elivered. Lucius Cornelius Lentulus addressed
the people and said they must not delay but vote for war against the
Carthaginians and separate consuls and armies into two detachments,
and send the one to Spain and the other to Libya, in order that at one
and the same time the land of the enemy might be desolated and his
allies injured; thus neither would he be able to assist Spain nor
could he himself receive assistance from there. To this Quintus Fabius
Maximus rejoined that it was not so absolutely and inevitably
necessary to vote for war, but they could first employ an embassy, and
then if the Carthaginians persuaded them that they were guilty of no
wrong, they should remain quiet, but if the same people were convicted
of wrongdoing, they might thereupon wage war against them, "in order,"
he said, "that we may cast the responsibility for the war upon them."
[Sidenote: FRAG. 54^9] THE OPINIONS OF THE TWO MEN WERE SUBSTANTIALLY
THESE. THE SENATE DECIDED TO MAKE PREPARATIONS, TO BE SURE, FOR
CONFLICT, BUT TO DESPATCH ENVOYS TO CARTHAGE AND DENOUNCE HANNIBAL;
AND IF THE CARTHAGINIANS REFRAINED FROM APPROVING THE EXPLOITS, THEY
WOULD ARBITRATE THE MATTER, OR IF ALL RESPONSIBILITY WERE LAID UPON
HIS SHOULDERS, THEY WOULD DEMAND HIS EXTRADITION, AND IF HE WERE NOT
GIVEN UP, THEY WOULD DECLARE WAR UPON THE NATION.

The envoys set out and the Carthaginians considered what must be done.
And a certain Hasdrubal, one of those who had been primed by Hannibal,
counseled them that they ought to get back their ancient freedom and
shake off by means of money and troops and allies, all welded
together, the slavery imposed by peace, adding: "If you only permit
Hannibal to act as he wishes, the proper thing will be done and you
will have no trouble." After such words on his part the great Hanno,
opposing Hasdrubal's argument, gave it as his opinion that they ought
not to draw war upon themselves lightly nor for small complaints
concerning foreigners, when it was in their power to settle a part of
the difficulty and divert the rest of it upon the heads of those who
had been active in the matter. With these remarks he ceased, and the
elder Carthaginians who remembered the former war sided with him, but
those in robust manhood and especially all the partisans of Hannibal
violently gainsaid him. [Sidenote: FRAG. 54^10] INASMUCH, THEN, AS
THEY MADE NO DEFINITE ANSWER AND SHOWED CONTEMPT FOR THE ENVOYS,
MARCUS FABIUS THRUSTING HIS HANDS BENEAT