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increased infinitely by the multitude of people, whom the war between Mithridates and the Romans had ruined, and who fought the fubfiftence from the sea, which they could not find on fhore. The Pirates then formed armies, and their Commanders became Generals. It was a trifling matter for them to attack navigators. They made defcents, furprized cities that were not fortified; and either ftormed or befieged those which were in a condition of defence; and by these military exploits, they imagined they ennobled their profeffion. Men, before confiderable both for birth and riches, valiant and enterprizing, engaged amongst them, and far from thinking it a difgrace, conceived they might acquire honour from doing so.

At length they formed a kind of Commonwealth, of which Cilicia was the centre, a country difficult to approach, and of which the coafts were covered with rocks and fands. In confequence it was a fecure retreat for them, and they took their name from it. They were all called Cilicians, though they were an affemblage of almost all the nations of the east. As they often removed from that centre, they had occafion to settle stations or marts upon the coafts, where they cruized, for unlading their booty: they had even in them naval Arfenals, well fupplied with iron, brafs, wood, and cordage, in a word, with all the munitions neceffary for fhips. They alfo built very high towers, from whence they could discover a great extent of fea, and perceive their prey at a vast distance. And lastly, they fucceeded in bringing great and powerful cities into their intereft, as Phafelis, Olympia, and several others, whom the commodiousness of a trade, entirely at the expence and hazard of the Pirates, and of very confiderable advantage to them, induced to make an infamous alliance with the enemies of human race.

Muræna, whom Sylla had left in Afia, made fome flight efforts to check the rapid progrefs of this power; but ineffectually. It was neceffary to fend both the land and fea forces from Rome under the

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command of P. Servilius, who having been Conful A. R. 674. the 673d year of Rome, fet out on the expiration of his Confulfhip for this war. The Pirates were fo bold to give a Roman fleet battle; and if the Proconful gained the victory over them, it was not without having loft abundance of men. After having beaten them by fea, he purfued them into their retreats; he took and demolished many of their forts, and even two of the greatest cities in their alliance, Phafelis and Olympia. He also penetrated into the land; forced the city of Ifaura with difficulty and danger, and subjected the nations of the Ifauri. But the fruit of all thefe conquefts, and of a war made upon the spot during three years, extended to little more than the firname of Ifauricus, which the victor affumed, and the pomp of a triumph, in which he very much gratified the People by the fight of a great number of Pirates made prisoners and laden with chains. For the rest he had gone fo little to the root of the evil, that it immediately broke out again with more terror than ever, and obliged the Romans to make new efforts, which had ftill lefs fuccefs than the former. Servi- A. R. 678, lius probably triumphed in the Confulfhip of Lucul- Cic. in lus and Cotta; and this year the Prætor Marcus 4 & ibid. Antonius was charged with the war against the Pi- Afcon. rates, with a more extenfive commiffion than ever Roman General had exercised, and almost the fame as was afterwards given to Pompey for the fame purpose.

Antonius had the government and command of all the maritime coafts, that acknowledged the Roman Empire a diftinguishing employment, but arduous, and for which he was indebted to the credit of the Conful Cotta, and the faction of Cethegus, of whom we shall speak elsewhere. It had been to be wished, that interest and cabal, in caufing the office to be given him, had been capable of adding the merit neceffary to filling it. This Prætor was the fon of the Orator Marcus Antonius, and the father of the Triumvir; but he had neither the eloquence of his father,

Verr. II.

nor

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nor the military virtues of his fon. Salluft defcribes
him as the most negligent of mankind, extravagant
and profufe to excefs, and incapable of any attention,
except when urged by neceffity.

The maritime countries, with the defence of which he was charged, had no other fenfe of the authority conferred on him, than from the rapines he committed in them; and this Commander in chief, whofe power extended over all the feas, confined himself to attacking Crete, which had furnished fome troops to Flor. III. the King of Pontus, and a retreat to the Pirates. Be fides which he conducted the enterprize with a fecurity and prefumption, that brought difgrace upon the Roman name. He believed himself fo fure of victory, that, fays Florus, he carried more chains than arms in his hips. The Cretans, who hitherto, notwithftanding the immenfe increase of the Roman power, and in the midft of fo many Kingdoms and States forced to fubmit to the yoke, had always retained their liberty, fhewed Antonius, that they knew how to defend themselves. They advanced out to fea to meet him, defeated him, and took many of his fhips; and to infult the conquered, they tied up their prisoners to the fails and rigging of their veffels, and in that manner returned in triumph into their ports.

Antonius, who was no lefs fudden in conceiving difcouragement, than he had been in his rafh confidence, made peace with the Cretans, and thereby compleated his infamy. He was at least fenfible of this, and even too much fo. Shame and grief feized him, and uniting with a bad habit of body, brought him to his end. He died with the firname of Creticus, which was given him out of derifion, as a monument of the bad fuccefs of his expedition against Crete.

He was a man of an eafy difpofition, and bad only
through weakness. If he plundered the Allies of the

Perdendæ pecuniæ genitus, vacuufque curis nifi inftantibus,
SALLUST. Hift, III.

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Commonwealth, it was because his prodigality was continually reducing him to use expedients for raifing money; and because he did not know how to refufe those about him any thing, and having many rapacious followers, he made himself the inftrument and support of their injuftice. Plutarch has preferved a Plut. in circumftance, which fhews to what an height he was Ant. inclined to giving. He was not rich, and his wife Julia, a lady of very great merit, of the house of the Cæfars, but not of the same branch with the Dictator, had the greater attention to œconomy, as fhe knew the prodigality of her husband. She had even got the afcendant of him, and he was afraid of her. One day a friend of his came to afk money of him, and he had none. He conceived the thought of wanting to be fhaved, and having ordered a flave to bring him his bafon for that ufe, which was filver, he washed his face, and difmiffing the flave under fome pretext, he gave the piece of plate to his friend to carry away with him. The bafon being miffing in the houfe, Julia made a great noife, and was for questioning all the flaves. Antonius was obliged to confefs the thing to her, and Julia to be patient. Marcus Antonius the Triumvir perfectly resembled his father in this point.

We are to date the death of our Antonius to the 681ft Liv. Epit. XCVII. year of Rome. The Pirates after so many endeavours as the Romans had used to reduce them, became in effect more infolent and powerful. Of this we fhall treat circumftantially, when we come to speak of the commiffion given Pompey to make war with them. We are now going to give an account of the exploits of Lucullus against Mithridates.

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HE exploits of Lucullus against Mithridates and Tigranes.

Affairs of Rome till the command of the war against Mithridates is given to Pompey. Years of Rome, from the 678th to 686th.

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Difpofition of Mithridates and the Romans in refped to the war. Mithridates exercifes himself by various expeditions. Tigranes in concert with him, invades Cappadocia. Mibridates declares himself openly, on the occafion of the Will of Nicomedes, which gives Bythinia to the Romans. Preparations of Mithridates more judiciously made than in the preceding wars. Beginnings of Lucullus. His father and mother. His knowledge in the Arts and all the branches of polite Learning. His military capacity. His difpofition and virtues. He checks a feditious Tribune of the People. He caufes the command of the war against Mithridates to be conferred upon himself. His Collegue Cotta is fent into Bithynia. Lucullus reforms the mutinous difpofition of bis troops. He redreffes the cities of Afia, oppreffed by the Roman Tax-farmers. Cotta is defeated by Mithri

dates.

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