βουλευομένοις δὲ τοῖς ἄρχουσι καὶ συνέδροις τῶν Μιντουρνησίων ἔδοξε μὴ μέλλειν, ἀλλὰ διαχρήσασθαι τὸν ἄνδρα. καὶ τῶν μὲν πολιτῶν οὐδεὶς ὑπέστη τὸ ἔργον, ἱππεὺς δὲ Γαλάτης τὸ γένος ἢ Κίμβρος ἀμφοτέρως γὰρ ἱστορεῖται λαβών ξίφος ἐπεισῆλθεν αὐτῷ.
Upon deliberation, the magistrates and councillors of Minturnae decided not to delay, but to put Marius to death. No one of the citizens, however, would undertake the task, so a horseman, either a Gaul or a Cimbrian (for the story is told both ways), took a sword and went into to the room where Marius was.
τοῦ δὲ οἰκήματος ἐν ᾧ ἔτυχε μέρει κατακείμενος οὐ πάνυ λαμπρὸν φῶς ἔχοντος, ἀλλʼ ὄντος ἐπισκίου, λέγεται τὰ μὲν ὄμματα τοῦ Μαρίου φλόγα πολλὴν ἐκβάλλοντα τῷ στρατιώτῃ φανῆναι, φωνὴν δὲ μεγάλην ἐκ τοῦ παλισκίου γενέσθαι, σὺ δὴ τολμᾷς, ἄνθρωπε, Γάϊον Μάριον ἀνελεῖν ; ἐξῆλθεν οὖν εὐθὺς ὁ βάρβαρος φυγῇ, καὶ τὸ ξίφος ἐν μέσῳ καταβαλὼν ἐχώρει διὰ θυρῶν, τοῦτο μόνον βοῶν, οὐ δύναμαι Γάϊον Μάριον ἀποκτεῖναι.
Now, that part of the room where Marius happened to be lying had not a very good light, but was gloomy, and we are told that to the soldier the eyes of Marius seemed to shoot out a strong flame, and that a loud voice issued from the shadows saying: Man, dost thou dare to slay Caius Marius? At once, then, the Barbarian fled from the room, threw his sword down on the ground, and dashed out of doors, with this one cry: I cannot kill Caius Marius.
πάντας οὖν ἔκπληξις ἔσχεν, εἶτα οἶκτος καὶ μετάνοια τῆς γνώμης καὶ κατάμεμψις ἑαυτῶν ὡς βούλευμα βεβουλευκότων ἄνομον καὶ ἀχάριστον ἐπʼ ἀνδρὶ σωτῆρι τῆς Ἰταλίας, ᾧ μὴ βοηθῆσαι δεινὸν ἦν. ἲτω δʼοὖν ὅπῃ χρῄζει φυγάς ἀνατλησόμενος ἀλλαχόθι τὸ μεμορμένον. ἡμεῖς δὲ εὐχώμεθα μὴ νεμεσῆσαι θεοὺς Μάριον ἄπορον καὶ γυμνὸν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐκβαλοῦσιν. ὑπὸ τοιούτων λογισμῶν εἰσπεσόντες ἀθρόοι καὶ περισχόντες αὐτὸν ἐξῆγον ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν.
Consternation reigned, of course, and then came pity, a change of heart, and self-reproach for having come to so unlawful and ungrateful a decision against a man who had been the saviour of Italy, and who ought in all decency to be helped. So, then, the talk ran, let him go where he will as an exile, to suffer elsewhere his allotted fate. And let us pray that the gods may not visit us with their displeasure for casting Marius out of our city in poverty and rags. Moved by such considerations, they rushed into his room in a body, surrounded him, and began to lead him forth to the sea.
ἄλλου δὲ ἄλλο τι προθύμως ὑπηρετοῦντος καὶ σπευδόντων ἁπάντων ἐγίνετο τριβὴ τοῦ χρόνου. τὸ γάρ τῆς λεγομένης Μαρίκας ἄλσος, ὃ σέβονται καὶ παραφυλάττουσι μηθὲν ἐκεῖθεν ἐκκομισθῆναι τῶν εἰσκομισθέντων, ἐμποδὼν ἦν τῆς ἐπὶ θάλασσαν ὁδοῦ, καὶ κύκλῳ περιιόντας ἔδει βραδύνειν, ἄχρι οὗ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τις ἐκβοήσας ἔφη μηδεμίαν ἄβατον μηδʼ· ἀπόρεντον ὁδὸν εἶναι διʼ ἧς σῴζεται Μάριος, καὶ πρῶτος αὐτὸς λαβών τι τῶν κομιζομένων ἐπὶ ναῦν διὰ τοῦ τόπου διεξῆλθε.
