28.
The night following, Fabius sent his horse before him,
with orders to engage the enemy, and delay their march till he himself should
come up. That his orders might be faithfully performed, Quintus Atius
Varus, general of the horse, a man of uncommon spirit and skill,
encouraged his men, and pursuing the enemy, disposed some of his troops in
convenient places, and with the rest gave battle to the enemy. The enemy's
cavalry made a bold stand, the foot relieving each other, and making a general
halt, to assist their horse against ours. The battle was warmly contested. For
our men, despising the enemy whom they had conquered the day before, and knowing
that the legions were following them, animated both by the disgrace of
retreating, and a desire of concluding the battle expeditiously by their own
courage, fought most valiantly against the foot: and the enemy, imagining that
no more forces would come against them, as they had experienced the day before,
thought they had got a favorable opportunity of destroying our whole cavalry.
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