who lived at difcretion as in conquered cities. For he gave orders that every hoft should pay each foldier quartered upon him four drachmas To lia day, and entertain at table himself, and as vres. many of his friends as he fhould think fit to invite; that each captain fhould have fifty Five and drachmas, and befides that a robe for the house, twenty livres. and another when he went abroad. p. 609. After having punished Afia, he fet out from Plut. in Ephefus with all his fhips, and arrived the third Syll.p.468 day at the Piræum. Having been initiated Stab.1.13. in the great myfteries, he took for his own Athen.1 3. ufe the library of Apellicon, in which were p. 214; the works of Ariftotle. That philofopher, at Laert. in Theoph. his death, had left his writings to Theophraftus, one of his most illuftrious difciples. The latter had transferred them to Neleus of Scepfis, a city in the neighbourhood of Pergamus in Afia; after whofe death those works fell into the hands of his heirs, ignorant perfons, who kept them shut up in a cheft. When the kings of Pergamus began to collect with care all forts of books for their library; as the city of Scepfis was in their dependance, those heirs, apprehending these works would be taken from them, they thought proper to hide them in a vault underground, where they remained almoft an hundred and thirty years; till the heirs of Neleus's family, which after feveral generations were fallen into extreme poverty, brought them out to fell them to Apellicon, a rich Athenian, who fought every where after the most curious. books for his library. As they were very much damaged by the length of time, and the damp place where they had lain, Apellicon had copies immediately taken of them, in which there were many chafms; because the originals were either rotted in many places, or wormI 3 eaten A. M. 3921. Ant. J. C. eaten and effaced. These blanks, words, and SECT. II. Second war against Mithridates, under Murena, of only three year's duration. Mithridates prepares to renew the war. He concludes a treaty with Sertorius. Third war with Mithridates. Lucullus, conful, fent against him. He obliges him to raise the fiege of Cyzicum, and defeats his troops. He gains a compleat victory over bim, and reduces him to fly into Pontus. Tragical end of the fifters and wives of Mitbridates. He endeavours to retire to Tigranes his fon-in-law. Lucullus regulates the affairs of Afia. YLLA, on fetting out for Rome, had left the government of Afia to Murena, 83. with the two legions that had ferved under Appian. p. Fimbria, 213-216 Fimbria, to keep the province in obedience. This Murena is the father of him, for whom Cicero made the fine oration, which bears his name. His fon at this time made his first campains under him. After Sylla's departure, Mithridates being returned into Pontus, marched his army against the people of Colchis, and the Bofphorus, who had revolted against him. The first demanded his fon Mithridates for their king, and having obtained him, immediately returned to their duty. The king, imagining their conduct to proceed from his fon's intrigues, took umbrage at it, and having caufed him to come to him, he ordered him to be bound with chains of gold, and foon after put him to death. That fon had done him great fervices in the war against Fimbria. We fee here a new inftance of the jealoufy which the exceffive love of power is apt to incite, and to what an height the prince, who abandons himself to it, is capable of carrying his fufpicions against his own blood; always ready to proceed to the most fatal extremities, and to facrifice whatever is deareft to him to the flightest distrust. As for the inhabitants of the Bofphorus, he prepared a great fleet and a numerous army, which gave reafon to believe, his defigns were against the Romans. He had not indeed restored all Cappadocia to Ariobarzanes, but referved part of it in his own hands; and he began to suspect Archelaus, as having engaged him in a peace equally fhameful and difadvantagious. When Archelaus perceived it, well knowing the mafter he had to deal with, he took refuge with Murena, and follicited him warmly to turn his arms against Mithridates. Murena, who paffionately defired to obtain the honour A. M. 3922. $2. of a triumph, fuffered himself to be easily perfwaded. He made an irruption into Cappadocia, and made himself master of Comana, the most powerful city of that kingdom. Mithridates fent ambaffadors to him, to complain of his violating the treaty the Romans had made with him. Murena replied, that he knew of no treaty made with their mafter. There was, in reality, nothing reduced to writing on Sylla's part, the whole baving paffed by verbal agreement. So that he continued to ravage the country, and took up his winter-quarters in it. Mithridates fent ambaffadors to Rome, to make his complaints to Sylla and the fenate, There came a commiffioner from Rome, but without a decree of the fenate, who publickly Ant. J. C. ordered Murena not to moleft the king of Pontus. But as they conferred together in private, this was looked upon to be mere collufion: Murena perfifted, notwithstanding, in committing hoftilities upon the king's lands. Mithridates therefore took the field, and having paffed the river Halys, gave Murena battle, defeated him, and obliged him to retire into Phrygia with very great lofs, A. M. 923. 81. Sylla, who had been appointed dictator, not being able to fuffer that Mithridates, contrary Ant. J. C. to the treaty he had granted him, fhould be difquieted, fent Gabinius to Murena to order him in earneft to defift from making war on that prince, and to reconcile him with Ariobarzanes he obeyed. Mithridates, having put one of his fons of only four years old into the hands of Ariobarzanes as an hostage, under that pretext retained the cities, in which he had garrifons; promifing, no doubt, to restore them in time. He then gave a feaft, in which he propofed prizes for fuch as fhould excel the reft in drinking, eating, finging, and raillying: fit objects of emulation! Gabinius was the only one, who did not think proper to enter these lifts. Thus ended the fecond war with Mithridates, which lafted only three years. Murena, at his return to Rome, received the honour of a triumph, to which his pretensions were but indifferent. 78. Mithridates at length reftored Cappadocia to A. M. Ariobarzanes, forced by Sylla, who died the 3926. Ant. J. C. fame year. But he contrived a stratagem to deprive him entirely of it. Tigranes had lately built a great city in Armenia, which, from his own name, he called Tigranocerta. Mithridates perfwaded his fon-in-law to conquer Cappadocia, and to transport the inhabitants into the new city, and the other parts of his dominions, that were not well peopled. He did fo, and took away three hundred thoufand fouls. From thenceforth, wherever he carried his victorious arms, he always did the fame, for the better peopling of his own dominions. The extraordinary reputation of Sertorius, who had given the Romans terrible employment in Spain, made Mithridates conceive the thought of fending an embaffy to him, in order to engage him to join forces against the common enemy. The flatterers, who compared him to Pyrrhus, and Sertorious to Hannibal, infinuated, that the Romans, attacked at the fame time on different fides, could never be able to oppofe two fuch formidable powers, when the most able and experienced of generals should act in concert with the greateft of kings. He therefore fent ambaffadors to Spain, with letters and inftructions for treating with Sertorius, to whom they offered, in his name, a fleet and money to carry on the war; upon condition, that |