Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
oversee the work, erected a large and stately city, which was
called after his own name, and made metropolis of Armenia.
And in fact, when Lucullus proceeded against it, Tigranes no longer
suffered it, but came with his army, and on the fourth day sat down
by the Romans, the river Arsanias lying between them, which of
necessity Lucullus must pass in his march to Artaxata. Lucullus,
after sacrifice to the gods, as if victory were already obtained,
carried over his army, having twelve cohorts in the first division
in front, the rest being disposed in the rear to prevent the
enemy's enclosing them. For there were many choice horse drawn up
against him; in the front stood the Mardian horse-archers, and
Iberians with long spears, in whom, being the most warlike,
Tigranes more confided than in any other of his foreign troops.
But nothing of moment was done by them, for though they skirmished
with the Roman horse at a distance, they were not able to stand
when the foot came up to them; but being broken, and flying on both
sides, drew the horse in pursuit after them. Though these were
routed, yet Lucullus was not without alarm when he saw the cavalry
about Tigranes with great bravery and in large numbers coming upon
him; he recalled his horse from pursuing, and he himself, first of
all, with the best of his men, engaged the Satrapenians who were
opposite him, and before ever they came to close fight, routed them
with the mere terror. Of three kings in battle against him,
Mithridates of Pontus fled away the most shamefully, being not so
much as able to endure the shout of the Romans. The pursuit
reached a long way, and all through the night the Romans slew and
took prisoners, and carried off spoils and treasure, till they were
weary. Livy says there were more taken and destroyed in the first
battle, but in the second, men of greater distinction.
Lucullus, flushed and animated by this victory, determined to march
on into the interior and there complete his conquests over the
barbarians; but winter weather came on, contrary to expectation, as
early as the autumnal equinox, with storms and frequent snows and,
even in the most clear days, hoar frost and ice, which made the
waters scarcely drinkable for the horses by their exceeding
coldness, and scarcely passable through the ice breaking and
cutting the horses' sinews. The country for the most part being
quite uncleared, with difficult passes, and much wood, kept them
continually wet, the snow falling thickly on them as they marched
in the day, and the ground that they lay upon at night being damp
and watery. After the battle they followed Lucullus not many days
before they began to be refractory, first of all entreating and
sending the tribunes to him, but presently they tumultuously
gathered together, and made a shouting all night long in their
tents, a plain sign of a mutinous army. But Lucullus as earnestly
entreated them, desiring them to have patience but till they took
the Armenian Carthage, and overturned the work of their great
enemy, meaning Hannibal. But when he could not prevail, he led
them back, and crossing Taurus by another road, came into the
fruitful and sunny country of Mygdonia, where was a great and
populous city, by the barbarians called Nisibis, by the Greeks
Antioch of Mygdonia. This was defended by Guras, brother of
Tigranes, with the dignity of governor, and by the engineering
skill and dexterity of Callimachus, the same who so much annoyed
the Romans at Amisus. Lucullus, however, brought his army up to
it, and laying close siege in a short time took it by storm. He
used Guras, who surrendered himself, kindly, but gave no attention
to Callimachus, though he offered to make discovery of hidden
treasures, commanding him to be kept in chains, to be punished for
firing the city of Amisus, which had disappointed his ambition of
showing favor and kindness to the Greeks.
Hitherto, one would imagine fortune had attended and fought with
Lucullus, but afterward, as if the wind had failed of a sudden, he
did all things by force, and, as it were, against the grain; and
showed certainly the conduct and patience of a wise captain, but in
the result met with no fresh honor or reputation; and, indeed, by
bad success and vain embarrassments with his soldiers, he came
within a little of losing even what he had before. He himself was
not the least cause of all this, being far from inclined to seek
popularity with the mass of the soldiers, and more ready to think
any indulgence shown to them an invasion of his own authority. But
what was worst of all, he was naturally unsociable to his great
officers in commission with him, despising others and thinking them
worthy of nothing in comparison with himself. These faults, we are
told, he had with all his many excellences; he was of a large and
noble person, an eloquent speaker and a wise counselor, both in the
forum and the camp. Sallust says, the soldiers were ill affected
to him from the beginning of the war, because they were forced to
keep the field two winters at Cyzicus, and afterwards at Amisus.
Their other winters, also, vexed them, for they either spent them
in an enemy's country, or else were confined to their tents in the
open field among their confederates; for Lucullus not so much as
once went into a Greek confederate town with his army. To this ill
affection abroad, the tribunes yet more contributed at home,
invidiously accusing Lucullus, as one who for empire and riches
prolonged the war, holding, it might almost be said, under his sole
power Cilicia, Asia, Bithynia, Paphlagonia, Pontus, Armenia, all as
far as the river Phasis; and now of late had plundered the royal
city of Tigranes, as if he had been commissioned not so much to
subdue, as to strip kings. This is what we are told was said by
Lucius Quintius, one of the praetors, at whose instance, in
particular, the people determined to send one who should succeed
Lucullus in his province, and voted, also, to relieve many of the
soldiers under him from further service.
