ficiently known to the world. When they were brought to Rome, it is said that Tyrannio the grammarian prepared many of them for publication, and that Andronicus the Rhodian, getting the manuscripts by his means, did actually publish them, together with those indexes that are now in every body's hands. The old Peripatetics appear, indeed, to have been men of curiosity and erudition; but they had neither met with many of Aristotle's and Theophrastus's books, nor were those they did meet with correct copies; because the inheritance of Neleus the Scepsian, to whom Theophrastus left his works, fell into mean and obscure hands,

During Sylla's stay at Athens, he felt a painful numbness in his feet, which Strabo calls the lisping of the gout. This obliged him to sail to Edepsum for the benefit of the warm-baths, where he lounged away the day with mimics and buffoons, and all the train of Bacchus. One day as he was walking by the sea-side, some fishermen presented him with a curious dish of fish. Delighted with the present, he asked the people of what country they were; and when he heard they were Alæans, "What," said he, are any of the Aiæans alive?" for, in pursuance of his victory at Orchomenus, he had razed three cities of Boeotia, Anthedon, Larymna, and Alæ, The poor men were struck dumb with fear, but he told them with a smile, "They might go away quite happy, for they had brought very respectable mediators with them." The Alæans tell us, that from that time they took courage, and re-established themselves in their old habitations.

Sylla, now recovered, passed through Thessaly and Macedonia to the sea, intending to cross over from Dyrrachium to Brundusium with a fleet of twelve hundred sail. In that neighbourhood stands Apollonia, near which is a remarkable spot of ground called Nymphæum*. The lawns and meadows are of incomparable verdure, though interspersed with springs from which continually issues fire. In this place, we are told, a satyr was taken asleep, exactly such as statuaries and painters represent to us. He was brought to Syila, and interrogated in many languages who he was; but he uttered nothing intelligible; his accent being harsh and inarticulate, something between the neighing of a horse and the bleating of a goat. Sylla was shocked with his appearance, and ordered him to be taken out of his presence.

When he was upon the point of embarking with his troops, he

* In this place the Nymphs had an oracle, of the manner of consulting which, Dion (1. 41.) relates several ridiculous stories. Strabo, speaking of it in his seventh book, tells us the Nymphæum is a rock, out of which issues fire, and that beneath it flow streams of flaming bitumen.

began to be afraid, that as soon as they reached Italy, they would disperse and retire to their respective cities. Hereupon they came to him of their own accord, and took an oath that they should stand by him to the last, and not wilfully do any damage to Italy. And as they saw he would want large sums of money, they went and collected each as much as they could afford, and brought it him. He did not, however, receive their contribution, but having thanked them for their attachment, and encouraged them to hope the best, he set sail. He had to go, as he himself tells us, against fifteen generals of the other party, who had under them no less than two hundred and fifty cohorts. But heaven gave him evident tokens of success. He sacrificed immediately upon his landing at Tarentum, and the liver of the victim had the plain impression of a crown of laurel, with two strings hanging down. A little before his passage, there were seen in the day-time upon Mount Hephæum† in Campania, two great he-goats engaged, which used all the movements that men do in fighting. The phenomenon raised itself by degrees from the earth into the air, where it dispersed itself in the manner of shadowy phantoms, and quite disappeared.

A little after this, young Marius, and Norbanus the consul, with two very powerful bodies, presumed to attack Sylla, who, without any regular disposition of his troops, or order of battle, by the mere valour and impetuosity of his soldiers, after having slain seven thousand of the enemy, obliged Norbanus to seek a refuge within the walls of Capua. This success he mentions as the cause why his soldiers did not desert, but despised the enemy, though greatly superior in numbers. He tells us, moreover, that an enthusiastic servant of Pontius, in the town of Silvium, announced him victorious upon the communicated authority of Bellona, but informed him at the same time, that if he did not hasten, the Capitol would be burnt. This actually happened on the day predicted, which was the sixth of July. About this time it was that Marcus Lucullus, one of Sylla's officers, who had no more than sixteen cohorts under his command, found himself on the point of engaging an enemy who had fifty: though he had the utmost confidence in the valour of his troops, yet, as many of them were without arms, he was doubtful about the onset. While he was deliberating about the matter, a gentle breeze bore from a neighbouring field a quantity of flowers, that fell on the

The priests traced the figures they wanted upon the liver on their hands, and by holding it very close, easily made the impression upon it, while it was warm and pliant.

+ There is no such mountain as Hephæum known. Livy mentions the hills of Tifata near Capua.

shields and helmets of the soldiers in such a manner that they appeared to be crowned with garlands. This circumstance had such an effect upon them*, that they charged the enemy with double vigour and courage, killed eighteen thousand, and became complete masters of the field, and of the camps. This Marcus Lucullus was brother to that Lucullus who afterwards conquered Mithridates and Tigranes.

Sylla still saw himself surrounded with armies and powerful enemies, to whom he was inferior in point of force, and therefore had recourse to fraud. He made Scipio, one of the consuls, some proposals for an accommodation, upon which many interviews and conferences ensued. But Sylla, always finding some pretence for gaining time, was corrupting Scipio's soldiers all the while by means of his own, who were as well practised as their general in every art of solicitation. They entered their adversaries' camp, and, mixing among them, soon gained them over, some by money, some by fair promises, and others by the most insinuating adulation. At last Sylla advancing to their intrenchments with twenty cohorts, Scipio's men saluted them as fellow-soldiers, and came out and joined them; so that Scipio was left alone in his tent, where he was taken, but immediately after dismissed in safety. These twenty cohorts were Sylla's decoy-birds, by which he drew forty more into his net, and then brought them altogether into his camp. On this occasion Carbo is reported to have said, that in Sylla he had to contend both with a fox and a lion, but the fox gave him the most trouble.

