hither by a letter from Appius.
Volumnius had, by this time, taken three forts in Samnium, in which
three thousand of the enemy had been slain, and about half that number
made prisoners; and, a sedition having been raised among the Lucanians
by the plebeians and the more indigent of the people, he had, to the
great satisfaction of the nobles, quelled it by sending thither
Quintus Fabius, proconsul, with his own veteran army. He left to
Decius the ravaging of the enemy's country; and proceeded with his
troops into Etruria to his colleague; where, on his arrival, the whole
army received him with joy. Appius, if he did not write the letter,
being conscious of this, had, in my opinion, just ground of
displeasure; but if he had actually stood in need of assistance, his
disowning it, as he did, arose from an illiberal and ungrateful mind.
For, on going out to receive him, when they had scarcely exchanged
salutations, he said, "Is all well, Lucius Volumnius? How stand
affairs in Samnium? What motive induced you to remove out of your
province?" Volumnius answered, that "affairs in Samnium were in a
prosperous state; and that he had come thither in compliance with the
request in his letter. But, if that were a forged letter, and that
there was no occasion for him in Etruria, he would instantly face
about, and depart." "You may depart." replied the other; "no one
detains you: for it is a perfect inconsistency, that when, perhaps,
you are scarcely equal to the management of your own war, you should
vaunt of coming hither to succour others." To this Volumnius rejoined,
"May Hercules direct all for the best; for his part, he was better
pleased that he had taken useless trouble, than that any conjuncture
should have arisen which had made one consular army insufficient for
Etruria."

19. As the consuls were parting, the lieutenants-general and tribunes
of Appius's army gathered round them. Some entreated their own general
that he would not reject the voluntary offer of his colleague's
assistance, which ought to have been solicited in the first instance:
the greater number used their endeavours to stop Volumnius, beseeching
him "not, through a peevish dispute with his colleague, to abandon the
interest of the commonwealth; and represented to him, that in case any
misfortune should happen, the blame would fall on the person who
forsook the other, not on the one forsaken; that the state of affairs
was such, that the credit and discredit