ABSTRACT
Shortly after laying down his consulship Sulla moved to one of his luxurious villas either at Puteoli or Cumae. Here he spent a good deal of his time out of doors hunting and fishing. Indoors, some of his activities were considerably less healthy. His old cronies from the theatre, with whom, even as dictator, he had continued to associate, much to the disgust of his haughty noble supporters, now gathered round him once more. The boon companions of his youth remained boon companions of his old age and with them he passed many a long day lolling on couches, drinking and swapping jests, as in the days of yore. Yet, although it has been truly said that Sulla, with his enviable ability to relax completely, could treat nothing seriously once he joined any convivial gathering, he was at this time engaged on a most important task: the writing of his Memoirs.1
