Dreading the influence which Sylla's success might procure him, the senate sent Lucius Valerius Flaccus the consul, accompanied by Fimbria, an experienced general, and two legions, to attack Mithridates, and to turn their arms against Sylla if they found him disaf fected to the senate. In the mean time Sylla, who was in Bceotia, came up with a large Asiatic army under Dorylaus, the king's favourite, over which he gained two victories, in the first of which Dorylaus lost 150,000 men, and in the second the remnant of his fine army. In the last of these engagements, 20,000 were driven into a river where they perished, and a similar number were cut to pieces in a marsh. Plu tarch informs us that the marches were dyed with blood; that the course of the river was stopped by the bodies of the slain; and that in his own day, about 200 years after the battle, numbers of swords, bows, helmets, and coats of mail, were found buried in the sand. Archelaus himself is said to have lain three days stripped among the slain, till he obtained a small vessel to convey him to Eubcea. In consequence of Sylla having bestowed upon that general 10,000 acres of ground near Chalcis, a suspicion arose that he had betrayed his master; but Dio, and Sylla himself in his Commentaries, have cleared the name of Archelaus from this odious imputation.
In consequence of some differences between Flaccus and Fimbria, the latter, who had gained over the sol diers, attacked his colleague, and having put him to death, took the command of the Roman armies in Asia. A battle soon took place between his troops and a nu merous army of Mithridates, and, after fighting with equality of success, the Asiatic army withdrew to the opposite side of the river to entrench themselves. A violent storm having soon after arisen, Fimbria seized the opportunity which it gave him, crossed the river, and, surprising them in their tents, he made such havoc among them that only the generals and a few troops of horse escaped. Mithridates, the king's son, fled to l'ergamus, where his father resided; but Fim bria pursuing him day and night, entered Pergamus sword in hand. Mithridates and his son having fled only a few hours before, Fimbria followed them to Pitane, which he invested. Having no ships to block ade it by sea, he ordered Lucullus, the Roman admi ral, to hasten to Pitaue with his fleet; but, under the influence of private pique, he refused to come, and thus permitted Mithridates to escape in his fleet to Mitylene.
Most of the Asiatic cities yielded to the arms of Fimbria; and Mithridates's fleet was entirely defeated in two engagements by Lucullus. The king of Pontus, therefore, sued for peace, which Sylla concluded fa vourably for his country.
Having subdued the common enemy, Sylla turned his arms against his rival Fimbria. Unable to defend himself by force, Fimbria laid a plot for murdering Sylla; but the scheme failing, he put an end to his existence. Thus freed from all his enemies in Asia,
Sylla imposed inordinate exactions upon the nations who had resisted his arms, and, having collected im mense treasure, he set sail for Italy, leaving behind him Lucullus as qurestor, and Alumna as praetor.
Previous to his departure from Asia, Sylla trans mitted to the senate a full account of his victories, and announced his resolution of returning to Rome to take revenge upon his enemies. This letter spread terror through the Roman states. Marius, dreading the encounter, abandoned himself to excessive drink ing, of which he died.
The senate organized an army under Valerius Flac cus, but they all deserted to Sylla; and no sooner had Cinna declared himself consul, and assumed Papirius Carbo for his colleague, than the Romans, fearing the misgovernment of their tyrants, flocked in crowds to the standard of Sylla. The senate, indeed, at tempted to make an appeal to the compassion of the conqueror; but Sylla persisted in the declaration, that his enemies should perish either by the sword or by the axes of the executioners; and, though numerous ar mies were raised against him, yet he was everywhere victorious. Cinna fell in a tumult; and the younger Marius, after being defeated, and flying to Prxneste, was closely besieged in that city.
In the midst of this civil war, Pontius Telesinus, an experienced general of the Samnites, marched with an army of 40,000 men, under the pretence of relieving Marius. Having thus drawn Sylla and Pompey from Rome, he made a rapid march in the night towards the capital, and arrived at day-break within ten fur longs of the city. Here he avowed his design of de stroying every Roman to whatever faction he belonged. The Roman citizens sustained great loss in a sally which they made, and Sylla himself was driven back to his camp. Rome was now on the verge of ruin. Telesinus advanced to destroy her; but Crassus hav ing defeated the other wing of his army, fell upon Tclesinus's army, put them to the rout, and saved his country.
The power of Sylla was now predominant. March ing through Atemme, he carried 8000 prisoners to Rome, who were at once massacred in the circus. Twelve thousand of the Prrenestines suffered the same fate; and the inhabitants of Norba, in Campania, set fire to their houses, and perished in the flames. The streets of Rome were literally filled with dead bodies; and when a senator ventured to ask the tyrant when he meant to cease from his cruelties, he answered with great coolness that he would take the question into his consideration. No fewer than 4700 of the most wealthy and eminent men in Rome were slaugh tered by the orders of Sylla; and when he had thus satiated himself with the blood of his enemies, he caused himself to be proclaimed perpetual dictator.