SPARTACITS, tire leader in the great insurrection of Roman slaves in southern Italy which took place 73 n.e., and in all probability the first servile captain in point of genius of whom history preserves a record, was a native of Thrace, and originally followed the occupation of a shepherd, but afterward became a robber-chief. having the mia fortune to be taken prisoner, he was placed in a training-scbool for gladiators kept by one Lento Batiatus, at Capita. A conspiracy to escape was formed among the gladia tors (200 in all, and mostly Gauls and Thramans), the heads of which were and two Gau Crixus and (Enomaus. The conspiracy was discovered; but•70, among whom were the leader, forced their way through the streets of Capua with cleavers and other such rude weapons as they could seize, defeated a detachment of Roman sol diers sent to bring them back, and established themselves on Mt. Vesuvius, where they received considerable accessions to their number—chiefly runaway slaves. Three thousand Roman troops under C. Claudius Pulcher sought to blockade them here and starve them into surrender. Spartacus was now chosen as their leader, with Crixus and (Enomaus for his lieutenants. Descending the bill at a place and in a way totally unexpected, he took his assailants in the rear, and inflicted on tliem a disgraceful defeat. His original design had been limited to securing his freedom, and making his way back to his own country, nor during the two years that the insurrection lasted did he ever for get this ultimate aim; but in order effectually to carry it out, he recognized the necessity of a far more serious and extensive warfare than had yet been waged, and proclaiming freedom to all slaves, he contrived to raise his trivial mutiny to the dignity of a war. Circumstances were favorable. A great portion of Italy, especially of central and southern Italy, had been turned into pasture-laud (see RouE), and instead of villages of sturdy and independent farmers, who owned the land they tilled, gangs of discontented slaves watched the flocks and _herds of great nobles, demoralized by a plethora of ill gotten riches. It was to these slaves that Spartacus appealed, and his summons was not m vain. Thousands upon thousands rushed to his standard, and victory followed him wherever he went. The story of his triumphs reads like a romance. No knight of chivalry was ever more uniformly successful, for a time. After defeating Claudius Pulcher, he routed and slew Cossinius, legate of Publius Various; then he worsted Varinus himself in several engagements, capturing his lictors and the very horse on which he rode. All the southern part of the peninsula now fell into his hands: the country was devastated, the cities either pillaged or garrisoned. But Spartacus knew too well the enormous resources of Rome, and the extraordinary energy which she was capable of exhibiting in the hour of peril, to hope for final success, and he consequently sought to induce his victorious bands to march northward to the Alps, and disperse to their own homes, the Gauls to the west, and the Thracians to the east. But the slaves were too deeply intoxi
cated with their success to see the wisdom of his proposal, and Spartacus had to continue his career of mere fighting against his better judgment, and embarrassed by the jeal ousies that are so apt to spring up among undisciplined and servile hordes. What brilliant gallantry and skill lie showed, is known to all readers of Roman history. After the defeat and death of his lieutenants who had separated from him (72 rt.c.), he marched north through Picenum toward the Po, overthrew first one consular army under Cn. Cornelius Lentulus and then another under Genius Poplicola, and at the head of 100,000 men, meditated a march on Rome. Since the days of Hannibal, there had never been such danger! Fortunately, servile indecision and unwisdom saved the city. Spar tacus was forced by his followers to retreat south, and took up his winter-quarters at Thurii, where he held a great fair for the sale of the spoils of Roman cities. In 71 B.C., Crassus (q.v.) took the field against the terrible slave-leader, but for a while even he could do nothing. Near Molina, the prdconsul, C. Cassius Longinus, and the proprmor, On. Manlius, were defeated; in Picenum, Mummius, a legate of Crassns's, was utterly routed; at last, however, Crassus suceeded in forcing Spartacus into the narrow penin sula of Rhegium, whence he tried to get into Sicily, with the view of rekindling the servile war that had recently raged in that island, but failed in his attempt, through the treachery of those with whom he had opened negotiations. Crassus now built lines of eircumvallation to hem him in, and force him to surrender; but one stormy winter-night, Spartacus broke out of the toils prepared for him, and resumed the offensive, although he had suffered heavily by loss and desertion, and his forces were still further diminished by the formation of an independent army of Gallic slaves, which had 110 sooner got a leader of its own, than it was annihilated. Near Petelia, be once more defeated his adversaries; but seeing clearly that with such wretched materials as lie had he could not hold out much longer, lie made a dash at Brundusinm, hoping to seize the shipping in the harbors, and ge;t, safely across the Adriatic to Ins native shore, but was baffled by the presence of Lucifflus (q.v.). Pompey, too, had returned front Spain. There was nothing left for Spartacus but to die as gallantly as lie had lived. Drawing up his army iu battle-array, and solemnly slaying his war-horse, he began his last fight hi a spirit of heroic desperation, and after performing prodigies of valor, fell unrecognized among the heaps of his slain foes. After his death, the slave insurrection was at an end.