Hostilit£es on the Samn£te Frontiers.-C. Sulpicius Lon and P. iElius Paetus were the new consuls. The blessing peace were now enjoyed everywhere, a peace maintained more by the power of Rome than by the influence, she } .acquired through her considerate treatment of her vanquis enemies, when a war broke out between the Sidicines and Auruncans. After their surrender had been accepted by -consul Manlius, the Auruncans had kept quiet, which g. them a stronger claim to the help of Rome. The senate decit that assistance should be afforded them, but before the con<: started, a report was brought that the Auruncans had L afraid to remain in their town and had fled with their wives -children to Suessa-now called Aurunca-which they , fortified, and that their city with its ancient walls had L destroyed by the Sidicines. The senate were angry with --consuls, through whose delay their allies had been betrayed, L ordered a Dictator to be nominated. C. Claudius Regillensis " nominated accordingly, and he named as his Master of the 1-10 C. Claudius Hortator. There "vas some difficulty about the ligious sanction of the Dictator's appointment, and as t augurs pronounced that there was an irregularity in his elect both the Dictator and the Master of the I-:Iorse resigned. This year Minucia, a Vestal, incurred suspicion through improper love of dress,5 and subsequently was accused of un ..chastity on the evidence of asia ve. She had received orderE from the pontiffs to take no part in the sacred rights and not to manumit any of her slaves. 6 She was tried and found guilty, and was buried alive near the Colline Gate to the right of tLe; high road in the Campus Sceleratus (the "accursed field " 'which, I believe, derives its name from this incident. 7 In this year also Q. Publilius Philo was elected as the firs. plebeian praetor against the opposition of the consul Sulpicius: the senate, after failing to keep the highest posts in their o\vn 'hands, showed less interest in retaining the praetorship.