[13,6] Ὑπήκουσαν δὲ αὐτοῦ ταῖς εὐχαῖς οἱ θεοί, καὶ ὑπὸ Κελτῶν μετὰ μικρὸν ἡ πόλις ἑάλω ἄνευ τοῦ Καπιτωλίου. καταφυγόντων δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ τῶν περιφανεστέρων - τὸ γὰρ ἄλλο πλῆθος ἐν ταῖς Ἰταλικαῖς φεῦγον διεσπάρη πόλεσι - καὶ πολιορκουμένων ὑπὸ Κελτῶν, οἳ παρὰ τὴν Οὐιεντανῶν πόλιν καταφυγόντες Ῥωμαῖοι Καιδίκιόν τινα στρατοπεδάρχην ποιοῦσιν· ὁ δὲ Κάμιλλον ἀποδείκνυσι καὶ ταῦτ´ ἀπόντα ἡγεμόνα πολέμου καὶ εἰρήνης ἐξουσίαν ἔχοντα αὐτοκράτορα. καὶ γενόμενος ἡγεμὼν τῆς πρεσβείας παρεκάλει Κά– μιλλον διαλλαγῆναι πρὸς τὴν πατρίδα, τὰς συμφοράς, ἐν αἷς ἦν, ἐπιλογισάμενον, δι´ ἃς ὑπέμεινεν ἐπὶ τὸν ὑβρισθέντα ὑφ´ ἑαυτῆς καταφυγεῖν. Ὑποτυχὼν δὲ ὁ Κάμιλλος εἶπεν· οὐ δέομαι παρακλήσεως, ὦ Καιδίκιε· αὐτὸς γάρ, εἰ μὴ θᾶττον ὑμεῖς ἀφίκεσθε κοινωνεῖν με τῶν πραγμάτων ἀξιοῦντες, ἕτοιμος ἦν ταύτην ἄγων τὴν δύναμιν, ἣν παροῦσαν ὁρᾶτέ μοι, πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἥκειν. ὑμῖν δέ, ὦ θεοί τε καὶ δαίμονες, ὅσοι τὸν ἀνθρώπινον ἐποπτεύετε βίον, ὧν τε ἤδη τετιμήκατέ μοι πολλὴν οἶδα χάριν, καὶ περὶ τῶν μελλόντων εὔχομαι καλὴν καὶ εὐτυχῆ τῇ πατρίδι γενέσθαι τὴν ἐμὴν κάθοδον. εἰ δὲ ἐνῆν ἀνθρώπῳ τὰ μέλλοντα συμβήσεσθαι προιδεῖν, οὐδέποτ´ ἂν εὐξάμην ἐς τοιαύτας ἐλθοῦσαν τυχὰς τὴν πατρίδα δεηθῆναί μου· μυριάκις δ´ ἂν εἱλόμην ἄζηλον γενέσθαι μοι καὶ ἄτιμον τὸν μετὰ ταῦτα βίον ἢ βαρβάρων ἀνθρώπων ὠμότητι γενομένην τὴν Ῥώμην ὑποχείριον ἐπιδεῖν καὶ ἐν ἐμοὶ μόνῳ τὰς λοιπὰς ἐλπίδας τῆς σωτηρίας ἔχουσαν. ταῦτ´ εἰπὼν καὶ τὰς δυνάμεις παραλαβὼν ἄφνω τε τοῖς Κελτοῖς ἐπιφανεὶς εἰς φυγὴν αὐτοὺς τρέπει καὶ ἐμπεσὼν ἀσυντάκτοις τε καὶ τεταραγμένοις δίκην προβάτων κατέσφαξεν.

[13,6] The gods gave ear to his prayers, and a little later the city, with the exception of the Capitol, was captured by the Gauls. When the more prominent men had taken refuge on this hill and were being (p247) besieged by the Gauls, — the rest of the population had fled and dispersed themselves among the cities of Italy, — the Romans who had taken refuge at Veii made a certain Caedicius commander of the army; and he appointed Camillus, absent though he was, to be general with absolute power over war and peace. And having been made leader of the embassy, he urged Camillus to become reconciled with the fatherland, bearing in mind the calamities encompassing it, such that it could bring itself to turn for help to the man whom it had despitefully used. Camillus replied: "I need no urging, Caedicius. For of my own accord, if you envoys had not come first asking me to share in the conduct of affairs, I was ready to go to you at the head of this force which you see here with me. And to you, O gods and genii who watch over the life of mortals, I am not only very grateful for the honours which ye have already shown me, but I also pray with regard to the future that my return home may prove a good and fortunate thing for the fatherland. 4 If it were possible for a mortal to foresee the things that are to be, I never would have prayed that my country should come into such misfortunes as these, so as to need me; a thousand times over I should have preferred that my life henceforth should be unenvied and without honour rather than that I should see Rome subjected to the cruelty of barbarians and placing her remaining hopes of safety in me alone." After speaking thus he took his forces, and appearing suddenly before the Gauls, turned them to flight; and falling upon them while they were in disorder and confusion, he slew them like sheep.