A source-book of ancient history - The Search For Mecca

The Gauls at Rome 363
The Romans marched about eleven miles from the city,
and halted for the night on the banks of the AHia, a stream ib. 18.
which joins the Tiber not far from where their camp was
pitched. Here in an unskilful battle the want of discipline
caused the ruin of the Romans. The Gauls drove the left
wing into the river and destroyed it, but the right, which
took refuge in the hills to avoid the enemy's charge on level
ground, suffered less, and most of this division safely
reached the city. Of the rest, those who survived after
the enemy were weary with slaughter took refuge at Veil,
imagining that all was over with Rome.
On the third day after the battle Brennus (the Gallic
chief) came at the head of his army to attack the city.
The Gauls
Seeing the gates open and no guards on the walls, he at camiihis, 22.
first feared some ambuscade, as he could not believe that ^^^-^^i
the Romans had so utterly despaired of themselves. When World, 354 f.
he discovered the truth, he marched through the Colline
Gate, and captured Rome a little more than three hundred
and sixty years after its foundation, if we can believe that
any accurate record has been kept of those earlier periods.
(First the barbarians plundered and burned the city, The siege of
while the Romans held only the Capitoline Mount.)
Encouraged
by their chief, the Gauls eagerly volunteered an cam%us', 27.
assault on the Capitol. About midnight many of them
climbed silently up the rock, which although rough and
precipitous was easier of ascent than they had imagined; so
that the first of them reached the top, and were on the
point of attacking the rampart and its sleeping garrison,
for neither men nor dogs noticed them.
But there were sacred geese kept in the temple of Juno,
which in other times were fed without stint, but which then,
as there was scarcely food enough for the men, were somewhat
neglected.
These birds are naturally quick of hearing