<head>Scipio Nasica and Fabius Maximus Volunteer to Outflank the Macedonians</head>The first man to volunteer to make the outflanking<note anchored="yes" place="marg" id="note21">Nasica, Fabius, and others volunteer to cross the mountains into <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Macedonia&groupId=723&placeId=428">Macedonia</a> by Gytheum.</note>movement was Scipio Nasica, son-in-law of Scipio Africanus, who afterwards became the most influential man in the Senate,<note anchored="yes" place="unspecified" id="note22">P. Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum was afterwards Pontifex Maximus (B. C. 150). See<bibl n="Cic. Sen. 3.50" default="NO" valid="yes">Cic.<title>de Sen.</title>3, 50</bibl>.</note>and who now undertook to lead the party. The second was Fabius Maximus, the eldest of the sons of the consul Aemilius Paulus,<note anchored="yes" place="unspecified" id="note23">Of the two eldest sons of Aemilius, the elder was adopted by Quintus Fabius Maximus, the second by P. Cornelius Scipio, son of the elder Africanus, his maternal uncle.</note>still quite a young man, who stood forward and offered to join with great<pb n="398" />enthusiasm. Aemilius was therefore delighted and assigned them a body of soldiers.<note anchored="yes" place="unspecified" id="note24">From Plutarch,<bibl n="Plut. Aem. 15" default="NO" valid="yes"><title>Aemilius,</title>15</bibl>, who adds that Polybius made a mistake as to the number of soldiers told off for this service, which to judge from<bibl n="Liv. 44.35" default="NO" valid="yes">Livy, 44, 35</bibl>, Polybius probably stated at 5000. Plutarch got his correction from an extant letter of Nasica (8000 Roman infantry, with 120 horse, and 200 Thracians and Cretans).</note>. . .
Walbank Commentary