CHAPTER VIII
Attempted Revolution of Cinna--Cinna expelled from the City--Raises an
Army and returns--Return of Marius--They besiege Rome, and cut off its
Supplies--The City surrenders--Massacre of Citizens--Heads exposed in
the Forum--Death of Marcus Antonius the Orator--Sulla's Friends killed
and his Property confiscated--Death of Merula and Catulus--Death of
Marius
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When the murder of Pompeius became known in
the city, Sulla became apprehensive for his own
safety and was surrounded by friends wherever he went, and had them
with him even by
night. He did not remain long in the
city, but went to
the army at Capua and from thence to Asia. The friends of the exiles,
encouraged by Cinna, Sulla's successor in the consulship, excited the new
citizens in favor of the scheme of Marius, that they should be distributed
among the old tribes, so that they should not be powerless by reason of
voting last. This was preliminary to the recall of Marius and his friends.
Although the old citizens resisted with all their might, Cinna
coöperated with the new ones. It was supposed that he had been
bribed with 300 talents to do this. The other consul, Octavius, sided with
the old citizens. The partisans of Cinna took possession of the forum with
concealed daggers, and with loud cries demanded that they should be
distributed among all the tribes. The more reputable part of the plebeians
adhered to Octavius, and they also carried daggers. While Octavius was still
at home awaiting the result, the news was brought to him that the majority
of the tribunes had vetoed the proposed action, but that the new citizens
had started a riot, drawn their daggers on the street, and assaulted the
opposing tribunes on the rostra. When Octavius heard this he ran down
through the Via Sacra with a very dense mass of men, burst into the forum
like a torrent, pushed through the midst of the crowd, and separated them.
He struck terror into them, pushed on to the temple of Castor and Pollux,
and drove Cinna away. His companions fell upon the new citizens without
orders, killed many of them, put the rest to flight, and pursued them to the
city gates.
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Cinna, who had been emboldened by the numbers of the new citizens to think
that he should conquer, seeing the victory won contrary to his expectation
by the bravery of the few, ran through the city calling the slaves to his
assistance by an offer of freedom. As none responded he hastened to the
towns near by, which had lately been admitted to Roman citizenship, Tibur,
Præneste, and the rest as far as Nola, inciting them all to
revolution and collecting money for the purposes of war. While Cinna was
making these preparations and plans, certain senators of his party joined
him, among them Gaius Milo, Quintus Sertorius, and Gaius Marius the younger.
The Senate decreed that since Cinna had left the city in danger while
holding the office of consul, and had offered freedom to the slaves, he
should no longer be consul, or even a citizen, and elected in his stead
Lucius Merula, the priest of Jupiter (flamen Dialis). It
is said that this priest alone wore the flamen's cap at all times, the
others wearing it only during sacrifices. Cinna proceeded to Capua, where
there was another Roman army, the officers of which, and the senators who
were present, he courted. He went to meet them as consul in an assembly,
where he laid down the fasces as though he were a private citizen, and
shedding tears, said, "From you, citizens, I received this authority. The
people voted it to me; the Senate has taken it away from me without your
consent. Although I am the sufferer by this wrong I grieve amid my own
troubles equally for your sakes. What need is there that we should solicit
the favor of the tribes in the elections hereafter? What need have we of
you? Where will be your power in the assemblies, in the elections, in the
choice of consuls? If you do not confirm what you bestow, you will be robbed
whenever you give your decision."
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He said this to stir them up, and after exciting much pity for himself he
rent his garments, leaped down from the rostra, and threw himself on the
ground before them, where he lay a long time. With tears in their eyes they
raised him up; they restored him to the curule chair; they lifted up the
fasces and bade him be of good cheer, as he was consul still, and lead them
wherever he would. At their instance the officers came forward and took the
military oath to support Cinna, and administered it each to the soldiers
under him. When he had been confirmed in this way he traversed the allied
cities and stirred them up also, because it was on their account chiefly
that this misfortune had happened to him. They furnished him both money and
soldiers; and many others, even of the aristocratic party in Rome, to whom a
stable form of government was irksome, came and joined him. While Cinna was
thus occupied, the consuls, Octavius and Merula, fortified the city with
trenches, repaired the walls, and planted engines on them. To raise an army
they sent around to the towns that were still faithful and also to the
neighboring Gauls. They also summoned Gnæus Pompeius, the
proconsul who commanded the army on the Adriatic, to come in haste to the
aid of his country.
