Selections from Viri Romae Part 25

arboribus pependerunt. Canes quoque defendere, Cimbris caesis, eorum domos. Marius pro duobus triumphis, qui offerebantur, {75} uno contentus fuit. Primores civitatis, qui ei aliquamdiu ut[10]

novo homini ad tantos honores evecto[11] inviderant, conservatam[12]

ab eo rem publicam fatebantur. In ipsa acie Marius duas Camertium cohortes, mira virtute vim Cimbrorum sustinentes[13] contra legem[14] civitate donaverat. Quod quidem factum et vere et {80} [[72]]

egregie postea excusavit, dicens inter armorum strepitum verba se iuris civilis exaudire non potuisse.

[Sidenote: B.C. 88.]

Illa tempestate primum Romae bellum civile commotum est.

Causam bello dedit C. Marius. c.u.m enim Sulla[1] consul contra Mithridatem,[2] regem Ponti, missus fuisset, Sulpicius, {85} tribunus plebis, legem[3] ad populum tulit ut Sullae imperium abrogaretur, C. Mario bellum decerneretur Mithridatic.u.m. Qua re Sulla commotus c.u.m exercitu ad urbem venit, eam armis occupavit, Sulpicium interfecit, Marium fugavit. Marius hostes persequentes fugiens aliquamdiu in palude delituit.[4] Sed paulo post {90} repertus extractusque, ut erat nudo corpore caenoque oblitus,[5]

iniecto in collum loro Minturnas raptus et in custodiam coniectus est. Missus est ad eum occidendum servus[6] publicus, natione Cimber, quem Marius vultus auctoritate deterruit. c.u.m enim hominem ad se stricto gladio venientem vidisset "Tune, h.o.m.o," {95} inquit "C. Marium audebis occidere?" Quo audito attonitus ille ac tremens abiecto ferro fugit, Marium se non posse occidere clamitans. Marius deinde ab iis, qui prius eum occidere voluerant, e carcere emissus est. {99}

Accepta navicula in Africam traiecit et in agrum Carthaginiensem pervenit. Ibi c.u.m in locis solitariis[7] sederet, venit ad eum lictor s.e.xtilii praetoris, qui tum Africam obtinebat. Ab hoc, quem[8] numquam laesisset, Marius humanitatis tamen[9] aliquod [[73]]

officium exspectabat; at lictor decedere eum provincia iussit, {104} nisi in se animadverti vellet: torveque intuentem et vocem nullam emittentem Marium rogavit tandem ecquid renuntiari praetori vellet? Marius "Abi" inquit, "nuntia vidisse te Gaium Marium in Carthaginis ruinis sedentem." Duobus clarissimis exemplis de inconstantia rerum humanarum eum admonebat, c.u.m et urbis maximae excidium et viri clarissimi casum ante {110} oculos poneret.

Profecto ad bellum Mithridatic.u.m Sulla, Marius revocatus a Cinna[1] in Italiam rediit, efferatus magis calamitate quam domitus.

c.u.m exercitu Romam ingressus eam caedibus et rapinis {114} vastavit; omnes adversae factionis n.o.biles variis[2] suppliciorum generibus adfecit: quinque dies continuos totidemque noctes illa scelerum omnium duravit licentia.[3] Hoc tempore admiranda sane populi Romani abstinentia fuit. c.u.m enim Marius occisorum {118} domos mult.i.tudini diripiendas[4] obiecisset, inveniri potuit nemo, qui[5] civili[6] luctu praedam peteret[5]: quae quidem tam misericors continentia plebis tacita[7] quaedam crudelium victorum vituperatio fuit. Tandem Marius, senio et laboribus confectus, in morb.u.m {122} incidit et ingenti[8] omnium laet.i.tia vitam finivit. Cuius viri si examinentur c.u.m virtutibus vitia, haud facile sit dictu[9] utrum bello melior, an pace perniciosior fuerit: namque quam rem {125} publicam armatus[10] servavit, eam primo togatus[10] omni genere fraudis, postremo armis hostiliter evert.i.t.

