It is said that a Marsian soldier, one of the
chief men of the allies for bravery and nobility of birth, was
discovered by Fabius to be engaged in organizing a revolt. Fabius showed
no sign of anger, but admitted that he had not been treated with the
distinction he deserved, and said that in the present instance he should
blame his officers for distributing rewards more by favour than by
merit; but that in future he should be vexed with him if he did not
apply directly to himself when he had any request to make. Saying this,
he presented him with a war horse and other marks of honour, so that
thenceforth the man always served him with the utmost zeal and fidelity.
He thought it a shame that trainers of horses and dogs should be able to
tame the savage spirit of those animals by careful attention and
education rather than by whips and clogs, and yet that a commander of
men should not rely chiefly on mild and conciliatory measures, but treat
them more harshly than gardeners treat the wild fig-trees, wild pears,
and wild olives, which they by careful cultivation turn into trees
bearing good fruit. His captains informed him that a certain soldier, a
Lucanian by birth, was irregular and often absent from his duty. He made
inquiries as to what his general conduct was. All agreed that it would
be difficult to find a better soldier, and related some of his exploits.
Fabius at length discovered that the cause of his absence was that he
was in love with a certain girl, and that he continually ran the risk of
making long journeys from the camp to meet her.
Pages:
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479