A source-book of ancient history - The Search For Mecca

Sulla's Proscriptions 429
him and elated by his exploits. He had abundance of Appian,
ships, money, and apparatus suitable for all emergencies, i. 76.
and was an object of terror to his enemies. Carbo and
Cinna were in such fear of him that they despatched emis- Rome, 171.
saries to all
supplies.
parts of Italy to collect money, soldiers, and Ancient
(In two years of civil war Sulla destroyed the armies of
World, ^2i-b.
Sulla's
the democratic leaders who opposed him, and then entered tions.L B.C
Rome all-powerful.) Now he began to make blood flow, piutarch,
and he
'^"''''' filled the city with countless deaths. For private
^^•
enmity many persons were murdered who never had
anything to do with Sulla, but he consented to their death
to please his partisans.
At last a young man, Gains Metellus, had the boldness
to ask Sulla in the senate-house when there would be an
end to their miseries, and how far he would proceed before
they could hope to see their misfortunes cease.
"We are not deprecating your vengeance against those
whom you have determined to put out of the way," he
said, "but we entreat you to relieve of uncertainty those
whom you have determined to spare."
Sulla replied,
"I have not yet determined whom I will spare."
"Tell us then," Metellus said, "whom you intend to
punish."
Sulla promised to do so. Some say it was not Metellus
but Afidius, one of Sulla's flatterers, who made use of the
last expression. Without communicating with any magistrate,
Sulla immediately proscribed eighty persons. As
this act caused a general murmur, he let one day pass, and
then proscribed two hundred and twenty more, and again
on the third day as many.
In an address to the people he
said, with reference to these measures, that he had pro-