§20.1τὰς δʼ ἀποστάσεις τῶν πόλεων καὶ τὰ κινήματα τῶν συμμάχων ὁ Φάβιος μᾶλλον ᾤετο δεῖν ἠπίως ὁμιλοῦντα καὶ πρᾴως ἀνείργειν καὶ δυσωπεῖν, μὴ πᾶσαν ὑπόνοιαν ἐλέγχοντα καὶ χαλεπὸν ὄντα παντάπασι τοῖς ὑπόπτοις.
Fabius thought that they ought to restrain and win over the defections of the cities and the movements of the allies by gentle association and mildness, rather than by exposing every suspicion and being altogether harsh to those who were suspected.
λέγεται γὰρ ὅτι στρατιώτην ἄνδρα Μάρσον, ἀνδρείᾳ καὶ γένει τῶν συμμάχων πρῶτον, αἰσθόμενος διειλεγμένον τισὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ περὶ ἀποστάσεως οὐ διηρέθισεν, §20.2ἀλλʼ ὁμολογήσας ἠμελῆσθαι παρʼ ἀξίαν αὐτόν, νῦν μὲν ἔφη τοὺς ἡγεμόνας αἰτιᾶσθαι πρὸς χάριν μᾶλλον ἢ πρὸς ἀρετὴν τὰς τιμὰς νέμοντας, ὕστερον δʼ ἐκεῖνον αἰτιάσεσθαι μὴ φράζοντα μηδʼ ἐντυγχάνοντα πρὸς αὑτόν, εἴ του δέοιτο.
Indeed, it is said that when he perceived a Marsian soldier, foremost among the allies in courage and birth, parleying with some of those in the camp about defection, he did not provoke him, but rather, having admitted that the man had been neglected contrary to his desert, he said that at present the fault lay with the commanders who distributed honors out of favor rather than merit, but that in the future he would blame the soldier himself if he did not speak out or apply to him when he wanted anything.
καὶ ταῦτʼ εἰπὼν ἵππον τε πολεμιστὴν ἐδωρήσατο καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀριστείοις ἐκόσμησεν, ὥστε πιστότατον ἐξ ἐκείνου καὶ προθυμότατον εἶναι τὸν ἄνδρα, §20.3δεινὸν γὰρ ἡγεῖτο τοὺς μὲν ἱππικοὺς καὶ κυνηγετικοὺς ἐπιμελείᾳ καὶ σννηθείᾳ καὶ τροφῇ μᾶλλον ἢ μάστιξι καὶ κλοιοῖς τὴν χαλεπότητα τῶν ζῴων καὶ τὸ θυμούμενον καὶ τὸ δυσκολαῖνον ἐξαιρεῖν, τὸν δʼ ἀνθρώπων ἄρχοντα μὴ τὸ πλεῖστον ἐν χάριτι καὶ πρᾳότητι τῆς ἐπανορθώσεως τίθεσθαι, σκληρότερον δὲ προσφέρεσθαι καὶ βιαιότερον ἤπερ οἱ γεωργοῦντες ἐρινεοῖς καὶ ἀχράσι καὶ κοτίνοις προσφέρονται, τὰ μὲν εἰς ἐλαίας, τὰ δʼ εἰς ἀπίους, τὰ δʼ εἰς συκᾶς ἐξημεροῦντες καὶ τιθασεύοντες. §20.4ἕτερον· τοίνυν τῷ γένει Λευκανὸν ἄνδρα προσήγγειλαν οἱ λοχαγοὶ ῥεμβόμενον ἀπὸ τοῦ στρατοπέδου καὶ τὴν τάξιν ἐκλείποντα πολλάκις, ὁ δʼ ἠρώτησε, τἆλλα ποῖόν τινα τὸν ἄνθρωπον εἰδεῖεν ὄντα.
Having said this, he presented him with a war-horse and decorated him with other rewards for valor, so that from then on the man was most faithful and zealous. For he thought it a strange thing that while those who train horses and hunt dogs remove the harshness, anger, and stubbornness of the animals by care, familiarity, and nourishment rather than by whips and collars, a ruler of men should not place the greatest part of correction in favor and gentleness, but should behave more harshly and violently than farmers do toward wild figs, wild pears, and wild olives, taming and domesticating them, some into olives, others into pears, and others into figs. Furthermore, the captains reported to him that a man, by race a Lucanian, was often roaming away from the camp and leaving his post. He asked what kind of man they knew him to be in other respects.
μαρτυρούντων δὲ πάντων ὅτι ῥᾳδίως ἕτερος οὐκ εἴη στρατιώτης τοιοῦτος, ἅμα τʼ αὐτοῦ τινας ἀνδραγαθίας ἐπιφανεῖς καὶ πράξεις λεγόντων, αἰτίαν τῆς ἀταξίας ζητῶν εὗρεν ἔρωτι παιδίσκης κατεχόμενον τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ κινδυνεύοντα μακρὰς ὁδοὺς ἑκάστοτε φοιτῶντα πρὸς ἐκείνην ἀπὸ τοῦ στρατοπέδου. §20.5πέμψας οὖν τινας ἀγνοοῦντος αὐτοῦ καὶ συλλαβὼν τὸ γύναιον ἔκρυψεν ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ, καὶ καλέσας τὸν Λευκανὸν ἰδίᾳ πρὸς αὑτόν,
οὐ λέληθας,
ἔφη,
παρὰ τὰ Ῥωμαίων πάτρια καὶ τοὺς νόμους ἀπονυκτερεύων τοῦ στρατοπέδου πολλάκις· ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ χρηστὸς ὢν πρότερον ἐλελήθεις.
Since they all testified that another such soldier was not easily to be found, and at the same time spoke of certain of his illustrious deeds of valor and actions, he sought the cause of his disorder and found that the man was possessed by love for a young girl, and ran risks by visiting her each time, making long journeys from the camp. Therefore, without his knowledge, Fabius sent some men and, having seized the young woman, hid her in his tent. Then, calling the Lucanian to him privately, he said, "It has not escaped my notice that you have often spent the night outside the camp, contrary to Roman customs and laws; but neither did it escape my notice before that you are a good soldier.
τὰ μὲν οὖν ἡμαρτημένα σοι λελύσθω τοῖς ἠνδραγαθημένοις, τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν ἐφʼ ἑτέρῳ ποιήσομαι τὴν φρουράν. §20.6θαυμάζοντος δὲ τοῦ στρατιώτου προαγαγὼν τὴν ἄνθρωπον ἐνεχείρισεν αὐτῷ καὶ εἶπεν
αὕτη μὲν ἐγγυᾶταί σε μενεῖν ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ μεθʼ ἡμῶν σὺ δʼ ἔργῳ δείξεις, εἰ μὴ διʼ ἄλλην τινὰ μοχθηρίαν ἀπέλειπες, ὁ δʼ ἔρως καὶ αὕτη πρόφασις ἦν λεγομένη
ταῦτα μὲν περὶ τούτων ἱστοροῦσι.
Therefore, let your offenses be canceled by your brave deeds, and for the future I will place your custody in the hands of another." While the soldier was in astonishment, Fabius brought out the woman and handed her over to him, saying, "This woman guarantees that you will remain in the camp with us; and you shall show by your deeds whether you were leaving for any other bad purpose, or if love and this woman were merely being used as a pretext." This indeed is what they relate concerning these matters.