The Jugurthine War (Sallust)

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	The Jugurthine War Author: Sallust	Translator: John Selby Watson
82	Imperator postquam de regum societate cognovit , non temere neque , uti saepe iam victo Iugurtha consueuerat , omnibus locis pugnandi copiam facit . Ceterum haud procul ab Cirta castris munitis reges opperitur , melius esse ratus cognitis Mauris , quoniam is nouos hostis accesserat , ex commodo pugnam facere . Interim Roma per litteras certior fit prouinciam Numidiam Mario datam ; nam consulem factum ante acceperat . Quibus rebus supra bonum aut honestum perculsus neque lacrimas tenere neque moderari linguam , vir egregius in aliis artibus nimis molliter aegritudinem pati . Quam rem alii in superbiam vertebant , alii bonum ingenium contumelia accensum esse , multi quod iam parta victoria ex manibus eriperetur . Nobis satis cognitum est illum magis honore Mari quam iniuria sua excruciatum , neque tam anxie laturum fuisse , si adempta prouincia alii quam Mario traderetur .	Metellus, when he heard of the confederacy of the kings, did not rashly, or in every place, give opportunities of fighting, as he had been used to do since Jugurtha had been so often defeated, but, fortifying his camp, awaited the approach of the kings at no great distance from Cirta; thinking it better, when he should have learned something of the Moors, as they were new enemies in the field, to give battle on an advantage. In the mean time he was informed, by letters from Rome, that the province of Numidia was assigned to Marius, of whose election to the consulship he had already heard. Being affected at these occurrences beyond what was proper and decorous, he could neither restrain his tears nor govern his tongue; for though he was a man eminent in other respects, he had too little firmness in bearing trouble of mind. His irritation was by some imputed to pride; others said that a noble spirit was wounded by insult; many thought him chagrined because victory, just attained, was snatched from his grasp. But to me it is well known that he was more troubled at the honor bestowed on Marius than at the injustice done to himself; and that he would have shown much less uneasiness if the province of which he was deprived had been given to any other than Marius.
83	Igitur eo dolore impeditus et quia stultitiae videbatur alienam rem periculo suo curare , legatos ad Bocchum mittit postulatum , ne sine causa hostis populo Romano fieret : habere tum magnam copiam societatis amicitiaeque coniungendae , quae potior bello esset , et , quamquam opibus suis confideret , tamen non debere incerta pro certis mutare . Omne bellum sumi facile , ceterum aegerrime desinere ; non in eiusdem potestate initium eius et finem esse ; incipere cuiuis etiam ignavo licere , deponi cum victores uelint . Proinde sibi regnoque suo consuleret neu florentis res suas cum Iugurthae perditis misceret . Ad ea rex satis placide verba facit : sese pacem cupere , sed Iugurthae fortunarum misereri ; si eadem illi copia fieret , omnia conventura . Rursus imperator contra postulata Bocchi nuntios mittit ; ille probare partim , alia abnuere . Eo modo saepe ab utroque missis remissisque nuntiis tempus procedere , et ex Metelli voluntate bellum intactum trahi .	Discouraged, therefore, by such a mortification, and thinking it folly to promote another man's success at his own hazard, he sent deputies to Bocchus, entreating him " not to become an enemy to the Romans without cause ;" and observing " that he had a fine opportunity of entering into friendship and alliance with them, which were far preferable to war; that though he might have confidence in his resources, he ought not to change certainties for uncertainties; that a war was easily begun, but discontinued with difficulty; that its commencement and conclusion were not dependent on the same party; that any one, even a coward, might commence hostilities, but that they could be broken off only when the conqueror thought proper; and that he should therefore consult for his interest and that of his kingdom, and not connect his own prosperous circumstances with the ruined fortunes of Jugurtha." To these representations the king mildly answered, "that he desired peace, but felt compassion for the condition of Jugurtha, to whom if similar proposals were made, all would easily be arranged." Metellus, in reply to this request of Bocchus, sent deputies with overtures, of which the king approved some, and rejected others. Thus, in sending messengers to and fro, the time passed away, and the war, according to the consul's desire, was protracted without being advanced.
84	At Marius , ut supra diximus , cupientissima plebe consul factus , postquam ei prouinciam Numidiam popuIus iussit , antea iam infestus nobilitati , tum vero multus atque ferox instare ; singulos modo , modo uniuersos laedere ; dictitare sese consulatum ex victis illis spolia cepisse , alia praeterea magnifica pro se et illis dolentia . Interim quae bello opus erant , prima habere : postulare legionibus supplementum , auxilia a populis et regibus arcessere , praeterea ex Latio sociisque fortissimum quemque , plerosque militiae , paucos fama cognitos , accire et ambiendo cogere homines emeritis stipendiis secum proficisci . Neque illi senatus , quamquam aduersus erat , de ullo negotio abnuere audebat . Ceterum supplementum etiam laetus decreverat , quia neque plebi militia volenti putabatur et Marius aut belli usum aut studia uulgi amissurus . Sed ea res frustra sperata : tanta libido cum Mario eundi plerosque invaserat . Sese quisque praeda locupletem fore , victorem domum rediturum , alia huiusce modi animis trahebant , et eos non paulum oratione sua Marius arrexerat . Nam postquam omnibus quae postulauerat , decretis milites scribere uult , hortandi causa simul et nobilitatem , uti consueuerat , exagitandi contionem populi aduocauit . Deinde hoc modo disseruit :	Marius, who, as I said before, had been made consul with great eagerness on the part of the populace, began, though he had always been hostile to the patricians, to inveigh against them, after the people gave him the province of Numidia, with great frequency and violence; he attacked them sometimes individually and sometimes in a body; he said that he had snatched from them the consulship as spoils from vanquished enemies; and uttered other remarks laudatory to himself and offensive to them. Meanwhile he made the provision for the war his chief object; he asked for reinforcements for the legions; he sent for auxiliaries from foreign states, kings, and allies; he also enlisted all the bravest men from Latium, most of whom were known to him by actual service, some few only by report, and induced, by earnest solicitation, even discharged veterans to accompany him. Nor did the senate, though adverse to him, dare to refuse him any thing; the additions to the legions they had voted even with eagerness, because military service was thought to be unpopular with the multitude, and Marius seemed likely to lose either the means of warfare, or the favor of the people. But such expectations were entertained in vain, so ardent was the desire of going with Marius that had seized on almost all. Every one cherished the fancy that he should return home laden with spoil, crowned with victory, or attended with some similar good fortune. Marius himself, too, had excited them in no small degree by a speech; for, when all that he required was granted, and he was anxious to commence a levy, he called an assembly of the people, as well to encourage them to enlist, as to inveigh, according to his practice, against the nobility. He spoke, on the occasion, as follows:
85	" Scio ego , Quirites , plerosque non isdem artibus imperium a vobis petere et , postquam adepti sunt , gerere : primo industrios supplices modicos esse , dein per ignaviam et superbiam aetatem agere . Sed mihi contra ea videtur : nam quo pluris est uniuersa res publica quam consulatus aut praetura , eo maiore cura illam administrari quam haec peti debere . Neque me fallit , quantum cum maximo vestro beneficio negoti sustineam . Bellum parare simul et aerario parcere , cogere ad militiam eos quos nolis offendere , domi forisque omnia curare et ea agere inter invidos occursantis factiosos opinione , Quirites , asperius est . Ad hoc , alii si deliquere , uetus nobilitas , maiorum fortia facta , cognatorum et affinium opes , multae clientelae , omnia haec praesidio assunt ; mihi spes omnes in memet sitae , quas necesse est virtute et innocentia tutari ; nam alia infirma sunt . Et illud intellego , Quirites , omnium ora in me conuersa esse , aequos bonosque fauere — quippe mea bene facta rei publicae procedunt —, nobilitatem locum invadendi quaerere . Quo mihi acrius annitendum est , uti neque vos capiamini et illi frustra sint . Ita ad hoc aetatis a pueritia fui , uti omnis labores et pericula consueta habeam . Quae ante vestra beneficia gratuito faciebam , ea uti accepta mercede deseram , non est consilium , Quirites . Illis difficile est in potestatibus temperare , qui per ambitionem sese probos simulauere ; mihi , qui omnem aetatem in optimis artibus egi , bene facere iam ex consuetudine in naturam vertit . bellum me gerere cum Iugurtha iussistis , quam rem nobilitas aegerrime tulit . Quaeso , reputate cum animis vestris , num id mutare melius sit , si quem ex illo globo nobilitatis ad hoc aut aliud tale negotium mittatis , hominem ueteris prosapiae ac multarum imaginum et nullius stipendi : scilicet ut in tanta re ignarus omnium trepidet , festinet , sumat aliquem ex populo monitorem offici sui . Ita plerumque evenit , ut , quem vos imperare iussistis , is sibi imperatorem alium quaerat . Atque ego scio , Quirites , qui , postquam consules facti sunt , et acta maiorum et Graecorum militaria praecepta legere coeperint : praeposteri homines , nam gerere quam fieri tempore posterius , re atque usu prius est . Comparate nunc , Quirites , cum illorum superbia me hominem nouum . Quae illi audire aut legere solent , eorum partem vidi , alia egomet gessi ; quae illi litteris , ea ego militando didici . Nunc vos existimate , facta an dicta pluris sint . Contemnunt novitatem meam , ego illorum ignaviam ; mihi fortuna , illis probra obiectantur . Quamquam ego naturam unam et communem omnium existimo , sed fortissimum quemque generosissimum . Ac si iam ex patribus Albini aut Bestiae quaeri posset , mene an illos ex se gigni maluerint , quid responsuros creditis nisi sese liberos quam optimos voluisse ? quod si iure me despiciunt , faciant item maioribus suis , quibus , uti mihi , ex virtute nobilitas coepit . Inuident honori meo : ergo invideant labori , innocentiae , periculis etiam meis , quoniam per haec illum cepi . Verum homines corrupti superbia ita aetatem agunt , quasi vestros honores contemnant ; ita hos petunt , quasi honeste vixerint . Ne illi falsi sunt , qui diuersissimas res pariter expectant , ignaviae voluptatem et praemia virtutis . Atque etiam , cum apud vos aut in senatu verba faciunt , pleraque oratione maiores suos extollunt : eorum fortia facta memorando clariores sese putant . Quod contra est . Nam quanto vita illorum praeclarior , tanto horum socordia flagitiosior . Et profecto ita se res habet : maiorum gloria posteris quasi lumen est , neque bona neque mala eorum in occulto patitur . Huiusce rei ego inopiam fateor , Quirites , verum , id quod multo praeclarius est , meamet facta mihi dicere licet . Nunc videte , quam iniqui sint . Quod ex aliena virtute sibi arrogant , id mihi ex mea non concedunt , scilicet quia imagines non habeo et quia mihi nova nobilitas est , quam certe peperisse melius est quam acceptam corrupisse . Equidem ego non ignoro , si iam mihi respondere uelint , abunde illis facundam et compositam orationem fore . Sed in maximo vestro beneficio cum omnibus locis meque vosque maledictis lacerent , non placuit reticere , ne quis modestiam in conscientiam duceret . Nam me quidem ex animi mei sententia nulla oratio laedere potest : quippe vera necesse est bene praedicent , falsa vita moresque mei superant . Sed quoniam vestra consilia accusantur , qui mihi summum honorem et maximum negotium imposuistis , etiam atque etiam reputate , num eorum paenitendum sit . Non possum fidei causa imagines neque triumphos aut consulatus maiorum meorum ostentare , at , si res postulet , hastas , uexillum , phaleras , alia militaria dona , praeterea cicatrices aduerso corpore . Hae sunt meae imagines , haec nobilitas , non hereditate relicta , ut illa illis , sed quae ego meis plurimis laboribus et periculis quaesiui . Non sunt composita verba mea : parui id facio . Ipsa se virtus satis ostendit ; illis artificio opus est , ut turpia facta oratione tegant . Neque litteras Graecas didici : parum placebat eas discere , quippe quae ad virtutem doctoribus nihil profuerant . At illa multo optima rei publicae doctus sum : hostem ferire , praesidia agitare , nihil metuere nisi turpem famam , hiemem et aestatem iuxta pati , humi requiescere , eodem tempore inopiam et laborem tolerare . His ego praeceptis milites hortabor , neque illos arte colam , me opulenter , neque gloriam meam , laborem illorum faciam . Hoc est utile , hoc civile imperium . Namque cum tute per mollitiem agas , exercitum supplicio cogere , id est dominum , non imperatorem esse . Haec atque alia talia maiores vestri faciendo seque remque publicam celebrauere . Quis nobilitas freta , ipsa dissimilis moribus , nos illorum aemulos contemnit et omnis honores non ex merito , sed quasi debitos a vobis repetit . Ceterum homines superbissimi procul errant . maiores eorum omnia quae licebat illis reliquere : divitias , imagines , memoriam sui praeclaram ; virtutem non reliquere , neque poterant : ea sola neque datur dono neque accipitur . Sordidum me et incultis moribus aiunt , quia parum scite convivium exorno neque histrionem ullum neque pluris preti coquum quam vilicum habeo . Quae mihi libet confiteri , Quirites . Nam ex parente meo et ex aliis sanctis viris ita accepi , munditias mulieribus , viris laborem convenire , omnibusque bonis oportere plus gloriae quam divitiarum esse ; arma , non supellectilem decori esse . Quin ergo , quod iuuat , quod carum aestimant , id semper faciant : ament , potent ; ubi adulescentiam habuere , ibi senectutem agant , in conviviis , dediti ventri et turpissimae parti corporis ; sudorem , puluerem et alia talia relinquant nobis , quibus illa epulis iucundiora sunt . verum non ita