his
dictatorship, he brought the matter before the Senate, and the
soothsayers declared that the victims for sacrifice showed, when
inspected, that the gods were angry and must be propitiated.

VIII. The Senate decreed, not that the plunder should be given up, for
that would have been scarcely possible to carry out, but that those who
had taken any should be put on their oath, and contribute a tenth part
of its value. This measure bore very hardly upon the soldiers, poor
hard-working men, who were now compelled to repay so large a proportion
of what they had earned and spent. Camillus was clamorously assailed by
them, and, having no better excuse to put forward, made the
extraordinary statement that he had forgotten his vow when the city was
plundered. The people angrily said that he had vowed to offer up a tithe
of the enemy's property, but that he really was taking a tithe from the
citizens instead. However, all the contributions were made, and it was
determined that with them a golden bowl should be made and sent to
Apollo at Delphi. There was a scarcity of gold in the city, and while
the government were deliberating how it was to be obtained, the matrons
held a meeting among themselves, and offered their golden ornaments to
make the offering, which came to eight talents' weight of gold. The
Senate rewarded them by permitting them to have a funeral oration
pronounced over their graves the same as men; for hitherto it had not
been customary at Rome to make any speeches at the funerals of women.
They also chose three of the noblest citizens to travel with the
offering, and sent them in a well-manned ship of war, splendidly
equipped. Both storms and calms at sea are said to be dangerous, and
they chanced on this occasion to come very near destruction, and
miraculously escaped, for in a calm off the Aeolian Islands they were
assailed by Liparian triremes, who took them for pirates. At their
earnest entreaty these people forbore to run down their vessel, but took
it in tow and brought it into their harbour, where they treated it as a
piratical craft, and put up the crew and the property on board for sale
by public auction. With great difficulty, by the goodness and influence
of one man, Timesitheos, a general, they obtained their release, and
were allowed to proceed. Timesitheos even launched some ships of his
own, with which he escorted them to Delphi, where he also took part in
the ceremony of consecration. In return f