In the same year at Rome Catiline, accused of unchastity on the charge of having committed it with Fabia, a Vestal virgin, escaped, upheld by the influence of Catulus.
1 Eodem anno apud Romam Catilina incesti accusatus, quod cum Fabia uirgine Vestali commisisse arguebatur, Catuli gratia fultus euasit.
Lucullus had laid siege to Sinope in order to storm it; Seleucus the arch-pirate and Cleochares the eunuch, who were in command of its garrison, plundered it, set it on fire and left it.
2 Lucullus Sinopem expugnaturus obsederat; hanc Seleucus archipirata et Cleochares spado, qui praesidii causa praeerant, expilatam atque incensam reliquerunt.
Lucullus, moved by the inward disaster of his wretched enemies, came up swiftly and put out the fire that had been set. Thus the wretched city, with the parts of enemy and ally reversed, was destroyed by those who should have defended it and saved by those who should have destroyed it.
3 Lucullus miserorum hostium intestina clade permotus celeri occursu inmissum restinxit incendium. ita misera ciuitas uersa uice hostium sociorumque unde defendenda disperdita et unde disperdenda seruata est.
Marcus Lucullus, moreover, who had succeeded Curio in Macedonia, attacked the whole nation of the Bessi in war and received it in surrender.
4 at uero M. Lucullus, qui Curioni in Macedonia successerat, totam Bessorum gentem bello adpetitam in deditionem recepit.
At the same time Metellus, praetor of Sicily, found Sicily afflicted by that most foul praetorship of Gaius Verres, and above all being torn apart with wicked plundering and slaughter by Pyrganio the arch-pirate, who had driven off the Roman fleet and seized the harbour of Syracuse; Metellus soon crushed him in battles by sea and land and compelled him to leave Sicily.
5 Eodem tempore Metellus Siciliae praetor cum foedissima illa C. Verris praetura Siciliam adflictam inuenisset, maxime Pyrganione archipirata nefariis praedis et caedibus dilacerante, qui pulsa classe Romana Syracusanum portum obtinuerat - quem mox nauali terrestrique proelio comminutum Sicilia decedere conpulit.
Besides this, Lucullus crossed the Euphrates and the Tigris and engaged Mithridates and Tigranes at the city of Tigranocerta, and with a very small band of his own killed a great number of the enemy; for thirty thousand men are reported to have been slain in that war.
6 praeterea Lucullus transgressus Euphraten et Tigrim, apud Tigranocertam urbem cum Mithridate et Tigrane congressus paruissima suorum manu magnum hostium numerum occidit; nam triginta milia hominum in eo bello caesa referuntur.
Tigranes fled, attended by scarcely 150 horsemen, having thrown away his diadem and tiara lest he be recognised. Then envoys from almost the whole East came to Lucullus as suppliants. As winter was coming on, he went back through Armenia into Mesopotamia, and stormed and took the city of Nisibis, at that time renowned in those parts.
7 Tigranes uix centum quinquaginta equitibus comitatus aufugit diademate et tiara ne agnosceretur abiectis. tunc ad Lucullum totius paene orientis supplices uenere legati; imminente hieme per Armeniam in Mesopotamiam regressus Nisibin urbem illis tunc locis inclitam expugnauit et cepit.