naturally marked him out as the man to whom this
important dignity was to be granted. He was accordingly elected Consul
for the year 88 B.C., with Q. Pompeius Rufus as his colleague; and he
forthwith received the command of the Mithridatic War. But Marius had
long coveted this distinction; he quitted the magnificent villa which he
had built at Misenum, and took up his residence at Rome; and in order to
show that neither his age nor his corpulency had destroyed his vigor, he
repaired daily to the Campus Martius, and went through the usual
exercises with the young men. He was determined not to yield without a
struggle to his hated rival. As he had formerly employed the Tribune
Saturninus to carry out his designs, so now he found an able instrument
for his purpose in the Tribune P. Sulpicius Rufus. Sulpicius was one of
the greatest orators of the age, and had acquired great influence by his
splendid talents. He was an intimate friend of the Tribune M. Livius
Drusus, and had been himself elected Tribune for B.C. 88, through the
influence of the Senatorial party, who placed great hopes in him; but,
being overwhelmed with debt, he now sold himself to Marius, who promised
him a liberal share of the spoils of the Mithridatic War. Accordingly,
Sulpicius brought forward a law by which the Italians were to be
distributed among the thirty-five tribes. As they far outnumbered the
old Roman citizens, they would have an overwhelming majority in each
tribe, and would certainly confer upon Marius the command of the
Mithridatic War. To prevent the Tribune from putting these rogations to
the vote, the Consuls declared a justitium, during which no business
could be legally transacted. But Sulpicius was resolved to carry his
point; with an armed band of followers he entered the forum and called
upon the Consuls to withdraw the justitium; and upon their refusal to
comply with his demand he ordered his satellites to draw their swords
and fall upon them. Pompeius escaped, but his son Quintus, who was also
the son-in-law of Sulla, was killed. Sulla himself took refuge in the
house of Marius, which was close to the forum, and in order to save his
life he was obliged to remove the justitium.

Sulla quitted Rome and hastened to his army, then besieging Nola, which
was still held by the Samnites (see p. 180)(Fifth paragraph of Chapter
XXV.--Transcriber). The city was now in the hands of Sulpicius and
Marius, and the rogations passed into law without