and told him to fight with the enemy himself, for he was the
only person who knew how to get rich from them. However, at the
request of the rest of the army, the soldiers of Fimbria were
constrained, and agreed to stay to the end of summer, and if, in the
meantime, no enemy should come down to fight them, they were then to
be released. Lucullus was of necessity obliged to acquiesce in this,
or else to be left alone, and give up the country to the barbarians.
He therefore kept the soldiers together, without making any further
attempt to force them, or lead them out to battle, for he was well
content if they would stay with him, and he allowed Cappadocia to be
ravaged by Tigranes, and Mithridates to resume his arrogance, as to
whom he had written to the Senate, to inform them that he was
completely subdued; and the commissioners[418] were now with him who
had been sent to settle the affairs of Pontus, on the supposition that
the country was completely in the power of the Romans. Indeed, the
commissioners were now witnesses that Lucullus was not his own master,
but was treated with contumely and insult by the soldiers, who carried
their audacity towards their commander so far, that, at the close of
the summer, they put on their armour, and drawing their swords,
challenged to battle the enemy who were no longer there, but had
already moved off. After uttering the war shout, and flourishing their
swords in the air, they left the camp, declaring that the time was up
which they had agreed to stay with Lucullus. The rest of the soldiers
were summoned by Pompeius by letter, for he had been appointed to the
command[419] in the war against Mithridates and Tigranes, by the
favour of the people, and through the influence of the demagogues;
though the Senate and the nobles thought that Lucullus was wronged,
inasmuch as he was not superseded in a war, but in a triumph; and it
was not the command, but the honours of the command that he was
compelled to divest himself of, and to surrender to others.

XXXVI. But it appeared a still greater wrong to those who were with
Lucullus in Asia, that Lucullus had not the power either to reward or
punish for anything that was done in the war; nor did Pompeius allow
any person to go to him, nor to pay any attention to the orders and
regulations that he was making in concert with the ten commissioners,
but he obstructed him by publishing counter edicts, and by the fear
which he inspired from having