Marcellus   

and, entering into the magistracy, chose Cnaeus Cornelius his colleague.
There was a report that, the Gauls proposing a pacification, and the
senate also inclining to peace, Marcellus inflamed the people to war;
but a peace appears to have been agreed upon, which the Gaesatae broke;
who, passing the Alps, stirred up the Insubrians (they being thirty
thousand in number, and the Insubrians more numerous by far); and
proud of their strength, marched directly to Acerrae, a city seated
on the north of the river Po. From thence Britomartus, king of the
Gaesatae, taking with him ten thousand soldiers, harassed the country
round about. News of which being brought to Marcellus, leaving his
colleague at Acerrae with the foot and all the heavy arms and a third
part of the horse, and carrying with him the rest of the horse and
six hundred light-armed foot, marching night and day without remission,
he stayed not till he came up to these ten thousand near a Gaulish
village called Clastidium, which not long before had been reduced
under the Roman jurisdiction. Nor had he time to refresh his soldiers
or to give them rest. For the barbarians, that were then present,
immediately observed his approach, and contemned him, because he had
very few foot with him. The Gauls were singularly skilful in horsemanship,
and thought to excel in it; and as at present they also exceeded Marcellus
in number, they made no account of him. They, therefore, with their
king at their head, instantly charged upon him, as if they would trample
him under their horses' feet, threatening all kinds of cruelties.
Marcellus, because his men were few, that they might not be encompassed
and charged on all sides by the enemy, extended his wings of horse,
and, riding about, drew out his wings of foot in length, till he came
near to the enemy. Just as he was in the act of turning round to face
the enemy, it so happened that his horse, startled with their fierce
look and their cries, gave back, and carried him forcibly aside. Fearing
lest this accident, if converted into an omen, might discourage his
soldiers, he quickly brought his horse round to confront the enemy,
and made a gesture of adoration to the sun, as if he had wheeled about
not by chance, but for a purpose of devotion. For it was customary
to the Romans, when they offered worship to the gods, to turn round;
and in this moment of meeting the enemy, he is said to have vowed
the best of the arms to Jupiter Feretrius.
The king of the Gauls beholding Marcellus, and from the badges of
his authority conjecturing him to be the general, advanced some way
before his embattled army, and with a loud voice challenged him, and,
brandishing his lance, fiercely ran in full career at him; exceeding
the rest of the Gauls in stature, and with his armour, that was adorned
with gold and silver and various colours, shining like lightning.
These arms seeming to Marcellus, while he viewed the enemy's army
drawn up in battalia, to be the best and fairest, and thinking them
to be those he had vowed to Jupiter, he instantly ran upon the king,
and pierced through his breastplate with his lance; then pressing
upon him with the weight of his horse, threw him to the ground, and
with two or three strokes more slew him. Immediately he leapt from
his horse, laid his hand upon the dead king's arm and, looking up
towards Heaven, thus spoke: "O Jupiter Feretrius, arbiter of the exploits
of captains, and of the acts of commanders in war and battles, be
thou witness that I, a general, have slain a general: I, a consul,
have slain a king with my own hand, third of all the Romans; and that
to thee I consecrate these first and most excellent of the spoils.
Grant to us to despatch the relics of the war with the same course
of fortune." Then the Roman horse joining battle not only with the
enemy's horse, but also with the foot who attacked them, obtained
a singular and unheard-of victory. For never before or since have
so few horse defeated such numerous forces of horse and foot together.
The enemies being to a great number slain, and the spoils collected,
he returned to his colleague, who was conducting the war, with ill-success,
against the enemies near the greatest and most populous of the Gallic
cities, Milan. This was their capital, and, therefore, fighting valiantly
in defence of it, they were not so much besieged by Cornelius, as