CHAPTER VI
Defeat and Death of Q. Cæpio--Defeat of Sextus
Cæsar--Sulla defeats the Marsians--Death of Judacilius--The
Etruscans and Umbrians admitted to Citizenship--Victories won by
Sulla--Fighting in Apulia--End of the Social War--Uprising against
Usury-- A Prætor murdered
[
44]
There was no successor to Rutilius in the consulship for the remainder of the
year, as Sextus Cæsar did not have leisure to go to the city and
hold the comitia. The Senate appointed G. Marius and Q. Cæpio to
command the forces of Rutilius in the field. The opposing general, Q.
Pompædius, fled as a pretended deserter to this Cæpio.
He brought with him and gave as a pledge two slave babies, clad with the
purple-bordered garments of free-born children, pretending that they were
his own sons. As further confirmation of his good faith he brought masses of
lead plated with gold and silver. He urged Cæpio to follow him in
all haste with his army and capture the hostile army while destitute of a
leader. Cæpio was deceived and followed him. When they had arrived
at a place where an ambush had been laid, Pompædius ran up to the
top of a hill as though he were searching for the enemy, and gave his own
men a signal. The latter sprang out of their concealment and cut
Cæpio and most of his force in pieces. The Senate joined the rest
of Cæpio's army to that of Marius.
[
45]
While Sextus Cæsar was passing through a rocky defile with 30,000
foot and 5000 horse Marius Egnatius suddenly fell upon him and defeated him
in it. He retreated on a litter, as he was sick, to a certain stream where
there was only one bridge, and there he lost the greater part of his force
and the arms of the survivors. He escaped to Teanum with difficulty and
there he armed the remainder of his men as best he could.
Reënforcements were sent to him speedily and he marched to the
relief of Acerræ, which was still besieged by Papius, but when
their camps were pitched opposite each other neither of them dared to attack
the other.
[
46]
Cornelius Sulla and Gaius Marius defeated the Marsians, who had attacked
them. They pursued the enemy vigorously as far as the walls enclosing their
vineyards. The Marsians scaled these walls with loss, but Marius and Sulla
did not deem it wise to follow them farther. Cornelius Sulla was encamped on
the other side of these enclosures and when he knew what had happened he
came out to meet the Marsians, as they tried to escape, and killed a great
number. More than 6000 Marsians were slain that day, and the arms of a still
greater number were captured by the Romans. The Marsians were rendered as
furious as wild beasts by this disaster. They armed their forces again and
prepared to march against the enemy, but did not dare to take the offensive
or to begin a battle. They are a very warlike race, and it is said that no
triumph was ever awarded for a victory over them except for this single
disaster. There had been up to this time a saying, "No triumph over Marsians
or without Marsians."
[
47]
Judacilius and T. Lafrenius and P. Ventidius united their forces near Mount
Falerinus and defeated Gnæus Pompeius and pursued him to the city
of Firmum. Then they went different ways. Lafrenius besieged Pompeius, who
had shut himself up in Firmum. The latter armed his remaining forces, but
did not come to an engagement. Having learned that another army was
approaching, he sent Sulpicius around to take Lafrenius in the rear while he
made a sally in front. Battle was joined and both sides were having a
doubtful fight when Sulpicius set fire to the enemy's camp. When the latter
saw this they fled to Asculum in disorder and without a general, for
Lafrenius had fallen in the battle. Pompeius then advanced and laid siege to
Asculum.
