the house for
several days from sunrise to sunset, deliberating under whose conduct
and by what forces, the victorious Carthaginians could be opposed.

8. Before their plans were sufficiently determined another unexpected
defeat is reported: four thousand horse, sent under the conduct of C.
Centenius, propraetor, by Servilius to his colleague, were cut off by
Hannibal in Umbria, to which place, on hearing of the battle at
Trasimenus, they had turned their course. The report of this event
variously affected the people. Some, having their minds preoccupied
with heavier grief, considered the recent loss of cavalry trifling, in
comparison with their former losses; others did not estimate what had
occurred by itself, but considered that, as in a body already
labouring under disease, a slight cause would be felt more violently
than a more powerful one in a robust constitution, so whatever adverse
event befell the state in its then sickly and impaired condition,
ought to be estimated, not by the magnitude of the event itself, but
with reference to its exhausted strength, which could endure nothing
that could oppress it. The state therefore took refuge in a remedy for
a long time before neither wanted nor employed, the appointment of a
dictator, and because the consul was absent, by whom alone it appeared
he could be nominated, and because neither message nor letter could
easily be sent to him through the country occupied by Punic troops,
and because the people could not appoint a dictator, which had never
been done to that day, the people created Quintus Fabius Maximus pro
dictator, and Marcus Minucius Rufus master of the horse. To them the
senate assigned the task of strengthening the walls and towers of the
city, of placing guards in such quarters as seemed good, and breaking
down the bridges of the river, considering that they must now fight at
home in defence of their city, since they were unable to protect
Italy.

9. Hannibal, marching directly through Umbria, arrived at Spoletum,
thence, having completely devastated the adjoining country, and
commenced an assault upon the city, having been repulsed with great
loss and conjecturing from the strength of this one colony, which had
been not very successfully attacked, what was the size of the city of
Rome, turned aside into the territory of Picenum, which abounded not
only with every species of grain, but was stored with booty, which his
rapacious and needy troops eagerly