they were plundering the country. This young man swam across the Tiber and climbed up the capitol, and they were his footmarks which the soldier discovered. The Gauls had no sooner found out that it was possible to get up the steep bank, than they determined to try and do it themselves. At night, when it was very dark, a party of them made the attempt. They clambered up one after another, not without a great deal of difficulty; but just as the first soldier reached the top, there was a great noise heard, the cackling of geese. They were sacred geese kept in the temple of Juno which was in the capitol, and the approach of the Gauls had frightened them. The religious feeling which had kept the Romans from meddling with them, notwithstanding the famine, was now rewarded. The cackling of the geese woke Manlius, a brave soldier, who started up, and rushed to the wall just in time to throw down the first Gaul, and as he fell all his companions fell with him, and so the whole plan came to nothing. Manlius was much praised and rewarded for what he had done; and the Gauls finding that, after all their efforts, there was no hope of surprising their enemies, or making them yield, at length proposed to leave the city, if the Romans would pay them a large sum of money.

It seemed as if there was nothing else to be done, and the proposal was agreed to.. The old writers say, besides, that the Gauls used false weights in weighing the gold; and that when the Romans complained, Brennus threw his sword and belt into the scale, exclaiming, "Woe to the vanquished." They also add, that just at this time Camillus came with a large army, and when he heard what was going on, put a stop to it, declaring that Rome should not be redeemed with gold but with steel; and that a great battle followed, in

which the Romans were victorious; but these accounts are not much to be trusted, and all we know certainly is that the Gauls at length retired to their own country.

CHAPTER XVI.

ROME REBUILT, B. C. 389.

THE Gauls left Rome in a state of

B. C. 389. complete ruin. The first thing to be done, therefore, was to rebuild the city. But the people could not at first agree upon this point. Many of them wished to leave the place altogether, others could not bear the idea of giving up their ancient home; at length the point was settled by what was considered a lucky omen. Whilst the senators were talking about what was to be done, a centurion passed by with his men, and was heard to say "Plant the banner here; for here it is best to stay." The senators directly came out to the people and declared they accepted the omen, and immediately every one set himself to work.

It was, of course, necessary to build as quickly as possible. So the people had bricks given them, and were allowed to dig stones for themselves; and then each person placed his house where he chose, and built it to suit his own fancy. The consequence was that the streets were narrow, crooked, and irregular, and thus they remained for a great number of years, till they were again destroyed by fire.

Camillus was now considered the chief person in Rome, and his courage and skill were very much wanted; for several of the states, which had been

subject to Rome, tried to free themselves now that the Romans were so much less powerful. There were a great many wars and rebellions, but Camil. lus was victorious in almost every case.

The affairs of the city, however, were not as prosperous within the walls as they were without. The poor people had suffered grievously from the plunder of the Gauls, and the old complaints about debts and hardships began again.

One of the persons who felt the greatest compassion for the oppressed was Marcus Manlius, who saved the capitol. Seeing a poor old man carried away in chains, because he could not pay what he owed, Manlius immediately gave the money for him, and let him go home; and he then declared that as long as he had a pound of brass, no one should be made a slave for debt.

From that time Manlius made it his duty to help every debtor that he possibly could; and it is said that he assisted no less than four hundred. The gratitude of the poor may easily be imagined; but the patricians grew jealous, and accused Manlius of trying to stir up the people to rebellion, and at last they threw him into prison. The plebeians were so grieved that they put on mourning, and crowded round his prison threatening to set him free. After a little time the senators allowed him to come out of prison; but Manlius, being a proud man, was highly indignant at what had been done, and did really now encourage the plebeians to complain of their rulers; and at last he went so far that he was accused of high treason and sentenced to die. He was safe however, for some time, for he shut himself up in the capitol with an armed band, but he was at length betrayed. A man came to him pretending to be his friend, and bring him some useful information; and whilst

they were walking together along the edge of the Tarpeian rock, the traitor pushed him over and killed him.

The house of Manlius was pulled down, and none of his family ever after took the name of Marcus.

CHAPTER XVII.

THE AGRARIAN LAW.

LICINIUS STOLO AND LUCIUS SEXTIUS, TRIBUNES.
B. C. 376.

THE next persons who tried to help the B. C. 376. plebeians were Licinius Stolo and Lucius Sextius, who were tribunes, about the year B. C. 376. It seems that they must have been very much in earnest in what they did; but there is a story told of the reason why Licinius first began to think of doing good to the plebeians, which would take away some of the credit from him if it were true. There is, however, great reason to doubt it.

One of the chief patricians in Rome at that time had, it is said, two daughters, one was married to Licinius, who was a plebeian, the other to Sulpicius, a patrician, and a consular tribune.

Con

sular tribunes had not quite the same power as consuls, but nearly as much. Fabia, the wife of Licinius, was one day visiting her sister, when Sulpicius returned home after his public business was finished. The lictors came with him; for they always attended the chief magistrates. Fabia was quite frightened by the noise which they made when they knocked at the door to announce the

arrival of such a great man. But her sister laughed at her, and reproached her for having married a plebeian. When Fabia went home, being very much vexed, she complained to her father and her husband; and from that time they determined not to rest till the great distinctions between the patricians and plebeians were done away with.

Whether this story be true or not, it is certain that some great changes were made about this time in the laws and government of Rome; and that greater honours were given to the plebeians. Amongst other things it was settled that one of the consuls should always be a plebeian. A law was also proposed forbidding any person to have the use of more than a certain quantity of the public land; all which they occupied beyond this was to be allowed to the plebeians, on condition of paying a small sum to the state. This kind of law about public property is called an Agrarian law. Before this law was passed the patricians used to keep for their own use the lands which had been taken from other states, and cultivate them, and feed their cattle upon them, without allowing the plebeians to have a fair share in the enjoyment of them. And this was the cause of many great disturbances and quarrels at Rome.

It was a long time before the patricians would consent to these alterations; but Licinius and his friend Lucius Sextius went on year after year proposing that they should be made, and at last they gained their point, and Lucius Sextius was appointed to be the first plebeian consul. Still the patricians were determined to keep some power to themselves, and a new magistrate was appointed, called a prætor, who they said should always be chosen from the patricians. A great deal of the power and dignity belonging to the consuis was