[
48]
Asculum was the native town of Judacilius, and as he feared for its safety he
hastened to its relief with eight cohorts. He sent word beforehand to the
inhabitants that when they should see him advancing at a distance they
should make a sally against the besiegers, so that the enemy should be
attacked on both sides at once. The inhabitants were afraid to do so;
nevertheless Judacilius forced his way into the city through the midst of
the enemy with what followers he could get, and upbraided the citizens for
their cowardice and disobedience. As he despaired of saving the city he
first put to death all of his enemies, who had been at variance with him
before and who, out of jealousy, had prevented the people from obeying his
recent orders. Then he erected a funeral pile in the temple and placed a
couch upon it, and had a feast with his friends, and while the drinking-bout
was at its height he swallowed poison, threw himself on the pile, and
ordered his friends to set fire to it. Thus perished Judacilius, a man who
considered it glorious to die for his country. Sextus Cæsar was
invested with the consular power by the Senate after his term of office had
expired. He attacked 20,000 of the enemy at some place while they were
changing camping-places, killed about 8000 of them, and captured the arms of
a much larger number. He died of a disease while pushing the long siege of
Asculum; the Senate appointed Gaius Bæbius his successor.
[
49]
While these events were transpiring on the Adriatic side of Italy, the
inhabitants of Etruria and Umbria and other neighboring peoples on the other
side of Rome heard of them and all were excited to revolt. The Senate,
fearing lest they should be surrounded by enemies for want of guards,
garrisoned the sea-coast from Cumæ to the city with freedmen, who
were then for the first time enrolled in the army on account of the scarcity
of soldiers. The Senate also voted that those Italians who had adhered to
their alliance should be admitted to citizenship, which was the one thing
they all desired most. They sent this decree around among the Etruscans, who
gladly accepted the citizenship. By this favor the Senate made the faithful
more faithful, confirmed the wavering, and mollified their enemies by the
hope of similar treatment. The Romans did not enroll the new citizens in the
thirty-five existing tribes, lest they should outvote the old ones in the
elections, but incorporated them in ten new tribes, which voted last. So it
often happened that their vote was useless, since a majority was obtained
from the thirty-five tribes that voted first. This fact was either not
noticed by the Italians at the time or they were satisfied with what they
had gained, but it was observed later and became the source of a new
conflict.
[
50]
The insurgents along the Adriatic coast, before they learned of the change of
sentiment among the Etruscans, sent 15,000 men to their assistance by a long
and difficult road. Gnæus Pompeius, who was now consul, fell upon
them and killed 5000 of them. The rest made their way homeward through a
trackless region, in a severe winter, living on acorns; and half of them
perished. The same winter Porcius Cato, the colleague of Pompeius, was
killed while fighting with the Marsians. While Sulla was encamped near the
Pompeiian mountains Lucius Cluentius pitched his camp in a contemptuous
manner at a distance of only three stades from him, Sulla did not tolerate
this insolence, but attacked Cluentius without waiting for his
own foragers to come in. He was worsted and put to
flight, but when he was reënforced by his foragers he turned and
defeated Cluentius. The latter then moved his camp to a greater distance.
Having received certain Gallic reenforcements he again drew near to Sulla
and just as the two armies were coming to an engagement a Gaul of enormous
size advanced and challenged any Roman to single combat. A Mauritanian
soldier of short stature accepted the challenge and killed him, whereupon
the Gauls became panic-stricken and fled. Cluentius' line of battle was thus
broken and the remainder of his troops did not stand their ground, but fled,
in disorder to Nola. Sulla followed them and killed 3000 in the pursuit, and
as the inhabitants of Nola received them by only one gate, lest the enemy
should rush in with them, he killed about 20,000 more outside the walls and
among them Cluentius himself, who fell fighting bravely.
[
51]
Then Sulla moved against the Hirpini and attacked the town of
Æculanum. The inhabitants, who expected aid from the Lucanians
that very day, asked Sulla to give them time for consideration. He
understood the trick and gave them one hour, and meanwhile piled fagots
around their walls, which were made of wood, and at the expiration of the
hour set them on fire. They were terrified and surrendered the town. Sulla
plundered it because it had not been delivered up voluntarily but by
necessity. He spared the other towns that gave themselves up, and in this
way the entire population of the Hirpini was brought under subjection. Then
Sulla moved against the Samnites, not where Mutilus, the Samnite general,
guarded the roads, but by another circuitous route where his coming was not
expected. He fell upon them suddenly, killed many, and scattered the rest in
disorderly flight. Mutilus was wounded and took refuge with a few followers
in Æsernia. Sulla destroyed his camp and moved against Bovianum,
where the common council of the rebels was held. The city had three towers.
