ABSTRACT

Once the peace of Dardanus was concluded Sulla, who had no intention of tolerating any challenge to his authority as governor of Asia, set out in pursuit of Fimbria. He caught up with him at Thyateira in Lydia. Fimbria at first made light of the threat posed by his foe and mockingly reminded him that he was now a public enemy. He became frightened, however, when Sulla began to draw a line of circumvallation round his camp, and many of his own troops, rightly divining they would be no match for Sulla, deserted to join in the work. So he called the remainder together and asked for a pledge of loyalty but, since the troops were unwilling to fight their fellow citizens, this was refused and the gathering had to be dismissed. Then, as the desertions continued, Fimbria went around among the tribunes and arranged that they should, by a seemingly spontaneous acclamation, call on the whole assembly to swear loyalty. They did so, but to no avail. Even one of his closest associates refused to swear, and Fimbria would have run him through with his sword if the bystanders had not intervened. Seeing how matters stood, Fimbria now had recourse to the desperate expedient of sending a slave into Sulla’s camp to assassinate him. This ploy failed, too, when the agent’s nervous fidgeting betrayed him.