and encouraged him.  Marius thanked her, and said that he had good hopes, for a favourable omen had occurred to him, which was something of this sort:—­When they were leading him along, and he was near the house of Fannia, the doors being opened, an ass ran out to drink from a spring which was flowing hard by:  the ass, looking at Marius in the face with a bold and cheerful air, at first stood opposite him, and then making a loud braying, sprang past him frisking with joy.  From this, Marius drew a conclusion, as he said that the deity indicated that his safety would come through the sea rather than through the land, for the ass did not betake himself to dry food, but turned from him to the water.  Having said this to Fannia, he went to rest alone, bidding her close the door of the apartment.

XXXIX.  The magistrates[131] and council of Minturnae, after deliberating, resolved that there ought to be no delay, and that they should put Marius to death.  As none of the citizens would undertake to do it, a Gallic or Cimbrian horse-soldier, for the story is told both ways, took a sword and entered the apartment.  Now that part of the room in which Marius happened to be lying was not very well lighted, but was in shade, and it is said that the eyes of Marius appeared to the soldier to dart a strong flame, and a loud voice issued from the gloom, “Man, do you dare to kill Caius Marius?” The barbarian immediately took to flight, and throwing the sword down, rushed through the door, calling out, “I cannot kill Caius Marius.”  This caused a general consternation, which was succeeded by compassion and change of opinion, and self-reproach for having come to so illegal and ungrateful a resolution concerning a man who had saved Italy, and whom it would be a disgrace not to assist.  “Let him go, then,” it was said, “where he pleases, as an exile, and suffer in some other place whatever fate has reserved for him.  And let us pray that the gods visit us not with their anger for ejecting Marius from our city in poverty and rags.”  Moved by such considerations, all in a body entered the room where Marius was, and getting round him, began to conduct him to the sea.  Though every man was eager to furnish something or other, and all were busying themselves, there was a loss of time.  The grove of Marica, as it is called, obstructed the passage to the sea, for it was an object of great veneration, and it was a strict rule to carry nothing out of it that had ever been carried in; and now, if they went all round it, there would of necessity be delay:  but this difficulty was settled by one of the older men at last calling out, that no road was inaccessible or impassable by which Marius was saved; and he was the first to take some of the things that they were conveying to the ship and to pass through the place.