elated by their success, came out upon the walls to taunt and upbraid
their enemies with their cowardice and meanness of spirit, and to load
them with every kind of abuse. Stung by these insults, Gabade, changing
his resolution, renewed the siege with such fury that in a few days
he stormed and sacked the town. And the very same thing befell the
Veientines, who, not content, as we have seen, to make war on the Romans
with arms, must needs assail them with foul reproaches, advancing to
the palisade of their camp to revile them, and molesting them more with
their tongues than with their swords, until the Roman soldiers, who at
first were most unwilling to fight, forced the consuls to lead them to
the attack. Whereupon, the Veientines, like those others of whom mention
has just now been made, had to pay the penalty of their insolence.

Wise captains of armies, therefore, and prudent governors of cities,
should take all fit precautions to prevent such insults and reproaches
from being used by their soldiers and subjects, either amongst
themselves or against an enemy. For when directed against an enemy they
lead to the mischiefs above noticed, while still worse consequences may
follow from our not preventing them among ourselves by such measures as
sensible rulers have always taken for that purpose.

The legions who were left behind for the protection of Capua having,
as shall in its place be told, conspired against the Capuans, their
conspiracy led to a mutiny, which was presently suppressed by Valerius
Corvinus; when, as one of the conditions on which the mutineers made
their submission, it was declared that whosoever should thereafter
upbraid any soldier of these legions with having taken part in this
mutiny, should be visited with the severest punishment. So likewise,
when Tiberius Gracchus was appointed, during the war with Hannibal, to
command a body of slaves, whom the Romans in their straits for soldiers