5.4

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 Sulla had Sulpicius' legislation rescinded, supervised the consular elections of Gnaeus Octavius and L. Cornelius Cinna, then left Italy for the East with his army (Bird).

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).