Suffer us to ascribe to your prudence all the successful events which have happened to you and the empire of the Roman people, and to impute all those of an adverse nature to the uncertain chances of war and to fortune.

The more meritorious and brave you are, so much the more do your country and all Italy desire to retain you as their protector.

You cannot even yourself pretend to deny, that where Hannibal is, there is the head and principal stress of the war, for you profess, that your motive in crossing over into Africa is to draw Hannibal thither.

Whether, therefore, here or there, it is with Hannibal that you will have to contend.

Will you then, I pray, have more power in Africa and alone, or here, with your own and your colleague's army united?
Is not the great difference which this makes proved to you even by the recent precedent of Claudius and Livius, the consuls?
What! will Hannibal, who has now for a long time been unavailingly soliciting succours from home, be rendered more powerful in men and arms when occupying the remotest corner of the Bruttian territory, or when near to Carthage and supported by all Africa?
What sort of policy is that of yours, to prefer fighting where your own forces will be diminished by one half, and the enemy's greatly augmented, to encountering the enemy when you will have two armies against one, and that wearied with so many battles, and so protracted and laborious a service?
Consider how far this policy of yours corresponds with that of your parent.