14.4
But, said he, it is to me, O Paulus, that more credence should be given in regard to Hannibal’s affairs, and I solemnly assure you that, if no one shall give him battle this year, the ,man will remain in Italy only to perish, or will leave it in flight, since even now, when he is thought to be victorious and to be master of the country, not one of his enemies has come over to his side, and not even so much as the third part of the force which he brought from home is still left.
14.5
To this Paulus is said to have answered: If I consult my own interests, O Fabius, it is better for me to encounter the spears of the enemy than to face again the votes of my fellow-citizens. But if the state is in such a pass, I will try to be a good general in your opinion, rather than in that of all the rest who so forcibly oppose you. With this determination, Paulus went forth to the war.
15.1
But Terentius, insisting on his right to command a day in turn, and then encamping over against Hannibal by the river Aufidus amid the town called Cannae, at break of day put out the signal for battle,—a scarlet tunic displayed above the general’s tent. At this event the Carthaginians were confounded at first, seeing the boldness of the Roman general and the number of his army, which was more than double their own.
15.2
But Hannibal ordered his forces to arm for battle, while he himself; with a few companions, rode to the top of a gently sloping ridge, from which he watched his enemies as they formed in battle array. When one of his companions, named Gisco, a man of his own rank, remarked that the number of the enemy amazed him, Hannibal put on a serious look and said: Gisco, another thing has escaped your notice which is more amazing still. And when Gisco asked what it was, It is the fact, said he, that in all this multitude there is no one who is called Gisco.
