(1) Interim eō tempore Sulla etiam Dardanōs, Scordiscōs, Dalmatās et Maedōs partim vīcit, aliōs in fidem accēpit.
(2) Sed cum lēgātī ā rēge Mithradātē, quī pācem petēbant, vēnissent, nōn aliter sē datūrum Sulla esse respondit, nisi rēx relīctīs hīs, quae occupāverat, ad regnum suum redīsset. Posteā tamen ad colloquium ambo vēnērunt. Pāx inter eōs ōrdināta est, ut Sulla ad bellum cīvīle festīnāns ā tergō perīculum nōn habēret.
(3) Nam dum Sulla in Achaiā atque Asiā Mithradātēn vincit, Marius, quī fugātus erat, et Cornēlius Cinna ūnus ex cōnsulibus bellum in Ītaliā reparāvērunt et ingressī urbem Rōmam nōbilissimōs ē senātū et cōnsulārēs virōs interfēcērunt, multōs prōscrīpsērunt, ipsīus Sullae domō ēversā fīliōs et uxōrem ad fugam conpulērunt.
(4) Ūniversus reliquus senātus ex urbe fugiēns ad Sullam in Graeciam vēnit ōrāns, ut patriae subvenīret. Ille in Ītaliam trāiēcit bellum cīvīle gestūrus adversus Norbānum et Scīpiōnem cōnsulēs. Et prīmō proeliō contrā Norbānum dīmicāvit nōn longē ā Capuā. Tunc sex mīlia eius cecīdit, sex cēpit, CXXIV suōs āmīsit. Inde etiam ad Scīpiōnem sē convertit et ante proelium tōtum eius exercitum sine sanguine in dēditiōnem accēpit.
notes
Sulla makes peace with Mithridates (84 BCE) and returns to Italy (83)
Livy, Epitome 83–85. Plutarch, Sulla 24–28. Appian, Mithridatic Wars 54–58.
(1) eō tempore: 85-84 BCE
Dardanōs, Scordiscōs, Dalmatās et Maedōs: Sulla conquered the Dardani, Scordisci, Dalmati, and Maedi.
partim...aliōs: similar to alii...alii, "some...others"
in fidem accēpit: "accepted into an alliance," giving security guarantees in exchange for voluntary submission. See LS fides II.B.2.
(2) nōn aliter sē datūrum Sulla esse respondit: order: Sulla respondit sē nōn aliter (pacem) datūrum esse, indirect discourse (AG 577). Eutropius' order emphasizes nōn aliter.
nōn aliter...nisi: "on no other terms than that"
hīs: supply locīs or something similar referring to the lands in Asia Minor invaded by Mithridates. See Brev. 5.5.
quae: the regions just referred to.
Pāx inter eōs ōrdināta est: a peace treaty was signed by Sulla and Mithridates at Dardanus near Troy in the summer of 85 BCE. Mithridates agreed to give up all territories he had conquered in Asia Minor, surrender 70 ships and pay an indemnity of 2,000 talents (Bird).
ā tergō: "from his back," "behind him," see LS tergum II.A
perīculum nōn habēret: purpose clause (AG 531)
(3) Marius: Before the end of 87 BCE Marius and Cinna controlled Rome and after a period of looting and murder which Cinna finally stopped, had themselves declared consuls for 86 BCE. Sulla was exiled and his laws repealed. Marius died on January 17, 86 BCE leaving Cinna in sole command, and he had himself re-elected for 85 and 84 BCE... After fruitless negotiations with Sulla, Cinna decided to settle the issue militarily and dispatched troops across the Adriatic but was killed by mutineers at Ancona in 84 BCE (Bird). Regarding the death of Marius, Plutarch relates the following anecdote:
Read more
The Roman governor of Africa at this time was Sextilius, a man who had received neither good nor ill at the hands of Marius, but whom, as it was expected, pity alone would move to give him aid. Hardly, however, had Marius landed with a few companions, when an official met him, stood directly in front of him, and said: "Sextilius the governor forbids thee, Marius, to set foot in Africa; and if thou disobeyest, he declares that he will uphold the decrees of the senate and treat thee as an enemy of Rome." When he heard this, Marius was rendered speechless by grief and indignation, and for a long time kept quiet, looking sternly at the official. Then, when asked by him what he had to say, and what answer he would make to the governor, he answered with a deep groan: "Tell him, then, that thou hast seen Caius Marius a fugitive, seated amid the ruins of Carthage. And it was not inaptly that he compared the fate of that city with his own reversal of fortune" (Marius, 40.3-4, Trans. Bernadotte Perrin).
prōscrīpsērunt: This was the first proscription in Roman history. It was so called from the list of the names of the persons who were outlawed. They might be killed by any one with impunity, even by slaves. Their property was confiscated to the state and was sold at public auction. Their children and grandchildren lost their votes in the Comitia and were excluded from all public offices (Hazzard; cf. Smith, sv proscriptio).
