on one
division of Carbo, five of whose cohorts deserted in the battle. His
lieutenant, Pompeius, defeated Censorinus at Sena and sacked the town.
Pompeius is also said to have crossed the Po and taken Mediolanum
(Milan), where his soldiers massacred the senate. Metellus, meanwhile,
had gone by sea along the east coast north of Ariminum, and had thus
cut off Carbo's communications with the valley of the Po. This drove
Carbo from his position, and he marched into Etruria, where he fought
a battle near Clusium with Sulla, who had just arrived from Rome. In a
cavalry fight near the Clanis, 270 of Carbo's Spanish horse went
over to Sulla, and Carbo killed the rest. There was another fight
at Saturnia, on the Albegna, and there, too, Sulla was victorious.
[Sidenote: Indecisive combats.] He was less fortunate in a general
engagement near Clusium, which after a whole day's fighting ended
indecisively. Carbo was, however, now reduced to great straits.
Carrinas was defeated by Pompeius and Crassus near Spoletum, and
retired into the town. Carbo sent a detachment to his aid; but it was
cut to pieces by an ambuscade laid by Sulla. Bad news, too, reached
him from the south, where Marius was beginning to starve in Praeneste.
[Sidenote: Carbo attempts to relieve Praeneste.] He sent a strong
force of eight legions to raise the siege; but Pompeius waylaid and
routed them, and surrounded their officer who had retreated to a hill.
But the latter, leaving his fires alight, marched off by night,
and returned to Carbo with only seven cohorts; for his troops had
mutinied, one legion going off to Ariminum and many men dispersing to
their homes. [Sidenote: A second attempt also fails.] A second attempt
to relieve Praeneste was now made from the south. Lamponius from
Lucania, whom we last heard of in the Social War (p. 120), and Pontius
Telesinus from Samnium, marched at the head of 70,000 men into Latium.
This movement drew Sulla from Etruria. He threw himself between Rome
and the enemy, and occupied a gorge through which they had to pass
before they could get to Praeneste. The Latin Road branches off near
Anagnia, one route leading straight to Rome, the other making a detour
through Praeneste. [Sidenote: The dead lock at Praeneste.] It was
somewhere here that Sulla took his stand; and neither could the
southern army break through his lines, nor Marius break through those
of Ofella, though he made determined attempts to do so.

Meanwhile Carb