a body as if to a foretaste of the spectacle
of his triumphal entry, and walked beside his ship as she was gently
rowed up the river. But the soldiery, casting longing glances at the
king's treasure, like men who had not met with their deserts, were angry
and dissatisfied with Aemilius; for this reason really, though the
charge they openly put forward was that he was a harsh and tyrannical
ruler: so they showed no eagerness for the triumph.

Servius Galba,[A] an enemy of Aemilius, who had once commanded a legion
under him, hearing this, plucked up spirit to propose openly that he
should not be allowed a triumph. He disseminated among the soldiers many
calumnies against their general, and so still more exasperately their
present temper; next he asked the tribunes of the plebs for another day,
as that day would not suffice for his speech, only four hours remaining
of it. However, the tribunes bade him speak, and he, beginning a long
and abusive speech, consumed all the time. At nightfall the tribunes
dismissed the assembly. But the soldiers, now grown bolder, assembled
round Galba, and, forming themselves into an organized body, again at
daybreak occupied the capitol; for it was thither that the tribunes had
summoned the people.

[Footnote A: He had been military tribune of the second legion in
Macedonia. Liv. xlv. 35.]

XXXI. The voting began as soon as it was day, and the first tribe voted
against the triumph. Soon the rumour of this spread to the rest of the
people and to the Senate. Though the masses were grieved at the shameful
treatment of Aemilius, they exhausted themselves in useless clamour, but
the leading men of the Senate crying out one to another that what was
going on was scandalous, encouraged each other to resist the licentious
violence of the soldiers, who, if not restrained, were ready to use any
kind of lawless violence to prevent Paulus Aemilius enjoying the reward
of his victory. These men pushed the mob aside, and mounting to the
capitol in a body, bade the tribunes stop the voting until they had said
what they wished to the people. When voting ceased and silence was
obtained, Marcus Servilius, a man of consular rank, who had challenged
and slain twenty-three enemies in single combat, spoke as
follows:--"What a commander Aemilius Paulus must be, you are now best
able to judge, seeing with what a disobedient and worthless army he has
succeeded in such great exploits; but I am surprised at the peopl