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For this, all praised him. And Fabius immediately, without any hesitation, accepted the whole command, and the people approved it. And after this he himself commanded the army most safely, and when he was about to depart from his command he summoned the consuls and handed over the army to them and advised them most ungrudgingly of all that needed to be done. And they did nothing rashly, but did everything according to the instruction of Fabius, although Geminus had already achieved some success. For seeing that the Carthaginian fleet, though it set out for Italy, did not reach it because of their counter-preparations, he sailed out and on his coastal voyage secured the affairs of both the Corsicans and the Sardinians, and landing in Libya he plundered its coast. These things he did, yet he was not so puffed up by them as to risk a battle against Hannibal, but he adhered to the commands of Fabius. For which reason the cities also no longer attached themselves to the Carthaginians in the same way. For they feared that Hannibal might be driven out of Italy, and that they themselves might suffer some evil at the hands of the Romans, as they were neighbors. And while the majority were considering the future outcome, a few again went over to the Romans, and some sent them offerings. And when Hiero had sent many things, the grain and a statue of Victory the Ro2.250 mans alone accepted, although they were in want of money, so that the silver coinage, which was previously unmixed and pure, they mixed with bronze. These things were done in Italy at that time; and some slaves who had formed a conspiracy against Rome were caught beforehand; and a certain spy who was caught in the city had his hands cut off and was released, so that he might become a messenger of his suffering to the Carthaginians himself. And in Iberia, Scipio was victorious in a naval battle near the mouth of the Iberus; for while they were fighting on equal terms he had the sails of the ships cut down, so that having given up hope of escape they might fight more eagerly. and he ravaged the country and captured many fortresses and through his brother Publius Scipio he won over cities of the Iberians. For a certain Iberian, Abelux, seeming faithful to the Carthaginians but serving the interests of the Romans, persuaded the man guarding the Iberian hostages to send them home, so that the cities might perhaps be won over to goodwill by them; and having taken them, as he had also been the proposer of the plan, and having previously sent to the Scipios and communicated about what he wanted, then while secretly conveying them at night, he was captured, so it seemed. and thus the Romans got control of them and won over their native cities when they were brought home. In these matters, then, they were fortunate, but again they encountered a disaster more terrible