kept
continually coming up on both sides. At last the king's men had the
better, and the Romans, who from the ramparts saw their comrades
falling, were in a rage, and crowded about Lucullus, praying him to
lead them on, and calling for the signal for battle. But Lucullus,
wishing them to learn the value of the presence and sight of a prudent
general in a struggle with an enemy and in the midst of danger, told
them to keep quiet; and, going down into the plain and meeting the
first of the fugitives, he ordered them to stand, and to turn round
and face the enemy with him. The men obeyed, and the rest also facing
about and forming in order of battle, easily put the enemy to flight,
and pursued them to their camp. Lucullus, after retiring to his
position, imposed on the fugitives the usual mark of disgrace, by
ordering them to dig a trench of twelve feet in their loose jackets,
while the rest of the soldiers were standing by and looking on.

XVI. Now there was in the army of Mithridates a prince of the
Dandarii,[371] named Olthakus (the Dandarii are one of the tribes of
barbarians that live about the Maeotis), a man distinguished in all
military matters where strength and daring are required, and also in
ability equal to the best, and moreover a man who knew how to
ingratiate himself with persons, and of insinuating address. Olthakus,
who was always engaged in a kind of rivalry for distinction with one
of the princes of the kindred tribes, and was jealous of him,
undertook a great exploit for Mithridates, which was to kill Lucullus.
The king approved of his design, and purposely showed him some
indignities, at which, pretending to be in a rage, Olthakus rode off
to Lucullus, who gladly received him, for there was a great report of
him in the Roman army; and Lucullus, after some acquaintance with him,
was soon pleased with his acuteness and his zeal, and at last admitted
him to his table and made him a member of his council. Now when the
Dandarian thought he had a fit opportunity, he ordered the slaves to
take his horse without the ramparts, and, as it was noontide and the
soldiers were lying in the open air and taking their rest, he went to
the general's tent, expecting that nobody would prevent him from
entering, as he was on terms of intimacy with Lucullus, and said that
he was the bearer of some important news. And he would have entered
the tent without any suspicion, if sleep, that has been the cause of
the death of m