(4) ut patriae subvenīret: substantive clause of purpose (AG 563); subveniō takes a dative object.
Ille: Sulla
gestūrus: the future participle is not used by prose writers of the classical period to denote purpose (Hazzard).
adversus Norbānum et Scīpiōnem: Lucius Norbanus and Gaius Scipio were elected consuls for the year 83 BCE (Hazzard).
contrā Norbānum: The battle was fought at Mt. Tifata in Campania. After the battle Norbanus shut himself up in Capua (Hazzard).
sex milia eius cecīdit: supply hominum with milia; cecīdit is from caedō, not cadō
sex cēpit: supply milia hominum
sē convertit: refers to Sulla
tōtum eius exercitum sine sanguine in dēditiōnem accēpit: by means of Sulla’s emissaries the whole army deserted Scipio, who was forced to retire from the war (Hazzard). tōtum eius exercitum refers to Scipio's army.
vocabulary
Core Vocabulary | Numbers | Dates
|
Sulla, ae, m. |
L. Cornēlius Sulla, surnamed Felix, consul 88 B.C. |
|
Dardanī, ōrum, pl. m. |
a people of Upper Moesia |
|
Scordiscī, ōrum, pl. m. |
a Thracian people |
|
Dalmatae, ārum, pl. m. |
the Dalmatians, the inhabitants of Dalmatia |
|
Maedī, ōrum, pl. m. |
a people of Thrace |
|
partim [pars], adv. |
partly |
|
Mithradātēs, is, m. |
surnamed the Great, king of Pontus 120–63 B.C. 2 |
|
ambō, ae, ō, adj. |
both |
|
ōrdinō, āre, āvī, ātus [ōrdō] |
to arrange, regulate |
|
cīvīlis, e [cīvis], adj. |
pertaining to a citizen; civil; polite, moderate |
|
festīnō, āre, āvī, ātus |
to hasten |
|
Achaia, ae, f. |
a district in the Peloponnesus. Later the Roman province of Southern Greece 3 |
|
Asia, ae, f. |
Asia; the Roman province of Asia Minor |
|
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 |
|
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. |
|
cōnsulāris, e [cōnsul], adj. |
of a consul, of consular rank; as subst., an ex-consul |
|
prōscrībō, ere, scrīpsī, scrīptus |
to offer for sale; proscribe, outlaw |
|
ēvertō, ere, ī, versus |
to overturn, destroy, ruin |
|
compellō, ere, pulī, pulsus |
to urge on, incite, impel |
|
subveniō, īre, vēnī, ventus |
to come to help, aid, assist 4 |
|
trāiciō, icere, iēcī, iectus |
to throw or carry across, transport; pierce, penetrate, transfix; go or pass over, cross |
|
Norbānus, ī, m. |
(C) Norbānus, consul 83 B.C. |
|
Scīpiō, ōnis, m. |
the name of one of the most illustrious families of Rome, Cornēlius Scīpiō, consul 83 B.C., Cn. Cornēlius Scīpiō, consul 222 B.C., L. (Cornēlius) Scīpiō, consul 259 B.C., P. Cornēlius Scīpiō, consul 218 B.C., P. Cornēlius Scīpiō, consul 191 B.C., P. Cornēlius Scīpiō, praetor 94 B.C., P. Cornēlius Scīpiō Āfricānus, consul 205 BC the conqueror of Hannibal in the First Punic War., P. Cornēlius Scīpiō Āfricānus (Minor), consul 147 B.C. He brought the Third Punic War to a close by capturing and destroying Carthage., L. Cornēlius Scīpiō Asiāgenēs, consul 83 B.C., P. (Cornēlius) Scīpiō Nāsīca, consul 91 B.C. |
|
Capua, ae, f. |
a Greek city near Naples, in Campania |
|
dēditiō, ōnis [dēdō], f. |
a surrender |