He was saved from the threatened pro- ceedings by death; a death so opportune that many people believed it to be a voluntary one. The interregnum began with P. Cornelius Scipio as the first interrex; he was followed by M. Furius Camillus, under whom the election of military tribunes was conducted.

Those elected were L. Valerius Publicola, for the second time, L. Verginius, P. Cornelius, A. Manlius, L. Aemilius, and L. Postumius.

Proceedings in the Senate. —They entered upon their office immediately, and their very first case was to submit to the senate measures affecting religion. Orders were made that in the first place search should be made for the treaties and laws — these latter including those of the Twelve Tables and some belonging to the time of the kings —as far as they were still extant.

Some were made accessible to the public, but those which dealt with divine worship were kept secret by the pontiff mainly in order that the people might remain dependent on them for religious guidance. Then they entered upon a discussion of the “days of prohibition.” Days of prohibition. These were days marked by some great disaster to the Roman republic on which it was forbidden to transact any public business, perform any sacred fuctions, commence any undertaking (e.g. a journey), or celebrate a marriage.The

18th of July was marked by a double disaster, for on that day the Fabii were annihilated at the Cremera, and in after years the battle at the Alia which involved the ruin of the City was lost on the same day. From the latter disaster the day was called “the day of the Alia,” and was observed by a religious abstinence from all public and private business.

The consular tribune Sulpicius had not offered acceptable sacrifices on July 16 (the day after the Ides), and without having secured the good will of the gods the Roman army was exposed to the enemy two days later. Some think that it was for this reason that on the day after the Ides in each month all religious functions were ordered to be suspended, and hence it became the custom to observe the second and the middle days of the month in the same way.

War with the Volscians and Aequi. —They were not, however, long left undisturbed whilst thus considering the best means of restoring the commonwealth after its grievous fall.

On the one side, the Volscians, their ancient foes, had taken up arms in the determination to wipe out the name of Rome; on the other side, traders were bringing in reports of an assembly at the fane of Voltumna, where the leading men from all the Etruscan cantons were forming a hostile league.

Still further alarm was created by the defection of the Latins and Hernicans.