The Grass Crown Read Online Free Page A

calling himself King of Cappadocia.”
    “That he did,” said Marius. “I suppose he thought it unfortunate when Mithridates instigated her murder and put the child back on the throne.” He laughed softly. “No more King Nicomedes of Cappadocia! I don’t know how he thought Mithridates would let him get away with it, considering that the murdered Queen was the sister of Mithridates!”
    “And her son rules there still, as—oh, they have such exotic names! An Ariarathes?” asked Sulla.
    “The seventh Ariarathes, to be exact,” said Marius.
    “What do you think is going on?” asked Sulla, his curiosity whetted by Marius’s evident knowledge of these tortuous eastern relationships.
    “I’m not sure. Probably nothing, beyond the normal squabbling between Nicomedes of Bithynia and Mithridates of Pontus. But I fancy he’s a most interesting fellow, young King Mithridates of Pontus. I’d like to meet him. After all, Lucius Cornelius, he’s not much more than thirty years of age, yet he’s gone from having no territory other than Pontus itself to owning the best part of the lands around the Euxine Sea. My skin is crawling. I have a feeling he’s going to mean trouble for Rome,” said Marius.
    Deeming it high time he entered the conversation, Publius Rutilius Rufus put his empty wine cup down on the table in front of his couch with a loud bang, and seized his opportunity. “I suppose you mean Mithridates has his eye on our Roman Asia Province,” he said, nodding wisely. “Why wouldn’t he want it? So enormously rich! And the most civilized place on earth—well, it’s been Greek since before the Greeks were Greek! Homer lived and worked in our Asia Province, can you imagine it?”
    “I’d probably find it easier to imagine it if you started to accompany yourself on a lyre,” said Sulla, laughing.
    “Now be serious, Lucius Cornelius! I doubt King Mithridates thinks of our Roman Asia Province as a joke—nor must we, even in jest.” Joke—jest; Rutilius Rufus paused to admire his verbal virtuosity, and lost his chance to dominate the conversation.
    “I don’t think there can be any doubt that Mithridates is slavering at the thought of owning our Asia Province,” said Marius.
    “But he’s an oriental,” said Sulla positively. “All the oriental kings are terrified of Rome—even Jugurtha, who was far more exposed to Rome than any eastern king, was terrified of Rome. Look at the insults and indignities Jugurtha put up with before he went to war against us. We literally forced him to war.”
    “Oh, I think Jugurtha always intended to go to war against us,” said Rutilius Rufus.
    “I disagree,” said Sulla, frowning. “I think he dreamed of going to war against us, but understood it could be nothing but a dream. It was we who forced the war upon him when Aulus Albinus entered Numidia looking for loot. In fact, that’s how our wars usually begin! Some gold-greedy commander who shouldn’t be let lead a parade of children is given Roman legions to lead, and, off he goes looking for loot—not for Rome’s sake, but for the sake of his own purse. Carbo and the Germans, Caepio and the Germans, Silanus and the Germans—the list is endless.”
    “You’re getting away from the point, Lucius Cornelius,” said Marius gently.
    “Sorry, so I am!” Unabashed, Sulla grinned at his old commander affectionately. “Anyway, I think the situation in the east is very similar to the situation in Africa as it was before Jugurtha went to war against us. We all know that Bithynia and Pontus are traditional enemies, and we all know that both King Nicomedes and King Mithridates would love to expand, at least within Anatolia. And in Anatolia there are two wonderfully rich lands which make their royal mouths water—Cappadocia, and our Roman Asia Province. Ownership of Cappadocia gives a king swift access to Cilicia, and fabulously rich growing soil. Ownership of our Roman Asia Province gives a king unparalleled