ld be sent out of Sicily as soon
as the consul arrived in his province. The soldiers which had fought
at Cannae, amounting to two legions, were assigned to Lucius Cincius,
the praetor, for the occupation of Sicily. As many legions were
assigned to Publius Manlius Vulso, the praetor, for Sardinia, being
those which Lucius Cornelius had commanded in that province the former
year. The consuls were directed so to raise legions for the service of
the city, as not to enlist any one who had served in the armies of
Marcus Claudius, Marcus Valerius, or Quintus Fulvius, so that the
Roman legions might not exceed twenty-one that year.

29. After the senate had passed these decrees, the consuls drew lots
for their provinces. Sicily and the fleet fell to the lot of
Marcellus; Italy, with the war against Hannibal, to Laevinus. This
result so terrified the Sicilians, who were standing in sight of the
consuls waiting the determination of the lots, that their bitter
lamentations and mournful cries both drew upon them the eyes of all at
the time, and afterwards furnished matter for conversation. For they
went round to the several senators in mourning garments, affirming,
that "they would not only abandon, each of them, his native country,
but all Sicily, if Marcellus should again go thither with command.
That he had formerly been implacable toward them for no demerit of
theirs, what would he do now, when exasperated that they had come to
Rome to complain of him? That it would be better for that island to be
overwhelmed with the fires of Aetna, or sunk in the sea, than to be
delivered up, as it were, for execution to an enemy." These complaints
of the Sicilians, having been carried round to the houses of the
nobility, and frequently canvassed in conversations, which were
prompted partly by compassion for the Sicilians and partly by dislike
for Marcellus, at length reached the senate also. The consuls were
requested to take the sense of the senate on an exchange of provinces.
Marcellus said, that "if the Sicilians had already had an audience of
the senate, his opinion perhaps might have been different, but as the
case now stood, lest any one should be able to say that they were
prevented by fear from freely venting their complaints respecting him,
to whose power they were presently about to be subject, he was
willing, if it made no difference to his colleague, to exchange
provinces with him. That he deprecated a premature decision on the