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Pompeius came and encamped before the Colline gate. Cinna advanced against
him and encamped near him. When Gaius Marius heard of these transactions he
sailed to Etruria with his fellow-exiles and about 500 slaves who had joined
their masters from Rome. Filthy and longhaired, he marched through the towns
presenting a pitiable appearance, descanting on his battles, his victories
over the Cimbri, and his six consulships; and what was extremely pleasing to
them, promising, and also seeming, to be faithful to their interests in the
matter of the voting. In this way he collected 6000 Etruscans and joined
Cinna, who received him gladly by reason of their common interest in the
present enterprise. After their armies were joined they encamped on the
banks of the Tiber and divided their forces in three parts: Cinna and Carbo
opposite the city, Sertorius above it, and Marius toward the sea. The two
latter threw bridges across the river in order to cut off the city's
food-supply. Marius captured Ostia and plundered it. Cinna sent a force and
captured Ariminum in order to prevent an army coming to the city from the
subject Gauls.
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The consuls were alarmed. They needed more troops, but they were unable to
call Sulla because he had already crossed over to Asia. They ordered
Cæcilius Metellus, who was carrying on the remainder of the Social
War against the Samnites, to make peace on the best terms he could, and come
to the rescue of his beleaguered country. Metellus would not agree to what
the Samnites demanded, and when Marius heard of this he made an engagement
with them to grant all that they asked from Metellus. In this way the
Samnites became allies of Marius. Appius Claudius, a military tribune, who
had command of the defences of Rome at the hill called the Janiculum, had
once received a favor from Marius which the latter now reminded him of, in
consequence of which he admitted him into the city, opening a gate for him
at about daybreak. Then Marius admitted Cinna. They were thrust out by
Octavius and Pompeius, who attacked them together, but a severe
thunder-storm broke upon the camp of Pompeius, and he was killed by
lightning together with others of the nobility.
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After Marius had stopped the passage of food-supplies from the sea, or by way
of the river above, he hastened to attack the neighboring towns where grain
was stored for the Romans. He fell upon their garrisons unexpectedly and
captured Antium, Aricia, Lanuvium, and others. There were some also that
were delivered up to him by treachery. Having cut off their supplies by land
in this manner, he advanced boldly against Rome, by the so-called Appian
Way, before any other supplies were brought to them by another route. He and
Cinna, and their lieutenant-generals, Carbo and Sertorius, halted at a
distance of 100 stades from the city and went into camp. Octavius, Crassus,
and Metellus had taken position against them at the Alban Mount, where they
observed the enemy's movements. Although they considered themselves superior
in bravery and numbers, they hesitated to risk hastily their country's fate
on the hazard of a single battle. Cinna sent heralds around the city to
offer freedom to slaves who would desert to him, and forthwith a large
number did desert. The Senate was alarmed. Anticipating the most serious
consequences from the people if the scarcity of corn should be protracted,
it changed its mind and sent envoys to Cinna to treat for peace. The latter
asked them whether they had come to see him as a consul or as a private
citizen. They were at a loss for an answer and went back to the city; and
now a large number of freemen flocked to Cinna, some from fear of famine and
others because they had been previously favorable to his party and had been
waiting to see which way the scales would turn.
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Now Cinna began to despise his enemies and drew near to the wall, halting at
the distance of a stone's throw, where he encamped. Octavius and his party
were undecided and fearful, and hesitated to attack him on account of the
desertions and the negotiations. The Senate was greatly perplexed and
considered it a dreadful thing to depose Lucius Merula, the priest of
Jupiter, who had been chosen consul in place of Cinna, and who had done
nothing wrong in his office. Yet on account of the impending danger it
reluctantly sent envoys to Cinna again, and this time as consul. They no
longer expected favorable terms, so they only asked that Cinna should swear
to them that he would abstain from bloodshed. He refused to take the oath,
but he promised nevertheless that he would not willingly be the cause of
anybody's death. He directed, however, that Octavius, who had gone around
and entered the city by another gate, should keep away from the forum lest
anything should befall him against Cinna's will. This answer he delivered to
the envoys from a high platform in his character as consul. Marius stood
beside the curule chair silent, but showed by the asperity of his
countenance how much murder he would commit. When the Senate had accepted
these terms and had invited Cinna and Marius to enter (for it was understood
that all the things that Cinna had subscribed to were the doings of Marius),
the latter said with a scornful smile that it was not lawful for the
banished to enter. Forthwith the tribunes voted to repeal the decree of
banishment against him and all the others who were expelled under the
consulship of Sulla.
