History of Rome

​The consuls had a peaceful province. Marcus Baebius, recalled to Rome for the purpose of holding the elections, designated Aulus Postumius Albinus Luscus and Gaius Calpurnius Piso as consuls.

​The praetors chosen thereafter were Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus, Lucius Postumius Albinus, Publius Cornelius Mammula, Tiberius Minucius Molliculus, Aulus Hostilius Mancinus, and Caius Maenius. They all entered upon their office on the Ides of March. At the beginning of that year, ​in which Aulus Postumius Albinus and Gaius Calpurnius Piso were consuls, there were introduced into the senate by the consul Aulus Postumius those who had come from Hither Spain from Quintus Fulvius Flaccus: Lucius Minucius the legate, and two military tribunes, Titus Maenius and Lucius Terentius Massaliota.

​These men, when they had reported two successful battles, the surrender of Celtiberia, and the pacification of the province, and that there was no need for that year either of pay, which was accustomed to be sent, or of grain carried to the army, ​sought from the senate first, that on account of the successful deeds honor should be paid to the immortal gods, ​next, that Quintus Fulvius, on departing from the province, should be permitted to bring back from there the army, whose brave service both he himself and many praetors before him had used. They added that this being done was not only proper but also almost necessary:

​for the soldiers were so resolute that they did not seem to be able to be retained any longer in the province, and would depart from there without orders, if they were not discharged, or would break out into a destructive mutiny if anyone should intensely try to retain them.

​The senate ordered that the Ligurians should be the province for both consuls. Then the praetors drew lots: the city jurisdiction fell to Aulus Hostilius, the foreign jurisdiction to Tiberius Minucius, Sicily to Publius Cornelius, Sardinia to Caius Maenius.

​For the Spains, Lucius Postumius drew the Farther, Tiberius Sempronius the Hither.

​The latter, since he was to succeed Quintus Fulvius, lest the province should be deprived of its veteran army, said: “I ask of you, Lucius Minucius, since you report that the province is pacified, whether you think that the Celtiberians will remain perpetually in allegiance, so that that province can be held without an army.

​If you can neither guarantee nor assure us anything concerning the allegiance of the barbarians, and you think that an army must by all means be kept there, do you, pray, advise the senate to send a reinforcement to Spain, so that only those soldiers ​whose service is completed should be discharged, and recruits be mixed with the veteran soldiers, or do you advise that the veteran legions be withdrawn from the province and new ones enrolled and sent, although an inexperienced army, which is held in contempt, might stir up even milder barbarians to rebel? It is easier to say than to do that a province, fierce by nature ​and rebellious, has been pacified. A few states, as indeed I hear, which the nearby winter quarters especially pressed upon, have come under our law and sway; the farther ones are in arms. Since these things are so, ​I declare here and now, conscript fathers, that I will administer the state with that army which is now there: if Flaccus should lead away the legions with him, I will choose peaceful places for winter quarters and will not expose new soldiers to a most fierce enemy.”