tunes that resulted from his union with Clodia, the scandal
about her brothers: in every other respect Servilia was as abominable
as Clodia and a licentious woman, and yet Lucullus was obliged to
bear with her from regard to Cato; but at last he put her away.
Lucullus had raised the highest expectations in the Senate, who hoped
to find in him a counterpoise to the overbearing conduct of Pompeius
and a defender of the aristocracy,[427] inasmuch as he had the
advantage of great reputation and influence; but he disappointed these
hopes and gave up political affairs, either because he saw that they
were already in a difficult position and not in a healthy state, or,
as some say, because he was satisfied with glory, and wished to fall
back to an easy and luxurious life, after his many contests and
dangers, which had not been followed by the most fortunate of results.
Some commend him for making such a change, whereby he avoided what had
befallen Marius, who, after his Cimbrian victories and that great and
glorious success, did not choose to dedicate himself to honour so
great and to be an object of admiration, but through insatiate desire
of glory and power, though an old man, entered into political warfare
with young men, and so ended his career in dreadful acts, and in
sufferings more dreadful than acts; and they say that Cicero also
would have had a better old age if he had withdrawn from public life
after the affair of Catiline, and Scipio after he had added the
conquest of Numantia to that of Carthage, if he had then stopped; for
there is a close to a political period also, and political contests as
well as those of athletes are censured when a man's vigour and prime
have failed him. But Crassus and Pompeius sneered[428] at Lucullus for
giving himself up to pleasure and extravagant living, as if a
luxurious life was not more unsuitable to persons of his age than
affairs of state and military command.

XXXIX. Now in the life of Lucullus, as in an ancient comedy, we may
read, in the first part, of political measures and military command,
and, in the last part, of drinking and feasts, and hardly anything but
revels, and torches, and all kinds of amusement; for I reckon among
amusements, expensive buildings, and construction of ambulatories and
baths, and still more paintings and statues, and eagerness about works
of this kind, all which he got together at great cost, and to this end
spent profusely the wealth which he had