said, that if he won the battle he should have plenty
of fine horses from the enemy, and if he was defeated
he should not want one; upon which he killed his horse,
and then he made his way towards Crassus himself, through
many men, and inflicting many wounds; but he did not
succeed in reaching Crassus, though he engaged with
and killed two centurions. At last, after those
about him had fled, he kept his ground, and, being
surrounded by a great number, he fought till he was
cut down. But, though Crassus had been successful,
and had displayed the skill of a great general, and
had exposed his person to danger, yet the credit of
the victory did not escape being appropriated to Pompeius;
for those who fled from the battle were destroyed
by him, and Pompeius wrote to the Senate that Crassus
had defeated the slaves in the open field, but he
had cut up the war by the roots.[40] Now Pompeius had
a splendid triumph for his victory over Sertorius
and his exploits in Iberia; but Crassus did not venture
to ask for the greater triumph; and even as to the
foot triumph called the ovation, which he did enjoy,
it was considered but a mean thing, and below his
dignity that he had a triumph for a servile war.
But how the ovation differs from the other triumph,
and about the name, I have spoken in the ’Life
of Marcellus.’[41] XII. After these events,
Pompeius was forthwith invited to the consulship,[42]
and, though Crassus had hopes of becoming his colleague,
still he did not hesitate to solicit the assistance
of Pompeius. Pompeius gladly listened to his proposal,
for he was desirous in any way always to have Crassus
his debtor for some obligation, and he actively exerted
himself on behalf of Crassus; and finally he said,
in his address to the public assembly, that he should
feel no less grateful for the return of Crassus as
his colleague than for his own election. They
did not, however, continue in this harmony after entering
on their office, but they differed on almost every
subject, and quarrelled about everything, and by their
disputes rendered their consulship unfruitful in all
political measures, and ineffectual: however,
Crassus made a great festival in honour of Hercules,
and feasted the people at ten thousand tables, and
gave them an allowance of corn for three months.
It was at the close of their consulship, when Pompeius
and Crassus happened to be addressing the public assembly,
that a man, not of any distinction, a Roman eques,
a rustic in his mode of life, and one who did not
meddle with public affairs, Onatius Aurelius,[43]
got up on the rostra, and, coming forward, told a
dream which he had had. “Jupiter,”
he said, “appeared to me, and bade me tell the
citizens not to let the consuls lay down their office
before they have become friends.” Upon the
man saying this, and the assembly bidding the consuls
be reconciled, Pompeius stood silent; but Crassus
offering his right hand first, said, “Citizens,
I do not consider that I am humbling myself or doing
anything unworthy of me when I make the advance towards
good-will and friendship to Pompeius, to whom you
gave the name of Magnus before he had a beard, and
voted a triumph before he was a senator.”