30.41
Scipio
received an extension of his command and retained the armies he had in
Africa. The two legions in Bruttium which had been under C. Livius were
transferred to the praetor M. Valerius Falto and the two legions in Sicily
under Cnaeus Tremellius were to be taken over by the praetor P. Aelius. The
legion in Sardinia, commanded by the propraetor P. Lentulus, was assigned
to M. Fabius. M. Servilius, the consul of the previous year, was continued in
command of his two legions in Etruria. With regard to Spain, L. Cornelius
Lentulus and L. Manlius Acidinus had been there for some years and the
consuls were to arrange with the tribunes to ask the Assembly to decide who
should command in Spain. The general appointed was to form one legion of
Romans out of the two armies and fifteen cohorts of Latin allies, with which
to hold the province, and L. Cornelius and L. Manlius were to bring the old
soldiers home. Whichever consul received Africa as his province was to
select fifty ships out of the two fleets, i.e., the one which Cnaeus Octavius
was commanding in African waters and the one with which P. Villius was
guarding the Sicilian seaboard. P. Scipio was to keep the forty warships
which he had. Should the consul wish Cn. Octavius to continue in command
of his fleet, he would take rank as propraetor; if he gave the command to
Laelius, then Octavius was to leave for Rome and bring back the ships which
the consul did not want. Ten warships were also assigned to M. Fabius for
Sardinia. In addition to the above-mentioned troops the consuls were
ordered to raise two City legions so that there might be fourteen legions and
one hundred ships of war at the disposal of the republic for the year.
