f this
officer in the case of Fabius was Minucius. Minucius was as ardent,
prompt, and impetuous, as Fabius was cool, prudent, and calculating.
He levied the troops and brought them to their place of rendezvous.
Fabius went out to take the command of them. One of the consuls was
coming to join him, with a body of troops which he had under his
command. Fabius sent word to him that he must come without any of the
insignia of his authority, as all his authority, semi-regal as it was
in ordinary times, was superseded and overruled in the presence of a
dictator. A consul was accustomed to move in great state on all
occasions. He was preceded by twelve men, bearing badges and insignia,
to impress the army and the people with a sense of the greatness of
his dignity. To see, therefore, a consul divested of all these marks
of his power, and coming into the dictator's presence as any other
officer would come before an acknowledged superior, made the army of
Fabius feel a very strong sense of the greatness of their new
commander's dignity and power.

Fabius then issued a proclamation, which he sent by proper messengers
into all the region of country around Rome, especially to that part
toward the territory which was in possession of Hannibal. In this
proclamation he ordered all the people to abandon the country and the
towns which were not strongly fortified, and to seek shelter in the
castles, and forts, and fortified cities. They were commanded, also,
to lay waste the country which they should leave, and destroy all the
property, and especially all the provisions, which they could not take
to their places of refuge. This being done, Fabius placed himself at
the head of the forces which he had got together, and moved on,
cautiously and with great circumspection, in search of his enemy.

In the mean time, Hannibal had crossed over to the eastern side of
Italy, and had passed down, conquering and ravaging the country as he
went, until he got considerably south of Rome. He seems to have
thought it not quite prudent to advance to the actual attack of the
city, after the battle of Lake Thrasymene; for the vast population of
Rome was sufficient, if rendered desperate by his actually threatening
the capture and pillage of the city, to overwhelm his army entirely.
So he moved to the eastward, and advanced on that side until he had
passed the city, and thus it happened that Fabius had to march to the
southward and eastward in order to m