est . Nam ubi se flagitiis dedecorauere turpissimi viri , bonorum praemia ereptum eunt . Ita iniustissime luxuria et ignavia , pessimae artes , illis , qui coluere eas , nihil officiunt , rei publicae innoxiae cladi sunt . Nunc quoniam illis , quantum mei mores , non illorum flagitia poscebant , respondi , pauca de re publica loquar . Primum omnium de Numidia bonum habete animum , Quirites . Nam quae ad hoc tempus Iugurtham tutata sunt , omnia remouistis : auaritiam , imperitiam atque superbiam . Deinde exercitus ibi est locorum sciens , sed mehercule magis strenuos quam felix . Nam magna pars eius auaritia aut temeritate ducum attrita est . Quam ob rem vos , quibus militaris aetas est , annitimini mecum et capessite rem publicam , neque quemquam ex calamitate aliorum aut imperatorum superbia metus ceperit . Egomet in agmine ut in proelio consultor idem et socius periculi vobiscum adero , meque vosque in omnibus rebus iuxta geram . Et profecto dis iuuantibus omnia matura sunt : victoria , praeda , laus . Quae si dubia aut procul essent , tamen omnis bonos rei publicae subvenire decebat . Etenim nemo ignavia immortalis factus est , neque quisquam parens liberis , uti aeterni forent , optauit , magis uti boni honestique vitam exigerent . Plura dicerem , Quirites , si timidis virtutem verba adderent ; nam strenuis abunde dictum puto ."	"I am aware, my fellow-citizens, that most men do not appear as candidates before you for an office, and conduct themselves in it when they have obtained it, under the same character; that they are at first industrious, humble, and modest, but afterward lead a life of indolence and arrogance. But to me it appears that the contrary should be the case; for as the whole state is of greater consequence than the single office of consulate or prætorship, so its interests ought to be managed with greater solicitude than these magistracies are sought. Nor am I insensible how great a weight of business I am, through your kindness, called upon to sustain. To make preparations for war, and yet to be sparing of the treasury; to press those into the service whom I am unwilling to offend; to direct every thing at home and abroad; and to discharge these duties when surrounded by the envious, the hostile, and the factious, is more difficult, my fellow-citizens, than is generally imagined. In addition to this, if others fail in their undertakings, their ancient rank, the heroic actions of their ancestors, the power of their relatives and connections, their numerous dependents, are all at hand to support them; but as for me, my whole hopes rest upon myself, which I must sustain by good conduct and integrity; for all other means are unavailing. "I am sensible, too, my fellow-citizens, that the eyes of all men are turned upon me; that the just and good favor me, as my services are beneficial to the state, but that the nobility seek occasion to attack me. I must therefore use the greater exertion, that you may not be deceived in me, and that their views may be rendered abortive. I have led such a life, indeed, from my boyhood to the present hour, that I am familiar with every kind of toil and danger; and that exertion, which, before your kindness to me, I practiced gratuitously, it is not my intention to relax after having received my reward. For those who have pretended to be men of worth only to secure their election, it may be difficult to conduct themselves properly in office; but to me, who have passed my whole life in the most honorable occupations, to act well has from habit become nature. " You have commanded me to carry on the war against Jugurtha; a commission at which the nobility are highly offended. Consider with yourselves, I pray you, whether it would be a change for the better, if you were to send to this, or to any other such appointment, one of yonder crowd of nobles, a man of ancient family, of innumerable statues, and of no military experience; in order, forsooth, that in so important an office, and being ignorant of every thing connected with it, he may exhibit hurry and trepidation, and select one of the people to instruct him in his duty. For so it generally happens, that he whom you have chosen to direct, seeks another to direct him. I know some, my fellow-citizens, who, after they have been elected consuls, have begun to read the acts of their ancestors, and the military precepts of the Greeks; persons who invert the order of things ; for though to discharge the duties of the office" is posterior, in point of time, to election, it is, in reality and practical importance, prior to it. " Compare now, my fellow-citizens, me, who am a new man, with those haughty nobles. What they have but heard or read, I have witnessed or performed. What they have learned from books, I have acquired in the field; and whether deeds or words are of greater estimation, it is for you to consider. They despise my humbleness of birth; I