(1) Annō urbis conditae sexcentēsimō sexāgēsimō secundō prīmum Rōmae bellum cīvīle commōtum est, eōdem annō etiam Mithradāticum. Causam bellō cīvīlī C. Marius sexiēns cōnsul dēdit.

(2) Nam cum Sulla cōnsul contrā Mithradātēm gestūrus bellum, quī Asiam et Achaiam occupāverat, mitterētur, isque exercitum in Campāniā paulisper tenēret, ut bellī sociālis, dē quō dīximus, quod intrā Ītaliam gestum fuerat, reliquiae tollerentur, Marius adfectāvit, ut ipse ad bellum Mithradāticum mitterētur. Quā rē Sulla commōtus cum exercitū ad urbem vēnit. Illīc contrā Marium et Sulpicium dīmicāvit. Prīmus urbem Rōmam armātus ingressus est, Sulpicium interfēcit, Marium fugāvit atque ita, ōrdinātīs cōnsulibus in futūrum annum Cn. Octāviō et L. Cornēliō Cinnā ad Asiam profectus est.

    Civil War of Marius and Sulla (88 BCE)

    Plutarch, Sulla 8 ff.; Marius 35–50; Appian, Civil Wars 1.7.55–1.8.64.

    (1) sexcentēsimō sexāgēsimō secundō prīmum: 88 BCE

    bellum cīvīle: The First Civil War, called also the Civil War of Marius and Sulla (Hazzard)

    Mithradāticum: the war against Mithridates will be discussed in Brev. 5.5

    C. Marius sexiēns cōnsul: In 88 BCE

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    Marius ​​​​​suborned a tribune, P. Sulpicius Rufus, to transfer command of the war against Mithridates, King of Pontus, from Sulla to himself. Violence ensued and the son of Sulla's colleague, Q. Pompeius Rufus, Sulla's son-in-law, was killed and Sulla saved himself by surrendering to Marius and allowed Sulpicius' measures to be carried. But Sulla then hurried to the six legions he had led in the Italian War, which were encamped in Campania, won them over and marched into Rome, thus starting the first Civil War in Rome’s history. Marius escaped to Africa, Sulpicius was hunted down and killed. Sulla had Sulpicius' legislation rescinded, supervised the consular elections of Gnaeus Octavius and L. Cornelius Cinna, then left Italy for the East with his army (Bird).

    (2) Sulla cōnsul: Lucius Cornelius Sulla

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    Sulla was born of a patrician family in 138 BCE. After having secured a good education, he passed his early life in the pursuit of pleasure, squandering the small fortune left him by his father. He served under Marius in Africa (Brev. 4.8), and received the surrender of Jugurtha. During the war with the Cimbri and Teutones, he served under Marius and Catulus with distinction. When the Social War broke out, he again entered the service and won fresh laurels (Brev. 5.3). In 88 BCE he was elected consul and received the command of the war against Mithridates (Brev. 5.5-7). When he had concluded peace with Mithridates, he returned to Italy in 83 BCE, and prepared for the campaign against the leaders of the Marian party. His efforts were crowned with success. In 82 BCE he brought the conflict to a close with the decisive battle of the Colline gate (Brev. 5.8). Sulla was now master of Italy. He resolved to take the most ample vengeance upon his enemies, and utterly to crush the popular party. He inaugurated a proscription (see proscriptio), in which as many as 47,000 are said to have perished. He was chosen dictator by the senate and made various reforms in the constitution of the state, all tending to strengthen the power of the aristocracy and to weaken that of the commons. In 79 BCE he resigned his office and retired to his estate at Puteoli, where he died in 78 BCE. "None of his friends ever did him a kindness, and none of his enemies a wrong, without being fully repaid" (Hazzard).

    gestūrus: the future participle is not used by prose writers of the classical period to denote purpose (Hazzard).

    isque: Sulla

    bellī sociālis: genitive with reliquiae, "the final traces of the Social War"

    dē quō dīximus: a rare first person interjection, referring to Brev. 5.3

    tollerentur: purpose clause signaled by ut (AG 531)

    adfectāvit ut: "strove to," setting up the following purpose clause (AG 531)

    ad urbem: Rōmam

    contrā Marium et Sulpicium: see Marius and Publius Sulpicius Rufus

    Prīmus urbem Rōmam armātus: A general with his army could not enter the city, except when celebrating a triumph, without losing his command (Hazzard).

    ita, ōrdinātīs cōnsulibus in futūrum annum Cn. Octāviō et L. Cornēliō Cinnāablative absolute with perfect passive participle (AG 419). For more information, see Gnaeus Octavius and Lucius Cornelius Cinna 

    Core Vocabulary | Numbers | Dates

    cīvīlis, e [cīvis], adj.

    pertaining to a citizen; civil; polite, moderate

    commoveō, ēre, mōvī, mōtus

    to arouse, disturb, move, influence

    Mithradāticus, a, um, adj. pertaining to Mithradātēs
    Marius, ī, m.

    the name of a family at Rome; (1) C. Marius, seven times consul, leader of the democratic party in the Civil war between him and Sulla. (2) C. Marius, son of (1). Consul 82 B.C.; (3) M. Aurēlius Marius, one of the Thirty Tyrants

    Sulla, ae, m.

    L. Cornēlius Sulla, surnamed Felix, consul 88 B.C.

    Mithradātēs, is, m.

    surnamed the Great, king of Pontus 120–63 B.C.

    Asia, ae, f.

    Asia; the Roman province of Asia Minor

    Achaia, ae, f.

    a district in the Peloponnesus. Later the Roman province of Southern Greece

    Campānia, ae, f.

    a district of Italy on the western side, south of Latium

    paulisper [paulum, by a little], adv. a short time
    sociālis, e [socius], adj. social
    reliquiae, ārum [relinquō], pl. f. remainder, remnant, residue
    adfectō, āre, āvī, ātus [ad + fectō, freq. of faciō] to strive after, aspire to
    commoveō, ēre, mōvī, mōtus

    to arouse, disturb, move, influence

    Sulpicius, ī, m.

    the name of a Roman gens. 1) C. Sulpicius, dictator 304 B.C.; (2) P. Sulpicius, consul 279 B.C.; (3) P. Sulpicius, consul 211 B.C.

    armātus, i, m. an armed man, a soldier, = miles
    ōrdinō, āre, āvī, ātus [ōrdō] to arrange, regulate
    Cn.

    abbreviation of the praenomen Gnaeus

    Octāvius, ī, m. C. Octāvius, consul 87 B.C.
    Cornēlius, ī, m.

    the name of a large and important gens at Rome. See Asina, Cinna, Dolābella, Faustus, Fuscus, Galbus, Lentulus, Rūfinus, Scīpiō, Sulla.

    Cinna, ae, m.

    L. Cornelius Cinna, consul 87, 86 B.C.

     

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