832 



< AMILLUS -CAMLET. 



nor, he proposed a law to oblige unmarried men to 

 marry the widows of those slain in battle. After the 

 defeat of the military tribunes 1,. Atilius and Cn. 

 (ienucius, before Veii, by the Tuscans, C. was made 

 dictator. He defeated the Falisci. ('apenau -. and 

 Tuscans, advanced to Veil, into which he penetrated 

 by a subterraneous passage, and, B. C. 3!Ki, obtained 

 ] MI- session of a place, which, for ten years, had defied 

 the Roman power. The people murmured when 

 they saw him make a triumphal entry in a splendid 

 chariot drawn by four white horses, and with his face 

 painted ; for lM>th of these distinctions wire appropri- 

 ated to the gods. But the discontent of the citizens 

 n>-e to the highest pitch when the dictator demanded 

 of them the tenth part of the plunder, to perform a 

 \o\v which he had made to Apollo in case of success. 

 After a long contention, they agreed to consecrate to 

 the god a golden cup, for which the Human ladies 

 were obliged to give all their jewels into the public 

 tua-ury. Not long after, C. was appointed military 

 tribune. He besieged Falerii, the inhabitants of 

 which defended themselves to the last extremity. A 

 schoolmaster delivered into the power of C. the chil- 

 dren of the most distinguished Falisci, but he sent 

 hack the traitor, with his hands bound, while the 

 boys beat him with rods, as they returned to their 

 parents. This generosity induced the besieged to 

 surrender; and the senate allowed C. to determine 

 their fate. He contented himself with obliging them 

 to pay the arrears due to his soldiers ; but this in- 

 creased the number of his enemies. Sometime be- 

 fore, C. had opposed the proposal of colonizing Veii 

 with one-half of the citizens of Rome : he did the 

 same now, when tliat proposal was renewed. For 

 some time, he was invested with the dignity of an 

 intcrrex, and had to conten'd with all the consequences 

 of hatred. The tribune of the people, Apuleius, ac- 

 cused him of having embezzled a part of tlie plunder 

 of Veii. C., who foresaw his condemnation, went 

 into voluntary exile, although his friends offered to 

 pay the sum demanded of him. Less magnanimous 

 than Aristides, in a similar situation, C. is said to 

 have prayed the gods to compel his ungrateful coun- 

 try to a speedy repentance. The wish was granted. 

 Brennus had obtained possession of Rome, with the 

 exception of the capitol. C., who was residing in 

 Ardea, aroused the inhabitants of that city to resist- 

 ance, and defeated the Gauls, who were carelessly 

 encamped before it. The Romans, who had fled to 

 Veii, besought him to place himself at their head ; 

 but he declared that he was ready to do this only in 

 case the Roman people, now in the capitol, would 

 commit to him the chief command. Pontius Comini- 

 us, a young plebeian, had the courage and the good 

 fortune to carry the message from the city. C. was 

 unanimously appointed dictator, and soon saw him- 

 self at the head of an army of 40,000 men, with which 

 he hastened to the relief of the capitol, where he 

 found the besieged just on the point of purchasing 

 peace, and exclaimed, " With iron, not with gold, 

 Rome buys her freedom." The Gauls were defeated, 

 and left their camp by night. C. overtook them on 

 the next day, and obtained a complete victory. He 

 now made a triumphal entry into Rome, amidst the 

 acclamations of the people and the army, who greeted 

 him with the name of Romulus , father of his country, 

 and second founder of the city. But the city was a 

 heap of ruins, and the tribunes renewed the proposal 

 of removing to Veii, while, at the same time, they 

 sought to excite in the people apprehensions of the 

 power of C. The senate, however, frustrated their 

 designs, and C. retained the dictatorship. Rome was 

 rebuilt The jEqui, Volsci, the Etruscans, and even 

 the Latins, united against Rome. C., for the third 

 time dictator armed the whole people, came to the 



assistance of the military tribunes, who were mir- 

 roundi d, fired the enemy's camp, and gave the plun- 

 der to his soldiers. He then took Bola>, the cliiei 

 city of the ./Kqui, defeated the Volsci, and compelled 

 the Etruscans to retreat. He now triumphed for the 

 thin! time, restored, from the booty, to the Roman 

 ladies, what they had formerly contributed to the ac- 

 complishment of his vow, and retired into a private 

 station. Soon after, when the inhabitants of Antium 

 attacked Rome, he was appointed military tribune, 

 obtained from his colleagues the chief command, and 

 took severe vengeance on the enemy. His glory 

 excited the jealousy of Manlius. The senate, alarm- 

 ed, once more raised C. to the military tribuneship. 

 Manlius was overcome ; but the people, who had at 

 first rejoiced at his condemnation, soon felt repent- 

 ance. It was resolved to attack the Pranestines, 

 allies of the Volsci. C. was obliged, notwithstanding 

 his age, to take the chief command. It appeared to 

 him hazardous to venture a battle ; but Lucius Furi- 

 us, his colleague, pressed him to attack the enemy. 

 C. allowed him to direct the engagement, and con- 

 fined himself to the command ot the reserve. The 

 troops under the command of Furius being thrown 

 into disorder, C. came up, and prevented a total de- 

 feat On the day following, he obtained a complete 

 victory, being nobly supported by his colleague. The 

 inhabitants of Tusculum, against whom he then ad- 

 vanced, surrendered without resistance, and obtained 

 the friendship of Rome, which they had lost by their 

 own fault. C. was appointed dictator, for the fourth 

 time, on account of the disturbances excited by Li- 

 cinius and Sextus, the tribunes of the people ; but he 

 soon resigned the power which he was obliged to 

 employ against Romans, and not against enemies. 

 He was already eighty years old, when the appear- 

 ance of a new army of Gauls terrified Rome. He 

 once more resumed the dictatorship, attacked the 

 Gauls, dispersed them entirely, and obtained again 

 the honour of a triumph. As new disturlwnces had 

 broken out, C. did not lay down his office till the fer- 

 ment was quelled. After this, he caused a temple to 

 Concord to be built near the capitol, retired from 

 public life, and died soon after, B. C. 365, of the 

 plague, greatly lamented by the Romans ; after he 

 had been five times dictator, once censor, three times 

 interrex, twice a military tribune, and obtained four 

 triumphs. 



CAMISARDS ; Calvinists in France (in the Cevennes), 

 who, in the beginning of the eighteenth century, 

 opposed the oppressive proceedings of the royal de- 

 puties. The collectors of taxes were attacked by 

 night by the malcontents (who, to disguise them- 

 selves, appeared only in their shirts whence their 

 name), dragged out of bed, and hung, with the tax- 

 rolls about their necks. The government sent troop? 

 to punish the authors of these acts. A certain Johr 

 Cavalier, a peasant, whom a fortune-teller had pointed 

 out as the deliverer of Israel, placed himself at the 

 head of the Camisards. His unlimited authority with 

 his adherents, his talents and courage, enabled him 

 to oppose the measures of experienced generals with 

 so much success, that negotiation was substituted 

 for force. The marshal Villars made a treaty with 

 Cavalier, wliich conceded to the party all their de- 

 mands, and by virtue of which Cavalier himself was 

 received into the royal service as a colonel. Sick- 

 ness subsequently induced him to leave France, and 

 he went to England, where queen Anne gave him a 

 favourable reception. Voltaire, who became ac- 

 quainted with him in London, speaks of him in high 

 terms. At the time of his death, Cavalier was gene- 

 ral and governor of Jersey. 



CAMLET, or CAMBLET (in French, camelot ; Italian, 

 camellato) ; a fine stuff, composed of a warp and 



