THE JUGURTHINE WAR. B.C. 118. Death of Micipsa. 117. The Romans reinstate Adherbal. 112. Adherbal put to death. 111. War with Jugurtha. Calpurnius Bestia is bribed to make peace. 110. Murder of Massīva. Jugurtha sent out of Rome. 107. Marius supersedes Metellus. 106. Jugurtha betrayed to Sylla. 104. Death of Jugurtha. Not long after the fall of the Gracchi, Micipsa, the last surviving son of Masinissa, died B. c. 118, leaving his kingdom to his two sons Adherbal and Hiempsal, and to his illegitimate nephew Jugurtha3. Jugurtha, who was a bold bad man, murdered Hiempsal, and drove Adherbal out of Numidia. Adherbal was reinstated by the Roman senate; but the money of Jugurtha procured for him impunity, and the best half of the kingdom. On this occasion, Opimius, who went out as a commissioner to make the division, again became disgracefully notorious. Five years after this arrangement, B. c. 112, Adherbal was besieged in Cirta, his capital, by Jugurtha; forced to surrender; and put to death. The Romans, indignant that their intervention had been disregarded, declared war; and L. Calpurnius Piso Bestia invaded Numidia, whom Jugurtha easily bribed to make peace. This iniquitous affair was exposed by the tribune C. Memmius, who succeeded in having Jugurtha brought to Rome under a safe conduct to give evidence. But C. Babius, another tribune, was gained over, and Jugurtha was forbidden to say anything. Finding that his cousin Massiva was applying for his kingdom, Jugartha caused 3 Micipsa was at one time jealous of Jugurtha, and to get rid of him, he sent him to Spain, where he served against Numantia, and gained the favour of Scipio. him to be assassinated; on which he was ordered to leave Italy, B. c. 110. When going out of Rome, he is said to have exclaimed, that the venal city would soon perish, if it could but find a purchaser. The war was renewed; but it was ill managed at first, and a Roman army surrendered to Jugurtha, and passed under the yoke. Discipline was, however, restored by C. Cæcilius Metellus, a nobleman of high character, but of a cold proud disposition, who was everywhere successful against Jugurtha, and reduced him to great distress. Metellus found a rival in his own legate, C. Marius, a man of low birth, and rude manners, who by his genius and bravery had raised himself from the ranks to high command. To his great disgust, Marius was elected consul, and superseded him in his province, B. c. 107, where he carried on the war with yet greater vigour. Jugurtha was driven to take refuge with Bocchus, king of the Gætulians, who was persuaded by L. Cornelius Sylla, the quæstor of Marius, to betray him, в. c. 106. When Marius returned home, Jan. 104, Jugurtha adorned his triumph, and afterwards was thrown into a dungeon, where he died of hunger. THE TEUTONIC AND CIMBRIC WAR. B.C. 113. The Cimbri invade Gaul. 104. The Cimbri march into Spain. 102. Battle of Aquæ Sextiæ. 101. Battle of Vercellæ. 100. Metellus banished. Death of Saturninus. 99. Return of Metellus. Marius had been again raised to the consulship, B.c. 104, to which he was re-elected during five successive years; it * He at one time gave up a large sum of money, his elephants, and part of his horses and arms, intending to surrender; but after having done this, his heart failed him. 5 More correctly, Sulla. being felt that he was the only man capable of repelling the Cimbri and Teutones, who had overpowered the Romans in Gaul, and were now threatening the very existence of their empire. Fortunately for Rome, the Cimbri invaded Spain, and Marius was able to spend two years in forming an army. The free peasantry of Rome being almost extinct, he was obliged to take recruits from the dregs of the populace, whom he trained into soldiers by the severity of an iron discipline, and by inuring them to hardship and fatigue. At length, when the barbarians were about to burst upon Italy, Marius marched into Gaul, and destroyed the Teutones at Aquæ Sextiæ, B. c. 102; and the following year, he went to the aid of his late colleague, Q. Lutatius Catulus, who had retreated before the Cimbri, abandoning the plain of the Po. Another great victory over these barbarians at Vercellæ, completed the deliverance of Italy. 