LUCIUS CORNELIUS, was descended from the illustrious family of the Scipios. His behaviour in his younger years by no means corresponded with the excellent education which he had received. But debauchery, instead of bringing along with it infamy and ruin, its usual attendants, served only to increase the wealth of this fortunate Roman; for Nicopolis, a rich courtesan, whose affections he had gained, left him heir to her great estate.—He learned the art of war under Marius, whom he attended to Numidia in quality of questor. Though hitherto unaccustomed to arms, he became in a short time the most skilful soldier in the army, while by his polite and obliging behaviour he gained the love and esteem of every body. His courage and dexterity contributed a great deal towards the success of the war; it was his eloquence in particular that persuaded Bocchus to deliver up Jugurtha. He served afterwards in the Social war, where his actions entirely eclipsed those of every other commander. As a reward for this conduct he was raised to the praetorship. It is pretended by some that Sylla purchased this dignity; and that when he threatened one day to make use of the powers of his office against Strabo the father of Pompey, that Roman replied with a smile, "You are in the right to say so; your office is certainly yours, since you purchased it." Be this as it may, after the conclusion of the Social war he was made consul, and soon after declared general of the army which was to be sent against Mithridates king of Pontus. Marius, at that time the most renowned of the Roman generals, expected that the management of this war would have been committed to him, and was therefore much exasperated at the disappointment. The people were persuaded by his intrigues to reverse the former decree, and substitute him in place of Sylla. Upon this he sent down officers to take the command of the army; but Sylla by this time had gained over the soldiers; who, instead of obeying the decree of the people, flew Marius's officers, and intreated Sylla to lead them instantly to Rome. Accordingly he entered the city sword in hand, slew Sulpicius the consul, obliged Marius to flee, new-modelled the laws, and afterwards marched into the East, and immediately laid siege to Athens; for that city, together with the rest of Greece, had fallen into the power of Mithridates. He wrote to the Amphictyons, who were assembled at Delphi, to send him all the gold which was deposited in the temple of Apollo, because he stood in need of money; promising, at the same time, to restore it again at the end of the war. When he received this treasure, he observed, with an air of raillery, that he now no longer despaired of victory, since the gods themselves furnished him with money to pay his troops. Famine soon obliged the Athenians to think of a surrender. Their ambassadors waited on Sylla, and began to harangue about Thebes and Codrus, and Marathon and Salamis,—when he interrupted them, and exclaimed, "Go, repeat these fine orations in your schools; I have come hither, not to learn your history, but to chastise rebels." Athens was at last taken by assault, and Sylla was upon the point of destroying it, when he recollected its ancient glory, and spared (as he said) the living for the sake of the dead. After burning the Piraeus, he gained two decisive victories over the generals of Mithridates. In the second battle, which was fought at Orchomenus, he was almost defeated; his troops began to flee, when, leaping from his horse, he snatched up a standard, and advanced against the enemy, crying out, "I will die here gloriously; and, soldiers, when you are asked where you abandoned your general, answer, At Orchomenus." This reproach recalled the courage of the Romans; they followed him to the charge, and gained a complete victory. Mithridates, humbled by these disasters, sent ambassadors to sue for peace.

Mean time Cinna had declared against Sylla in Italy; and Marius returning from banishment, had taken the most fervent vengeance on all his enemies. Sylla was declared a traitor; his laws were reversed, his friends murdered, and the government new-modelled. The news of these transactions induced Sylla to conclude a treaty with Mithridates, and march directly to Rome. His approach terrified the Romans. Marius and Cinna were both dead; but the consuls made vigorous preparations to oppose him. A civil war was begun; but Sylla in the end subdued all his enemies, and entirely ruined the Marian faction. He entered Rome at the head of his victorious army, and publicly assumed the surname of Happy. Happy, indeed, had he ceased to live when he ceased to conquer. The remainder of his life contains nothing else but a catalogue of the most abominable cruelties. He declared that every one who expected a pardon for their late offences, must gain it by destroying the enemies of the state. The sword of the assassin was thus unheathed, and murder encouraged as the path to power and distinction. The noblest of the Romans were everywhere massacred; slaves were rewarded for cutting off their masters; children were seen dragging their parents to execution; and brothers claiming a recompense for the murder of brothers. Sylla ordered 8000 wretches, who had thrown themselves upon his clemency, to be butchered in the Campus Martius. In the mean time he entered the senate-house, and began to talk with great coolness about his exploits. The senate, alarmed at the horrid outrages of the sufferers, at first thought that the city was given up to be plundered; but Sylla informed them, with an unembarrassed air, that it was only some criminals punishing by his orders, and that they needed not be apprehensive about their own fate.

To carry on these cruelties with the appearance of justice, he commanded the people to elect him dictator. He kept this office for more than two years; and then, to the amazement of all, laid it down, and offered to stand his trial before the people. Soon afterwards he retired into the country, and plunged headlong into every kind of debauchery. Nor did he relinquish his cruelty cruelty together with his power: His wife falling ill in the midst of a sumptuous feast, he divorced her immediately; and ordered her to be carried away, left her death should interrupt the festivity of his house.

He died of the morbus pedicularis, in the 60th year of his age. His body, according to his orders, was burnt. A little before his death he wrote his epitaph; the tenor of which was, that no man had ever exceeded him in doing good to his friends or injury to his enemies.

His person was elegant, his air noble, his manners easy and apparently sincere. He was fond of pleasure, but fonder of glory; indulging without scruple in sensual delights, but never suffering them to interrupt his serious business: He was eloquent, liberal, crafty, insinuating; a profound matter of dissimulation; he spoke of himself with modesty, while he lavished praises on every other person: He stooped even to an acquaintance with the meanest soldier, and constantly adapted himself to the humours, pursuits, and opinions, of those with whom he conversed. Such was his character during the earlier part of his life; but when success had raised him above the necessity of dissimulation, he displayed a hideous train of vices, which his ambition had formerly taught him to conceal.—It was Sylla who recovered the works of Aristotle at the taking of Athens.