The Fragments of the Histories

when Lepidus attempts to subvert them in his consulship" 1) I believe the verb "to subvert" was used by Sallust himself; cf. Iug. 32, Catil. 10, Hist. or. Phil. 8 and 10, or. Lep. 4. and the schol. Gron. p. 410 (Orell.): "he wanted to infringe upon the Sullan acts." The same were borrowed from Florus by the author of de vir. ill. c. 47: "he put to flight, as a private citizen, Lepidus, who was wanting to rescind the acts of Sulla, from Italy" and Ampel. lib. mem. c. 19: "Catulus, who put to flight from Italy, with an army moved against him (cf. Flor. l. l. § 5), Lepidus who was wanting to rescind the acts of Sulla," and also Augustine, de civ. Dei III 30: "the other desired to rescind the Sullan deeds" and per. 90: "Lepidus, when he attempted to rescind the acts of Sulla."

Valerius Maximus II 8, 7 and Ampelius c. 40, 2 made brief mention of the Lepidan sedition. The defeat of Lepidus which happened at Cosa is commemorated by Rutilius Namatianus in his poem "On his return," composed in 416 A.D., in verse 295:

"Among the traces of the camps, conversation revealed
The Sardinian flight as Lepidus was rushing away;
For on the shore of Cosa he drove back the related enemies
Rome followed the virtue of the leader Catulus."

He agrees with Exup. p. 3, 29 in urging the rushed flight: "he thus laid low his fleeing forces and those entangling themselves in the haste of fear" etc.; but I myself doubt whether I should attribute this to chance or whether I should believe that Sallust was also read by Rutilius at that time.

Chapter III

§ 1. With Lepidus driven from Italy and dead, there remained one prince of the popular party, Sertorius; and by how much more easily the Sullans had laid him low with Catulus and Pompey as leaders, by so much more atrociously and pertinaciously did this man resist the aristocrats. This war, which was waged in Spain for almost eight years, even if it was of great moment to the Roman Republic, yet it was not reported by writers with as much diligence and care as it seems to us to be worthy: by which it happened that learned men still disagree greatly concerning the time and order of very many things done in this war. These...