[[74]]

Erat Marius durior[1] ad humanitatis[2] studia et ingenuarum[3]

artium contemptor. c.u.m aedem Honoris de manubiis hostium {129} vovisset, spreta[4] peregrinorum marmorum n.o.bilitate artific.u.mque Graecorum arte, eam vulgari lapide[5] per artificem Romanum curavit aedificandam. Et Graecas litteras despiciebat, quod[6]

doctoribus suis parum ad virtutem profuissent. At idem fortis, validus, adversus dolorem confirmatus. c.u.m ei varices in crure secarentur, vetuit se adligari. Acrem tamen fuisse doloris morsum ipse ostendit: nam medico, alterum crus postulanti, noluit {136} praebere, quod maiorem esse remedii quem morbi dolorem iudicaret.

[Footnotes: XXIII (pages 68-74)

68.1: In 157 B.C., near Arpinum in Latium.

68.2: Sc. _Africano Minore_.

68.3: = _deposuit_: 'laid aside, completed, served.'

68.4: #impigram . . . alacritatem#: 'his energetic eagerness in the direction of (#ad#),' etc. = 'his energy and eagerness to face,' etc.

68.5: i.e. Scipio.

68.6: Subject of #ducere#, l. 11.

68.7: = _qui missus erat_. Cf. _coeptum_, l. 15, and p. xxiv, L1.

68.8: #criminatus . . . ducere#: 'charged him with prolonging.'

_criminari_ is treated here as a verb of saying.

68.9: = _producere_, 'prolong.' Simple verbs not infrequently have the meanings which are more usually borne by some of their compounds. Cf. n. 3 above.

68.10: #si . . . redacturum#: the words of Marius, reported in indir. disc. Cf. p. xxv, M 4, 7.

68.11: #in . . . suffectus#: 'he was appointed to supersede Metellus.' How literally?

68.12: This fortress lay on the steep, rocky bank of the river Malucha, which separated the dominions of Jugurtha and Bocchus.

68.13: #orantes# may be explained (1) as = _qui pacem orabant_ (cf. n. 7 above); or (2) as expressing purpose, and so = _qui pacem orarent_. In this latter sense, however, the fut. part.

active is commonly employed, not the present.

68.14: See next selection.

69.1: The Tullianum: see ill.u.s.tration on p. 16.

69.2: 'of one smiling.' Join with #modum#.

69.3: The Cimbri and Teutones had left their homes in Denmark as early as 113 B.C. Having overrun Gaul, they made their way to the northern slopes of the Alps, defeating three Roman armies on the way (cf. l. 34 below). They did not, however, at once enter Italy, but turned off to Spain, whence they were speedily expelled by the natives.

69.4: For the position of #c.u.m#, see p. 19, n. 8.

69.5: Sc. _petere_, or better _adipisci_, 'to secure.'

69.6: Cn. Papirius Carbo, 113; M. Iunius Sila.n.u.s, 109; Q. Servilius Caepio, 105.

70.1: Sc. _sunt_.

70.2: #Actum . . . fuisset#: 'it was all up with the Romans had there not been a Marius.' For #erat# we should have expected _esset_, since we have an unreal condition; but the indic., the mood of fact, is used to show that the ruin of the Romans actually was inevitable but for one thing. H 581, 1 (511, 1): M 940: A 308, _b_: G 597, 2: B 304, 3.

70.3: #nisi . . . fuisset#: we would say, 'but for Marius,' or 'if it hadn't been for Marius.'

70.4: in 102, at Aquae s.e.xtiae (now Aix), near Ma.r.s.eilles.

70.5: 'that ran through (the valley).'

70.6: dat. of possession with _erat_ (to be supplied). On the whole sentence #Vallem . . . copia#, see p. 5, n. 13.

70.7: #Viri . . . habetis#: a rhetorical, but vigorous way of saying _Si viri_ ('true men') _estis_, etc., i.e. the getting of water depends wholly on your own courage.

70.8: 'from a different side' (from that by which the Teutones had sought to enter Italy). The Cimbri came through the Brenner Pa.s.s at the eastern side of the Italian Alps.

70.9: Sc. _in flumen_.

70.10: Cf. p. 68, n. 13.

