Ab Urbe Condita, books 8-10 - 19s

CAECILIUS METELLUS, after a prosperous campaign against the Carthaginians, triumphed brilliantly, having thirteen of the enemy's generals and a hundred and twenty elephants in his procession. The consul Claudius Pulcher having set out in opposition to the auspices—he ordered the chickens to be drowned, when they would not feed —fought an unsuccessful naval engagement with the Carthaginians, and on being recalled by the senate and directed to name a dictator, named Claudius Glicia, a man of the basest sort, who afterwards, when he had been forced to abdicate the office, witnessed the games in his purple—bordered toga. Aulus Atilius Calatinus was the first dictator to lead an army out of Italy. An exchange of prisoners with the Carthaginians was effected. were founded at Fregenae and in the Sallentine country at Brundisium. The lustrum was closed by the censors. 241,212 citizens were registered., the sister of Publius Claudius, who had been defeated after making light of the auspices, being jostled by the crowd while returning from the games, exclaimed, that my brother were alive to command another fleet! this she was fined. for the first time two praetors were elected. Caecilius Metellus, the pontifex maximus, kept Aulus Postumius, the consul, in the City, since he was also the flamen of Mars, when he desired to go forth to war, nor would he suffer him to forsake his sacred functions. a number of generals had gained successes against the Carthaginians, Gaius Lutatius crowned the victory by defeating the Carthaginian fleet off the Aegatian Islands. The Carthaginians sued for peace and it was granted them. the temple of Vesta was burning, Caecilius Metellus, the pontifex maximus, rescued the sacred objects from the flames. tribes were added, the Velina and the Quirina.