brother, was at that time in the port of Munichia, and would neither remove from the fea, nor come to a battle with the Romans; but he endeavoured to protract the war, and cut off their provifions. This was very wife conduct, for Sylla began to be in want of them; fo that famine obliged him to quit Attica, and to enter the fruitful plains of Boeotia, where Hortenfius joined him. Their troops being united, they took poffeffion of a fertile eminence in the midft of the plains of Elatea, at the foot of which ran a rivulet. When they had formed their camp, the enemies could difcover at a view their small number: which amounted to only fifteen thousand foot, and fifteen hundred horse. This induced Archelaus's generals to prefs him in the warmest manner to proceed to action. They did not obtain his confent without great difficulty. They immediately began to move, and covered the whole plain with horses, chariots, and their innumerable troops. For when the two brothers were joined, their army might be called fo. The noise and cries of fo many nations, and fo many thousands of men preparing for battle; the pomp and magnificence of their array, all was terrible to behold. The luftre of their armour, magnificently adorned with gold and filver, and the lively colours of the Median and Scythian coats of arms, mingled with the glitter of brass and steel, reflected rays, which whilft they dazzled the fight, filled the foul with terror. The Romans, feized with dread, kept clofe within their entrenchments. Sylla, not being able by his difcourfe and remonftrances to remove their fear, and not being willing to force them to fight in the univerfal difcouragement they then were, was obliged to lie ftill, and fuffer suffer, though with great impatience, the bravadoes and infulting derifion of the Barbarians. They conceived fo great a contempt for him in confequence, that they obferved no discipline any longer. Few of them kept within their entrenchments: the reft, for the fake of plunder, difperfed in great troops, and removed confiderably, even feveral days journey, from the camp. They plundered and ruined fome cities in the neighbourhood. Sylla was in the last despair, when he faw the allies cities deftroyed in his view, for want of power to make his army fight. He at last thought of a stratagem; which was to give the troops no repofe, and to keep them inceffantly at work in turning the little river Cephifus, which was near his camp, and in digging deep and large foffe's, under pretence of their better fecurity; but in effect, that when they should be tired of fuch great fatigues, they might prefer the hazard of a battle to the continuance of their labour. His ftratagem was fuccessful. After having worked without intermiffion three days; as Sylla, according to cuftom, was taking a view of their progress, they cried out to him with one voice to lead them on against the enemy. Sylla fuffered himself to be exceedingly entreated, and did not comply for fome time: but when he faw their ardour encrease from his oppofition, he made them ftand to their arms, and marched against the enemy. The battle was fought near Cheronæa. The enemy had poffeffed themselves with a great body of troops of a very advantagious post, called Thurium; it was the ridge of a steep mountain, which extended itself upon the left flank of the Romans, and was very proper to check their motions. Two men of Cheronæa came to Sylla, and promifed him to drive the enemy from this poft, if he would give them a fmall number of chofen troops; which he did. In the mean time he drew up his army in battle, divided his horfe in the two wings, taking the right himself, and giving the left to Murena. Galba and Hortenfius formed a fecond line. Hortenfius, on the left of it, fupported Murena, whilft Galba, on the right, did the fame for Sylla. The Barbarians had already began to extend their horse, and lightarmed foot, taking in a large compass, with defign to furround the fecond line, and charge them in the rear. At this inftant the two men of Cheronæa, having gained the top of Thurium with their fmall troop, without being perceived by the enemy, fhewed themfelves on a fudden. The Barbarians, furprized and terrified, immediately took to flight. Preffing against each other upon the declivity of the mountain, they ran precipitately down it before the enemy, who fell upon them, and pursued them with their fwords at their backs; fo that about three thousand men were killed upon the mountain. Of those that escaped, fome fell into the hands of Murena, who had juft before formed himfelf in battle. Having marched against them, he cut off their way, and made a great flaughter of them the reft, who endeavoured to regain their camp, fell in upon the main body of their troops with fo much diforder, that they threw the whole army into terror and confufion, and made their generals lofe much time in re-inftating them, which was one of the principal causes of their defeat. Sylla, Sylla, taking advantage of this diforder, marched against them fo warmly, that having cleared the ground between the two armies with extreme rapidity, he prevented the effect of their chariots armed with feyths. The force of these chariots depended upon the length of their course, which gave impetuofity and violence to their motion; instead of which, a short space that did not leave room for their carrier, rendered them useless and ineffectual. This the Barbarians experienced at this time. The firft chariots came on fo flowly, and with fo little. effect, that the Romans eafily pushing them back, with great noife and loud laughter called for others, as was cuftomary at Rome in the chariot-races of the Circus. After thofe chariots were removed, the two armies joined battle. The Barbarians prefented their long pikes, and kept close order with their bucklers joined, fo that they could not be broke; and the Romans threw down their javelins, and with fword in hand, removed the enemy's pikes, in order to join and charge them with great fury. What encreased their animofity, was the fight of fifteen thousand flaves, whom the king's generals had spirited from them by the promise of their liberty, and placed with the heavy-armed foot. Thofe faves had fo much refolution and bravery, that they fuftained the fhock of the Roman foot without giving way. Their battle was fo deep and fo well clofed, that the Romanst could neither break nor move them, till the light-armed foot of the fecond line had put them into diforder, by the difcharge of their arrows, and an hail of ftones from their flings, which forced them to give ground. Archelaus des. Archelaus having made his right wing advance to surround the left of the Romans, Hortenfius led on the troops under his command to take him in flank. Which Archelaus feeing, he ordered two thousand horfe to wheel about. Hortenfius, upon the point of being overpowered by that great body of horse, retired by little and little towards the mountains, perceiving himself too far from the main body, and almoft furrounded by the enemy. Sylla, with part of his right wing, that had not yet engaged, marched to his relief. From the duft raised by thofe troops, Archelaus judged who it was, and leaving Hortenfius, he turned about towards the place Sylla had quitted, in hopes he fhould find no difficulty in defeating the right wing without its general. Taxilus, at the fame time, led on his foot, Chalcafpi- armed with brazen fhields, against Murena; whilft each fide raised great cries, which made the neighbouring hills refound. Sylla halted on that noife, not knowing well to which fide he should haften. At length, he thought it most expedient to return to his former poft, and fupport his right wing. He therefore fent Hortenfius to affift Murena with four cohorts, and taking the fifth with him, he flew to his right wing, which he found engaged in battle with Archelaus, neither having the advantage. But as foon as he appeared, that wing taking new courage from the prefence of their general, opened their way through the troops of Archelaus, 'put them to flight, and pursued them vigorously for a confiderable time. After this great fuccefs, without lofing a moment, he marched to the aid of Murena. Finding that he was also victorious on his fide, and had defeated Taxilus, he joined him in |