The consuls for the following year were L. Papiriu. <:rassus and Caeso Duillius. There was war with the Ausonians; the fact that it was against a new enemy rather than a formidable one made it noticeable. This people inhabited the city of ules, and had joined arms with their neighbours, the Sidicmes. 'The combined army of the two cities was routed in a quite in- 'significant engagement; the proximity of their cities made them all the sooner seek a safety in flight which they did not find in fighting. The senate were none the less anxious about the war, tit view of the fact that the Sidicines had so frequently either aken the aggressive themselves or assisted others to do so, or ' ad been the cause of hostilities. They did their utmost, rherefore, to secure the election of M. Valerius Corvus, the ;freatest commander of his day, as consul for the fourth time. t Atilius Regulus was assigned to him as his colleague. To ,void any chance of mistake, the consuls requested that this {var might be assigned to Corvus without deciding it by lot. j ' After taking over the victorious army from the previous 'fonsuls, he marched to Cales, here the war had originated. )'( 1e enemy were dispirited through the remembrance of the Drmer conflict, and he routed them at the very first attack. -r e then advanced to an assault upon their walls. Such was . 1re eagerness of the soldiers that they were anxious to bring up . he scaling ladders and mount the walls forthwith, but Corvus U}erceived the difficulty. of the task and preferred to gain his .,bject by submitting his men to the labours of a regular siege ;'rather than by exposing them to unnecessary risks. So he cont;tructed an agger and brought up the vineae and the turrets Iclose to the walls, but a fortunate circumstance rendered them nnecessary. M. Fabius, a ROlnan prisoner, succeeded in Juding his guards on a festival, and after breaking his chains H 3.stened a rope from a battlement of the wall and let himself down amongst the Roman works. He induced the commander to attack the enemy while they were sleeping off the effects of their wine and feasting, and the Ausonians were captured, together with their city, with no more trouble than they had .previously been routed in the open field. The booty seized ,vas enormous, and after a garrison was placed in Cales the legions were marched back to Rome. The senate passed a resolution allowing the consul to celebrate a triumph, and in order that Atilius might have a chance of distinguishing him"self, both the consuls were ordered to march against the Sidicines. Before starting they nominated, on the resolution of the senate, L. rlEmilius Mamercinus as Dictator, for the purpose of conducting the elections; he named Q. Publilius Philo as his lVlaster of the Horse. The consuls elected were T. Veturius and Spurius Postumius. Although there was still war with the Sidicines they brought forward a proposal to send a colony to Cales in order to anticipate the wishes of the plebs by a voluntary act of kindness. The senate passed a resolution that 2500 names should be enrolled, and the three commissioners appointed to settle the colonists and allocate the holdings were Caeso Duillius, T. Quinctius, and M. Fabius.