than any either before or after. And this was preceded by both certain portents and the oracles of the Sibyl, who so many years before had prophesied the 2.251 disaster to them. And wonderful also was the prophecy of Marcius; for he too, having become a certain oracle-monger, uttered in a frenzy that they would stumble in the plain of Diomedes, as they were originally Trojans. And this is in Apulia of the Daunians, and it has its name from the settlement of Diomedes, which he made there after his wanderings. For in that plain is also Cannae, where they then met with disaster, both by the Ionian gulf and near the mouth of the Aufidius river. And the Sibyl advised to guard the place, yet she said that nothing more would come of it, not even if they kept it under every guard. Such then were the prophecies, and what happened to the Romans occurred thus. The commanders were Paulus Aemilius and Terentius Varro, men not of like character. For the one was a patrician and adorned with education and he preferred safety to rashness, but Terentius had been brought up among the common crowd and was practiced in vulgar audacity and was arrogant in other matters and thought he alone held the command because of his colleague's reasonableness. So both came to the camp most opportunely; for there was no longer any food for Hannibal, and the affairs of the Iberians had been stirred up, and his allies were becoming alienated; and if indeed they had held back for even the shortest time, they would have prevailed without a struggle. but as it was, the ... of Terentius

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αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τούτῳ πάντες ἐπῄνεσαν. καὶ ὁ Φάβιος αὐτίκα μηδὲν ἐνδοιάσας πᾶσαν ἐδέξατο, καὶ ὁ δῆμος αὐτὸ ἀπεδέξατο. καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα αὐτός τε ἀσφαλέστατα προέστη τοῦ στρατεύματος, καὶ μέλλων ἀπαλλαγήσεσθαι τῆς ἀρχῆς τοὺς ὑπάτους μετεπέμψατο καὶ τὸ στράτευμα σφίσι παρέδωκε καὶ πάνθ' οσα πραχθῆναι ἐχρῆν παρῄνεσεν ἀφθονώτατα. κἀκεῖνοι θρασέως οὐδέν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν ὑποθήκην τοῦ Φαβίου απαντα επραξαν, καίπερ ὁ Γέμινος καὶ προκατωρθώκει τι. τὸ γὰρ ναυτικὸν τῶν Καρχηδονίων ἰδὼν ὁρμῆσαν μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν ̓Ιταλίαν, διὰ δὲ τὴν ἀντιπαρασκευὴν αὐτῶν μὴ προσμίξαν αὐτῇ, ἐπεκπλεύσας τά τε τῶν Κυρνίων καὶ τὰ τῶν Σαρδονίων ἐν τῷ παράπλῳ ἐβεβαιώσατο, καὶ ἐς τὴν Λιβύην ἐκβὰς ἐλεηλάτησε τὴν παραλίαν αὐτῆς. ταῦτα μὲν επραξεν, οὐ μέντοι δι' αὐτὰ ἐπεφύσητο ωστε πρὸς τὸν ̓Αννίβαν διακινδυνεῦσαι, ἀλλὰ ταῖς ἐντολαῖς τοῦ Φαβίου ἐνέμεινεν. οθενπερ καὶ αἱ πόλεις οὐκέθ' ὁμοίως τοῖς Καρχηδονίοις προσετίθεντο. ἐφοβοῦντο γὰρ μὴ ὁ ̓Αννίβας τῆς ̓Ιταλίας ἐκπέσῃ, καὶ κακόν τι αὐτοὶ ὑπὸ ̔Ρωμαίων ατε προσοίκων πάθωσι. καὶ οἱ μὲν πλείους τὸ ἀποβησόμενον ἐσκόπουν, ὀλίγοι δὲ πρὸς τοὺς ̔Ρωμαίους αυθις μετέστησαν, καὶ ἀναθήματά τινες αὐτοῖς επεμψαν. καὶ τοῦ ̔Ιέρωνος πολλὰ πεπομφότος, σῖτον καὶ Νίκης αγαλμα οἱ ̔Ρω2.250 μαῖοι μόνα ελαβον, καίπερ ἐν ἀχρηματίᾳ οντες, ωστε τὸ ἀργυροῦν νόμισμα, ἀμιγὲς καὶ καθαρὸν γινόμενον πρότερον, χαλκῷ προσμίξαι. Ταῦτα ἐν τῇ ̓Ιταλίᾳ τότε ἐπράχθη· καί τινες δοῦλοι συνωμοσίαν ἐπὶ τῇ ̔Ρώμῃ πεποιηκότες προκατελήφθησαν· κατάσκοπός τέ τις ἁλοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ τὰς χεῖρας ἀπεκόπη καὶ ἀφείθη, ινα τοῖς Καρχηδονίοις γένηται τοῦ πάθους αὐτάγγελος. ἐν δὲ τῇ ̓Ιβηρίᾳ ναυμαχίᾳ πρὸς τῇ τοῦ Ιβηρος ἐκβολῇ ὁ Σκιπίων ἐνίκησεν· ἰσοπαλῶς γὰρ ἀγωνιζομένων τὰ ἱστία τῶν νεῶν ὑπετέμετο, οπως ἀπογνόντες προθυμότερον ἀγωνίσωνται. καὶ τήν τε χώραν ἐπόρθησε καὶ τείχη συχνὰ ἐχειρώσατο καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ Πουπλίου Σκιπίωνος πόλεις τῶν ̓Ιβήρων προσεκτήσατο. Αβελος γάρ τις Ιβηρ, δοκῶν μὲν τοῖς Καρχηδονίοις πιστός, τὰ τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων δὲ θεραπεύων, ἀνέπεισε τὸν φρουροῦντα τοὺς τῶν ̓Ιβήρων ὁμήρους οικαδε αὐτοὺς ἀποπέμψαι, ιν' ἐς ευνοιαν τάχα ὑπ' αὐτῶν αἱ πόλεις ὑπαχθῶσι· καὶ παραλαβὼν σφᾶς, ατε καὶ τῆς ἐπινοίας εἰσηγητὴς γεγονώς, πρὸς τοὺς Σκιπίωνάς τε πρότερον πέμψας καὶ κοινολογησάμενος περὶ ων ἠξίου, ειτα νυκτὸς ὑπεκκομίζων αὐτοὺς ἑάλω δῆθεν. καὶ ουτως ἐκείνων τε ἐγκρατεῖς ἐγένοντο οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι καὶ τὰς πατρίδας αὐτῶν ἀνακομισθέντων οικαδε κατεκτήσαντο. ̓Εν μὲν ουν τούτοις εὐτύχουν, συμφορᾷ δ' αυ περιέπεσον ης ουτε πρόσθεν ουθ' υστερον δεινοτέρᾳ οὐδεμιᾷ. προηγήσατο δὲ ταύτης καί τινα τέρατα καὶ τὰ τῆς Σιβύλλης λόγια, ητις πρὸ τοσούτων ἐτῶν τὴν 2.251 συμφορὰν αὐτοῖς ἐμαντεύσατο. θαυμαστὸν δὲ καὶ τὸ τοῦ Μάρκου προμάντευμα· χρησμολόγος γάρ τις καὶ ουτος γενόμενος ἐν τῷ ∆ιομηδείῳ πεδίῳ πταίσειν αὐτούς, ατε καὶ Τρῶας τὸ ἀρχαῖον οντας, ἐφοίβασε. τοῦτο δ' ἐν ̓Απουλίᾳ τῇ ∆αυνίων ἐστί, καὶ τὸ ονομα ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ ∆ιομήδους κατοικήσεως, ην ἐκεῖ ἀλητεύσας ἐποιήσατο, εσχηκεν. ἐν γὰρ τῷ πεδίῳ ἐκείνῳ καὶ αἱ Κάνναι, ενθα τότε ἐδυστύχησαν, παρά τε τῷ ̓Ιονίῳ κόλπῳ καὶ περὶ τὰς τοῦ Αὐφιδίου ἐκβολάς εἰσιν. ἡ δὲ Σίβυλλα φυλάττεσθαι μὲν τὸ χωρίον παρῄνεσεν, οὐ μέντοι καὶ πλεῖόν τι γενήσεσθαι εφη οὐδ' εἰ διὰ πάσης αὐτὸ ποιήσαιντο φυλακῆς. Τοιαῦτα μὲν ουν ησαν τὰ χρησμῳδήματα, τὰ δὲ τοῖς ̔Ρωμαίοις συμβάντα ουτως ἐγένετο. ηρχον μὲν Παῦλος Αἰμίλιος καὶ Τερέντιος Οὐάρρων, ανδρες οὐχ ὁμοιότροποι· ὁ μὲν γὰρ εὐπατρίδης ην καὶ παιδείᾳ κεκόσμητο καὶ τὸ ἀσφαλὲς προετίμα τοῦ προπετοῦς, Τερέντιος δὲ ἐν τῷ ὁμίλῳ ἐτέθραπτο καὶ ἐν βαναυσικῇ θρασύτητι ησκητο καὶ ταλλα τε ἐξεφρόνει καὶ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν μόνος εχειν ἡγεῖτο διὰ τὴν τοῦ συνάρχοντος ἐπιείκειαν. ηλθον ουν αμφω εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον εὐκαιρότατα· ουτε γὰρ τροφὴ ετι ην τῷ ̓Αννίβᾳ, καὶ τὰ τῶν ̓Ιβήρων κεκίνητο, τά τε τῶν συμμάχων αὐτοῦ ἠλλοτριοῦτο· καὶ ει γε καὶ τὸ βραχύτατον ἐπεσχήκεσαν, ἀπόνως ἐκράτησαν αν. νῦν δέ γε τοῦ Τερεντίου τὸ