gods, ordered all the money to be collected and restored
to the treasures of the goddess. However, he
never met with any success afterwards; but, after being
driven out of Italy, he died an ignoble and dishonourable
death, having incautiously entered Argos by night.
Though your lieutenant-general and military tribune
had heard of these, and a thousand other circumstances,
which were related not for the purpose of creating
increased reverence, but frequently experienced by
ourselves and our ancestors, through the special interposition
of the goddess, they had, nevertheless, the audacity
to apply their sacrilegious hands to those hallowed
treasures, and pollute themselves, their own families,
and your soldiers, with the impious booty. Through
whom we implore you, conscript fathers, by your honour,
not to perform any thing in Italy or in Africa, until
you have expiated their guilty deed, lest they should
atone for the crime they have committed, not with their
own blood only, but by some disaster affecting their
country. Although, even now, conscript fathers,
the resentment of the goddess does not tarry either
towards your generals or your soldiers. Already
have they several times engaged each other in pitched
battles, one party headed by Pleminius, and the other
by the two military tribunes. Never did they
employ their weapons with more fury against the Carthaginians
than when encountering each other; and they would have
afforded Hannibal an opportunity of retaking Locri,
had not Scipio, whom we called in, come in time to
prevent it. But, by Hercules, is it that the
soldiers are impelled by frenzy, and that the influence
of the goddess has not shown itself in punishing the
generals themselves? Nay, herein her interposition
was manifested in the most conspicuous manner.
The tribunes were beaten with rods by the lieutenant-general.
Then the lieutenant-general, treacherously seized by
the tribunes, besides being mangled in every part
of his body, had his nose and ears cut off, and was
left for dead. Then, recovering from his wounds,
he threw the tribunes into chains; beat them, tortured
them with every species of degrading punishment, and
put them to death in a cruel manner, forbidding them
to be buried. Such atonements has the goddess
exacted from the despoilers of her temple; nor will
she cease to pursue them, with every species of vengeance,
till the sacred money shall have been replaced in
the treasury. Formerly, our ancestors, during
a grievous war with the Crotonians, because the temple
was without the town, were desirous of removing the
money into it; but a voice was heard from the shrine,
during the night, commanding them to hold off their
hands, for the goddess would defend her own temple.
As they were deterred, by religious awe, from removing
the treasures thence, they were desirous of surrounding
the temple with a wall. The walls were raised
to a considerable height, when they suddenly fell
down in ruins. But, both now, and frequently on