contemn their imbecility. My condition is made an objection to me; their misconduct is a reproach to them. The circumstance of birth, indeed, I consider as one and the same to all; but think that he who best exerts himself is the noblest. And could it be inquired of the fathers, of Albinus and Bestia, whether they would rather be the parents of them or of me, what do you suppose that they would answer, but that they would wish the most deserving to be their offspring ? If the patricians justly despise me, let them also despise their own ancestors, whose nobility, like mine, had its origin in merit. They envy me the honor that I have received; let them also envy me the toils, the abstinence, and the perils, by which I obtained that honor. But they, men eaten up with pride, live as if they disdained all the distinctions that you can bestow, and yet sue for those distinctions as if they had lived so as to merit them. Yet those are assuredly deceived, who expect to enjoy, at the same time, things so incompatible as the pleasures of indolence and the rewards of honorable exertion. " When they speak before you, or in the senate, they occupy the greatest part of their orations in extolling their ancestors; for, they suppose that, by recounting the heroic deeds of their forefathers, they render themselves more illustrious. But the reverse of this is the case; for the more glorious were the lives of their ancestors, the more scandalous is their own inaction. The truth, indeed, is plainly this, that the glory of ancestors sheds a light on their posterity, which suffers neither their virtues nor their vices to be concealed. Of this light, my fellow-citizens, I have no share; but I have, what confers much more distinction, the power of relating my own actions. Consider, then, how unreasonable they are; what they claim to themselves for the merit of others, they will not grant to me for my own; alleging, forsooth, that I have no statues, and that my distinction is newly-acquired; but it is surely better to have acquired such distinction myself than to bring disgrace on that received from others. "I am not ignorant, that, if they were inclined to reply to me, they would make an abundant display of eloquent and artful language. Yet, since they attack both you and myself, on occasion of the great favor which you have conferred upon me, I did not think proper to be silent before them, lest any one should construe my forbearance into a consciousness of demerit. As for myself, indeed, nothing that is said of me, I feel assured, can do me injury; for what is true, must of necessity speak in my favor; what is false, my life and character will refute. But since your judgment, in bestowing on me so distinguished an honor and so important a trust, is called in question, consider, I beseech you, again and again, whether you are likely to repent of what you have done. I can not, to raise your confidence in me, boast of the statues, or triumphs, or consulships of my ancestors; but, if it be thought necessary, I can show you spears, a banner, caparisons for horses, and other military rewards; besides the scars of wounds on my breast. These are my statues; this is my nobility; honors, not left, like theirs, by inheritance, but acquired amid innumerable toils and dangers. "My speech, they say, is inelegant; but that I have ever thought of little importance. Worth sufficiently displays itself; it is for my detractors to use studied language, that they may palliate base conduct by plausible words. Nor have I learned Greek; for I had no wish to acquire a tongue that adds nothing to the valor of those who teach it. But I have gained other accomplishments, such as are of the utmost benefit to a state; I have learned to strike down an enemy; to be vigilant at my post; to fear nothing but dishonor; to bear cold and heat with equal endurance; to sleep on the ground; and to sustain at the same time hunger and fatigue. And with such rules of conduct I shall stimulate my soldiers, not treating them with rigor and myself with indulgence, nor making their toils my glory. Such a mode of commanding is at once useful to the state, and becoming to a citizen. For to coerce your troops with severity, while you yourself live at ease, is to be a tyrant, not a general. "It was by conduct such as this, my fellow-citizens, that your ancestors made themselves and the republic renowned. Our nobility, relying on their forefathers' merits, though totally different from them in conduct, disparage us who emulate their virtues; and demand of you every public honor, as due, not to their personal merit, but to their high rank. Arrogant pretenders, and utterly unreasonable ! For though their ancestors left them all that was at their disposal, their riches, their statues, and their glorious names, they left them not, nor could leave them, their virtue; which alone, of all their possessions, could neither