He headed directly for Athens. Almost before they knew what had hit them, the Athenians found themselves with five vengeful Legions commanded by Rome’s most ruthless general camped outside their walls.
Confronted by this nightmare, Ariston’s [an Athenian philosopher who headed their resistance against Rome at this time] only tactic was to compose rude songs about Sulla’s face, comparing it to a mulberry topped with oatmeal. These would be chanted from the city walls while Ariston himself yelled obscene witticisms about Sulla and his wife, complete with extravagant hand gestures. Proof, as Posidonius commented acidly, “that swords should never be placed in the hands of children.”
Source:
Holland, Tom. “Luck Be a Lady.” Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic. Anchor Books, 2005. 78. Print.
Original Source Listed:
Posidonius, fragment 36.
Further Reading:
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