Livy: Periochae 96-100

Q. Arrius praetor Crixum, fugitivorum ducem, cum XX milia hominum cecidit. Cn. Lentulus cos. male adversus Spartacum pugnavit. Ab eodem L. Gellius cos. et Q. Arrius praetor acie victi sunt.

Sertorius a M. Perpenna et M. Antonio et aliis coniuratis in convivio interfectus est octavo ducatus sui anno; magnus dux et adversus duos imperatores, Pompeium et Metellum, vel frequentius victor, ad ultimum et saevus et prodigus. Imperium partium ad Marcum translatum, quem Cn. Pompeius victum captumque interfecit, ac recepit Hispanias decimo fere anno quam coeptum erat bellum.

C. Cassius procos. et Cn. Manlius praetor male adversus Spartacum pugnaverunt idque bellum M. Crasso praetori mandatum est.

Praetor Quintus Arrius crushed Crixus, the leader of the runaway slaves, and 20,000 men. [72 BCE] Consul Gnaeus Lentulus, however, unsuccessfully fought against Spartacus. Consul Lucius Gellius and praetor Quintus Arrius were defeated by the same leader.

At a banquet, Sertorius was killed by Marcus Perpenna, Marcus Antonius and other conspirators, during the eighth year of his command; he had been a great leader and against two commanders, Pompey and Metellus, he had often been successful, although in the end, he changed into a savage and prodigal man. Leadership of his faction was transferred to Marcus [Perpenna], who was defeated, captured and killed by Gnaeus Pompey, after the latter had recovered the Spanish provinces in the almost tenth year after the beginning of the war.

Proconsul Gaius Cassius and praetor Gnaeus Manlius unsuccessfully fought against Spartacus, and the war was confined to praetor Marcus Crassus.

M. Crassus praetor primum cum parte fugitivorum quae ex Gallis Germanisque constabat feliciter pugnavit, caesis hostium XXXV milia et ducibus eorum Casto et Gannico. Cum Spartaco dein debellavit, caesis eum ipso LX milibus.

M. Antonius praetor bellum adversus Cretenses parum prospere susceptum morte sua finiit.

M. Lucullus procos. Thracas subegit.

L. Lucullus in Ponto adversus Mithridaten feliciter pugnavit, caesis hostium amplius quam LX milibus.

M. Crassus et Cn. Pompeius coss. facti (S.C. Pompeius, antequam quaesturam gereret, ex equite Romano) tribuniciam potestatem restituerunt. Iudicia quoque per M. Aurelium Cottam praetorem ad equites Romanis translata sunt.

Mithridates desperatione rerum suarum coactus ad Tigranen, Armeniae regem, confugit.

[71] Praetor Marcus Crassus first fought victoriously with a part of the runaways, mainly Gauls and Germans, and killed 35,000 of them, including their leaders Castus and Gannicus. Then he completely defeated Spartacus, who was killed with 60,000 people.

Praetor Marcus Antonius unsuccessfully fought a war against the Cretans, which came to an end with his own dead.

Proconsul Marcus Lucullus subdued Thrace.

Lucius Lucullus successfully fought against Mithridates in Pontus. More than 60,000 enemies were killed.

[70] Marcus Crassus and Gnaeus Pompey were made consuls (Pompey after a special senatorial decree, because he had not occupied the quaestorship and was still a Roman knight), and reconstituted the tribunicial powers. Furthermore, praetor Marcus Aurelius Cotta transferred control of the law courts to the Roman knights.

His desperate position forced Mithridates to flee to king Tigranes of Armenia.

Machares, filius Mithridatis, Bospori rex, a L. Lucullo in amicitiam receptus est.

Cn. Lentulus et L. Gellius censores asperam censuram egerunt IIII et LX senatu motis. A quibus lustro condito censa sunt civium capita DCCCC milia.

L. Metellus praetor in Sicilia adversus piratas prospere rem gessit.

Templum Iovis in Capitolio, quod incendio consumptum ac refectum erat, a Q. Catulo dedicatum est.

