on either by their prayers or arguments, they desired
him to observe the violent ferment of the assembly, and told him that
"while the soldiers' tempers were heated to such a degree, it became not
either his age or his wisdom to kindle them into a flame, and afford
matter for a mutiny; that no one would lay the blame of such an event on
Quintus Fabius, who only deprecated punishment; but on the dictator, if,
blinded by resentment, he should, by an ill-judged contest, draw on
himself the fury of the multitude: and lest he should think that they
acted from motives of regard to Quintus Fabius, they were ready to make
oath that, in their judgment, it was not for the interest of the
commonwealth that Quintus Fabius should be punished at that time."

33. When by these expostulations they rather irritated the dictator
against themselves, than appeased his anger against the master of the
horse, the lieutenants-general were ordered to go down from the
tribunal; and after several vain attempts were made to procure silence
by means of a crier, the noise and tumult being so great that neither
the voice of the dictator himself, nor that of his apparitors, could be
heard; night, as in the case of a battle, put an end to the contest. The
master of the horse was ordered to attend on the day following; but when
all assured him that Papirius, being agitated and exasperated in the
course of the present contention, would proceed against him with greater
violence, he fled privately from the camp to Rome; where, by the advice
of his father, Marcus Fabius, who had been three times consul, and
likewise dictator, he immediately called a meeting of the senate. While
he was strenuously complaining before the fathers of the rage and
injustice of the dictator, on a sudden was heard the noise of lictors
before the senate-house, clearing the way, and Papirius himself arrived,
full of resentment, having followed, with a guard of light horse, as
soon as he heard that the other had quitted the camp. The contention
then began anew, and the dictator ordered Fabius to be seized. Where,
when his unrelenting spirit persisted in its purpose, notwithstanding
the united intercessions of the principal patricians, and of the whole
senate, Fabius, the father, then said, "Since neither the authority of
the senate has any weight with you; nor my age, which you wish to render
childless; nor the noble birth and merit of a master of the horse,
nominated by yourself; nor