A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

836 LUCULLUS. LUCULLUS.
Deeply mortified at this termination to his populace insisted that he should be buried, as Sulla
glorious career, Lucullus returned to Rome to claim had been, in the Campus Martius, and it was with
the well-merited honour of a triumph. But even difficulty that his brother prevailed on them to allow
this was opposed by the machinations of his adver- his ashes to be deposited, as previously arranged,
saries. C. Memmius, one of the tribunes, brought in his Tusculan villa (Plut. Ibid.).
against him various charges for maladministration, The.name of Lucullus is almost as celebrated
and it was not till an interval of nearly three years for the luxury of his latter years as for his victories
had elapsed, that this opposition was overcome, and over Mithridates. He appears to have inherited
Lucullus at length celebrated his triumph with the the love of money inherent in his family, while the
greatest magnificence, at the commencement of the circumstances in which he was placed gave him the
year 63. (Plut. Lucull. 37, Cat. Min. 29; Cic. opportunity of gratifying it without having recourse
Acad. pr. ii. 1; Vell. Pat. ii. 34.) In these dis- to the illegal means which had disgraced his father
putes the cause of Lucullus was warmly supported and grandfather. As quaestor under Sulla, and
by Cato, whose sister Serviliahehad married, as well afterwards during his residence in Asia, it is proas by the whole aristocratical party at Rome, who bable that he had already accumulated much
were alarmed at the increasing power of Pompey, wealth: and during the long period of his governand sought in Lucullus a rival and antagonist to ment as proconsul, and his wars against Mithrithe object of their fears. But his character was dates and Tigranes, he appears to have amassed,ill adapted for the turbulent times in which he vast treasures. These supplied him the means,
lived; and, instead of putting himself prominently after his return to Rome, of gratifying his natural
forward as the leader of a party he soon began to taste for luxury, and enabled him to combine an
withdraw gradually from public affairs, and devote ostentatious magnificence of display with all the,himself more and more to a life of indolence and resources of the most refined sensual indulgence.
luxury. After the return of Pompey, however, in His gardens in the immediate suburbs of the city
B. C. 62, he took a leading part, together with Me- were laid out in a style of splendour exceeding all
tellus Creticus, Cato, and others of the aristocratic that had been previously known, and continued to
party; in opposing the indiscriminate ratification of be an object -of admiration even under the em-.the acts of Pompey in Asia. By their combined perors: but still more remarkable were his villas
efforts they succeeded in delaying the proposed mea- at Tusculum, and in the neighbourhood of Neasure for more than two years, but at the same time polis. In the construction of the latter, with its
produced the effect, which they had doubtless not various appurtenances, its parks, fish-ponds, &c.,
anticipated, of forcing Pompey into the arms of the he had laid out vast sums in cutting through hills
opposite faction, and thus bringing about the coali- and rocks, and throwing out advanced works into
tion known as the First Triumvirate. (Plut. Lucull. the sea. So gigantic indeed was the scale of these
38, 42, Pomzp. 46; Veil. Pat. ii. 40; Dion Cass. labours for objects apparently so insignificant, that.xxxvii. 49; Suet. Caes. 19.) After that event Pompey called him, in derision, the Roman
Lucullus took little part in political affairs. He Xerxes. His feasts at Rome itself were celebrated
had previously come forward at the trial of P. on a scale of inordinate magnificence: a single
Clodius (B. C. 61), to give his testimony to the supper in the hall, called that of Apollo, was said
profligate and vicious character of the accused (Cic. to cost the sum of 50,000 denarii. Even during
pro Milon. 27), and by this means, as well as by his campaigns it appears that the pleasures of the
-the general course of his policy, had incurred the table had not been forgotten; and it is well knowni
enmity b6th of Crassus and Caesar, so that he that he was the first to introduce cherries into
-found himself on hostile terms with all the three Italy, which he had brought with him from Cerasus
individuals who had now the chief direction of. in Pontus. (Plut. Lucull. 39-41; Cic. de Leg.
-affairs at Rome. Caesar even threatened him with iii. 13, de Oj. i. 39; Plin. H. N. viii. 52, ix. 54,
a prosecution for his proceedings in Asia; a danger xiv. 14, xv. 25; Varr. de R. R. iii. 4, 17; Veil.
which so much alarmed him that he had recourse Pat. ii. 33; -Athen. ii. p. 50, vi. p. 274, xii. p. 543,
to the most humiliating entreaties in order to avert For further details see Drumann's Geschichte'Rons,
it (Suet. Caes. 20). In the following year (B. C. vol. iv. pp. 169, 170, where all the ancient autho59) he was among the leaders of the aristocratic rities are referred to.) In the midst of these
party, charged by L. Vettius, at the instigation of sensual indulgences, however,, there were not wantVatinius, with an imaginary plot against - the life ing pleasures of a more refined and elevated chaof Pompey (Cic. in Vatin. 10, Ep. ad Att. ii. 24); racter. Lucullus had from his earliest years
and in the same year he is mentioned among'the devoted much attention to literary pursuits, and
judges at the trial of L. Flaccus (Cic. pro Flac. had displayed an enlightened patronage towards
34). But these two are the last occasions on which' men of letters: he had also applied part of his
his name appears in history. The precise period wealth to the acquisition of a valuable library,
of his death is not mentioned, but he cannot long which was now opened to the free use of the
have survived the return of Cicero from exile, as literary public; and here he himself used to assothe great orator refers to him as no longer living, ciate with the Greek philosophers and literati who
in his oration concerning the consular provinces, at this time swarmed at Rome, and would enter
delivered the following year, B. c.'56 (Cic. de Prov. warmly into their metaphysical and philosophical
Cons. 9). We are told that for some time previous discussions. Hence the picture drawn by Cicero
to his death he had fallen into a state of complete at the commencement of the Academics was prodotage, so that the management of his affairs was bably to a certain extent taken from the reality.
confided to his brother Marcus (Plut. LU'cull. 43; His constant companion from the time of his
Aul. Vict. de Vir. Illusir. 74). But his death, as quaestorship had been Antiochus of Ascalon, from
often happens, revived in its full force the memory whom he imbibed the precepts of the Academic
of his great exploits; and when the fineral oration school of philosophy, to which he continued through
was pronounced in the forum over his remains, the life to be attached. (Cic. Acad. pr. ii. 2, de Fin.