OT TO LOSE ANY OF HIS OWN TROOPS, especially since he
could obtain necessities in abundance, whereas he saw that his foe
actually possessed nothing outside of his weapons and that no
assistance was sent to him from home. [Sidenote: FRAG. 56^11] FOR THE
CARTHAGINIANS WERE DISPOSED TO MAKE SPORT OF HIM IN THAT HE WROTE OF
HIS SPLENDID PROGRESS AND HIS MANY SUCCESSES AND IN THE SAME BREATH
ASKED SOLDIERS OF THEM AND MONEY. THEY SAID THAT HIS REQUESTS WERE NOT
IN ACCORD WITH HIS SUCCESSES: CONQUERORS OUGHT TO FIND THEIR ARMY
SUFFICIENT, AND TO FORWARD MONEY TO THEIR HOMES INSTEAD OF DEMANDING
MORE.

As long as Fabius was in the field, no disaster happened to the
Romans, but when he started for Rome on some public business, they met
with a setback. Rufus, his master of horse, was only a young man and
therefore full of empty conceit; he was not observant of the errors of
warfare and was wearied by the delays of Fabius: hence, when he once
held the leadership of the army alone, he disregarded the injunctions
of the dictator and hastened to bring on a set battle, in which at
first he seemed to be victorious, but was soon defeated. Indeed, he
would have been utterly destroyed, had not some Samnites arrived by
chance to aid the Romans and impressed the Carthaginians with the idea
that Fabius was approaching. When for this reason they retired he
thought that he had vanquished them and sent messages to Rome
magnifying his exploit and also slandering the dictator; he called
Fabius timorous and hesitating and a sympathizer with the enemy.

The people of Rome believed that Rufus had really conquered, and in
view of this unexpected encouragement they commended and honored him.
They were suspicious of Fabius both because of the outcome and because
he had not ravaged his own land in Campania, and it would have taken
but little to make them depose him from his command. However, as they
believed him useful, [Sidenote: FRAG. 56^14] THEY DID NOT DEPOSE HIM
BUT THEY ASSIGNED EQUAL POWER TO HIS MASTER OF HORSE SO THAT BOTH HELD
COMMAND ON AN EQUAL FOOTING. WHEN THIS HAD BEEN DECREED, FABIUS
HARBORED NO WRATH AGAINST EITHER THE CITIZENS OR RUFUS; BUT RUFUS, WHO
HAD NOT SHOWN THE RIGHT SPIRIT IN THE FIRST PLACE, WAS NOW ESPECIALLY
PUFFED UP AND COULD NOT CONTAIN HIMSELF. HE KEPT ASKING FOR THE RIGHT
TO HOLD SOLE SWAY A DAY AT A TIME, OR FOR SEVERAL DAYS ALTERNATELY.
FABIUS, POSSESSED WITH DREAD THAT HE MIGHT WORK SOME HARM IF HE SHOULD
GET POS