promised to be at the outset. He easily defeated Norbanus; and Scipio's
troops, having an aristocratic leaven in them, deserted to him. But the
Italians, especially the Samnites, fought most desperately. The war lasted
for more than a year, Sylla slowly advancing. The Roman mob became
furious. They believed their cause betrayed, and were savage from fear and
disappointment. Suspected patricians were murdered: among them fell the
Pontifex Maximus, the venerable Scaevola. At length the contest ended in a
desperate fight under the walls of Rome itself on the 1st of November,
B.C. 82. The battle began at four in the afternoon, and lasted through the
night to the dawn of the following day. The popular army was at last cut
to pieces; a few thousand prisoners were taken, but they were murdered
afterward in cold blood. Young Marius killed himself, Sertorius fled to
Spain, and Sylla and the aristocracy were masters of Rome and Italy. Such
provincial towns as continued to resist were stormed and given up to
pillage, every male inhabitant being put to the sword. At Norba, in
Latium, the desperate citizens fired their own houses and perished by each
other's hands.

Sylla was under no illusions. He understood the problem which he had in
hand. He knew that the aristocracy were detested by nine tenths of the
people; he knew that they deserved to be detested; but they were at least
gentlemen by birth and breeding. The democrats, on the other hand, were
insolent upstarts, who, instead of being grateful for being allowed to
live and work and pay taxes and serve in the army, had dared to claim a
share in the government, had turned against their masters, and had set
their feet upon their necks. The miserable multitude were least to blame.
They were ignorant, and without leaders could be controlled easily. The
guilt and the danger lay with the men of wealth and intellect, the country
gentlemen, the minority of knights and patricians like Cinna, who had
taken the popular side and had deserted their own order. Their motives