ble opportunity he made a friend of Bocchus, king
of the Numidians. Some ambassadors of Bocchus who had escaped from
Numidian robbers were hospitably received by Sulla, and sent back with
presents and a safe conduct. Now Bocchus happened for some time to
have disliked his son-in-law Jugurtha, whom he was also afraid of; and
as Jugurtha had been defeated by the Romans and had fled to Bocchus,
he formed a design to make him his prisoner and deliver him to his
enemies; but as he wished Sulla to be the agent rather than himself,
he invited Sulla to come and see him. Sulla communicated the message
to Marius, and, taking a few soldiers with him, ventured on the
hazardous enterprise of putting himself in the hands of a barbarian
who never kept his faith even with his friends, and this for the
purpose of having another man betrayed to him. Bocchus, having got
both of them in his power, was under the necessity of being
treacherous to one of them, and after great fluctuations in his
resolution, he finally carried into effect his original perfidious
design, and surrendered Jugurtha to Sulla. Marius enjoyed the triumph
for the capture of Jugurtha, but the honour of the success was given
to Sulla through dislike of Marius, which caused Marius some
uneasiness; for Sulla was naturally of an arrogant disposition, and as
this was the first occasion, on which he had been raised from a mean
condition and obscurity to be of some note among his fellow-citizens,
and had tasted the sweets of distinction, he carried his pride so far
as to have a seal-ring cut, on which the occurrence was represented,
and he wore it constantly. The subject represented was Bocchus
surrendering and Sulla receiving the surrender of Jugurtha.

IV. Though Marius was annoyed at this, yet as he still thought Sulla
beneath his jealousy, he employed him in his campaigns--in his second
consulship in the capacity of legate, and in his third consulship as
tribune;[168] and by his instrumentality Marius effected many
important objects. In his capacity of legate Sulla took Copillius,
king of the Tectosages;[169] and when he was a tribune he persuaded
the powerful and populous nation of the Marsi[170] to become friends
and allies to Rome. But now perceiving that Marius was jealous of him,
and was no longer willing to give him the opportunity of
distinguishing himself, but opposed his further rise, Sulla attached
himself to Catulus, the colleague of Marius, who was an honest m