But Pontius, had he been wise, would have gained the consent of the Senate and people of Rome to his terms, before he was content.
To the Romans, the demands of Pontius seemed severe, but yet deeper was the humiliation they were to endure.
The entire army, along with the Consuls, were forced to pass beneath the yoke, in the presence of, their foe. It was the only way of escape from the pass of the Caudine Forks.
Giving up their arms, and wearing only a kilt which reached from their waist to their knees, the vanquished army filed sullenly out of the gorge beneath the yoke.
This was no unusual humiliation, but was the custom in those days, and equal to our demand that arms should be laid down on the surrender of a garrison.
Pontius was indeed strangely kind to his conquered foes, ordering carriages for the wounded, and giving them food to eat on the march back to Rome.
But nothing could comfort the Romans, whose pride had been gravely wounded by being forced to pass beneath the yoke.
In silence, shame written clear upon their faces, they marched gloomily along, with no desire to reach the end of their journey.
When they drew near to Rome, those who lived in the country slipped away to their homes, hoping that none would notice them. Those who lived in the city waited until it was dark that they might enter unseen.
The Consuls were not able to shun the attention of the crowd, for they entered the city during the day. But they, too, were so ashamed that they deemed themselves no longer fit to be Consuls, and escaping from the people as soon as possible, they shut themselves up in their homes.