were ignorant persons, who never troubled themselves about such
matters. While Sulla was staying at Athens, he was seized with a
numbness in his feet, accompanied with a feeling of heaviness, which
Strabo[262] calls "a stammering of gout." Accordingly he crossed the
sea to AEdepsus[263]; where he used the warm springs, at the same time
indulging in relaxation and spending all his time in the company of
actors. As he was walking about on the seashore, some fishermen
presented him with some very fine fish; Sulla was much pleased with
the present, but on hearing that the men belonged to Halaeae,[264] he
said, What, is there an Halaean still alive? For it happened, that
while pursuing his enemies after the victory at Orchomenus, he
destroyed at once three Boeotian cities, Anthedon, Larymna, and Halaeae.
The men were struck speechless with fear, but Sulla with a smile bade
them go away in good heart, for the intercessors they had brought were
no mean ones, and not to be despised. Upon this the Halaeans say they
took courage and again occupied their city.

XXVlI. Sulla went through Thessaly and Macedonia to the sea-coast,
where he made preparations to cross from Dyrrachium[265] to Brundisium
with twelve hundred ships. Near to Dyrrachium is Apollonia, and near
to Apollonia is the Nymphaeum,[266] a sacred spot, where perpetual
streams of fire rise in various places out of a green grassy valley.
It is said that a sleeping satyr was caught there, such a one as
sculptors and painters represent, and was brought to Sulla and
questioned by many interpreters as to who he was; but he spoke with
difficulty, and what he did utter was unintelligible, and something
like a compound of the neighing of a horse and the bleating of a goat;
upon which Sulla, who was startled at the monster, ordered him to be
removed. Sulla was now about to take his soldiers over the sea, but he
feared that when they landed in Italy they would disperse to their
several cities; however, the soldiers voluntarily took an oath to
abide by him, and not to do any damage in Italy from set design;
seeing also that he required much money, they all contributed
something from what they had, each according to his means. However,
Sulla would not receive the contribution, but after commending their
zeal and encouraging them he proceeded to cross the sea, as he
expresses it in his Memoirs, to oppose fifteen hostile commanders at
the head of four hundred and fifty cohorts.[267]