Quintus Fabius Maximus
Pitching his camp on the shore of the Adriatic, in a
district extraordinarily rich in every kind of produce, he took
great pains to refresh his men and restore their health, and no
less so that of the horses. For the cold and squalor of a
winter spent in Gallia Cis-Alpina without the protection of a
roof, and then the painful march through the marshes, had
brought upon most of the horses, and the men as well, an
attack of scurvy and all its consequences. Having therefore
now got possession of a rich country, he got his horses into
condition again, and restored the bodies and spirits of his
soldiers; and made the Libyans change their own for Roman
arms selected for the purpose, which he could easily do from
being possessed of so many sets stripped from the bodies of the
enemy. He now sent messengers, too, to
Carthage by sea, to
report what had taken place, for this was the first time he had
reached the sea since he entered
Italy. The Carthaginians
were greatly rejoiced at the news: and took measures with
enthusiasm for forwarding supplies to their armies, both in
Iberia and
Italy.
Meanwhile the Romans had appointed Quintus Fabius
Dictator,
1 a man distinguished no less for his wisdom than his
high birth; as is still commemorated by the fact that the
members of his family are even now called
Maximi, that is "Greatest," in honour of his
successful achievements.
Q. Fabius Maximus Dictator. |
A Dictator differs
from the Consuls in this, that each Consul is followed by twelve
lictors, the Dictator by twenty-four. Again, the Consuls have
frequently to refer to the Senate to enable them to carry out
their proposed plans; but the Dictator is absolute, and when
he is appointed all other magistrates in
Rome are at once
deprived of power, except the Tribunes of the People.
2 I shall,
however, take another opportunity of speaking in more detail
about these officers. With the Dictator they appointed Marcus
Minucius master of the horse; this is an officer under the
Dictator, and takes his place when engaged elsewhere.
