collected from the passages given in Ritter and
Preller, _Historia Philosophiae Graeco-Romanae_, p. 396, Academic Novi.]

[Footnote 439: Dion Cassius (37, c. 49) states that during the
consulship of Lucius Afranius and Q. Metellus Celer B.C. 60, Pompeius,
who had brought about their election, attempted to carry a law for the
distribution of lauds among his soldiers and the ratification of all
his acts during his command. This is the Agrarian Law which was
proposed by the tribune Flavius, but opposed by the Senate. (Cicero,
_Ad Attic._ i. 19.) Afranius was, if we may trust Cicero, a
contemptible fellow; and Metellus now quarrelled with Pompeius,
because Pompeius had divorced Mucia, the sister of Metellus, as Dion
calls her, for incontinence during his absence. Cicero says that the
divorce was much approved. Mucia was not the sister of Metellus; but
she was probably a kinswoman. The divorce, however, could only have
been considered a slight affair; for Mucia was incontinent, and
divorces were no rare things at Rome. The real ground of the
opposition of Metellus to Pompeius was fear of his assumption of still
further power. From this time Horatius (_Carm._ ii. 1, "Motum ex
Metello Consule civicum") dates the beginning of the Civil Wars of his
period. See Life of Pompeius, c. 46, and of Cato the Younger, c. 31.]

[Footnote 440: It is Brettius in the text of Plutarch, which is
evidently a mistake for Bettius, that is, Vettius. This affair of
Vettius cannot be cleared up. He had been an informer in the matter of
Catiline's conspiracy, and he had attempted to implicate C. Julius
Caesar in it: which of the two parties caused him to be assassinated is
doubtful. This affair of Vettius is spoken of by Cicero, _Ad Attic._
ii. 24, Dion Cassius, 38, c. 9, Appian, _Civil Wars_, ii. 12. The
history of this affair of Vettius is given by Drumann, _Geschichte
Roms_, ii. 334, P. Clodius.]

[Footnote 441: Kaltwasser translates it "he put himself to death:"
perhaps the words may have either meaning.]

[Footnote 442: See the Life of Cicero, c. 31, and Life of Cato, c. 34.

Cicero was banished B.C. 58, and Cato was sent to Cyprus in the same
year. Lucullus probably did not survive beyond the year B.C. 56. He
was older than Cn. Pompeius Magnus, who was born B.C. 106.

The character of Lucullus may be collected from Plutarch. He was a man
of talent and of taste, a brave soldier, a skilful general and a man
of letters. Cicero in the first c