battle. Plans must be formed in adaptation to
circumstances, as circumstances can not be made to alter to suit
plans. He believed that they should succeed in the encounter with
Hannibal, but he thought that their only hope of success must be based
on the exercise of prudence, caution, and sagacity; he was sure that
rashness and folly could only lead in future, as they had always done
in the past, to discomfiture and ruin.

It is said that Fabius, the former dictator, conversed with AEmilius
before his departure for the army, and gave him such counsel as his
age and experience, and his knowledge of the character and operations
of Hannibal, suggested to his mind. "If you had a colleague like
yourself," said he, "I would not offer you any advice; you would not
need it. Or, if you were yourself like your colleague, vain,
self-conceited, and presumptuous, then I would be silent; counsel
would be thrown away upon you. But as it is, while you have great
judgment and sagacity to guide you, you are to be placed in a
situation of extreme difficulty and peril. If I am not mistaken, the
greatest difficulty you will have to encounter will not be the open
enemy you are going to meet upon the field. You will find, I think,
that Varro will give you quite as much trouble as Hannibal. He will be
presumptuous, reckless, and headstrong. He will inspire all the rash
and ardent young men in the army with his own enthusiastic folly, and
we shall be very fortunate if we do not yet see the terrible and
bloody scenes of Lake Thrasymene acted again. I am sure that the true
policy for us to adopt is the one which I marked out. That is always
the proper course for the invaded to pursue with invaders, where there
is the least doubt of the success of a battle. We grow strong while
Hannibal grows continually weaker by delay. He can only prosper so
long as he can fight battles and perform brilliant exploits. If we
deprive him of this power, his strength will be continually wasting
away, and the spirit and courage of his men waning. He has now scarce
a third part of the army which he had when he crossed the Iberus, and
nothing can save this remnant from destruction if we are wise."

AEmilius said, in reply to this, that he went into the contest with
very little of encouragement or hope. If Fabius had found it so
difficult to withstand the turbulent influences of his master of
horse, who was his subordinate officer, and, as such, under his
command, ho