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He contrived something of this sort. All the captives, so that none of them might escape and make known what was happening to the Romans, he slaughtered; and gathering the oxen in the camp, he tied torches to their horns, and proceeding by night toward the mountains in the territory of the Samnites, he both lit the torches and drove the oxen into a panic. And they, driven mad by the fire and the goading, set the woods on fire in many places, and from this provided him an easy passage. For the Romans on the plain and those on 2.247 the high ground, fearing an ambush, did not move. And thus Hannibal passed through and was brought into Samnium. Fabius, therefore, learning what had happened after daybreak, pursued him, and having routed those left behind on the road to obstruct them, and having overcome those who had assisted them, he encamped not far from the enemy, yet he did not come to blows with them, but prevented them from scattering and foraging; so that Hannibal, being at a loss, at first set out for Rome; but as he did not fight, and Fabius followed him cautiously, he returned again into Samnium. And Fabius, following him, lay in wait safely, taking care not to lose any of his own men, and while he himself had an abundance of necessities, seeing that the other had nothing besides his weapons, and not even any reinforcement coming from home. For the Carthaginians even made a laughing-stock of him when he wrote that he was doing well and achieving much, and asked for soldiers and money from them, saying that his requests did not agree with his achievements. For it was fitting for victors both to be content with their present army and to send money home, not to ask for more. Therefore, as long as Fabius was present, nothing terrible happened to the Romans, but when he departed to Rome on some public business, they suffered a reverse. For Rufus, the master of the horse, having an empty pride because of his youth and being heedless of military errors and vexed by the delay of Fabius, when he alone had command of the army, he disregarded the commands of the 2.248 dictator, and rushing into battle, at first he seemed to be winning, then he was defeated. And he would have been utterly destroyed, if some Samnites by chance, arriving as reinforcements for the Romans, had not given the Carthaginians the impression that Fabius was approaching. Therefore, because they withdrew for this reason, he thought he had won, and he sent a letter to Rome exaggerating the deed and slandering the dictator, calling him sluggish and a delayer and one who favored the enemy's cause. And those in Rome really believed that Rufus had been victorious, and taking courage, as it were, contrary to expectation, they both praised and honored him, and having come to suspect Fabius because of this and because they