The Falisci, with whom the Romans had once successfully fought, again opposed Rome. Camille was sent to war with them. Soon, in a battle, he defeated the Falisci, and they chose to take refuge behind the walls of Falerium, their main city. The siege began. At that time, almost all the children of noble Falisques studied with one teacher. This teacher usually took his students out for games and various exercises outside the city. He did not abandon this habit during the war. The Romans did not touch the children, but the teacher himself planned the atrocity. One day he carried the children further than usual with his conversations and brought them to the Roman camp. Then the teachers, at his request, were brought to Camillus, and he said that providing a service to such an illustrious commander as Camillus was more important to him than fulfilling his duty towards the children and their parents, and in the person of these children he handed over the entire city of Falerium to the Romans. But in vain he counted on gratitude. Camillus was deeply outraged by the traitor’s act and declared that a great commander must act relying on his own courage, and not on the meanness of others; war has its own laws, and the Romans fight with men, and not with children. Then Camillus ordered the teacher to be undressed, his hands tied and given to the children, giving them also rods, so that with these rods they would drive the teacher back to Falerii.
The city soon learned about the teacher's betrayal. And the city resounded with the sorrowful sobs of the parents of the taken away children. But at that time they saw how the children were chasing the naked and tied teacher with rods. The Falisci opened the gate and the children told them what had happened. Having heard such an incredible, but at the same time completely true story, the townspeople immediately called a meeting. The Falisci were amazed at the high virtue of the Roman commander and realized that there was no point in resisting a people who had such great men. And they decided to surrender to the Romans. The assembly elected special ambassadors who first went to Camillus' camp and then, with his permission, to Rome. There they were brought into the Senate, where they declared that they had been defeated not so much by Roman weapons as by Roman nobility, and were committing themselves to Roman power. The Senate accepted their statement with pleasure. Camille was thanked both by his fellow citizens for the victory and by his recent enemies for his nobility and justice.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru