MARIUS AND CINNA.

[Sidenote:  Flight of Marius.] Meanwhile what had become of Marius?  Already a halo of legend was gathering round his name, and all Italy was ringing with his adventures.  When he had fled from Rome (not sorry now, we may be sure, that he had gone through his late exhibitions in the Campus Martius), he had sent his son to some of his father-in-law’s farms to get necessary provisions.  Young Marius was overtaken by daylight, before he could get to his father-in-law’s farm, and pack the things up, and was nearly caught by those on his track.  But the farm-bailiff saw them in time, and, hiding him in a cart full of beans, yoked the teams, and drove him to Rome. [Sidenote:  Ostia.] There young Marius went to his wife’s house, and, getting what he wanted, set out at nightfall for Ostia, and finding a ship starting for Africa, went aboard.  His father had not waited for his return.  He too had embarked at Ostia for Africa with his son-in-law.  But now in his old age the sea was not so kind to him as when, in his bold and confident youth, he had sailed to sue for his first consulship from the very land to which he was now flying.  A storm came on, and the ship was blown southwards along the coast.  Marius begged the captain to keep clear of Tarracina, because Geminius, a leading man there, was his bitter foe. [Sidenote:  Circeii.] But the storm increased; Marius was sea-sick, and they were forced to go ashore at Circeii (Monte Circello).  Some herdsmen told them that horsemen had just been there in pursuit; so they spent the night in a thick wood, hungry, and tortured by anxiety.  Next day they went to the coast again, and Marius implored the men to stand by him, telling them that when he was a child an eagle’s nest fell into his lap, with seven young ones in it, and the soothsayers had said that it meant that he should attain to the highest honours seven times. [Sidenote:  Minturnae.] About two miles and a half from Minturnae they spied some horsemen making towards them; and, plunging into the sea, they swam towards some merchantmen near the shore.  Two slaves swam with Marius, keeping him up, and he got into one ship, and his son-in-law into the other, while the horsemen shouted to the crew to put ashore, or throw Marius overboard.  The captains consulted together, and a terrible moment it must have been for the fugitives.  But the spell of the Cimbric victories was potent still, and the captains replied that they would not give up Marius.  So the soldiers rode off in a rage.  But the sailors, having so far acted generously, were anxious to get rid of their dangerous guest, and, landing at the mouth of the Liris, on pretence of waiting for a fair wind, told Marius to go ashore and get some rest, and, while he was lying down, sailed away.  Half stupified, he scrambled through bogs, and dykes, and mud, till he came to an old man’s cottage, and begged the owner to shelter a man who, if he escaped, would reward him beyond his hopes.  The man told