St. Augustine, Of the citie of God vvith the learned comments of Io. Lod. Viues. Englished by I.H.

Of the ciuill warres betweene Sylla and Marius CHAP. 27.

VVHen Marius being now imbrued with his countrymens bloud, and hauing slaine many of his aduersaries, was at length foyled and forced to flie the citty, that now gotte time to take a little breath; presently (to vse (a) Tullies wordes) vpon the sodaine Cinna and Marius began to bee conquerours againe. And then out went the heart blouds of the most worthy men, and the lights of all the cittie. But soone after came (b) Sylla, and reuenged this barbarous massa∣cre; but with what damage to the state and cittie, it is not my purpose to vtter; For that this reuenge was worse, then if all the offences that were punished, had bene left vnpunished. Let Lucan testifie: (c) in these wordes.

Excessit medicina modum, nimium{que} secuta est Qua morbi duxêre manus: periêre nocentes Sed cùm iam soli possent superesse nocentes Tunc data libertas odijs resolutà{que} legum Frenis ira ruit—

The medicine wrought too sore, making the cure Too cruell for the patient to indure: The guilty fell: but none yet such remaining, Hate riseth at full height, and wrath disdaining Lawes reines brake out—

For in that war of Sylla and Marius, (besides those that fell in the field,) the whole cittie, streetes, Market-places, Theaters, and Temples were filled with dead

bodies: that it was a question whether the conquerors slaughtered so many to at∣taine the conquest, or because they had already attained it. In Marius his first victory, at his returne from exile, besides infinite other slaughters, Octauius his head (the Consuls) was polled vp in the pleading-place: Caesar and (d) Fimbra were slaine in their houses, the two (e) Crassi, father and son, killed in one anothers sight, (f) Bebius and Numitorius trailed about vpon hookes till death: (g) Catulus poisoned him-selfe to escape his enemies, and (h) Menula the Iouial Flamine cutte his owne veines and so bled him-selfe out of their danger, Marius hauing giuen order for the killing of all them whome he didde not (i) re-salute, or profer his hand vnto.

L. VIVES.

TO vse (a) Tullies words] For the following words are Tullyes in his 3. Inuectiue against Ca∣teline: Where men were slaine by Cinna and Marius (saith he) wee haue already rehearsed in our third Oration for Sylla: namely the two bretheren C. and L. Iulij, Caesars, Attillius Soranus, P. Lentulus, L. Crassus, M. Anthony the Orator, Gn. Octauius, L. Cornelius, Merula the Diall Flamine: Consuls, L. Catulus, Q. Arcarius, M. Bebius, Numitorius, Sext. Licinius. (b) •…•…ylla, and reuenged] Tullyes wordes also ibid. (c) In these wordes] Lib. 2. * 1.1

Sylla quo{que} immensis acce•…•…sit cladibus vltor, Ille quod exiguum restabat sanguinis vrbi Hausit: dam{que} minis iam putrida membra recidit, Excessit medicina modum—

Then Sylla came to auenge the worthi's slaine And that small Romaine bloud that did remaine He drew: but clean sing still the parts impure The medicine wrought to sure—

(d) Fimbria] There was one C. Fimbria, whome Velleius calles Flauius, he was a Marian, and the razer of Ilium. There was an other C. Fimbria, sur-named Licinius, who liued with the * 1.2 Gracchi, and entring inro the ciuil wars, was slaine in his own house, as Caesar was: of this Fim∣bria speaks Tully de clar. orator. And he it was (I thinke) that would not giue his iudgemet in the contention about a good man. (Cic. offic. lib 3. Valer. lib. 7.) e) Crassi.] The son fel by the hands of the soldiors of Fimbria, Cinna's Lieutenant: the father stabbed him-selfe. (f) Be∣bius] He was torne in peeces by the executioners like a beast, without any vse of yron vppon him. (Lucan. lib. 2.) * 1.3

—Vix te sparsum per viscera Bebi Innumeras inter carpentis membra coronae, Discerpsisse manus—

—Nor thee poore Bebius, torne, And scattered through a thousand bloudy hands, Renting them in a ring—

(g) Catulus] L. Luctatius Catulus was ioynt Consull with Marius in his 4. Consulship in the Cimbrian warre, and tryumphed with him ouer them: The whole Senate intreating Mar•…•… * 1.4 for him, he answered he must die, which Catulus hearing of, stifeled him-selfe with coales: whe∣ther swallowing them as Portia did, or inclosing the smoake close in his chamber, hauing newly limed it so he died, it is not certaine: (for this later is a present way to death, vnlesse remedies be forth-with gotten) Some think he died of poison, as Augustine saith here. (h) Merula] He cut his veines in Ioues shrine. (i) Re-salute] That was the signe that Marius gaue for life and death.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Nobles slaine. by Cynna & Marius.
• * 1.2

  C. Fimbria Licinius.
• * 1.3

  Bebius.
• * 1.4

  Catulus.