=Marius and Sulla.=—­The contests of the Gracchi and the Senate had been no more than riots in the streets of Rome, terminating in a combat between bands hastily armed.  The strife that followed was a succession of real wars between regular armies, wars in Italy, wars in all the provinces.  From this time the party chiefs were no other than the generals.

The first to use his army to secure obedience in Rome was Marius.  He was born in Arpinum, a little town in the mountains, and was not of noble descent.  He had attained reputation as an officer in the army, and had been elected tribune of the plebs, then praetor, with the help of the nobles.  He turned against them and was elected consul and commissioned with the war against Jugurtha, king of Numidia, who had already fought several Roman armies.  It was then that Marius enrolled poor citizens for whom military service became a profession.  With his army Marius conquered Jugurtha and the barbarians, the Cimbri and Teutones, who had invaded the empire.  He then returned to Rome where he had himself elected consul for the sixth time and now exercised absolute power.  Two parties now took form in Rome who called themselves the party of the people (the party of Marius), and the party of the nobles (that of the Senate).

The partisans of Marius committed so many acts of violence that they ended by making him unpopular.  Sulla, a noble, of the great family of the Cornelii, profited by this circumstance to dispute the power of Marius; Sulla was also a general.  When the Italians rose against Rome to secure the right of citizenship and levied great armies which marched almost to the gates of the city, it was Sulla who saved Rome by fighting the Italians.

He became consul and was charged with the war against Mithradates, king of Pontus, who had invaded Asia Minor and massacred all the Romans (88).  Marius in jealousy excited a riot in the city; Sulla departed, joined his army which awaited him in south Italy, then returned to Rome.  Roman religion prohibited soldiers entering the city under arms; the consul even before passing the gates had to lay aside his mantle of war and assume the toga.  Sulla was the first general who dared to violate this restriction.  Marius took flight.

But when Sulla had left for Asia, Marius came with an army of adventurers and entered Rome by force (87).  Then commenced the proscriptions.

The principal partisans of Sulla were outlawed, and command was given to kill them anywhere they were met and to confiscate their goods.  Marius died some months later; but his principal partisan, Cinna, continued to govern Rome and to put to death whomever he pleased.