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113]
In the following year the Roman generals plucked
up rather
more courage and advanced in an audacious manner against the towns that
adhered to Sertorius, drew many away from him, assaulted others, and were
much elated by their success. No great battle was fought, but again
1 . . . until the following year, when they advanced
again even more audaciously. Sertorius was now
evidently misled by a god, for he
relaxed his labors, fell
into habits of luxury, and gave
himself up to women, and to carousing and drinking, for which reason he was
defeated continually. He became hot-tempered, from various suspicions, and
extremely cruel in punishment, and distrustful of everybody,
2 so much so that Perpenna, who had belonged to the faction of
Lepidus and had come hither as a volunteer with a considerable army, began
to fear for his own safety and formed a conspiracy with ten other men
against him. The conspiracy was betrayed, some of the guilty ones were
punished and others fled, but Perpenna escaped detection in some
unaccountable manner and applied himself all the more to carry out the
design. As Sertorius was never without his guard of spearmen, Perpenna
invited him to a banquet, plied him and his guards with wine, and
assassinated him after the feast.