He had defeated the Roman army of Scipio on the banks of the Rhone and he had guided his army safely across the mountain passes of theAlps although it was October and the roads were thickly covered with snow and ice. Then he had joined forces with the Gauls and together they had defeated a second Roman army just before they crossed the Trebia and laid siege to Placentia, the northern terminus of the road which connected Rome with the province of the Alpine districts.
他在罗纳河畔击溃了西皮奥将军率领的罗马军队，又指挥军队成功地攀越了10月时节、冰雪覆盖的阿尔卑斯山。之后，他与高卢人会师，击败了正要渡过特拉比河的第二支罗马军队。现在，汉尼拔正在围困普拉森西亚，即一个位于连接罗马与阿尔卑斯山区行省大道上的北方重镇。
The Senate, surprised but calm and energetic as usual, hushed up the news of these many defeats and sent two fresh armies to stop the invader. Hannibal managed to surprise these troops on a narrow road along the shores of the Trasimene Lake and there he killed all the Roman officers and most of their men. This time there was a panic among the people of Rome, but the Senate kept its nerve. A third army was organised and the command was given to Quintus Fabius Maximus with full power to act "as was necessary to save the state."
元老院大吃一惊，表面却不流露出来，依旧像平常那样冷静而精力充沛地工作着。他们隐瞒罗马军队接连失败的消息，又派遣了两支新装备的军队去阻击汉尼拔。在特拉美诺湖边的狭窄道路上，精于用兵的汉尼拔突然率军杀出，扑向罗马援军。阵脚大乱的罗马军队拼死抵挡，无奈汉尼拔已经占得先机。特拉美诺湖一役，所有的罗马军官和大部分士兵战死沙场。这一回，罗马人再也坐不住了，他们议论纷纷、惊恐难安，只有元老院还在强作镇定。第三支军队被组织起来，交 由费边·马克西墨斯统领，并授予他"视拯救国家的需要"，采取行动的全权。
Fabius knew that he must be very careful lest all be lost. His raw and untrained men, the last available soldiers, were no match for Hannibal's veterans. He refused to accept battle but forever he followed Hannibal, destroyed everything eatable, destroyed the roads, attacked small detachments and generally weakened the morale of the Carthaginian troops by a most distressing and annoying form of guerilla warfare.
费边深知汉尼拔是一个非常危险的对手。为免于全军覆没，他必须十二万分地小心。况且他手下尽是些未经训练的新兵，这已经是罗马能够征召的最后一批兵员了，根本无法与汉尼拔麾下身经百战的老兵们匹敌。因此，费边小心翼翼回避与汉尼拔发生正面决战。他凭借对地形的熟悉，尾随在汉尼拔身后，烧掉一切可吃的东西，并摧毁道路和桥梁。他还不时袭击迦太基人的小股部队，运用一种最令敌人困扰和痛苦的游击战术，来不断削弱汉尼拔军队的士气。
Such methods however did not satisfy the fearsome crowds who had found safety behind the walls of Rome.
这样的战术当然不能安慰饱受惊恐折磨的罗马人民。他们躲进罗马的城墙内避难，整日提心吊胆，希望一场大捷来彻底解除恐惧。