Ab urbe condita

A full representative assembly of each nation was held to discuss the terms of the reply.

This was to the effect that it was through no fault or public act of the State that some of their men had fought in the Volscian ranks; these had paid the penalty of their folly, not a single one had returned. The reason why they had supplied no troops was their incessant fear of the Volscians; this thorn in their side they had not, even after such a long succession of wars, been able to get rid of.

The senate regarded this reply as affording a justifiable ground for war, but the present time was deemed inopportune.

The[*](The Treason of M. Manlius Capitolinus.) consular tribunes who succeeded were A. Manlius, P. Cornelius, T and L. Quinctius Capitolinus, L. Papirius Cursor (for the second time>, and C. Sergius (for the second time). In this year a serious war broke out, and a still more serious disturbance at home.

The war was begun by the Volscians, aided by the revolted Latins and Hernici. The domestic trouble arose in a quarter where it was least to be apprehended, from a man of patrician birth and brilliant reputation —M. Manlius Capitolinus .

Full of pride and presumption, he looked down upon the foremost men with scorn; one in particular he regarded with envious eyes, a man conspicuous for his distinctions and his merits —M. Furius Camillus.

He bitterly resented this man's unique position amongst the magistrates and in the affections of the army, and declared that he was now such a superior person that he treated those who had been appointed under the same auspices as himself, not as his colleagues, but as his servants, and yet if any one would form a just judgment he would see that M. Furius could not possibly have rescued his country. [*](His country. —The magistrates, the senators, the fighting men —all that constituted “his country” —were shut up in the Capitol and owed their preservation to Manlius.) When it was beleaguered by the enemy had not he, Manlius, saved the

Capitol and the Citadel? Camillus attacked the Gauls while they were off their guard, their minds pre-occupied with obtaining the gold and securing peace; he, on the other hand, had driven them off when they were armed for battle and actually capturing the Citadel. Camillus' glory was shared by every man who conquered with him, whereas no mortal man could obviously claim any