L. Lucullus in Armenia Mithridaten et Tigranen et ingentes utriusque regis copias pluribus proeliis fudit.

Q. Metellus procos. bello adversus Cretenses mandato Cydoniam urbem obsedit.

C. Triarius, legatus Luculli, adversus Mithridaten parum prospere pugnavit. Lucullum, ne persequeretur Mithridaten ac Tigranen summamque victoriae inponeret, seditio militum tenuit, quia sequi nolebant, id est duae legiones Valerianae, quae impleta a se stipendia dicentes Lucullum reliquerunt.

Machares, the son of Mithridates and king of Bosporus, received the title of friend from Lucius Lucullus.

[69] Censors Gnaeus Lentulus and Lucius Gellius conducted a strict censorship, removing 64 men from the Senate. They celebrated the ritual cleansing of the state and registered 900,000 citizens.

On Sicily, praetor Lucius Metellus successfully fought against the pirates.

Quintus Catulus rededicated the reconstructed temple of the Capitoline Jupiter, which had been destroyed by fire.

In several battles in Armenia, Lucius Lucullus routed Mithridates, Tigranes and their giant armies.

Proconsul Quintus Metellus took over the war against the Cretans and besieged the city of Cydonia.

A deputy of Lucullus, Gaius Triarius, fought unsuccessfully against Mithridates. A revolt of soldiers who did not want to go any further, prevented Lucullus from pursuing Mithridates and Tigranes and obtaining the ultimate victory; involved were the two legions of Valerius, which deserted Lucullus saying that their term of service was over.

Q. Metellus procos. Cnoson et Lyctum et Cydoniam et alias plurimas urbes expugnavit.

L. Roscius trib. pl. legem tulit ut equitibus Romanis in theatro XIIII gradus proximi adsignarentur.

Cn. Pompeius lege ad populum lata persequi piratas iussus qui commercium annonae intercluserant intra quadragesimum diem toto mari eos expulit, belloque cum his in Cilicia confecto acceptis in deditionem piratis agros et urbes dedit.

Praeterea res gestas a Q. Metello adversus Cretenses continet et epistulas Metelli et Cn. Pompei invicem missas. Queritur Q. Metellus gloriam sibi rerum a se gestarum a Pompeio praeripi, qui in Cretam miserit legatum suum ad accipiendas urbium deditiones. Pompeius rationem reddit hoc se facere debuisse.

[68] Proconsul Quintus [Caecilius] Metellus captured Cnossus, Lyctus, Cydonia and many other cities.

Lucius Roscius, a tribune of the plebs , passed the law that the first 14 rows in the theater were to be designated to the Roman knights.

[67] Gnaeus Pompey was ordered by a law, passed by the People's Assembly, to pursue the pirates, who had cut off the food supply. Within forty days he expelled them from the entire sea, brought the war against them to Cilicia, and gave land and cities to the pirates that surrendered to him.

It [book 99] also contains an account of Quintus Metellus' war against the Cretans, and the letters exchanged between Metellus and Gnaeus Pompey. Quintus Metellus complains that the glory of his victory was stolen by Pompey, who had sent a deputy to Crete to accept the surrender of the cities. Pompey explained why this had to be done. 

C. Manilius tr. pl. magna indignatione nobilitatis legem tulit ut Pompeio Mithridaticum bellum mandaretur. [lacuna] contio eius bona.

Q. Metellus perdomitis Cretensibus liberae in id tempus insulae leges dedit.

Cn. Pompeius ad gerendum bellum adversus Mithridaten profectus cum rege Parthorum, Phraate, amicitiam renovavit. Equestri proelio Mithridaten vicit.

Praeterea bellum inter Phraaten, Parthorum regem, et Tigranen, Armeniorum, ac deinde inter filium Tigranen patremque gestum continet.

[66] To the great indignation of the nobility, tribune Gaius Manilius passed a law that transferred the [Third] Mithridatic War to Pompey. [lacuna] his speech was excellent.

Having subdued the Cretans, Quintus Metellus gave laws to their island, which had until then been independent.

Gnaeus Pompey renewed the friendship with the king of the Parthians, Phraates [III], to wage war against Mithridates. In an equestrian battle, Mithridates was defeated.

It [book 100] also contains an account of the war between king Phraates of the Parthians and Tigranes of the Armenians, and after this of Tigranes the younger against his father.