Ah, my Pausanius, I have often heard, That yonder Marius in his infancy Was born to greater fortunes than we deem: For, being scarce from out his cradle crept, And sporting prettily with his compeers, On sudden seven young eagles soar'd amain, And kindly perch'd upon his tender lap.

After our fierce assaults and their resist, Our siege, their sallying out to stop our trench, Labour and hunger reigning in the town, The younger Marius on the city's wall Vouchsaf'd an inter-parley at the last; Wherein with constancy and courage too He boldly arm'd his friends, himself, to death; And, spreading of his colours on the wall, For answer said he could not brook to yield, Or trust a tyrant such as Sylla was.

Ye piteous powers, that with successful hopes And gentle counsels thwart my deep despairs, Old Marius to your mercies recommends His hap, his life, his hazard, and his son.

The consul Cinna, deposed by the senate, calls Marius from Africa, raises an Italian army, and reinstates himself in office; bloody proscriptions by Marius and Cinna follow.

Why then, you sage and ancient sires of Rome, Sulpitius here again doth publish forth, That Marius by the senate here is made Chief general to lead the legions out Against Mithridates and his competitors.

Enter OLD MARIUS with his KEEPER and two SOLDIERS.

Marius among the ruins of Carthage, Napoleon at St. Helena, M'Clellan in Europe, have henceforth and forever her sympathy.

The senators with full decree appoint Old Marius for their captain-general, To lead thy legions into Asia, And fight against the fierce Mithridates.

The victory of Stilicho over Alaric at Pollentia has been aptly paralleled with that of Marius over the Cimbri.

Lucius Valerius Flaccus succeeded Marius as consul, and passed a law making one-fourth of a debt legal tender for payment of it; and probably in the same year the denarius was restored to its standard value.

'Midst these confusions, mighty men of Rome, Why waste we out these troubles all in words? Weep not your harms, but wend we straight to arms, Lo, Ostia spoil'd, see Marius at our gate!

Saturninus, in the year 100, when attacked by Marius under orders from the senate, had hoisted a pilleus, or cap of liberty which the emancipated slave wore, as a signal to the slaves of the city that they might expect their liberty if they supported him; and Marius a few years later took the same step when himself attacked by Sulla.

Their general could reward them with money, and extort land for them from the State; and when Marius after Vercellae gave the franchise to two Italian cohorts, saying that he could not hear the laws in the din of arms, he was giving to what was becoming a standing army privileges which could not be conferred by a consul, but only by a king.

A short time after this Caesar had another opportunity for delivering a funeral oration; it was in the case of his own wife, the daughter of Cinna, who had been the colleague and coadjutor of Marius during the days of his power.

The most distinguished of his officers, young Sertorius, who understood and spoke Gallic well, penetrated, in the disguise of a Gaul, into the camp of the Ambrons, and informed Marius of what was going on there.