King Brennus himself came to the Forum to gaze at these still images of men, and was amazed to see them thus unmoved in his presence.
He noticed that ‘they neither rose at his coming, nor so much as changed colour or countenance, but remained without fear or concern, leaning upon their staves, and sitting quietly, looked at each other.’
For a long time the Gauls gazed in silence at the quiet figures. Then, one of the soldiers, bolder than the others, drew near to Papirius, stretched out his hand, and slowly stroked the long white beard of the old patrician.
This was more than Papirius could bear. He, a Roman senator, to be touched by a barbarian! Quick as thought he raised his staff and struck the Gaul a blow.
The strange, silent images were alive then! They could move!
Swiftly the barbarian drew his sword, and a moment later Papirius fell from his ivory chair, wounded to death.
No longer awed by the silent images, the Gauls now fell upon the other patricians and killed them too. Then for days they sacked the city, and at length burned it to the ground, angry that the Capitol was held against them.
The Capitol stood on a hill, steep and impossible to scale, save at one point.
Seated in chairs of ivory, sat a number of strange, venerable old men.