great a scarcity of provisions as to seek for food of native growth and pasturage.

[Footnote 14:  In Greek, Birdless.]

Manius, then, interpreted the omens in this way, [Sidenote:  FRAG. 33^22] AND AS HIS PROPHECY TURNED OUT TO BE CORRECT, HE GAINED THEREAFTER A REPUTATION FOR SKILL AND FOREKNOWLEDGE IN ALL MATTERS.  Now Volumnius was ordered to make war upon the Samnites; Fabius Maximus Rullus and Publius Decius were chosen consuls and were sent to withstand the Gauls and the other warriors in the Gallic contingent.  They, having come with speed to Etruria, saw the camp of Appius, which was fortified by a double palisade; and they pulled up the stakes and carried them off, instructing