quickly and engaged with the enemy.  In the mean time Sulla also appeared, and ordering the advanced ranks to take some refreshment, he began to put them in order of battle.  Dolabella and Torquatus earnestly entreated him to pause, and not to put all to the hazard with his exhausted soldiers; they said, the contest was not with Carbo and Marius, but with Samnites and Lucanians, the most deadly and warlike enemies of Rome:  but Sulla, without paying any regard to them, ordered the trumpets to sound the charge, though it was now about the tenth hour.  The battle began, and was fiercer than any that was fought in this campaign.  The right wing, where Crassus commanded, was completely successful; but the left was hard pressed, and in a dangerous plight, when Sulla came to its support mounted on a very spirited and fleet white horse, by which he was easily distinguished from the rest, and two of the enemy’s soldiers, fixing their javelins, prepared to aim at him, Sulla did not see them, but his groom whipped the horse, which just carried his rider so far out of the reach of the spears that they passed close to the horse’s tail, and stuck in the ground.  It is said that Sulla always carried about with him in his bosom, in battle, a small golden figure of Apollo, which he got from Delphi, and that he then kissed it, and said, “O Pythian Apollo, after raising the fortunate Sulla Cornelius in so many contests to glory and renown, wilt thou throw him prostrate here, at the gates of his native city, and so bring him to perish most ignobly with his fellow-citizens?” After this address to the god it is said that Sulla entreated some, and threatened and laid hold of others; but at last, the left wing being completely broken, he was mingled with the fugitives and made his escape to the camp with the loss of many of his friends and men of note.  Not a few of the citizens also, who had come to see the fight, were killed and trampled down, so that it was thought all was over with the city, and the blockade of Marius was all but raised, for many of the fugitives made their way to Praeneste, and urged Ofella Lucretius,[280] who had been appointed to conduct the siege, to break up his quarters with speed, as Sulla was killed, and Rome in the possession of the enemy.

XXX.  It was now far on in the night when men came to Sulla’s camp from Crassus to get something to eat for him and his soldiers, for after putting the enemy to flight they had pursued them to Antemnae,[281] and there encamped.  Upon this intelligence, and that most of the enemy were killed, Sulla came to Antemnae at daybreak.  Here three thousand soldiers sent to him to propose to surrender, and Sulla promised them their lives if they would punish the rest of his enemies before they joined him.  Trusting to his promise, these men attacked their comrades, and a great number on both sides were cut to pieces.  However, Sulla got together the soldiers who had offered to surrender and those who had survived the massacre,