[98] Why do the censors, when they take office, do nothing else before they contract for the food of the sacred geese[227] and the polishing of the statue?[228]
Is it that they begin with the most trivial things, matters that require little expense or trouble?
Or is this a commemoration of an old debt of gratitude owed to these creatures for their services in the Gallic wars?[229] For when in the night the barbarians were already climbing over the rampart of the Capitol, the gee se perceived the invaders, although the dogs were asleep, and waked the guards by their clamour.
Or is it because the censors are guardians of the most important matters, and, since it is their duty to oversee and to busy themselves with sacred and State affairs and with the lives, morals, and conduct of the people, they immediately take into account the most vigilant of creatures, and at the same time by their care of the geese they urge the citizens not to be careless or indifferent about sacred matters?
But the polishing[230] of the statue is absolutely necessary: for the red pigment, with which they used to tint ancient statues, rapidly loses its freshness.