be communicated nor received. " They reproach me as being mean, and of unpolished manners, because, forsooth, I have but little skill in arranging an entertainment, and keep no actor, nor give my cook higher wages than my steward; all which charges I must, indeed, acknowledge to be just; for I learned from my father, and other venerable characters, that vain indulgences belong to women, and labor to men; that glory, rather than wealth, should be the object of the virtuous; and that arms and armor, not household furniture, are marks of honor. But let the nobility, if they please, pursue what is delightful and dear to them; let them devote themselves to licentiousness and luxury; let them pass their age as they have passed their youth, in revelry and feasting, the slaves of gluttony and debauchery; but let them leave the toil and dust of the field, and other such matters, to us, to whom they are more grateful than banquets. This, however, they will not do; for when these most infamous of men have disgraced themselves by every species of turpitude, they proceed to claim the distinctions due to the most honorable. Thus it most unjustly happens that luxury and indolence, the most disgraceful of vices, are harmless to those who indulge in them, and fatal only to the innocent commonwealth. "As I have now replied to my calumniators, as far as my own character required, though not so fully as their flagitiousness deserved, I shall add a few words on the state of public affairs. In the first place, my fellow-citizens, be of good courage with regard to Numidia; for all that hitherto protected Jugurtha, avarice, inexperience, and arrogance, you have entirely removed. There is an army in it, too, which is well acquainted with the country, though, assuredly, more brave than fortunate; for a great part of it has been destroyed by the avarice or rashness of its commanders. Such of you, then, as are of military age, co-operate with me, and support the cause of your country; and let no discouragement, from the ill-fortune of others, or the arrogance of the late commanders, affect any one of you. I myself shall be with you, both on the march and in the battle, both to direct your movements and to share your dangers. I shall treat you and myself on every occasion alike; and, doubtless, with the aid of the gods, all good things, victory, spoil, and glory, are ready to our hands; though, even if they were doubtful or distant, it would still become every able citizen to act in defense of his country. For no man, by slothful timidity, has escaped the lot of mortals; nor has any parent wished for his children that they might live forever, but rather that they might act in life with virtue and honor. I would add more, my fellow-citizens, if words could give courage to the faint-hearted; to the brave I think that I have said enough."
86	Huiusce modi oratione habita Marius , postquam plebis animos arrectos videt , propere commeatu , stipendio , armis aliisque utilibus nauis onerat , cum his A . Manlium legatum proficisci iubet . Ipse interea milites scribere , non more maiorum neque ex classibus , sed uti libido cuiusque erat , capite censos plerosque . Id factum alii inopia bonorum , alii per ambitionem consulis memorabant , quod ab eo genere celebratus auctusque erat et homini potentiam quaerenti egentissimus quisque opportunissimus , cui neque sua cara , quippe quae nulla sunt , et omnia cum pretio honesta videntur . Igitur Marius cum aliquanto maiore numero , quam decretum erat , in Africam profectus paucis diebus Vticam aduehitur . Exercitus ei traditur a P . Rutilio legato ; nam Metellus conspectum Mari fugerat , ne videret ea , quae audita animus tolerare nequiuerat .	After having spoken to this effect, Marius, when he found that the minds of the populace were excited, immediately freighted vessels with provisions, pay, arms, and other necessaries, and ordered Aulus Manlius, his lieutenant-general, to set sail with them. He himself, in the mean time, proceeded to enlist soldiers, not after the ancient method, or from the classes, but taking all that were willing to join him, and the greater part from the lowest ranks. Some said that this was done from a scarcity of better men, and others from the consul's desire to pay court to the poorer class, because it was by that order of men that he had been honored and promoted; and, indeed, to a man grasping at power, the most needy are the most serviceable, persons to whom their property (as they have none) is not an object of care, and to whom every thing lucrative appears honorable. Setting out, accordingly, for Africa, with a somewhat larger force than had been decreed, he arrived in a few days at Utica. The command of the army was resigned to him by Publius Rutilius, Metullus's lieutenant-general; for Metullus himself avoided the sight of Marius, that he might not see what he could not even endure to hear mentioned.
