furious dictator found himself obliged
to halt in his purpose.

But Fabius knew too well the iron nature of his antagonist to trust his
life in his hands. That night he fled from the camp to Rome, and
immediately appealed to the senate for protection. Papirius followed in
hot haste, and while the senators were still assembling arrived in Rome,
where, under his authority as dictator, he gave order for the arrest of
the culprit. In this critical situation the prisoner's father, M.
Fabius, appealed to the tribunes for the protection of his son, saying
that he proposed to carry the case before the assembly of the people.

The tribunes found themselves in a dilemma. Papirius warned them not to
sanction so flagrant a breach of military discipline, nor to lessen the
majesty of the office of dictator, and they found themselves hesitating
between their duty to support the absolute power of the dictator and
their abhorrence of an exercise of this power that must shock the
feelings of the whole Roman people. The people themselves relieved their
tribunes from this difficulty. They hastily met in assembly, and by a
unanimous vote implored the dictator to be merciful, and for their sakes
to forgive Fabius. His authority thus acknowledged, Papirius yielded,
and declared that he pardoned the master of the horse. "And the
authority of the Roman generals," says Livy, "was established no less
firmly by the peril of Q. Fabius than by the actual death of the young
T. Manlius."

It was well for Rome that Fabius was spared, for he afterwards proved
one of their ablest generals. The time came, also, when he was able to
confer a benefit upon Papirius Cursor. This was during a subsequent war
with the Etruscans, in which he commanded as consul and gained great
victories. Meanwhile a Roman army was defeated by the Samnites, and on
the news of this defeat reaching Rome the senate at once resolved to
appoint Papirius once more as dictator.

But this appointment must be made by a consul. One consul was with the
defeated army, perhaps dead. It was necessary to apply to Fabius, the
other consul, and the declared enemy of the proposed dictator. To
overcome his personal feelings, a deputation of the highest senators was
sent him, who read him the senate's decree and strongly urged him to
support it. Fabius listened in dead silence, not answering by word or
look. When they had ended, he abruptly withdrew from the room. But at
dead of night he pronoun