But although this one and that one were eager to do him some service and all made what haste they could, still there was delay. For the grove of Marica, as it was called, which was held in veneration, and from which nothing was permitted to be carried out that had ever been carried in, lay between them and the sea as they were going, and if they went round it they must needs lose time. At last, however, one of the older men cried out and said that no path could forbid men’s steps and passage if it were the path of safety for Marius. And the speaker himself was the first to take some of the things that were being carried to the ship and pass through the holy place.
τοιαύτῃ προθυμίᾳ ταχὺ πάντων συμπορισθέντων καὶ Βηλαίου τινὸς ναῦν τῷ Μαρίῳ παρασχόντος, ὃς ὕστερον πίνακα τῶν πράξεων ἐκείνων γραψάμενος ἀνέθηκεν εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν ὅθεν ἐμβὰς ὁ Μάριος ἀνήχθη, τῷ πνεύματι φέροντι χρώμενος ἐφέρετό πως κατὰ τύχην πρὸς Αἰναρίαν τὴν νῆσον, ὅπου τὸν Γράνιον καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους φίλους εὑρών ἔπλει μετʼ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ Λιβύης.
Everything was speedily provided through such readiness as this, and a certain Belaeus furnished a ship for Marius. Belaeus afterwards had a painting made representing these scenes, and dedicated it in the temple at the spot where Marius embarked and put to sea. Favoured by the wind he was borne along by chance to the island of Aenaria, where he found Granius and the rest of his friends, and set sail with them for Africa.
ὕδατος δὲ ἐπιλιπόντος αὐτοὺς ἀναγκαίως Σικελίᾳ κατὰ τὴν Ἐρυκίνην προσέσχον. ἔτυχε δὲ περὶ τοὺς τόπους ἐκείνους ὁ Ῥωμαίων ταμίας παραφυλάσσων, καὶ μικροῦ μὲν αὐτὸν ἀποβάντα τὸν Μάριον εἷλεν, ἀπέκτεινε δὲ περὶ ἑκκαίδεκα τῶν ὑδρευομένων. Μάριος δὲ κατὰ σπουδὴν ἀναχθεὶς καὶ διαπεράσας τὸ πέλαγος πρὸς Μήνιγγα τὴν νῆσον, ἐνταῦθα διαπυνθάνεται πρῶτον ὡς ὁ παῖς αὐτοῦ διασέσῳσται μετὰ Κεθήγου καὶ πορεύονται πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Νομάδων Ἰάμψαν, δεησόμενοι βοηθεῖν.
But their supply of fresh water failed, and they were compelled to touch at Erycina in Sicily. In this neighbourhood, as it chanced, the Roman quaestor was on the watch, and almost captured Marius himself as he landed; he did kill about sixteen of his men who came ashore for water. Marius therefore put out to sea with all speed and crossed to the island of Meninx, where he first learned that his son had come off safely with Cethegus, and that they Were on their way to Iampsas the king of Numidia, intending to ask his aid.
ἐφʼ οἷς μικρὸν ἀναπνεύσας ἐθάρρησεν ἀπὸ τῆς νήσου πρὸς τὴν Καρχηδονίαν προσβαλεῖν· ἐστρατήγει δὲ τῆς Λιβύης τότε Σεξτίλιος, ἀνήρ Ῥωμαῖος, οὔτε φαῦλον οὐθὲν οὔτε χρηστὸν ἐκ Μαρίου προειληφώς, ἀλλʼ ὅσον ἀπʼ οἴκτου τι προσδοκώμενος ὠφελήσειν. ἄρτι δὲ αὐτοῦ μετʼ ὀλίγων ἀποβεβηκότος ὑπηρέτης ἀπαντήσας καὶ καταστὰς ἐναντίον εἶπεν, ἀπαγορεύει σοι Σεξτίλιος ὁ στρατηγός, ὦ Μάριε, Λιβύης ἐπιβαίνειν· εἰ δὲ μή, φησὶν ἀμυνεῖν τοῖς τῆς βουλῆς δόγμασιν, ὡς Ῥωμαίων πολεμίῳ χρώμενος.
At this news Marius was a little refreshed, and made bold to push on from the island to the neighbourhood of Carthage. The Roman governor of Africa at this time was Sextilius, a man who had received neither good nor ill at he hands of Marius, but whom, as it was expected, pity alone would move to give him aid. Hardly, however, had Marius landed with a few companions, when an official met him, stood directly in front of him, and said: Sextilius the governor forbids thee, Marius, to set foot in Africa; and if thou disobeyest, he declares that he will uphold the decrees of the senate and treat thee as an enemy of Rome.
