Ordering the standards to be laid at the feet of the man he had disdained, Minucius said, ‘You have this day, O Dictator, obtained two victories, one by your valour and conduct over Hannibal, and another by your wisdom and goodness to your colleague.’ Then thanking Fabius for saving his life and the lives of those under him, he flung himself into the arms of the Dictator, calling him father. The soldiers of each army, touched by the example of their leader, forgot their jealousy and also embraced one another with tears of joy. CHAPTER LXIII THE BATTLE OF CANNÆ Winter was nearly over, and spring, the usual time for the new Consuls to begin their duties, was at hand. Fabius therefore resigned his Dictatorship, as the Consuls would be able to carry on the war. The people had chosen Varro, a man hated by the patricians, to be one of the Consuls. He was the son of a butcher, so it was declared; but be that as it may, his birth had not kept him from holding positions of trust in the state. His colleague was Æmilius, a member of a noble family, who had, three years earlier, held the post of Consul. Spring passed, and in summer of this same year, 216 B.C., Hannibal again marched into Apulia and seized the citadel of Cannæ, where the Romans had stored a large quantity of provisions for the army. This, Hannibal was well aware, would force the Romans either to retreat or to give battle, for their army now consisted of eight legions, and without food, and a large supply of food, the Consuls would be compelled to take action. Now Æmilius and Varro commanded the army on alternate days. The patrician Consul, who before leaving Rome had said: ‘I will rather seek in my conduct to please and obey Fabius than all the world besides,’ urged Varro not to fight on the plains of Apulia. Fabius, he knew, would never have risked a battle on the plains, where the cavalry of Hannibal would have every advantage. And his cavalry was without doubt his greatest strength. But Varro refused to listen to the advice of his colleague. When it was his turn to command, he drew up his army close to the village of Cannæ, and hung his scarlet coat outside his tent. This was a signal that the Consul meant to fight, and Hannibal at once ordered his men to prepare for battle. As the wind at the time was blowing violently, carrying with it a cloud of dust, the Carthaginians took up their position with their backs to the storm, so that the dust swept harmlessly past them. But it dashed into the faces of the Roman legions, wellnigh blinding them. In the centre of his army, and a little in advance, Hannibal had placed the soldiers on whom he could least depend. The bravest and most loyal men were in the wings.