had not ravaged his lands in Campania, they almost even stripped him of his command. But believing him to be useful, they did not depose him, but they assigned the same authority to the master of the horse, so that both might command with equal power. When these things were decided, Fabius held no anger either toward the citizens or toward Rufus, but Rufus, not thinking rightly even before, was then especially puffed up and could not contain himself, but demanded to command alone every other day or for several consecutive days in turn. But Fabius, fearing that he might do some harm if he became master of the entire force, agreed with him on neither proposal, but divided the army, so that, like the consuls, each might have his own force on an equal basis. And immediately Rufus encamped separately, so that it might be clear that he commanded on his own, and not under the dictator. Hannibal, therefore, perceiving this, drew him into battle, approaching as if to seize a position; and having surrounded him from an ambush, he put him in dan2.249ger of being destroyed with his entire army, had not Fabius fallen upon him from the rear and prevented it. Having suffered this, therefore, Rufus changed his mind, and he immediately led the rest of his army to Fabius, and handed over his command, and did not even wait for the people to vote again, but willingly gave up the command which, though only master of the horse, he had received from them. And

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τοιοῦτόν τι ἐμηχανήσατο. τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους πάντας, ινα μή τις αὐτῶν διαφύγῃ καὶ τὸ γινόμενον γνωρίσῃ τοῖς ̔Ρωμαίοις, κατέσφαξε· καὶ τὰς ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ βοῦς ἀθροίσας δᾷδας τοῖς αὐτῶν προσέδησε κέρασι, καὶ πρὸς τὰ κατὰ τοὺς Σαυνίτας ορη ὑπὸ νύκτα χωρήσας τάς τε δᾷδας ἀνῆψε καὶ τὰς βοῦς ἐπετάραξεν. οἰστρηθεῖσαι δ' ἐκεῖναι διὰ τὸ πῦρ καὶ τὴν ελασιν πολλαχῇ τὴν υλην ἐνέπρησαν, κἀκ τούτου ῥᾳδίαν παρέσχον αὐτῷ τὴν ὑπέρβασιν. οἱ γὰρ ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ ̔Ρωμαῖοι καὶ οἱ ἐν 2.247 τοῖς μετεώροις, ἐνέδρας πτοηθέντες, οὐκ ἐκινήθησαν. καὶ ουτως ὁ ̓Αννίβας διῆλθε καὶ ἐς τὴν Σαυνίτιδα ἐκομίσθη. ̔Ο ουν Φάβιος μεθ' ἡμέραν τὸ γενόμενον γνοὺς κατεδίωξε, καὶ τούς τε καταλελειμμένους ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, ινα σφᾶς ειρξωσι, τρεψάμενος, καὶ τοὺς βοηθήσαντας αὐτοῖς κρατήσας, ἐστρατοπεδεύσατο μὲν οὐ πόρρω τῶν πολεμίων, οὐ μέντοι καὶ ἐς χεῖρας ἐκείνοις ηλθεν, ἀλλ' ἀποσκίδνασθαί τε αὐτοὺς καὶ προνομεύειν ἐκώλυεν· ωστε τὸν ̓Αννίβαν ἀπορήσαντα τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐπὶ τὴν ̔Ρώμην ὁρμῆσαι· ὡς δ' οὐκ ἐμάχετο, δι' ἡσυχίας δὲ παρηκολούθει ὁ Φάβιος, αυθις ὑπέστρεψεν εἰς τὸ Σαύνιον. καὶ ὁ Φάβιος αὐτῷ ἐφεπόμενος δι' ἀσφαλείας προσήδρευε, προμηθούμενος μήτε τῶν οἰκείων ἀποβαλεῖν