ταῦτα ἀκούσαντα τὸν Μάριον ὑπὸ λύπης καὶ βαρυθυμίας ἀπορία λόγων ἔσχε, καὶ πολὺν χρόνον ἡσυχίαν ἦγε δεινὸν εἰς τὸν ὑπηρέτην ἀποβλέπων, ἐρομένου δὲ ἐκείνου τί φράζει καὶ τί λέγει πρὸς τὸν στρατηγόν, ἀπεκρίνατο μέγα στενάξας, ἂγγελλε τοίνυν ὅτι Γάϊον Μάριον ἐν τοῖς Καρχηδόνος ἐρειπίοις φυγάδα καθεζόμενον εἶδες, οὐ κακῶς ἅμα τήν τε τῆς πόλεως ἐκείνης τύχην καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ μεταβολὴν ἐν παραδείγματος λόγῳ θέμενος.
When he heard this, Marius was rendered speechless by grief and indignation, and for a long time kept quiet, looking sternly at the official. Then, when asked by him what he had to say, and what answer he would make to the governor, he answered with a deep groan: Tell him, then, that thou hast seen Caius Marius a fugitive, seated amid the ruins of Carthage. And it was not inaptly that he compared the fate of that city with his own reversal of fortune.
ἐν τούτῳ δὲ Ἰάμψας ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Νομάδων ἐπαμφοτερίζων τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἐν τιμῇ μὲν ἦγε τοὺς περὶ τὸν νέον Μάριον, ἀπιέναι δὲ βουλομένους ἔκ τινος ἀεὶ προφάσεως κατεῖχε, καὶ δῆλος ἦν ἐπʼ οὐδενὶ χρηστῷ ποιούμενος τὴν ἀναβολήν. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ συμβαίνει τι τῶν εἰκότων αὐτοῖς πρὸς σωτηρίαν. ὁ γάρ νέος Μάριος εὐπρεπὴς ὢν τὴν ὄψιν ἠνία τινὰ τῶν παλλακίδων τοῦ βασιλέως παρʼ ἀξίαν πράττων· ὁ δὲ οἶκτος οὗτος ἀρχὴ καὶ πρόφασις ἦν ἔρωτος.
Meanwhile Iampsas the king of Numidia, hesitating which course to take, did indeed treat the younger Marius and his party with respect, but always had some excuse for detaining them when they wished to go away, and clearly had no good end in view in thus postponing their departure. However, something occurred which, though not at all extraordinary, led to their escape. The younger Marius, that is, being a handsome fellow, one of the concubines of the king was pained to see him treated unworthily, and this feeling of compassion ripened into love.
τὸ μὲν οὖν πρῶτον ἀπετρίβετο τὴν ἄνθρωπον· ὡς δὲ οὔτε φυγῆς ἑτέραν ὁδὸν ἑώρα καὶ τὰ παρʼ ἐκείνης σπουδαιότερον ἢ πρὸς ἡδονὴν ἀκόλαστον διεπράττετο, δεξάμενος τὴν φιλοφροσύνην καὶ συνεκπεμφθεὶς ὑπʼ αὐτῆς ἀπέδρα μετὰ τῶν φίλων καὶ διέφυγε πρὸς τὸν Μάριον. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀλλήλους ἠσπάσαντο, πορευόμενοι παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν ἐντυγχάνουσι σκορπίοις μαχομένοις· καὶ τὸ σημεῖον ἐφάνη τῷ Μαρίῳ πονηρόν.
At first, then, Marius repelled the woman’s advances; but when he saw that there was no other way of escape for him and his friends, and that her behaviour was based on a genuine affection, he accepted her favours; whereupon she helped him in getting off, and he ran away with his friends and made his escape to his father. After father and son had embraced one another, they walked along the sea-shore, and there they saw some scorpions fighting, which the elder Marius regarded as a bad omen.
εὐθὺς οὖν ἁλιάδος ἐπιβάντες εἰς Κέρκιναν διεπέρων, νῆσον ἀπέχουσαν οὐ πολὺ τῆς ἠπείρου· καὶ τοσοῦτον ἔφθασαν ὅσον ἀνηγμένων αὐτῶν ἱππεῖς ὁρᾶσθαι παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐλαύνοντας ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον ὅθεν ἀνήχθησαν. τοῦτον οὐδενὸς ἐλάττονα κίνδυνον ἔδοξεν ἐκφυγεῖν ὁ Μάριος.
At once, therefore, they boarded a fishing-boat and crossed over to the island of Cercina, which was not far distant from the mainland; and scarcely had they put out from land when horsemen sent by the king were seen riding towards the spot whence they had sailed. It would seem that Marius never escaped a greater peril than this.
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