Following the defeat at Alia,
many of the citizens of Rome fled to the surrounding countryside. They left behind them
nine old patricians, who ensconced themselves in a courtyard to await their deaths. As it
happened, however, desecration and occupation were less on Brennus' mind than the spoils
of war. His warriors were unnerved by the stillness of the empty city as they searched it,
looking for plunder. Imagine their surprise when they encountered the patricians, who were
seated, Livy says, on columns and decked out in their best purple robes. For a long time,
the dusty, mustached invaders and the patricians studied one another. Then, plucking up
his courage, one of the Celts reached up and tweaked the beard of one Marcus Papirius. The
old man whacked him with his staff. The comedy was soon replaced by tragedy, and all the
patricians were slaughtered.
With renewed gusto, the Celts continued their search for
plunder, and soon half the city was in flames. But when they reached the Capitoline hill,
they received another nasty shock. The nature of the hill allows for easy defense. Direct
onslaught availed them nothing, and when an attempt was made to secure the Capitol by
stealth in the middle of the night, the geese in the Temple of Juno raised such a fuss
that they alerted the citizens, and the attempt was thwarted. After seven long months,
both sides decided on negotiation. Brennus demanded 1,000 pounds of gold for his warriors
to leave the city in peace. With some difficulty, the sum was raised. But when the gold
was being weighed out, the Romans accused Brennus of using unfair weights. Enraged at this
hubris, Brennus threw his sword onto the scales, uttering the words, "Vae
Victis!" or, Woe to the Defeated. By all accounts, it was the worst humiliation Rome
ever suffered.