τινας, καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἐν εὐπορίᾳ τυγχάνων, ἐκείνῳ δὲ τῶν οπλων ἐκτὸς οὐδὲν προσεῖναι ὁρῶν, καὶ μηδ' οικοθεν προσιοῦσαν ἐπικουρίαν. οἱ γὰρ Καρχηδόνιοι καὶ ἐν γέλωτι αὐτὸν ἐποιοῦντο, γράφοντα ευ πράττειν καὶ πολλὰ κατορθοῦν, καὶ στρατιώτας παρ' αὐτῶν αἰτοῦντα καὶ χρήματα, λέγοντες μὴ συμφωνεῖν τὰς αἰτήσεις ταῖς κατορθώσεσι. τοὺς γὰρ νικῶντας προσήκειν καὶ τῷ παρόντι ἀρκεῖσθαι στρατεύματι, καὶ χρήματα στέλλειν οικαδε, ἀλλ' οὐ προσαιτεῖν. Εως μὲν ουν ἐνεδήμει ὁ Φάβιος, δεινὸν οὐδὲν τοῖς ̔Ρωμαίοις ἐγένετο, ὡς δ' ἐκεῖνος εἰς τὴν ̔Ρώμην ἀπῆρε κατά τι δημόσιον, επταισαν. ὁ γὰρ ̔Ροῦφος ὁ ιππαρχος, φρόνημα κενὸν ὑπὸ νεότητος εχων καὶ τῶν πολεμικῶν σφαλμάτων ἀπερίοπτος ων καὶ τῇ μελλήσει τοῦ Φαβίου ἀχθόμενος, ἐπεὶ τὴν προστασίαν τῆς στρατιᾶς μόνος εσχε, τῶν μὲν ἐντολῶν τοῦ 2.248 δικτάτωρος ὠλιγώρησεν, ὁρμήσας δ' εἰς παράταξιν τὸ μὲν πρῶτον νικᾶν εδοξεν, ειτα ἡττήθη. καν πανσυδὶ διεφθάρη, εἰ μή τινες Σαυνιτῶν κατὰ τύχην τοῖς ̔Ρωμαίοις ἐπίκουροι ἀφικνούμενοι δόξαν τοῖς Καρχηδονίοις παρέσχον προσιέναι τὸν Φάβιον. ἀναχωρησάντων ουν διὰ τοῦτο κεκρατηκέναι ἐνόμισε, καὶ ἐς τὴν ̔Ρώμην τὸ εργον μεγαλύνων καὶ τὸν δικτάτωρα προσδιαβάλλων ἐπέστειλεν, ὀκνηρὸν καὶ μελλητὴν αὐτὸν καλῶν καὶ τὰ τῶν ἐναντίων φρονοῦντα. Οἱ δ' ἐν τῇ ̔Ρώμῃ νενικηκέναι τὸν ̔Ροῦφον οντως ἐνόμισαν, καὶ οια παρὰ δόξαν θαρσήσαντες καὶ ἐπῄνουν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐτίμων, καὶ τὸν Φάβιον ἐν ὑποψίᾳ σχόντες διὰ ταῦτα καὶ οτι τὰ ἐν Καμπανίᾳ χωρία αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐδῄωσαν, μικροῦ καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς αν παρέλυσαν. ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνον μὲν χρήσιμον νομίζοντες ειναι οὐκ επαυσαν, τῷ δ' ἱππάρχῳ τὴν αὐτὴν ἐξουσίαν προσένειμαν, ωστ' αμφω ἀπὸ τῆς ισης αρχειν. δοξάντων δὲ τούτων ὁ μὲν Φάβιος ουτε τοῖς πολίταις ουτε τῷ ̔Ρούφῳ εσχεν ὀργήν, ὁ δὲ ̔Ροῦφος, οὐδὲ πρὶν ὀρθῶς φρονῶν, τότε μάλιστα ἐπεφύσητο καὶ κατέχειν ἑαυτὸν οὐκ ἠδύνατο, ἀλλ' ἡμέραν ἠξίου παρ' ἡμέραν η καὶ πλείους ἐφεξῆς ἐναλλὰξ μόνος αρχειν. δείσας δ' ὁ Φάβιος μή τι κακὸν ἐξεργάσηται, εἰ πάσης τῆς δυνάμεως γένοιτο ἐγκρατής, πρὸς οὐδέτερον αὐτῷ συνῄνεσεν, ἀλλ' ἐνείματο τὸ στρατόπεδον, ωστε τοῖς ὑπάτοις ἐπ' ισης ἰδίαν ἑκάτερον ἰσχὺν εχειν. καὶ παραχρῆμα ὁ ̔Ροῦφος ἀπεστρατοπεδεύσατο, ινα διάδηλος ῃ οτι καθ' ἑαυτὸν αρχει, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὑπὸ τῷ δικτάτωρι. ὁ ουν ̓Αννίβας τοῦτο αἰσθόμενος ἐς μάχην αὐτὸν ὑπηγάγετο, ὡς ἐπὶ καταλήψει χωρίου προσελθών· καὶ περιστοιχισάμενος ἐξ ἐνέδρας εἰς κίν2.249 δυνον κατέστησεν ὡς πανστρατιᾷ ἐξελεῖν, εἰ μὴ ὁ Φάβιος κατὰ νώτου αὐτῷ προσπεσὼν ἐκώλυσε. Παθὼν ουν τοῦτο ὁ ̔Ροῦφος μετεβάλετο, καὶ τὸ στράτευμά τε τὸ περίλοιπον ἐς τὸν Φάβιον εὐθὺς ηγαγε, καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν παραδέδωκεν, οὐδ' ἀνέμεινε τὸν δῆμον ἀναψηφίσασθαι, ἀλλ' ἐθελοντὴς τὴν ἡγεμονίαν, ην παρ' αὐτοῦ μόνος ἱππάρχων ελαβεν, ἀφῆκε. καὶ