us. Sulla perceived that his
soldiers were dissatisfied at the settlement of the war: they thought
it a shame that the greatest enemy of the Romans, who had contrived
the massacre of one hundred and fifty thousand Romans in Asia in one
day, should be seen sailing off with the wealth and the spoils of
Asia, which he had been plundering and levying contributions on for
four years; Sulla apologised to the soldiers by saying that he should
not be able to oppose both Fimbria and Mithridates, if they were
united against him.

XXV. From Dardanus Sulla marched against Fimbria, who was encamped
near Thyateira,[259] and halting there, began to throw up his
intrenchments. Fimbria's men coming out of their camp in their jackets
embraced the soldiers of Sulla, and began to assist them zealously in
their works. Fimbria seeing that his soldiers had deserted him, and
fearing Sulla's unforgiving temper, committed suicide in the camp.
Sulla now levied a contribution on Asia to the amount of twenty
thousand talents: and he reduced individuals to beggary by the
violence and exactions which he permitted to the soldiers who were
quartered in their houses. He issued an order that the master of a
house should daily supply the soldier who was quartered on him with
four tetradrachmae, and with dinner for himself and as many of his
friends as he chose to invite; a centurion was to receive fifty
drachmae daily, and to be supplied with two garments, one to wear in
the house and the other when he went abroad.

XXVI. Sulla set sail from Ephesus with all his ships, and on the third
day anchored in the Peiraeus. After being initiated into the
Eleusinian[260] mysteries, he appropriated to himself the library of
Apellikon[261] of Teos, which contained most of the writings of
Aristotle and Theophrastus. The works of these two philosophers were
not then well known to people in general. It is said that when the
library was brought to Rome, Tyrannio the grammarian arranged most of
the books, and that Andronikus of Rhodes having procured copies from
Tyrannio, published them, and made the tables which are now in use. It
appears that the older Peripatetics were indeed well-instructed men,
and devoted to letters, but they did not possess many of the writings
of Aristotle and Theophrastus, nor yet correct copies, owing to the
circumstances that the books came into the hands of the heirs of
Neleus of Skepsis, to whom Theophrastus bequeathed them, and that they