e was leaving the city with
his troops for the Social War, as he tells us in his memoirs, a great
chasm opened in the earth near Laverna,[183] from which a quantity of
fire burst forth, and a bright flame rose like a column to the skies.
The diviners said that a brave man, of an appearance different from
and superior to ordinary men, would obtain the command and relieve the
city from its present troubles, Sulla says this man was himself, for
the golden colour of his hair was a peculiarity in his personal
appearance, and that he had no diffidence about bearing testimony to
his own merits after so many illustrious exploits. So much as to his
religious opinions. As to the other parts of his character, he was
irregular and inconsistent: he would take away much, and give more; he
would confer honours without any good reason, and do a grievous wrong
with just as little reason; he courted those whose assistance he
wanted, and behaved with arrogance to those who wanted his aid; so
that one could not tell whether he had naturally more haughtiness or
subserviency. For as to his inconsistency in punishing, sometimes
inflicting death for the slightest matters, and at others quietly
bearing the greatest wrongs, his ready reconciliations with his deadly
enemies, and his prosecution of slight and trifling offences with
death and confiscation of property--all this may be explained on the
supposition that he was naturally of a violent and vindictive temper,
but sometimes moderated his passion upon calculations of interest.
During this Social War his soldiers killed with sticks and stones a
man of Praetorian rank, who was his legatus, Albinus[184] by name, an
outrage which Sulla overlooked, and made no inquiry about: he went so
far as to say, with apparent seriousness, that the soldiers would
bestir themselves the more in the war and make amends for their fault
by their courage. As to any blame that was imputed to him, he cared
not for it; but having already formed the design of overthrowing the
power of Marius and of getting himself appointed to the command
against Mithridates, as the Social War was now considered at an end,
he endeavoured to ingratiate himself with his army. On coming to Rome
he was elected consul with Quintus Pompeius[185] for his colleague,
being now fifty years of age, and he formed a distinguished
matrimonial alliance with Caecilia,[186] the daughter of Metellus,[187]
the chief Pontifex. This gave occasion to the po