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

MARTUS. MARIUS. 953
that Marius was assisted in gaining this office by for bribery. Here he had a very narrow escape
Caecilius Metellus, of whose house the family of the nobles seem to have felt sure of his conviction,
Marius had long been adherents, which would and, contrary to all expectation, he was acquitted,
almost seem to imply that the relation of clientship but simply through the votes of the judges being
to the Herennian family had for all practical pur- equal. It appears, from a passage of Cicero (de
poses fallen into disuse, although Plutarch himself Off. iii. 20. ~ 79), that seven years elapsed between
a little further on (c. 5) says that C. Iferennius the praetorship and the first consulship of Marius
refused to give testimony against Marins, when and he must, therefore, have filled the former
the latter was accused of bribery, on the ground of office in B. c. 115, when he was now forty-two
his being his client. In his tribunate Marius years of age. During his praetorship Marius
proposed a law to give greater freedom to the either remained at Rome as the praetor urbanus or
people at the elections. Of the provisions of this peregrinus, or had some province in Italy; and as
law we know nothing, except that it contained a his talents were not adapted for civil life, it is not
clause for making the pontes narrower which led surprising that he should have gained but little
into the septa or inclosures where the people voted credit in this office, as Plutarch tells us was the
(Cic. De Leg. iii. 17); but as its object seems to case. In the following year he obtained a stage
have been to prevent intimidation on the part of more suitable to his abilities; for he went as prothe nobles, it was strongly opposed by the senate. praetor into the province of Further Spain, which
Only four years had elapsed since the death of he cleared of the robbers and marauders who
C. Gracchus, and the aristocratical party at Rome, swarmed in that country.
flushed with victory, and undisputed masters of From the moment that Marius obtained the
the state, resolved to put down with a high hand praetorship, he no doubt kept his eyes steadily
the least invasion of their privileges and power. fixed upon the consulship; but he felt that his
The senate, accordingly, on the proposition of the time was not yet come. The nobles jealously
consul L. Cotta, summoned Marius before them to guarded the highest dignity of the state against
account for his conduct, probably thinking that any the intrusion of any new men; but their venality
tribune, and especially one who had no experience and corruption, which were shortly to be displayed
in political life, with the fate of the Gracchi before with more than usual shamelessness in the war
his eyes, might be easily frightened into submission. with Jugurtha, were gradually raising at Rome a
They little knew, however, with what stern stuff storm of popular indignation, and preparing the
they had to deal. When he appeared before the way for Marius. Although he possessed neither
senate, far from being overawed, as they had an- wealth nor eloquence, by which the Roman people
ticipated, he threatened to send Cotta to prison, were chiefly influenced, yet he gained much popuunless the decree was rescinded; and when the larity by his well-known energy of character, his
latter asked the opinion of his colleague Metellts, patient endurance of toil and hardship, and his
and the latter bade him adhere to the decree, simple mode of life, which formed a striking conMarius straightway sent for his -officer, who was trast to the extravagant and voluptuous habits of
outside the senate-house, and ordered him to carry his noble contemporaries. It was about this time
off Metellus himself to prison. The consul im- too that he strengthened his connections, and gained
plored in vain the interposition of the other tribunes, additional consequence in the eyes of the people,
and the senate, unprepared for such an act of by forming an alliance with the illustrious Julian
vigorous determination, dropped their unconstitu- house, by marrying Julia, the sister of C. Julius
tionlal decree, and allowed the law to be carried. Caesar, who was the father of the subsequent ruler
The favour, however, which Marius acquired with of Rome.
the people by his firmness in this matter, was We have no information of the occupations of
somewhat damped a short time aftet in the same Marius for the'next few years, and we do not read
year, by his opposing a measure for the distribution of him again till B. C. 109, in which year he went
of corn among the people, which, he rightly thought, into Africa as the legate of the consul Q. Caecilius
would have only the tendency of fostering those Metellus, who had previously assisted him in
habits of idleness and licentiousness which were obtaining the tribunate of the plebs. Here, in the
spreading so rapidly among the population of the war against Jugurtha, the military genius of Marius
city. had ample opportunity of displaying itself, and he
Still the general conduct of Marius in his tri- was soon regarded as the most distinguished officer
bunate had earned for him the goodwill of the in the army. The readiness with which he shared
people and the hatred of the aristocracy. The the toils of the common soldiers, eating of the
latter resolved to oppose him with all their might; same food and working at the same trenches as
and accordingly, when he became a candidate for they did, endeared him to their hearts, and through
the curule aedileship, they used every effort to their letters to their friends at Rome, his praises
frustrate his election. Seeing on the day of election were in every body's mouth. His increasing reputathat he had no chance of obtaining the curule tion fired him with a stronger desire, and presented
aedileship, he offered himself as a candidate for the him with better hopes than he had hitherto had, of
plebeian aedileship, but likewise failed in obtaining obtaining the long-cherished object of his ambition.
the latter. The proud and haughty spirit of These desires and hopes were still further inflamed
Marius was deeply galled by this repulse; and it and increased by a circumstance which happened to
must have tended to foster and -augment those him at Utica. Marius was not tainted by the
feelings of bitter personal hatred to the aristocracy fashionable infidelity which was gaining rapid
which were constantly apparent in his subsequent ground among the higher circles at Rome; he was
life. It was with great difficulty that he gained on the contrary very superstitious, and, in his wars
his election to the praetorship; he had the smallest with the Cinibri, always carried with him a Syrian
number of votes of those who were elected; and or Jewish prophetess of the name of Martha; and
he was still further exasperated by being prosecuted while he was sacrificing on one occasion at Utica,