wo daughters, one married a son of Cato, the other Aelius
Tubero, an excellent man, who supported his poverty more gloriously than
any other Roman. There were sixteen in the family, all Aelii; and one
small house and estate sufficed for them all, with their numerous
offspring and their wives, among whom was the daughter of our Aemilius,
who, though her father had twice been consul and twice triumphed, was
not ashamed of the poverty of her husband, but was proud of the virtue
that kept him poor. But nowadays brothers and kinsmen, unless their
inheritances be divided by mountain ranges, rivers, and walls like
fortifications, with plenty of space between them, quarrel without
ceasing. These are the materials for reflection which history affords to
those who choose to make use of them.

VI. Aemilius, when elected consul, marched against the sub-Alpine
Ligurians, called by some Ligustines, a brave and spirited nation, and
from their nearness to Rome, skilled in the arts of war. Mixed with the
Gauls, and the Iberians of the sea coast, they inhabit the extremity of
Italy where it dies away into the Alps, and also that part of the Alps
which is washed by the Tuscan Sea, opposite the Libyan coast. At this
time they took also to seafaring, and, sailing forth in small piratical
ships, they plundered and preyed upon commerce as far as the columns of
Heracles. On Aemilius's approach they opposed him, forty thousand
strong; but he, with only eight thousand, attacked five-fold his own
numbers, put them to rout, and having chased them into their fastnesses,
offered them reasonable and moderate terms; for it was not the Roman
policy utterly to exterminate the Ligurian race, but to leave them as an
outwork to protect Italy against the constant movements of the Gaulish
tribes.

Trusting in Aemilius they surrendered all their ships and their cities
into his hands. He did the cities no hurt, or at most destroyed the
walls, and restored them to the owners, but he carried off all the
ships, leaving them nothing larger than a six-oared boat; while he set
free the numerous captives which they had taken both by sea and land,
among whom were some Roman citizens. These were his glorious exploits in
that consulship. Afterwards he frequently let his desire for re-election
be seen, and once became a candidate, but as he failed and was passed
over, he thenceforth remained in retirement, occupying himself with
religious matters, and teaching his child