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

SULLA. SULLA. 939
He resolved to extirpate root and branch the po- called himself Epaphroditus. All ranks in Rome
pular party. One of his first acts was to draw up bowed in awe before their master; and among other
a list of his enemies who were to be put to death, marks of distinction which were voted to him by
which list was exhibited in the forum to public the obsequious senate, a gilt equestrian statue was
inspection, and called a Proscriptio. It was the erected to his honour before the Rostra, bearing the
first instance of the kind in Roman history. All inscription " Cornelio Sullae Imperatori Felici."
persons in this list were outlaws who might be During the years B. c. 80 and 79, Sulla carried
killed by any one with impunity, even by slaves; into execution his various reforms in the constitheir property was confiscated to the state, and tution, of which an account is given at the close
was to be sold by public auction; their children of his life. But at the same time he adopted
and grandchildren lost their votes in the comitia, measures in order to crush his enemies more
and were excluded from all public offices. Further, completely, and to consolidate the power of his
all who killed a proscribed person, or indicated the party. These measures require a few words of
place of his concealment, received two talents as a explanation, as they did not form a part of his
reward, and whoever sheltered such a person was constitutional reforms, though they were intended
punished with death. Terror now reigned, not for the support of the latter. The first of these
only at Rome, but throughout Italy. Fresh lists measures has been already mentioned, namely the
of the proscribed constantly appeared. No one destruction of his enemies by the proscription.
was safe; for Sulla gratified his friends by placing He appears to have published his list of victims
in the fatal lists their personal enemies, or persons immediately after the defeat of the Samnites and
whose property was coveted by his adherents. An Lucanians at the Colline gate, without communiestate, a house, or even a piece of plate was to cating, as Plutarch says (Sull. 31), with any mamany a man, who belonged to no political party, gistrate; but when he was dictator he proposed a
his death warrant; for although the confiscated lawv in the comnitia centuriata, which ratified his
property belonged to the state, and had to be sold proscriptions, and which is usually called Lex Corby public auction, the friends and dependents of nelia de Proscriptione or De Proscriptis. By this law
Sulla purchased it at a nominal price, as no one it was enacted that all proscriptions should cease
dared to bid against them. Oftentimes Sulla did on the 1st of June, B. C. 81. The lex Valeria,
not require the purchase-money to be paid at all, and which conferred the dictatorship upon Sulla, gave
in many cases he gave such property to his favourites him absolute power over the lives of Roman citizens,
without even the formality of a sale. Metella, the and hence Cicero says he does not know whether
wife of the dictator, and Chrysogonus his freed- to call the proscription law a lex Valeria or lex
man, P. Sulla, M. Crassus, Vettius, and Sex. Nae- Cornelia. (Cic. pro Rose. Am. 43, 44, de Ley.
vius are especially mentioned among those who re- Agr. iii. 2.)
ceived such presents; and handsome Roman ma- Another of Sulla's measures, and one of still
trons, as likewise actors and actresses, were fa- more importance for the support of his power, was
voured in the same manner. The number of per- the establishment of military colonies throughout
sons who perished by the proscriptions is stated Italy. The inhabitants of the Italian towns, which
differently, but it appears to have amounted to had fought against Sulla, were deprived of the full
many thousands. At the commencement of these Roman franchise which had been lately conferred
horrors Sulla had been appointed dictator. As both upon them, and were only allowed to retain the
the consuls had perished, he caused the senate to commercium: their land was confiscated and given
elect Valerius FIaccus interrex, and the latter to the soldiers who had fought under him. Twentybrought before the people a rogatio, conferring the three legions (Appian, B. C. i. 100), or, according
dictatorship upon Sulla, for the purpose of restoring to another statement (Liv. Epit. 89), forty-seven
order to the republic, and for as long a time as he legions received grants of land in various parts of
judged to be necessary. Thus the dictatorship was Italy. A great number of these colonies was settled
revived after being in abeyance for more than in Etruria, the population of which was thus almost
120 years, and Sulla obtained absolute power entirely changed. These colonies had the strongest
over the lives and fortunes of all the citizens. interest in upholding the institutions of Sulla, since
This was towards the close of B. c. 81. Sulla's any attempt to invalidate the latter would have
great object in being invested with the dictatorship endangered their newly-acquired possessions. But
was to carry into execution in a legal manner the though they were a support to the power of Sulla,
great reforms which he meditated in the constitu- they hastened the fall of the commonwealth; an
tion and the administration of justice, by which idle and licentious soldiery supplanted an indushe hoped to place the government of the republic trious and agricultural population; and Catiline
on a firm and secure basis. He had no intention found n6where more adherents than among the
of abolishing the republic, and consequently he military colonies of Sulla. While Sulla thus estacaused consuls to be elected for the following year, blished throughout Italy a population devoted to
B.C. 81, and was elected to the office himself in B.c. his interests, he created at Rome a kind of body80, while he continued to hold the dictatorship. guard for his protection by giving the citizenship
At the beginning of the following year, B. C. 81, to a great number of slaves belonging to those who
Sulla celebrated a splendid triumph on account of had been proscribed by him. The slaves thus rehis victory over Mithridates. In a speech which warded are said to have been as many as 10,000,
he delivered to the people at the close of the gor- and were called Cornelii after him as their patron.
geous ceremony, he claimed for himself the sur- Sulla had completed his reforms by the beginname of Felix, as he attributed his success in life ning of B. C. 79, and as he longed for the undisto the favour of the gods. He believed himself to turbed enjoyment of his pleasures, he resolved to
have been in particular under the protection of resign his dictatorship. Accordingly, to the general
Venus, who had granted him victory in battle as surprise he summoned the people, resigned his
well as in love. Hence, in writing to Greeks, he dictatorship, and declared himself ready to render