70.11: #Quaerente . . . nomina.s.sent# = two temporal clauses: 'when Marius had asked . . . and they had named.'

70.12: 'Never mind.'

71.1: #se . . . haberi#: 'that they were being mocked.' #ludibrio# is a dat. of purpose: cf. p. 25, n. 6.

71.2: #pulvis . . . ferretur#: cf. XX, lines 7 and 8.

71.3: at the battle of Vercellae (101), near the modern Milan.

71.4: _prosterno_.

71.5: 'from above,' i.e. from the tops of the wagons.

71.6: Captives were either killed or sold into slavery.

71.7: _elido_.

71.8: #mutuis . . . vulneribus#: 'wounds inflicted by each other.'

71.9: #ab . . . pependerunt#: 'hung _from_ trees' = 'hanged themselves _to_ trees.'

71.10: #ut . . . homini#: 'as (i.e. because he was) a new man,'

i.e. one whose ancestors had never held any state office. Such a man was not necessarily of plebeian birth.

71.11: #evecto#: 'when he had been elevated.' #ei . . . evecto# may also be rendered 'his elevation.'

71.12: Sc. _esse_.

71.13: The part. gives the cause of _donaverat_.

71.14: In theory citizenship could be conferred only by action of the _comitia tributa_, or a.s.sembly in which the people met by tribes.

72.1: See next selection.

72.2: Mithridates the Great waged war thrice with the Romans, 88-84 B.C., 83-81, and 74-66, till finally defeated by Pompey the Great. At the time referred to in the text he had overrun Asia Minor and had entered Greece.

72.3: #legem . . . tulit#: 'proposed a law before the people,'

i.e. submitted a proposed law to their votes. The proposal was carried. In the civil strife that followed, Sulla led the aristocratic, Marius and Cinna the popular party.

72.4: _delitesco_.

72.5: _oblino_.

72.6: #servus publicus#: i.e. a slave owned by the state. Cf. the phrase _ager publicus_, p. 64, n. 9.

72.7: Carthage had been destroyed by the Romans in 149 B.C.

72.8: #quem . . . laesisset# (_laedo_): a causal rel. clause = 'since he had,' etc.: H 592 (517): M 839: A 320, _e_: G 633: B 283, 3.

72.9: #tamen# looks back to #qui . . . obtinebat#, l. 102. The thought is that Marius hoped for some kindly consideration (#humanitatis aliquod officium#) from s.e.xtilius, though his official position would naturally constrain him to be hostile to an outlaw.

73.1: L. Cornelius Cinna, leader with Marius of the popular party and enemy of Sulla. He was consul 86-84, but was killed by his own troops when he ordered them to cross to Greece to fight Sulla, who was preparing to return home at the close of the first Mithridatic War.

73.2: #variis . . . adfecit#: 'he punished in various ways.'

73.3: 'lawless reign,' 'wild revel.'

73.4: Cf. p. 2, n. 18.

73.5: #qui . . . peteret#: rel. clause of result: H 591, 1 (503, I): M 838: A 320: G 631: B 283.

73.6: #civili luctu#: 'at the price of (lit. by means of) grief to his fellow-citizens.'

73.7: #tacita . . . fuit#: '(though) unexpressed was in a sense (#quaedam#) a criticism,' etc.

73.8: #ingenti . . . laet.i.tia#: 'to the great joy of every one'; cf. p. 27, n. 3.

73.9: Join with #facile#, and see p. 19, n. 15.

73.10: #armatus# = _bello_; #togatus# = _pace_. Cf. l. 125. The toga was the regular dress of civilians.

74.1: #Erat durior ad#: 'He was rather hard as regards,' i.e. 'he had no liking for.'

74.2: 'culture.'

74.3: #ingenuarum artium#: 'polite accomplishments.'

74.4: _sperno_.

74.5: abl. of material: H 470, 1 (415, III): M 610: A 244, _d_: G 396, and 3.

74.6: #quod . . . profuissent#: 'because (so he declared) it had been of little service to its teachers in the direction of (attaining) virtue.' Cf. _quod . . . iudicaret_, l. 137, and see p. 14, n. 1.]