Under similar circumstances, Fabius Rutilian escaped severe punishment. During the next war with the Samnites, the Romans appointed a dictator. He became Lucius Papirius Cursor, who made Quintus Fabius Rutilianus his assistant (he was called the chief of the cavalry). The Roman army then invaded the area of the Samnites. But then a special priest who was with the army, monitoring the behavior of the sacred chickens, noticed that they were not behaving as usual. This served as a sign that, when going on a campaign, the dictator performed a religious ritual incorrectly, so it was necessary to repeat the ritual. For this purpose, Cursor departed for Rome, leaving Fabius at the head of the army. Before leaving, he strictly forbade anyone to engage in any battle until his return. But Fabius soon noticed that the Samnites were behaving completely carelessly, as if there were no Romans in their lands. He realized that this was the most favorable time to attack them. Fabius lined up his army for battle and led it against the Samnites. The battle ended in complete victory for the Romans.
When Cursor returned from Rome and learned that Fabius had ignored the order, he decided to punish him severely. The cursor gathered an army and began to interrogate his assistant. He accused him of violating military discipline, which was always very cruelly punished in the Roman army, of contempt for the power of the dictator, of disdain for those sacred rites, which he, the dictator, went to Rome to perform. Fabius tried to justify himself, but the stern Cursor did not listen to him and had already ordered the lictors to undress Fabius and execute him. But this caused discontent among the victorious army. Those who stood in the front rows, in full view of the dictator, quietly grumbled, while those in the back openly expressed their indignation. Even the dictator's closest assistants begged him for Fabius' forgiveness. Seeing that the matter could end in a riot, Cursor decided to postpone the final consideration until the next day. Realizing that nothing could save him while he was in the camp under the full power of the dictator, Fabius fled to Rome at night. There, on the advice of his father, he made a plea to the Senate.
Cursor, having learned of Fabius's escape, also headed to Rome. At that moment, when Fabius colorfully described in the Senate the violence committed by the Cursor, he himself appeared at the curia. Based on his authority, he ordered the capture of Fabius. No pleas from the senators or Father Fabius could soften him. Then Fabius, on the basis of the law on the right of appeal, decided to appeal to the Roman people. From the curia everyone headed to the square, where a public assembly immediately gathered. At the meeting, Cursor insisted on his decision, citing the indisputable right of the dictator and the need to resolutely maintain military discipline. He even threatened the tribunes of the people who advocated the acquittal of Fabius. However, the youth and courage of Fabius himself, the pleas of his father, an honored man who was consul three times and did so much for Rome, aroused the warm sympathy of those gathered, and the dictator had to give in before the unanimous will of the people. He stated that Fabius was not absolved of guilt, but he was conceding it to the Roman people and the power of the tribunes, and added that Fabius would best be able to thank the Roman people, who saved him now, if they learned from now on to submit to legitimate authority both in peacetime and in war.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru