t, so that he never declined any man's
challenge, and slew all who challenged him. In Sicily he saved the
life of his brother Otacilius when in great peril, by holding his
shield over him and killing his assailants. For this conduct, young as
he was, he received crowns[13] and rewards from the generals, and as
he grew in reputation was elected _curule aedile_ by the people, and
augur by the priests. This is a kind of priestly office, to which the
law especially assigns the observance of auguries drawn from the
flight of birds. During his tenure of the office of aedile, he was
obliged, much against his will, to commence a law-suit. He had a son
of his own name, in the bloom of youth, of great beauty, and equally
with it admired by his countrymen for his modesty and education.
Capitolinus, Marcellus's colleague, a licentious and reckless man,
made disgraceful proposals to this lad. He first repelled his attacks
alone, but on a second attempt told his father, and Marcellus, being
much enraged, summoned the man before the Senate. He attempted many
quibbles and subterfuges, and appealed to the tribunes of the people
to support him, but as they refused his application he betook himself
to pleading denial of the charge. There being no witnesses of what he
had said, the Senate decided to send for the boy, and when they saw
how he blushed and wept with a modesty mingled with unquenchable rage,
they, without requiring any other proof, found Capitolinus guilty, and
condemned him to pay a fine, with which Marcellus had silver libation
vessels made, and consecrated them to the gods.

III. After twenty-two years the first Punic War came to an end, and
the Romans turned their attention to Gaulish troubles. The Insubrians,
a Celtic tribe dwelling in Italy at the foot of the Alps, powerful by
themselves, were collecting other forces, and enrolling all those
Gauls who fought for hire, called Gaesatae.

It was a wonderful and fortunate circumstance that this Celtic war did
not break out at the same time as that with Carthage, but that the
Gauls, like the gladiator who waits to fight with the survivor of a
pair of combatants, had remained quiet during the whole of that war,
and now stepped forward and challenged the victors when they were at
leisure. Yet the war caused much terror, because it would take place
on their own frontier against their neighbour states, and because of
the ancient reputation of the Gauls, whom the Romans seem to f