While the inhabitants were looking at Sulla from one of these he ordered a
detachment to capture whichever of the others they could, and to make a
signal by means of smoke. When the smoke was seen he made an attack in front
and, after a severe fight of three hours, took
the city.
These were the successes of Sulla during that summer. When winter came he
returned to Rome to solicit the consulship.
[
52]
Gnæus Pompeius brought the Marsians, the Marrucini, and the Vestini
under subjection. Gaius Cosconius, another Roman prætor, advanced
against and burned Salapia. He received the surrender of Cannæ and
laid siege to Canusium. He had a severe fight with the Samnites, who came to
its relief. After great slaughter on both sides Cosconius was beaten and
retreated to Cannæ. A river separated the two armies, and
Trebatius sent word to Cosconius either to come over to his side and fight
him, or to withdraw and let him cross. Cosconius withdrew, and while
Trebatius was crossing attacked him and got the better of him, and, while he
was flying toward the stream, killed 15,000 of his men. The remainder took
refuge with Trebatius in Canusium. Cosconius overran the territory of
Larinum, Venusia, and Asculum, and invaded that of the Pœdiculi,
and within two days received their surrender.
[
53]
Cæcilius Metellus, his successor in the prætorship,
attacked the Apulians and overcame them in battle.
Pompædius, one of the rebel generals, here lost his life. The
survivors joined Metellus separately. Such was the course of events
throughout Italy as regards the Social War, which had raged with violence
thus far and until the whole of Italy came into the Roman state except the
Lucanians and the Samnites. These also seem to have obtained what they
desired somewhat later. They were each enrolled in tribes of their own, like
those who had been admitted to citizenship before, so that they might not,
by being mingled with the old citizens, vote them down in the elections by
force of numbers.
[
54]
About the same time dissensions arose in the city between debtors and
creditors, since the latter exacted the money due them with interest,
although an old law distinctly forbade lending on interest and imposed a
penalty upon any one doing so. It seems that the ancient Romans, like the
Greeks, abhorred the taking of interest on loans as something knavish, and
hard on the poor, and leading to contention and enmity; and by the same kind
of reasoning the Persians considered lending itself as having a tendency
to deceit and lying. But, since time had
sanctioned the practice of taking interest, the creditors demanded it
according to custom. The debtors, on the other hand, put off the payment by
causing war and civil commotion. Some indeed threatened to visit the legal
penalty on the interest-takers. The prætor Asellio, who had charge
of these matters, as he was not able to compose their differences by
persuasion, allowed them to proceed against each other in the courts, thus
bringing the conflict of law and custom before the judges. The lenders,
exasperated that the old law should be revived, killed the prætor
in the following manner. He was offering sacrifice to Castor and Pollux in
the forum, with a crowd standing around as was usual at such a ceremony. In
the first place somebody threw a stone at him. He dropped the libation-bowl
and ran toward the temple of Vesta. They got ahead of him and prevented him
from reaching the temple, and after he had fled into a certain tavern they
cut his throat. Many of his pursuers, thinking that he had taken refuge with
the Vestal virgins, ran in there, where it was not lawful for men to go.
Thus was Asellio, while serving as prætor, and pouring out the
libation, and wearing the sacred gilded vestments customary in such
ceremonies, slain at the second hour of the day, in the midst of the forum,
by the side of the sacrificial offerings. The Senate offered a reward of
money to any free person, and freedom to any slave, and impunity to any
accomplice, who should give testimony leading to the conviction of the
murderers of Asellio, but nobody gave any information. The money-lenders
covered up everything.
