among the Roman youth. With his
master of the horse he entered the assembly, proclaimed a suspension
of public business, ordered the shops to be closed throughout the
city, and forbade any one to attend to any private affairs. Then he
commanded all who were of military age to attend under arms, in the
Campus Martius, before sunset, with dressed provisions for five days
and twelve stakes apiece: those whose age rendered them unfit for
active service were ordered to prepare victuals for the soldiers near
them, while the latter were getting their arms ready, and procuring
stakes. Accordingly, the young men ran in all directions to procure
the stakes; they took them whatever was nearest to each: no one
was prevented from doing so: all attended readily according to the
dictator's order. Then, the troops being drawn up, not more suitably
for a march than for an engagement, should occasion require it, the
dictator himself marched at the head of the legions, the master of the
horse at the head of his cavalry. In both bodies such exhortations
were delivered as circumstances required: that they should quicken
their pace; that there was need of despatch, that they might reach the
enemy by night; that the consul and the Roman army were besieged; that
they had now been shut up for three days; that it was uncertain what
each day or night might bring with it; that the issues of the most
important affairs often depended on a moment of time. The soldiers, to
please their leaders, exclaimed among themselves: "Standard-bearer,
hasten; follow, soldier." At midnight they reached Algidum: and, as
soon as they perceived that they were near the enemy, they halted.

There the dictator, riding about, and having observe as far as could
be ascertained by night, what the extent of the camp was, and what
was its nature, commanded the tribunes of the soldiers to order the
baggage to be thrown into one place, and that the soldiers with their
arms and bundles of stakes should return to their ranks. His orders
were executed. Then, with the regularity which they had observed on
the march, he drew the entire army in a long column around the enemy's
camp, and directed that, when the signal was given, they should all
raise a shout, and that, on the shout being raised, each man should
throw up a trench before his post, and fix his palisade. The orders
being issued, the signal followed: the soldiers carried out their
instructions; the shout echoed around the