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Accordingly Cinna and Marius entered the city and everybody received them
with fear. Straightway they began to plunder without restraint the goods of
those who were supposed to be of the opposite party. Cinna and Marius had
sworn to Octavius, and the augurs and soothsayers had predicted, that he
would suffer no harm, yet his friends advised him to fly. He replied that he
would never desert the city while he was consul. So he withdrew from the
forum to the Janiculum with the nobility and what was left of his army,
where he occupied the curule chair and wore his robes of office, attended by
lictors as a consul. Here he was attacked by Censorinus with a body of
horse, and again his friends and the soldiers who stood by him urged him to
fly and brought him a horse, but he disdained even to arise, and awaited
death. Censorinus cut off his head and carried it to Cinna, and it was
suspended in the forum in front of the rostra, the first head of a consul
that was so exposed. After him the heads of others who were slain were
suspended there. This shocking custom, which began with Octavius, was not
discontinued, but was handed down to subsequent intestine massacres. Now the
victors sent out spies to search for their enemies of the senatorial and
equestrian orders. After the knights were killed no further attention was
paid to them, but all the heads of senators were exposed in front of the
rostra. Neither reverence for the gods, nor the indignation of men, nor the
fear of odium for their acts existed any longer among them. After committing
savage deeds they turned to hideous sights. They killed remorselessly and
severed the necks of men already dead, and they paraded these horrors before
the public eye, either to inspire fear and terror, or for a monstrous
spectacle.
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Gaius Julius and Lucius Julius, two brothers, Atilius Serranus, Publius
Lentulus, Gaius Numatorius, and Marcus Bæbius were arrested in the
street and killed. Crassus was pursued with his son. He anticipated the
pursuers by killing his son, but was himself killed by them. Marcus
Antonius, the orator, fled to a certain country place, where he was
concealed and entertained by the farmer, who sent his slave to a tavern for
wine of a better quality than he was in the habit of buying. The innkeeper
asked him why he wanted the better quality. The slave whispered the reason
to him, bought the wine, and went back. The seller ran and told Marius. When
Marius heard this he sprang up with joy as though he would rush to do the
deed himself, but he was restrained by his friends. A tribune was despatched
to the house, who sent some soldiers upstairs, whom Antonius, a delightful
speaker, entertained with a long discourse. He moved their pity by
recounting many and various things, until the tribune, who was at a loss to
know what had happened, rushed into the house and, finding his soldiers
listening to Antonius, killed him while he was still addressing them, and
sent his head to Marius.
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Cornutus concealed himself in a hut and was saved by his slaves in an
ingenious way. They found a dead body and placed it on a funeral pile, and
when the searchers came they set fire to it and said that they were burning
the body of their master, who had hanged himself. In this way he was saved
by his slaves. Quintus Ancharius watched his opportunity till Marius was
about to offer sacrifice in the Capitol, hoping that the temple would be a
more propitious place for him. But when he approached and saluted Marius,
the latter, who was just beginning the sacrifice, ordered the guards to kill
him in the Capitol forthwith; and his head, with that of the orator
Antonius, and those of others who had been consuls and prætors,
was exposed in the forum. Burial was not permitted to any of the slain. The
bodies of such men as these were torn in pieces by birds and dogs. There was
also much private and irresponsible murder committed by the factions upon
each other. There were banishments, and confiscations of property, and
depositions from office, and a repeal of the laws enacted during Sulla's
consulship. All of Sulla's friends were put to death, his house was razed to
the ground, his property confiscated, and himself voted a public enemy.
Search was made for his wife and children, but they escaped. Altogether no
sort of calamity was wanting, either general or particular.
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In addition to the foregoing and under the similitude of legal authority, and
after so many had been put to death without trial, accusers were suborned to
make false charges against Merula, the priest of Jupiter, who was hated
because he had been the successor of Cinna in the consulship, although he
had committed no other fault. Accusation was also brought against Lutatius
Catulus, who had been the colleague of Marius in the war against the Cimbri,
and whose life Marius once saved. It was charged that he had been very
ungrateful to Marius and was bitter against him when he was banished. These
men were put under secret surveillance, and when the day for holding court
arrived were summoned to trial (the proper way was to put the accused under
arrest after they had been cited four times at certain fixed intervals), but
Merula had opened his own veins, and a tablet lying at his side showed that
when he cut his veins he had removed his flamen's cap, for it was accounted
a sin for the priest to wear it at his death. Catulus suffocated himself
with burning charcoal in a chamber newly plastered and still moist. So these
two men perished. The slaves who had joined Cinna in answer to his
proclamation and had thereupon been freed and were at this time enrolled in
the army by Cinna himself, broke into and plundered houses, and killed
persons whom they met on the street. Some of them attacked their own masters
particularly. After Cinna had forbidden this several times, but without
avail, he surrounded them with his Gallic soldiery one night while they were
taking their rest, and killed them all. Thus did the slaves receive fit
punishment for their repeated treachery to their masters.
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The following year Cinna was chosen consul for the
second
time, and Marius for the seventh time; to whom, notwithstanding his
banishment and proscription, the augury of the seven young eaglets was yet
fulfilled. But he died in the first month of his consulship, while forming
all sorts of terrible designs against Sulla. Cinna caused Valerius Flaccus
to be chosen in his place and sent him to Asia, and when Flaccus lost his
life Cinna chose Carbo as his successor.