7 A period of much excitement now followed; Marius having connected himself with two villains, L. Apuleius Saturninus and C. Servilius Glaucia, against whose projects Metellus made a noble stand, and withdrew into exile rather than yield to them. Saturninus, when reelected tribune, had murdered Nonius the rival candidate, and Glaucia, who now stood for the consulship, caused his opponent, C. Memmius, to be beaten to death. This atrocity roused the senate and people, and Marius as consul was obliged to take up arms against his friends. They had occupied the Capitol; but as the supply of water was cut off, they soon surrendered, and fell victims to the rage of the populace, B. c. 100. Metellus was now recalled by all parties. The Cimbri or Cymri, the parent stock of the Welsh and Picts, seem to have come from the Cimbric Chersonese. The Teutones were Germans. 7 The title of Numidicus had been given him. THE SOCIAL WAR. B. C. 91. The Laws and Death of Drusus. 90. The Social War begins. The Lex Julia. The next disputes were stirred by the tribune M. Livius Drusus, a young man of extraordinary talent, who attempted to reform the administration of justice by making the judges no longer from the knights but from the senate, to which three hundred knights were to be joined; and also to strengthen the state by admitting the Italians to the citizenship, B. c. 91. He was cut short in his career by the knife of an unknown assassin, and the knights began a system of persecution against all who had supported him. The discontent of the Italians now broke out into open warfare, B. c. 90. The Marsians, Samnites, and other kindred races, established their own senate and consuls at Corfinium, and at first had the advantage in the struggle. But the consul L. Julius Cæsar wisely secured the Latins by giving them the full citizenship; and the same privileges were extended to the Tuscans and Umbrians. When the tide of success turned in favour of Rome, and some of the Italians began to waver, the franchise was offered to those who would lay down their arms; so that at the end of two years, the Samnites and Lucanians alone made any resistance. Thus ended the Social, Marsic, or Italian War, which is said to have cost 300,000 lives. 8 Son of the Drusus who opposed C. Gracchus. SECTION VII. FROM THE CONTEST OF SYLLA AND MARIUS TO THE END OF THE MITHRIDATIC WARS. B. C. 88. Mithridates massacres the Romans. Sylla drives out Marius. 87. Marius and Cinna supreme at Rome. Siege of Athens. 86. Death of Marius. Battles of Charonea and Orchomenus. -Flaccus goes to Asia. 84. Death of Cinna. Sylla makes peace. Fimbria kills himself. Sylla, during the late war, had by his victories somewhat eclipsed the fame of Marius his old commander; and when he was raised to the consulship, the senate gave him the conduct of the war against Mithridātes. The jealousy of Marius was aroused; and he got his friend, the tribune P. Sulpicius Rufus, to pass a law by which it was transferred to himself. On this, Sylla appealed to his army at Nola, and marching to Rome, overpowered Marius and his faction, and drove them into exile, B. c. 88. He behaved with great moderation, allowing L. Cornelius Cinna, a leader of the opposite party, to be elected consul; and soon afterwards took his departure from Italy. Marius had escaped with difficulty to Africa, whence he was recalled by Cinna, who, driven out of Rome for attempting to swamp the old tribes, the strongholds of the 9 He underwent great danger and suffering in his flight. He was dragged out of the marshes near Minturnæ by his pursuers, and the magistrates sent a Gaul into the prison to despatch him. But Marius so intimidated the barbarian with his look, asking him how he dared to kill Caius Marius, that he shrank away. Marius was set free ; and he went on to Carthage, where in answer to the prætor's order to depart, he said to the envoy, "Tell him that thou hast seen Marius sitting an exile among the ruins of Carthage." |