Colleen McCullough - 1. First Man in Rome

6

The magic hadn't failed; when the consular elections were held just after the new tribunes of the plebs entered office on the tenth day of December, Gaius Marius was returned as the senior consul. For no one could disbelieve the testimony of Lucius Cornelius Sulla, nor Saturninus's contention that there was still only one man capable of beating the Germans. The old German-mania rushed back into Rome like the Tiber in full spate, and once again Sicily faded from first place in the list of crises which never, never seemed to grow any less in number. "For as fast as we eliminate one, a new one pops up out of nowhere," said Marcus Aemilius Scaurus to Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus Piggle-wiggle. "Including Sicily," said Lucullus's brother-in-law with venom in his voice. "How could Gaius Marius lend his support to that pipinna Ahenobarbus when he insisted Lucius Lucullus must be replaced as governor of Sicily? By Servilius the Augur, of all people! He's nothing but a New Man skulking in the guise of an old name!" " He was tweaking your tail, Quintus Caecilius,'' Scaurus said. "Gaius Marius doesn't give a counterfeit coin who governs Sicily, not now that the Germans are definitely coming. If you wanted Lucius Lucullus to remain there, you would have done better to have kept quiet; then Gaius Marius wouldn't have remembered that you and Lucius Lucullus matter to each other.'' "The senatorial rolls need a stern eye to look them over," said Numidicus. "I shall stand for censor!" "Good thinking! Who with?" "My cousin Caprarius." "Oh, more good thinking, by Venus! He'll do exactly as you tell him." "It's time we weeded the Senate out, not to mention the knights. I shall be a stringent censor, Marcus Aemilius, have no fear!" said Numidicus. "Saturninus is going, and so is Glaucia. They're dangerous men." "Oh, don't!" cried Scaurus, flinching. "If I hadn't falsely accused him of peculation in grain, he might have turned into a different kind of politician. I can never rid myself of guilt about Lucius Appuleius." Numidicus raised his brows. "My dear Marcus Aemilius, you are in strong need of a tonic! What if anything caused that wolfshead Saturninus to act the way he does is immaterial. All that matters at this present moment is that he is what he is. And he has to go." He blew through his nostrils angrily. "We are not finished as a force in this city yet," he said. "And at least this coming year Gaius Marius is saddled with a real man as his colleague, instead of those straw men Fimbria and Orestes. We'll make sure Quintus Lutatius is put into the field with an army, and every tiny success Quintus Lutatius has with his army, we'll trumpet through Rome like triumphs." For the electorate had also voted in Quintus Lutatius Catulus Caesar as consul, junior to Marius admittedly, but, "A thorn in my side," said Marius. "Your young brother's in as a praetor," said Sulla. "And going to Further Spain, nicely out of the way." They caught up with Marcus Aemilius Scaurus, who had parted company with Numidicus at the bottom of the Senate steps. "I must thank you personally for your industry and enterprise in the matter of the grain supply," said Marius civilly. "As long as there's wheat to be bought somewhere in the world, Gaius Marius, it's not a very difficult job," said Scaurus, also civilly. "What worries me is the day when there's no wheat to be had anywhere." "Not likely at the moment, surely! Sicily will be back to normal next harvest, I imagine." Scaurus struck immediately. "Provided, that is, we don't lose everything we've gained once that prating fool Servilius Augur takes office as governor!" he said tartly. "The war in Sicily is over," said Marius. "You'd better hope so, consul. I'm not so sure." "And where have you been getting the wheat these past two years?" Sulla asked hastily, to avert an open disagreement. "Asia Province," said Scaurus, willing enough to be sidetracked, for he genuinely did love being curator annonae, the custodian of the grain supply. "But surely they don't grow much surplus?" prompted Sulla. "Hardly a modius, as a matter of fact," said Scaurus smugly. "No, we can thank King Mithridates of Pontus. He's very young, but he's mighty enterprising. Having conquered all of the northern parts of the Euxine Sea and gained control of the grainlands of the Tanais, the Borysthenes, the Hypanis, and the Danastris, he's making a very nice additional income for Pontus by shipping this Cimmerian surplus down to Asia Province, and selling it to us. What's more, I'm going to follow my instincts, and buy again in Asia Province next year. Young Marcus Livius Drusus is going as quaestor to Asia, and I've commissioned him to act for me in the matter.'' Marius grunted. "No doubt he'll visit his father-in-law, Quintus Servilius Caepio, in Smyrna while he's there?" "No doubt," said Scaurus blandly. "Then have young Marcus Livius send the bills for the grain to Quintus Servilius Caepio," said Marius. "He's got more money to pay for it than the Treasury has!" "That's an unfounded allegation." "Not according to King Copillus." An uneasy, silence fell for a simmering moment before Sulla said, "How much of that Asian grain reaches us, Marcus Aemilius? I hear the pirate problem grows worse every year." "About half, no more," Scaurus said grimly. "Every hidden cove and harbor on the Pamphylian and Cilician coasts shelters pirates. Of course by trade they're slavers, but if they can steal grain to feed the slaves they steal, then they're sure of huge profits, aren't they? And whatever grain they have left over, they sell back to us at twice the price we originally paid for it, if for no other reason than they guarantee it will reach us without being pirated again. "Amazing," said Marius, "that even among pirates there are middlemen. Because that's what they are! Steal it, then sell it back to us. Pure profit. It's time we did something, Princeps Senatus, isn't it?" "It certainly is," said Scaurus fervently. "What do you suggest?" "A special commission for one of the praetors a roving governorship, if there is such an animal. Give him ships and marines, and charge him with flushing out every nest of pirates along the whole Pamphylian and Cilician coast," said Scaurus. "We could call him the governor of Cilicia," said Marius. "What a good idea!" "All right, Princeps Senatus, let's call the Conscript Fathers together as soon as possible, and do it." "Let's," said Scaurus, oozing charity. "You know, Gaius Marius, I may loathe everything you stand for, but I do love your capacity to act without turning the whole business into a new set of circus games." "The Treasury will scream like a Vestal invited to dinner in a brothel," said Marius, grinning. "Let it! If we don't eradicate the pirates, trade between East and West will cease to be. Ships and marines," said Scaurus thoughtfully. "How many, do you think?" "Oh, eight or ten full fleets, and, say ten thousand trained marines. If we have that many," said Marius. "We can get them," Scaurus said confidently. "If necessary we can hire some at least from Rhodes, Halicarnassus, Cnidus, Athens, Ephesus don't worry, we'll find them." "It ought to be Marcus Antonius," said Marius. "What, not your own brother?" asked Scaurus, aping surprise. But Marius grinned, unruffled. "Like me, Marcus Aemilius, my brother Marcus Marius is a landlubber. Where all the Antonii like going to sea." Scaurus laughed. "When they're not all at sea!" "True. But he's all right, our praetor Marcus Antonius. He'll do the job, I think." "I think he will too." "And in the meantime," said Sulla, smiling, "the Treasury is going to be so busy whining and complaining about Marcus Aemilius's grain purchases and pirate chasers that it won't even notice how much money it's paying out for Head Count armies. Because Quintus Lutatius will have to enlist a Head Count army too." "Oh, Lucius Cornelius, you've been too long in the service of Gaius Marius!" said Scaurus. "I was thinking the same thing," said Marius unexpectedly. But more than that he would not say.