MUTINY IN LUCULLUS, ARMY.
Samuel2, or according to tlɪe vulgate the second book of Kings)
the seat of the Syrian kings in Mesopotamia. This town
came to be of great importance during the decline of the
Roman empire ; and under Dioclctian it was the chief fortress
of the eastern frontier. Here LucuIIus seems to have amassed
immense treasures during his proconsular government; and
here also he was surprised by an insurrection in his army. The
soldiers were incited by P. Clodius, the same who afterwards
acquired his sad celebrity in Roman history, and one of whose
sisters was married to LucuIIus.3 The first elements of the
insurrection were among the Valeriani. The time of their
service had been greatly prolonged, for they had now been
in arms twenty years, and as they had served so long they had
a right to demand to be sent home. The period of military
service had been gradually increased. In the time of the
younger Scipio no more than six years of uninterrupted service
had been required. Clodius played the mutineer, as he did in
fact throughout his life. LucuIIus refused to let the Valeriani
go, probably because he had not received the necessary rein-
forcements, and therefore could not spare them. This insur-
rection prevented LucuIIus from acting energetically against
Mithridates, who now gained fresh courage. LucuIIus withdrew
into Cappadocia; and Mithridates, who had followed him and
defeated his legate, C. Valerius Triarius, again got possession
of the greater part of his dominions. Lucu∏us had even before
drawn upon himself the suspicion of protracting the war, in
order to enrich himself; and now, just at the time when he was
not favoured by fortune, his adversaries increased their exer-
tions that the command against Mithridates might be given
to Pompey.
After the war against Sertorius, Pompey had conducted
that against the pirates. Piracy must have been an old evil
in the eastern parts of the Mediterranean. The rude inhabit-
ants of the mountainous parts of Cilicia had probably been
practising this profitable kind of warfare for a long time; as
pirates and archipirates are mentioned in those parts as early
as the Macedonian time, so that even then they must have had
their strongholds there ; but they had then been insignificant
in comparison with what they were at this time. The coast
of Cilicia was well suited to them, for although it contained
2 vɪɪi. 3. 3 Plutarch, Lucull. 21.
WAR AGAINST THE PIRATES.
gome important and flourishing towns, such as Tarsus, yet the
majority were small places as in Maina. That coast had for-
merly been under the dominion of the Syrian kings, but after
the dissolution of the Seleucidan empire (a.U. 630) Cilicia
became independent, and the numerous little fortified places and
commercial towns on the coast, especially in Kι∖ικla τpa∙χeca,
were the landing places of the pirates ; here they established them-
selves by land and by sea. During the war with Mithridates,
who encouraged them, their boldness surpassed all belief. We
need only read Cieero’s speech for the Manilian LiIl4, to form
an idea of their number and their robberies.5 rl he whole of the
Mediterranean, from the coast of Syria to the pillars of Her-
cules, was covered with privateers, and there was no safety
anywhere. Their prisoners were dragged to fortified places
on the coasts, and were compelled to pay enormous sums as
ransom; and, in case of their being unable to raise the money
required, they were sold as slaves or tortured to death and
thrown into the sea. These pirates made descents even upon
the coast of Italy, and took towns; once they landed in the
very neighbourhood of Ostia, and distinguished Komans, nay,
oven praetors with all the ensigns of their office were dragged
from the high roads as prisoners. Eome required to be sup-
plied with corn from Sicily and other agricultural countries;
and as the communication between Italy and those countries
was frequently interrupted, the city was perpetually suffering
from scarcity. The Cretans, who had, at all times, been noto-
rious as pirates and highway robbers, were the allies of the
pirates. The navy of the Eomans had fallen greatly into decay,
while the numbers of the pirates’ boats, which were small like
those of the Mainotes, but dangerous to merchant vessels, were
incalculable. The time when Pompey had the command
against the pirates was the most brilliant period of his life, and
his excellent conduct deserves great praise. He took Ifis
measures in such a way, that he drew them together, as it
were, by a bait, from all parts of the Medirerranean towards
Cilicia, where he conquered them in a glorious sea-fight. IIe
captured all their ships, took the towns which had served as
their strongholds, transplanted them from places difficult of
access, partly to larger towns of Cilicia and to fertile districts
4 In all tlιe MSS. it is more correctly called “De impcrio Cn. Pompeii.”—N.
5 Compare Appian, De Bell. Mithrid. 92 and 93; Llutarch, Pomp. 24.