87	Sed consul expletis legionibus cohortibusque auxiliariis in agrum fertilem et praeda onustum proficiscitur , omnia ibi capta militibus donat ; dein castella et oppida natura et viris parum munita aggreditur , proelia multa , ceterum leuia , alia aliis locis facere . Interim novi milites sine metu pugnae adesse , videre fugientis capi aut occidi , fortissimum quemque tutissimum , armis libertatem patriam parentisque et alia omnia tegi , gloriam atque divitias quaeri . Sic brevi spatio novi ueteresque coaluere , et virtus omnium aequalis facta . At reges , ubi de adventu Mari cognoverunt , diuersi in locos difficilis abeunt . Ita Iugurthae placuerat , speranti mox effusos hostis invadi posse , Romanos sicuti plerosque remoto metu laxius licentiusque futuros .	Marius, having filled up his legions and auxiliary cohorts, marched into a part of the country which was fertile and abundant in spoil, where, whatever he captured, he gave up to his soldiers. He then attacked such fortresses or towns as were ill defended by nature or with troops, and ventured on several engagements, though only of a light character, in different places. The new recruits, in process of time, began to join in an encounter without fear; they saw that such as fled were taken prisoners or slain; that the bravest were the safest; that liberty, their country, and parents, are defended, and glory and riches acquired, by arms. Thus the new and old troops soon became as one body, and the courage of all was rendered equal. The two kings, when they heard of the approach of Marius, retreated, by separate routes, into parts that were difficult of access; a plan which had been proposed by Jugurtha, who hoped that, in a short time, the enemy might be attacked when dispersed over the country, supposing that the Roman soldiers, like the generality of troops, would be less careful and observant of discipline when the fear of danger was removed.
88	Metellus interea Romam profectus contra spem suam laetissimis animis accipitur , plebi patribusque , postquam invidia decesserat , iuxta carus . Sed Marius impigre prudenterque suorum et hostium res pariter attendere : cognoscere , quid boni utrisque aut contra esset , explorare itinera regum , consilia et insidias eorum antevenire , nihil apud se remissum neque apud illos tutum pati . Itaque et Gaetulos et Iugurtham ex sociis nostris praedas agentis saepe aggressus in itinere fuderat ipsumque regem haud procul ab oppido Cirta armis exuerat . Quae postquam gloriosa modo neque belli patrandi cognovit , statuit urbis , quae viris aut loco pro hostibus et aduersum se opportunissimae erant , singulas circumvenire : ita Iugurtham aut praesidiis nudatum iri , si ea pateretur , aut proelio certaturum . Nam Bocchus nuntios ad eum saepe miserat : velle populi Romani amicitiam ; ne quid ab se hostile timeret . Id simulaueritne , quo improuisus grauior accideret , an mobilitate ingeni pacem atque bellum mutare solitus , parum exploratum est .	Metellus, meanwhile, having taken his departure for Rome, was received there, contrary to his expectation, with the greatest feelings of joy, being equally welcomed, since public prejudice had subsided, by both the people and the patricians. Marius continued to attend, with equal activity and prudence, to his own affairs and those of the enemy. He observed what would be advantageous, or the contrary, to either party; he watched the movements of the kings, counteracted their intentions and stratagems, and allowed no remissness in his own army, and no security in that of the enemy. He accordingly attacked and dispersed, on several occasions, the Getulians and Jugurtha on their march, as they were carrying off spoil from our allies ; and he obliged the king himself, near the town of Cirta, to take flight without his arms. But finding that such enterprises merely gained him honor, without tending to terminate the war, he resolved on investing, one after another, all the cities, which, by the strength of their garrisons or situation, were best suited either to support the enemy, or to resist himself; so that Jugurtha would either be deprived of his fortresses, if he suffered them to be taken, or be forced to come to an engagement in their defense. As to Bocchus, he had frequently sent messengers to Marius, saying that he desired the friendship of the Roman people, and that the consul need fear no act of hostility from him. But whether he merely dissembled, with a view to attack us unexpectedly with greater effect, or whether, from fickleness of disposition he habitually wavered between war and peace, was never fairly ascertained.
