Marcellus   

They say that Marcus Claudius, who was five times consul of the Romans,
was the son of Marcus; and that he was the first of his family called
Marcellus; that is, martial, as Posidonius affirms. He was, indeed,
by long experience, skilful in the art of war, of a strong body, valiant
of hand, and by natural inclinations addicted to war. This high temper
and heat he showed conspicuously in battle; in other respects he was
modest and obliging, and so far studious of Greek learning and discipline,
as to honour and admire those that excelled in it, though he did not
himself attain a proficiency in them equal to his desire, by reason
of his employments. For if ever there were any men whom, as Homer
says, Heaven
"From their first youth unto their utmost age
Appointed the laborious wars to wage," certainly they were the chief
Romans of that time; who in their youth had war with the Carthaginians
in Sicily, in their middle age with the Gauls in the defence of Italy
itself; and at last, when now grown old, struggled again with Hannibal
and the Carthaginians, and wanted in their latest years what is granted
to most men, exemption from military toils; their rank and their great
qualities still making them be called upon to undertake the command.
Marcellus, ignorant or unskillful of no kind of fighting, in single
combat surpassed himself; he never declined a challenge, and never
accepted without killing his challenger. In Sicily, he protected and
saved his brother Otacilius when surrounded in battle, and slew the
enemies that pressed upon him; for which act he was by the generals,
while he was yet but young, presented with crowns and other honourable
rewards; and, his good qualities more and more displaying themselves,
he was created Curule Aedile by the people and by the high priests
Augur; which is that priesthood to which chiefly the law assigns the
observation of auguries. In his Aedileship, a certain mischance brought
him to the necessity of bringing an impeachment into the senate. He
had a son named Marcus, of great beauty, in the flower of his age,
and no less admired for the goodness of his character. This youth,
Capitolinus, a bold and ill-mannered man, Marcellus's colleague, sought
to abuse. The boy at first himself repelled him; but when the other
again persecuted him, told his father. Marcellus, highly indignant,
accused the man in the senate: where he, having appealed to the tribunes
of the people, endeavoured by various shifts and exceptions to elude
the impeachment; and, when the tribunes refused their protection,
by flat denial rejected the charge. As there was no witness of the
fact, the senate thought fit to call the youth himself before them:
on witnessing whose blushes and tears, and shame mixed with the highest
indignation, seeking no further evidence of the crime, they condemned
Capitolinus, and set a fine upon him; of the money of which Marcellus
caused silver vessels for libation to be made, which he dedicated
to the gods.
After the end of the first Punic war, which lasted one-and-twenty
years, the seed of Gallic tumults sprang up, and began again to trouble
Rome. The Insubrians, a people inhabiting the subalpine region of
Italy, strong in their own forces, raised from among the other Gauls
aids of mercenary soldiers, called Gaesatae. And it was a sort of
miracle, and special good fortune for Rome, that the Gallic war was
not coincident with the Punic, but that the Gauls had with fidelity
stood quiet as spectators, while the Punic war continued, as though
they had been under engagement to await and attack the victors, and
now only were at liberty to come forward. Still the position itself,
and the ancient renown of the Gauls, struck no little fear into the
minds of the Romans, who were about to undertake a war so near home
and upon their own borders; and regarded the Gauls, because they had
once taken their city, with more apprehension than any people, as
is apparent from the enactment which from that time forth provided,
that the high priests should enjoy an exemption from all military
duty, except only in Gallic insurrections.
The great preparations, also, made by the Romans for war (for it is