e main scene of war,
Campania, they had been decisively defeated, and the country was in
the enemy's power. In Picenum and the Marsian territory the balance
was more even; but Lupus and Caepio had been slain, Perperna and
Pompeius had been defeated, and on the whole the confederates had
carried off the honours of the war. [Sidenote: Results of the first
year of the war.] Now Umbria was in insurrection, Mithridates was
astir in Asia, and there were symptoms of revolt in Transalpine Gaul.
A selfish intriguer like Marius might very likely have thought of
throwing in his lot with the Italians, for theirs seemed to be the
winning side. But on honester men such considerations produced quite
another effect. [Sidenote: The party of Drusus revives.] The party of
Drusus took heart again, and appealed to the results of the war as
a proof of his patriotic foresight and of the moderation of his
counsels. They got the administration of the Varian Law into their own
hands, and turned it against its authors, Varius himself being exiled.
The consul Caesar had personal reasons for being disquieted with
the war, if the story of Orosius be true, that, when he asked for a
triumph for his victory at Acerrae, the Senate sent him a mourning
robe as a sign of what they thought of his request. [Sidenote: The Lex
Julia.] In any case he was the author of that Lex Julia which really
terminated the Social War. [Sidenote: Various accounts of the law.]
There are different accounts given of this law. According to Gellius
it enfranchised all Latium, by which he must mean to include all the
Latin colonies. According to Cicero it enfranchised all Italy except
Cisalpine Gaul. According to Appian it enfranchised all the Italians
still faithful. In any case those enfranchised were not to be enrolled
in the old tribes lest they should swamp them by their votes, but in
eight new ones, which were to vote only after the others. [Sidenote:
The Lex Plautia Papiria.] The Lex Julia was immediately followed by
the Lex Plautia Papiria, framed by the tribunes M. Plautius Silvanus
and C. Papirius Carbo. This law seems to have been meant to supplement
the other. The Lex Julia rewarded the Italians who had remained
faithful. The Lex Plautia Papiria held out the olive branch to the
Italians who had rebelled. It enfranchised any citizen of an allied
town who at the date of the law was dwelling in Italy, and made a
declaration to the praetor within sixty days. In the same yea