by the king were seen riding
to the spot where they embarked. Marius thus escaped a danger equal to
any that ever threatened him.

XLI. News reached Rome that Sulla was encountering the generals of
Mithridates in Boeotia, while the consuls were quarrelling and taking
up arms. A battle was fought, in which Octavius[133] got the victory
and ejected Cinna, who was attempting to govern by violent means, and
he put in Cinna's place as consul Cornelius Merula; but Cinna
collected troops in Italy and made war against Octavius. On hearing
this, Marius determined to set sail immediately, which he did with
some Moorish cavalry that he took from Africa, and some few Italians
who had fled there, but the number of both together did not exceed a
thousand. Coming to shore at Telamo[134] in Tyrrhenia, and landing
there, Marius proclaimed freedom to the slaves; and as the freemen who
were employed in agriculture there, and in pasturing cattle, flocked
to the sea, attracted by his fame, Marius persuaded the most vigorous
of them to join him, and in a few days he had collected a considerable
force and manned forty ships. Knowing that Octavius was an honourable
man and wished to direct the administration in the justest way, but
that Cinna was disliked by Sulla and opposed to the existing
constitution, he determined to join him with his force. Accordingly he
sent to Cinna and proffered to obey him as consul in everything. Cinna
accepted the proposal, and naming Marius proconsul, sent him fasces
and the other insigna of the office. Marius, however, observing that
such things were not suited to his fortunes, clad in a mean dress,
with his hair uncut from the day that he had been an exile, and now
above seventy years of age, advanced with slow steps, wishing to make
himself an object of compassion; but there was mingled with his abject
mien more than his usual terrific expression of countenance, and
through his downcast looks he showed that his passion, so far from
being humbled, was infuriated by his reverses of fortune.

XLII. As soon as he had embraced Cinna and greeted the soldiers,
Marius commenced active operations and gave a great turn to affairs.
First of all, by attacking the corn-vessels[135] with his ships and
plundering the merchants, he made himself master of the supplies. He
next sailed to the maritime cities, which he took; and, finally, Ostia
being treacherously surrendered to him, he made plunder of the
property that he fou