Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 15, PLA-RAM

PON
t 362 }
PON
Pontu*.
44
The <.rmy
cf Michri-
dafe- muti-
nie-, whic'i
obliges the
king to iiy
into Arme-
T>i».
the place of his refidence ; and another, named Thcm'tf' at Pharnacia, difpatched an eunuch, named JSaz-hus or
^ BauhultSy witiv orders to put them all to death, lelt
they fliould. fall into the hands of the enemy; which
was accordingly done..
After the flight of Mithndates^ the Romans no lon¬
ger met with any oppofition the king’s governors
flocking from; all. parts to put themfelves under the pro¬
tection of the, conqueror. Among thefewas the grand¬
father of Strabo the geographer, whom the king had
difobliged by putting to death his couiin-german Ti-
bias, and his fon Theophilus. He was a man of fuch
credit, that it was no fooner heard that he had aban¬
doned the king’s party, than 15 other commanders de¬
livered up to jLucullus the places with which they had
been intrufted ; and about the fame time Triarius fali-i
ing in with the king’s fleet near the ifland of Tenedos,
obtained a complete victory, having either taken or
funk 6 j of the enemy’s veflels.
All this time Gotta had been -employed without fuc-
cefs in befieging Heraclea, which he could never have,
reduced without the affiftance of Triarius. That'
commander, having defeated the fleet, foon reduced
the town to fuch diltrefs, that a third part of the gar-
rifon died of hunger ; upon which the governor, Co-
nacorix, privately agreed with Triarius to deliver one
of the gates to him. This was accordingly done ; and .
the Romans, entering, made a terrible flaughter of the
hefplefs inhabitants. But in the mean time Cotta,
provoked at feeing himfelf deprived both of all fliare
of the booty, and the honour of reducing a place be¬
fore which he had fat fo long, fell upon his country¬
men as they were bulled in plundering; which would
have occafioned a great deal of bloodlhed, had not
Triarius promifed to divide the booty equally. Co-
nacorix, in order to conceal his treachery, after march¬
ing out of Heraclea, feized on. two forts belonging to
the Romans ; and Triarius being fent to, recover them,
Cotta, in his abience, plundered the city anew, rifled
the temples which the other had fpared:, put all the
citizens he could meet with to the fword, and having
carried off every thing valuable, at laft fet fire to the
city in feveral places, by which means it was foon re¬
duced to allies. Cotta then, having no farther occa-
fion for his troops, difmifled the auxiliaries, refigned
his legions to Lucullus, and put to fea himfelf in order
to return to Rome. But he had fcarce got out of
the harbour, when part of his fliips, being overloaded
with the fpoils of the city, funk ; and the others were
by a violent north wind dalhed againft the fhore,
which occanoned the lofs of a great part of the booty.
However, on his return to Rome, he was highly ap¬
plauded by the fenate, and honoured with the title of
Pon thus,
Lucullus, having now reduced Pontus, marched a-
gainlt the Chaldeans, Tibarenians, and inhabitants of
Armenia Minor ; who voluntarily fubmitted to him,
and put him in poffeffion of all their ftrong holds.
From Armenia, he returned before Amifus, which
ftill held out; Callimachus, governor of the place, ha¬
ving harafl'ed the Romans to fuch a degree by engines
of his own contriving, that they had given over their’
affaults, and contented themfelves with blocking it up
by land, though the garnfon was at the fame time
plentifully fupplied with provifions by fea. Lucullus,
on his arrival, fummoued the city to fur render, offer-
6 •' mg
cyra, fituated on the banks of the Thermodoon. Eu-
patoria was foon taken, but Themifcyra made a vigo¬
rous refiffance. The townfmen galled the Romans to
fuch a degree, that, not daring to approach the walls
openly, they contented themfelves with undermining
them : but in this too they met with no fmall difficul¬
ty ; for the enemy countermined, and often engaged
-them, under ground, letting into the mines bears and
other wild beafts, with fwarms of bees, which obliged
them to abandon their works. However, the town was
at lafl obliged to furrender for want of provifions. As
for Amifus, Lucullus himfelf fat down befotx it: but
finding it llrongly fortified and garrifoned with the
flower of the king’s troops, the Roman general thought
proper to reduce it by famine ; and on this occafion his
countrymen firft complained of him as protracting the
war for his own advantage.
In the mean time" Mithridates having recruited his
fhattered army, advanced to Cabirae, a city not far di-
ffant from Amifus. Lucullus, leaving part of the army
to continue the fiege, marched at the he'ad of the reft
to oppofe Mithridates. But the king having drawn his
cavalry into a general engagement, defeated them with
confiderable lofs, and drove them back to the moun¬
tains, through the paffes of which Lucullus had lately
parched to attack him. This check obliged the Ro¬
man general to retire to a riling ground near the city
of Cabirae, where the enemy could not force him to an
engagement. Here provifions beginning to grow fcarce,
Lucullus fent out ftrong parties from his army into Cap¬
padocia, the only place from whence he could have fup-
plies. One of thefe parties entirely defeated Taxiles
and Diophantes, two of the king’s generals, who had
been ftationed there to prevent Lucullus from having
any communication with the country. The king, up¬
on the news of this defeat, refolved to break up his
camp and retire, not queftioning but that Lucullus
would attack him as foon as his forces returned. This
refolution he no fooner imparted to his nobles, than
they began privately to fend away their moft valuable
goods ; which being found out by the foldiers, they
took it in fuch bad part that no intelligence had been
given them, that they plundered their baggage, and put
' thofe who had the care of it to the fword. After this
they betook themfelves to flight, crowding out of the
gates in the utmoft confulion. The king haftened to
flop their flight ; but nobody ffiowing him the leaft re-
fpedf, he was carried away by the crowd, and in great
danger of being trampled to death. Having with diffi¬
culty made his efcape, he retired with a fmall retinue,
firft to Cabirae, and then to his fon-in law Tigranes
king of Armenia. Lucullus difpatched the beft part
of his cavalry to purfue the fugitives; while he himfelf,
with the reft, invelled the camp of Mithridates, where
thofe remained who could not fly with the reft.. The
camp was eafily taken ; hut moft of the foldiers made
their efcape, while the Romans, contrary to their gene¬
ral’s orders, were bufied in plundering. Lucullus then
purfued hard alter the king ; who,, being overtaken by
a company of Galatians, caufed a mule loaded with
part of his treafures to be driven, in among them, by
which means he made his efcape while they quarrelled
about the booty. Mithridates, remembering in his
ftight, that he had left his fillers, wives, and concubines
IVmtujr