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

POIMPEU S. POMPEIUS. 477
son. For that reason he was.not allowed to eon- year, B. c. 87, Stlabo was killed by lightning. His
duct the accusation, which was assigned to C. avarice and cruelty had made him hated by the
Caesar instead (Cic. Div. in Caecil. 19). He was soldiers to such a degree, that they tore his corpse
probably praetor in B. C. 94, and obtained in the from the bier and dragged it through the streets.
following year the government of Sicily (Cic. Verr. Cicero describes him (Brut. 47) as "worthy of
iii. 16, v. 66). On the breaking out of the Social hatred on account of his cruelty, avarice, and peror Marsic war, in B. C. 90, Pompeius served as fidy." He possessed some reputation as an orator,
legate under the consul P. Rutilius Lupus. Pom- and still more as a general. He left behind him
peius was at first defeated, and obliged to take a considerable property, especially in Picenum;
refiuge at Firmuml, where he was besieged by and his anxiety to protect his estates probably led
Afraiius, one of the Italian generals. But when him to make that neighbourhood one of the princiSulpicius came to his assistance, Afranius was at- pal seats of the war against the Italians (Appian,
tacked at once by the two Roman armies, and lost B. C. i. 40, 47, 52, 66-68, 80; Liv. Epit. 74his life in the battle: his troops fled in confusion 79; Vell. Pat. ii. 20, 21; Flor. iii. 18; Oros. v.
to Asculum. To this town Pompeius proceeded to 18; Plut. Pomp. 1, 3; Cic. Philipp. xii. 11.)
lay siege; and as he seems to have been regarded 22. CN. POMPEIUS MAGNUS, the soin of No. 21,
as a general of no mean abilities, he was elected to and afterwards the triumvir, was born on the 30th
the consulship, B. c. 89, with L. Porcius Cato. of September, B. c. 106, in the consulship of Atilius
Soon after entering upon his consulship, he de- Serranus and Servilius Caepio. He was confeated the Italians on the east coast, who, ignorant sequently a few months younger than Cicero, who
that the Etruscans had made terms with the Ro- was born on the 3d of January in this year, and
mans, were marching to their assistance. He fol- six years older than Caesar. He had scarcely left
lowed up this victory by others, and defeated, in school before he was summoned to serve under his
succession, the Marsi, Marrucini, and Vestini. He father in the Social war. He fought under him in
at length took Asculum, and subdued the Picen- B. c. 89 against the Italians, when he was only
tines, and returned to Rome at the end of the seventeen years of age, and continued with him
year, which he entered in triumph on the 27th of till his death two years afterwards. He was preDecember. Before he laid down his consulship, sent at the battle of the Colline Gate, in B. c. 87,
he probably brought forward the law (lex Pom- and, as has been already related, he saved the life of
jpeia), which gave to all the towns of the Transpa- his father, and quelled an insurrection of the soldanii the Juss Latii or Latinitas. diers by his courage and activity. The death of
In the following year, B. c. 88, occurred the dread- his father soon after this event left Pompey his own
ful struggle between Marius and Sulla for the com- master at the age of nineteen. The aristocratical
mand of the Mithridatic war, which ended in the party were no longer able to offer any opposition to
proscription of Marius, and his flight from Italy. Marius and Cinna, who accordingly entered Rome
Strabo had returned to his army, and was engaged in shortly afterwards, and took a bloody revenge on
southern Italy in completing the subjugation of the their opponents. Pompey's house was plundered;
Italians, when he learnt that the senate had deprived and he did not venture to appear in public till
him of the command, and had assigned his army to after the death of Marius in the following year,
the consul Q. Pompeius Rufus, to whom the care of B. C. 86. His enemies, however, immediately acItaly was entrusted, while his colleague Snlla was cused him of having shared with his father in the
engaged in the Mithridatic war. But Strabo, who plunder of Ascullum. Not trusting either to the
was excessively fond of power, was indignant at justice of his cause, or to the eloquence of his advothis decision. He however concealed his resent- cates, L. Marcius Philippus and Q. Hortensius, he
ment and handed over the army to Rufus; but at agreed to marry the daughter of the praetor Antisthe same time he secretly instigated the soldiers to tins, who presided at the trial, and was in conmurder their new commander, which they accord- sequence acquitted.
ingly did shortly afterwards. IHe affected great In B. C. 84, the Marian party made great
horror of the crime, but took no steps to bring the preparations to oppose Sulla, who had inow
perpetrators to justice; and Sulla, who was on the finished the Mithridatic war, anId was on his way
point of starting for the East, was obliged to over- to Italy. Pompey, though so young, was fired
look the murder. with the ambition of distinguishing himself above
Next year, B. c. 87, the Marian party obtained all the other leaders of the aristocracy; and while
the upper hand. L. Cinna, who had been driven the rest were content to wait quietly for Sulla's
out of the city by his colleague Cn. Octavius, had arrival in Italy to deliver them from their enemies,
collected a formidable army, and being joined by Pompey resolved to share with Sulla the glory of
Marius, advanced against Rome. The aristocracy crushing the Marian party. He accordingly fled fromn
summoned Pompeius Strabo to their aid; but as the camp of Cinna shorly before the latter was iluirhe commanded against their wish, and had been dered, and hastened to Picenum, where he prorefused a second consulship this year, he was un- ceeded to levy troops without holding ally public
willing to espouse their side. Still, not being pre- office, and without any authority from the senate
pared to join the other party, he advanced by slow or people. The influence which he possessed by
marches to the relief of the city, and, contrary to his large estates in Picenum, and by his personal
his wishes, was obliged to fight near the Colline popularity, enabled him to raise an army of three
Gate with Cinnal and Sertorius. The battle was legions by the beginning of the following year,
not decisive, but Strabo was unable to play any B. c. 83. He assumed the command at Auximum, a
longer a neutral part. Cinna attempted to remove town in the north of Picenum, not far from Anhim by assassination, but he was saved by the cona; and while the rest of the aristocracy hastened
energy and prudence of his son, who also quelled to join Sulla, who had landed at Brundisiun,
a dangerous mutiny among the soldiers. Shortly Pompey was anxious to distinguish himself by
after these events, and in the course of the same some brilliant success over the enemy. The faults