Such a position in Roman society came with many privileges which in turn gave Flamen's a unique power within Rome. In the case of the Law and Criminal courts, the Flamen wielded great power. When a person was deemed a criminal they could appeal to a flamen who had the power of pardoning criminals, and thus they were actively cultivated by higher ups in society. There were also several other privileges that the Flamen possessed. Bailey says that these were the exemption from the Patria Potestas (lit. power of the father) of his father, the wearing of the toga praetexta and the privileges of having a lictor of his own, of sitting on the curule chair, and having an ex officio place in the Senate". During the sack of Rome by the Gauls in 390 BCE, the Flamen's were also given a special task. In an attempt to preserve Roman culture and history, the Flamens and other religious orders such as the vestals were in charge of the sacred and religious items of Rome. Their objective was to take these treasures out of Rome so they wouldn't be destroyed by the Gauls. "Their sacred cult should not be abandoned as long as a single person survived to observe it".