The year following, young Marius being consul, and, at the head of fourscore cohorts, gave Sylla the challenge. Sylla was very ready to accept it that day in particular, on account of a dream he had the night before. He thought he saw old Marius, who had now been long dead, advising his son to beware of the ensuing day, as big with mischief to him. This made Sylla impatient for the combat. The first step he took towards it was to send for Dolabella, who had encaniped at some distance. The enemy had blocked up the roads, and Sylla's troops were much harassed in endeavouring to open them. Besides, a violent rain happened to fall, and still more incommoded them in their work. Hereupon the officers went and entreated Sylla to defer the battle till another day, showing him how

*The use that the ancient Romans as well as Greeks made of enthusiasm and superstition, in war particularly, was so great and so frequent, that it appears to take off much from the idea of their native courage and valour. The slightest circumstance, as in the improbable instance referred to, of a preternatural kind, or bearing the least shadow of a religious ceremony, would animate them to those exploits, which, though a rational valour was certainly capable of effecting them, without such influence they would never have undertaken.

his men were beaten out with fatigue, and seated upon the ground with their shields under them, Sylla yielded to their arguments, though with great reluctance, and gave them orders to intrench themselves.

They were just begun to put these orders in execution, when Marius rode boldly up in hopes of finding them dispersed and in great disorder. Fortune seized this moment for accomplishing Sylla's dream. His soldiers, fired with indignation, left their work, struck their pikes in the trench, and with drawn swords and loud shouts ran to the charge. The enemy made but a slight resistance; they were routed, and vast numbers slain in their flight. Marius himself fled to Præneste, where he found the gates shut; but a rope was let down, to which he fastened himself, and so he was taken up in safety over the wall.

Some authors indeed write, and among the rest Fenestalla, that Marius saw nothing of the engagement, but that, being oppressed with watching and fatigue, he laid himself down in a shade, after the signal was given, and was not awaked without difficulty when all was lost. Sylla says, he lost only three-and-twenty men in this battle, though he killed ten thousand of the enemy, and took eight thousand prisoners. He was equally saccessful with respect to his lieutenants Pompey, Crassus, Metellus, and Servilius, who, without any miscarriage at all, or with none of any consequence, defeated great and powerful armies; insomuch, that Carbo, who was the chief support of the opposite party, stole out of his camp by night, and passed over into Africa.

The last conflict Sylla had was with Telesinus the Samnite, who entered the lists like a fresh champion against one that was weary, and was near throwing him at the very gates of Rome, Telesinus had collected a great body of forces, with the assistance of a Lucanian named Lamponius, and was hastening to the relief of Marius, who was besieged in Præneste. But he got intelligence that Sylla and Pompey were advancing against him by long marches, the one to take him in front, and the other in rear, and that he was in the utmost danger of being hemmed in, both before and behind. In this case, like a man of great abilities and experience of the most critical kind, he decamped by night, and marched with his whole army directly towards Rome; which was in so unguarded a condition, that he might have entered it without difficulty. But he stopped when he was only ten furlongs from the Colline Gate, and contented himself with passing the night before the walls, greatly encouraged and elevated at the thought of having outdone so many great commanders in point of generalship.

Early next morning, the young nobility mounted their horses, and fell upon him. He defeated them, and killed a considerable number; among the rest fell Appius Claudius, a young man of spirit, and of one of the most illustrious families in Rome. The city was now full of terror and confusion—the women ran about the streets, bewailing themselves, as if it was just going to be taken by assault when Balbus, who was sent forward by Sylla, appeared advancing at full speed with seven hundred horse. He stoped just long enough to give his horses time to cool, and then bridled them again, and proceeded to keep the enemy in play.

In the mean time Sylla made his appearance, and having caused his first ranks to take a speedy refreshment, he began to put them in order of battle. Dolabella and Torquatus pressed him to wait some time, and not lead his men in that fatigued condition to an engagement that must prove decisive. For he had not now to do with Carbo and Marius, but with Samnites and Lucanians, the most inveterate enemies to the Roman name. However, he overruled their motion, and ordered the trumpets to sound to the charge, though it was now so late as the tenth hour of the day. There was now no battle during the whole war fought with such obstinacy as this. The right wing commanded by Crassus, had greatly the advantage; but the left was much distressed, and began to give way. Sylla made up to its assistance. He rode a white horse of uncommon spirit and swiftness; and two of the enemy, knowing him by it, levelled their spears at him. He himself perceived it not, but his groom did, and with a sudden lash made the horse spring forward, so that the spears only grazed his tail, and fixed themselves in the ground. It is said, that in all his battles he wore in his bosom a small golden image of Apollo, which he brought from Delphi. On this occasion he kissed it with particular devotion*, and addressed it in these terms: "O Pythian Apollo, who has conducted the fortunate Cornelius Sylla through so many engagements with honour; when thou hast brought him to the threshold of his country, wilt thou let him fall there ingloriously by the hands of his own citizens?"

After this act of devotion, Sylla endeavoured to rally his men: some he entreated, some he threatened, and others he forced back to the charge. But at length his whole left wing was routed, and he was obliged to mix with the fugitives to regain his camp, after having lost many of his friends of the highest distinction. A great number, too, of those who came out of the city to see the battle, were trodden under foot and perished. Nay, Rome itself was thought to

*By this it appears, that the heathens made the same use of the images of their gods, which the Romanists do of images and relics.