§12.1ἐν τοσούτῳ δὲ κακῷ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ὄντων οὐκ ἔλαθεν ὁ κίνδυνος τὸν Φάβιον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ μέλλον, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἤδη προειληφώς τήν τε δύναμιν συντεταγμένην εἶχεν ἐπὶ τῶν ὅπλων καὶ τὰ πραττόμενα γινώσκειν ἐφρόντιζεν οὐ διʼ ἀγγέλων, ἀλλʼ αὐτὸς ἔχων κατασκοπὴν πρὸ τοῦ χάρακος.
While the Romans were in such a plight, the danger did not escape the notice of Fabius; but rather, having already anticipated what was to come, as it seems, he kept his force drawn up under arms and took care to know what was being done not through messengers, but by himself keeping a lookout in front of the rampart.
ὡς οὖν κατεῖδε κυκλούμενον καὶ ταραττόμενον τὸ στράτευμα, καὶ κραυγὴ προσέπιπτεν οὐ μενόντων, ἀλλʼ ἤδη πεφοβημένων καὶ τρεπομένων, §12.2μηρόν τε πληξάμενος καὶ στενάξας μέγα πρὸς μὲν τοὺς παρόντας εἶπεν
ὮἩράκλεις, ὡς τάχιον μὲν ἢ ἐγὼ προσεδόκων, βράδιον δʼ ἢ αὐτὸς ἔσπευδε Μινούκιος ἑαυτὸν ἀπολώλεκε,
τὰς· δὲ σημαίας ἐκφέρειν κατὰ τάχος καὶ τὸν στρατὸν ἕπεσθαι κελεύσας ἀνεβόησε· νῦν τις, ὦ στρατιῶται, Μάρκου Μινουκίου μεμνημένος ἐπειγέσθω· λαμπρὸς γὰρ ἁνὴρ καὶ φιλόπατρις, εἰ δέ τι σπεύδων ἐξελάσαι τοὺς πολεμίους ἥμαρτεν, αὖθις αἰτιασόμεθα. §12.3πρῶτον μὲν οὖν ἐπιφανεὶς τρέπεται καὶ διασκίδνησι τοὺς ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ περιελαύνοντας Νομάδας· εἶτα πρὸς τοὺς μαχομένους καὶ κατὰ νώτου τῶν Ῥωμαίων ὄντας ἐχώρει καὶ τοὺς ἐμποδὼν ἔκτεινεν, οἱ δὲ λοιποί, πρὶν ἀποληφθῆναι καὶ γενέσθαι περιπετεῖς οἷς αὐτοὶ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἐποίησαν, ἐγκλίναντες ἔφυγον.
When, therefore, he saw the army surrounded and thrown into confusion, and the shouting reached him not of men holding their ground, but of those already terrified and turning to flight, he struck his thigh and sighed deeply, saying to those present: "O Heracles, how much sooner than I expected, yet slower than Minucius himself was rushing, has he ruined himself!" And ordering them to bring out the standards with all speed and the army to follow, he cried out: "Now let everyone, O soldiers, make haste with mind of Marcus Minucius; for he is a brilliant man and a lover of his country, and if in his eagerness to drive out the enemy he has made some mistake, we shall find fault with him hereafter." First, then, by appearing, he routed and scattered the Numidians who were riding about in the plain; then he advanced toward those who were fighting and were at the rear of the Romans, and slew those in his way, while the rest, before being cut off and suffering what they themselves had done to the Romans, turned and fled.
§12.4ὁρῶν δʼ ὁ Ἀννίβας τήν μεταβολὴν καὶ τὸν Φάβιον εὐρώστως παρʼ ἡλικίαν διὰ τῶν μαχομένων ὠθούμενον ἄνω πρὸς τὸν Μινούκιον εἰς τὸν όφον, ἐπέσχε τήν μάχην, καὶ τῇ σάλπιγγι σημήνας ἀνάκλησιν ἀπῆγεν εἰς τὸν χάρακα τοὺς Καρχηδονίους, ἀσμένως καὶ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀποτρεπομένων, λέγεται δʼ αὐτὸν ἀπιόντα περὶ τοῦ Φαβίου πρὸς τοὺς φίλους εἰπεῖν τι τοιοῦτον μετὰ παιδιᾶς·
Hannibal, seeing the change and Fabius, with a vigor beyond his years, forcing his way through the combatants up toward Minucius on the hill, halted the battle, and sounding a retreat with the trumpet, led the Carthaginians back to their camp, while the Romans also gladly turned back.
οὐκ ἐγὼ μέντοι προὔλεγον ὑμῖν πολλάκις τήν ἐπὶ τῶν ἄκρων ταύτην καθημένην νεφέλην, ὅτι μετὰ ζάλης ποτὲ καὶ καταιγίδων ὄμβρον ἐκρήξει;
It is said that as he was withdrawing, he said something of this sort with a jest to his friends concerning Fabius: "Did I not, indeed, often foretell to you that this cloud sitting on the summits would one day burst in a shower with storm and tempests?"