e reached the place before dawn the
next day. Strangely enough he went to the house not of the murdered
man's son, who was living at Ameria in charge of his farms, but of the
hostile kinsman Capito. Three days afterwards Capito and Magnus made
their way to the camp of Sulla (he was besieging Volaterrae, another
Etrurian town). They had an interview with one Chrysogonus, a Greek
freedman of the Dictator, and explained to him how rich a prey they
could secure if he would only help them. The deceased, it seems, had
left a large sum of money and thirteen valuable farms, nearly all of
them running down to the Tiber. And the son, the lawful heir, could
easily be got out of the way. Roscius was a well-known and a popular
man, yet no outcry had followed his disappearance. With the son, a
simple farmer, ignorant of affairs, and wholly unknown to Rome, it would
be easy to deal. Ultimately the three entered into alliance. The
proscription was to be revived, so to speak, to take in this particular
case, and the name of Roscius was included in the list of the condemned.
All his wealth was treated as the property of the proscribed, and was
sold by auction. It was purchased by Chrysogonus. The real value was
between fifty and sixty thousand pounds. The price paid was something
less than eighteen pounds. Three of the finest farms were at once handed
over to Capito as his share of the spoil. Magnus acted as the agent of
Chrysogonus for the remainder. He took possession of the house in which
Roscius the younger was living, laid his hands on all its contents,
among which was a considerable sum of money, and drove out the
unfortunate young man in an absolutely penniless condition.

These proceedings excited great indignation at Ameria. The local senate
passed a resolution to the effect that the committee of ten should
proceed to Sulla's camp and put him in possession of the facts, with the
object of removing the name of the father from the list of the
proscribed, and reinstating the son in his inheritance. The ten
proceeded accordingly to the camp, but Chrysogonus cajoled and
over-reached them. It was represented to them by persons of high
position that there was no need to trouble Sulla with the affair. The
name should be removed from the list; the property should be restored.
Capito, who was one of the ten, added his personal assurance to the same
effect, and the deputation, satisfied that their object had been
attained, returned to Amer