89	Sed consul , uti statuerat , oppida castellaque munita adire , partim vi , alia metu aut praemia ostentando auertere ab hostibus . Ac primo mediocria gerebat , existimans Iugurtham ob suos tutandos in manus venturum . Sed ubi illum procul abesse et aliis negotiis intentum accepit , maiora et magis aspera aggredi tempus visum est . Erat inter ingentis solitudines oppidum magnum atque valens nomine Capsa , cuius conditor Hercules Libys memorabatur . Eius ciues apud Iugurtham immunes , leui imperio et ob ea fidelissimi habebantur , muniti aduersum hostis non moenibus modo et armis atque viris , verum etiam multo magis locorum asperitate . Nam praeter oppido propinqua alia omnia vasta , inculta , egentia aquae , infesta serpentibus , quarum vis sicuti omnium ferarum inopia cibi acrior . Ad hoc natura serpentium ipsa perniciosa siti magis quam alia re accenditur . Eius potiendi Marium maxima cupido invaserat , cum propter usum belli tum quia res aspera videbatur et Metellus oppidum Thalam magna gloria ceperat , haud dissimiliter situm munitumque , nisi quod apud Thalam non longe a moenibus aliquot fontes erant , Capsenses una modo atque ea intra oppidum iugi aqua , cetera pluvia utebantur . Id ibique et in omni Africa , quae procul a mari incultius agebat , eo facilius tolerabatur , quia Numidae plerumque lacte et ferina carne uescebantur et neque salem neque alia irritamenta gulae quaerebant : cibus illis aduersum famem atque sitim , non libidini neque luxuriae erat .	Marius, as he had determined, proceeded to attack the fortified towns and places of strength, and to detach them, partly by force, and partly by threats or offers of reward, from the enemy. His operations in this way, however, were at first but moderate; for he expected that Jugurtha, to protect his subjects, would soon come to an engagement. But finding that he kept at a distance, and was intent on other affairs, he thought it was time to enter upon something of greater importance and difficulty. Amid the vast deserts there lay a great and strong city, named Capsa, the founder of which is said to have been the Libyan Hercules. Its inhabitants were exempted from taxes by Jugurtha, and under mild government, and were consequently regarded as the most faithful of his subjects. They were defended against enemies, not only by walls, magazines of arms, and bodies of troops, but still more by the difficulty of approaching them; for, except the parts adjoining the walls, all the surrounding country is waste and uncultivated, destitute of water, and infested with serpents, whose fierceness, like that of other wild animals, is aggravated by want of food; while the venom of such reptiles, deadly in itself, is exacerbated by nothing so much as by thirst. Of this place Marius conceived a strong desire to make himself master, not only from its importance for the war, but because its capture seemed an enterprise of difficulty; for Metellus had gained great glory by taking Thala, a town similarly situated and fortified; except that at Thala there were several springs near the walls, while the people of Capsa had only one running stream, and that within the town, all the water which they used beside being rain-water. But this scarcity, both here and in other parts of Africa, where the people live rudely and remote from the sea, was endured with the greater ease, as the inhabitants subsist mostly on milk and wild beasts' flesh, and use no salt, or other provocatives of appetite, their food being merely to satisfy hunger or thirst, and not to encourage luxury or excess.
90	Igitur consul omnibus exploratis , credo dis fretus — nam contra tantas difficultates consilio satis prouidere non poterat , quippe etiam frumenti inopia temptabatur , quia Numidae pabulo pecoris magis quam aruo student et , quodcumque natum fuerat , iussu regis in loca munita contulerant , ager autem aridus et frugum uacuos ea tempestate , nam aestatis extremum erat —, tamen pro rei copia satis prouidenter exornat . Pecus omne , quod superioribus diebus praedae fuerat , equitibus auxiliariis agendum attribuit , A . Manlium legatum cum cohortibus expeditis ad oppidum Laris , ubi stipendium et commeatum locauerat , ire iubet dicitque se praedabundum post paucos dies eodem venturum . Sic incepto suo occultato pergit ad flumen Tanain .	The consul, having made all necessary investigations, and relying, I suppose, on the gods (for against such difficulties he could not well provide by his own forethought, as he was also straitened for want of corn, because the Numidians apply more to pasturage than agriculture, and had conveyed, by the king's order, whatever corn had been raised into fortified places, while the ground at the time, it being the end of summer, was parched and destitute of vegetation), yet, under the circumstances, conducted his arrangements with great prudence. All the cattle, which had been taken for some days previous, he consigned to the care of the auxiliary cavalry; and directed Aulus Manlius, his lieutenant-general, to proceed with the light-armed cohorts to the town of Lares, where he had deposited provisions and pay for the army, telling him that, after plundering the country, he would join him there in a few days. Having by this means concealed his real design, he proceeded toward the river Tana.