Besides these evils, that which most of all prejudiced Lucullus,
was Publius Clodius, an insolent man, very vicious and bold,
brother to Lucullus's wife, a woman of bad conduct, with whom
Clodius was himself suspected of criminal intercourse. Being then
in the army under Lucullus, but not in as great authority as he
expected, (for he would fain have been the chief of all, but on
account of his character was postponed to many,) he ingratiated
himself secretly with the Fimbrian troops, and stirred them up
against Lucullus, using fair speeches to them, who of old had been
used to be flattered in such manner. These were those whom Fimbria
before had persuaded to kill the consul Flaccus, and choose him
their leader. And so they listened not unwillingly to Clodius, and
called him the soldiers' friend, for the concern he professed for
them, and the indignation he expressed at the prospect that "there
must be no end of war and toils, but in fighting with all nations,
and wandering throughout all the world they must wear out their
lives, receiving no other reward for their service than to guard
the carriages and camels of Lucullus, laden with gold and precious
goblets; while as for Pompey's soldiers, they were all citizens,
living safe at home with their wives and children, on fertile
lands, or in towns, and that, not after driving Mithridates and
Tigranes into wild deserts, and overturning the royal cities of
Asia, but after having merely reduced exiles in Spain, or fugitive
slaves in Italy. Nay, if indeed we must never have an end of
fighting, should we not rather reserve the remainder of our bodies
and souls for a general who will reckon his chiefest glory to be
the wealth of his soldiers."
By such practices the army of Lucullus being corrupted, neither
followed him against Tigranes, nor against Mithridates, when he now
at once returned into Pontus out of Armenia, and was recovering his
kingdom, but under presence of the winter, sat idle in Gordyene,
every minute expecting either Pompey, or some other general, to
succeed Lucullus. But when news came that Mithridates had defeated
Fabius, and was marching against Sornatius and Triarius, out of
shame they followed Lucullus. Triarius, ambitiously aiming at
victory, before ever Lucullus came to him, though he was then very
near, was defeated in a great battle, in which it is said that
above seven thousand Romans fell, among whom were a hundred and
fifty centurions, and four and twenty tribunes, and that the camp
itself was taken. Lucullus, coming up a few days after, concealed
Triarius from the search of the angry soldiers. But when
Mithridates declined battle, and waited for the coming of Tigranes,
who was then on his march with great forces, he resolved before
they joined their forces to turn once more and engage with
Tigranes. But in the way the mutinous Fimbrians deserted their
ranks, professing themselves released from service by a decree, and
that Lucullus, the provinces being allotted to others, had no
longer any right to command them. There was nothing beneath the
dignity of Lucullus which he did not now submit to bear, entreating
them one by one, from tent to tent, going up and down humbly and in
tears, and even taking some like a suppliant, by the hand. But
they turned away from his salutes, and threw down their empty
purses, bidding him engage alone with the enemy, as he alone made
advantage of it. At length, by the entreaty of the other soldiers,
the Fimbrians, being prevailed upon, consented to tarry that summer
under him, but if during that time no enemy came to fight them, to
be free. Lucullus of necessity was forced to comply with this, or
else to abandon the country to the barbarians. He kept them,
indeed, with him, but without urging his authority upon them; nor
did he lead them out to battle, being contented if they would but
stay with him, though he then saw Cappadocia wasted by Tigranes,
and Mithridates again triumphing, whom not long before he reported
to the senate to be wholly subdued; and commissioners were now
arrived to settle the affairs of Pontus, as if all had been quietly
in his possession. But when they came, they found him not so much
as master of himself, but contemned and derided by the common
soldiers, who arrived at that height of insolence against their
general, that at the end of summer they put on their armor and drew
their swords, and defied their enemies then absent and gone off a
long while before, and with great outcries and waving their swords
in the air, they quitted the camp, proclaiming that the time was
expired which they promised to stay with Lucullus. The rest were
summoned by letters from Pompey to come and join him; he, by the
favor of the people and by flattery of their leaders, having been
chosen general of the army against Mithridates and Tigranes, though
the senate and the nobility all thought that Lucullus was injured,
having those put over his head who succeeded rather to his triumph,
than to his commission, and that he was not so truly deprived of
his command, as of the glory he had deserved in his command, which
he was forced to yield to another.
It was yet more of just matter of pity and indignation to those who
were present; for Lucullus remained no longer master of rewards or
punishments for any actions done in the war; neither would Pompey
suffer any man to go to him, or pay any respect to the orders and
arrangements he made with advice of his ten commissioners, but
expressly issued edicts to the contrary, and could not but be
obeyed by reason of his greater power. Friends, however, on both
sides, thought it desirable to bring them together, and they met in
a village of Galatia and saluted each other in a friendly manner,