as succeeded by his eldest son, Nicomedes III.; but Mithridates took
the opportunity to set up a rival claimant, whose pretensions he
supported with an army, and quickly drove Nicomedes out of Bithynia
(B.C. 90). About the same time he openly invaded Cappadocia, and
expelled Ariobarzanes from his kingdom, establishing his own son
Ariarathes in his place. Both the fugitive princes had recourse to Rome,
where they found ready support; a decree was passed that Nicomedes and
Ariobarzanes should be restored to their respective kingdoms, and the
execution of it was confided to M. Aquillius and L. Cassius.

Mithridates again yielded, and the two fugitive kings were restored to
their dominions; but no sooner was Nicomedes replaced on the throne of
Bithynia than he was urged by the Roman legates to invade the
territories of Mithridates, into which he made a predatory incursion.
Mithridates offered no resistance, but sent to the Romans to demand
satisfaction, and it was not until his embassador was dismissed with an
evasive answer that he prepared for immediate hostilities (B.C. 88). His
first step was to invade Cappadocia, from which he easily expelled
Ariobarzanes once more. His generals drove Nicomedes out of Bithynia,
and defeated Aquillius. Mithridates, following up his advantage, not
only made himself master of Phrygia and Galatia, but invaded the Roman
province of Asia. Here the universal discontent of the inhabitants,
caused by the oppression of the Roman governors, enabled him to overrun
the whole province almost without opposition. The Roman officers, who
had imprudently brought this danger upon themselves, were unable to
collect any forces to oppose his progress; and Aquillius himself, the
chief author of the war, fell into the hands of the King of Pontus.
Mithridates took up his winter quarters at Pergamus, where he issued the
sanguinary order to all the cities of Asia to put to death on the same
day all the Roman and Italian citizens who were to be found within their
walls. So hateful had the Romans rendered themselves during the short
period of their dominion, that these commands were obeyed with alacrity
by almost all the cities of Asia. Eighty thousand persons are said to
have perished in this fearful massacre.

The success of Mithridates encouraged the Athenians to declare against
Rome, and the king accordingly sent his general Archelaus with a large
army and fleet into Greece. Most of the Grecian states now decl