themselves belonged to the number of
men already dead outside, and so might secure a respite at last from
fear. Their cases, however, were postponed, while the rest were
slaughtered and thrown into the river, so that the savagery of
Mithridates, deemed so terrible, in slaughtering all the Romans in
Asia in one day, was now held to be of slight importance in comparison
with the number massacred and their manner of death. Nor did the
terror stop here, but the slaughters which began at this point as if
by a kind of signal occurred in the country district and all the
cities of Italy. Toward many Sulla himself showed hatred and toward
many others his companions did the same, some truthfully and some in
pretence, in order that displaying by the similarity of their deeds a
character similar to his and establishing him as their friend they
might not, by any dissimilarity, incur suspicion, seem to be reproving
him at all, and so endanger themselves. They murdered all whom they
saw to surpass them either in wealth or in any other respect, some
through envy and others on account of their possessions. For under
such conditions many neutral persons even, though they might have
taken neither side, became subject to some private complaint, as
surpassing some one in excellence or wealth and family. No safety was
visible for any one against those in power who wished to commit an
injustice in any case. (Valesius, p. 657.)

[Sidenote: B.C. 81 (_a.u._ 673)] 3. (Par.) Such calamities held Rome
encompassed. Who could narrate the insults to the living, many of
which were offered to women, and many to the noblest and most
prominent children, as if they were captives in war? Yet those acts,
though most distressing, yet at least in their similarity to others
that had previously taken place seemed endurable to such persons as
were away from them. But Sulla was not satisfied, nor was he content
to do the same as others: a certain longing came over him to far excel
all in the variety of his slaughters, as if there were some virtue in
being second to none even in bloodguiltiness, and so he exposed to
view a new device, a whitened tablet, on which he inscribed the names.
Notwithstanding this all previous atrocities continued undiminished,
and not even those whose names were not inscribed on the tablets were
in safety. For many, some living and others actually dead, had their
names subsequently inscribed at the pleasure of the slayers, so that
in thi