FOOTNOTES
[82] [To this famous speech the historian Florus[g] retorts: “But if it had been purchasable, it had a purchaser in him, and since he did not escape, it will appear certain that it is not destined to perish.”]
[83] [Such is the story as told by Plutarch (Life of Marius). Ihne[e] (v, 109), commenting on “the nonsense and lies that disfigure this campaign,” which, he thinks, are traceable to Lutatius Catulus, and not to Sulla’s Memoirs, says: “It is difficult to conceive how such stuff could find its way into serious books of history.” To which it may be replied that if all “such stuff” were eliminated, the story of ancient history would take on quite too sober an aspect,—losing picturesqueness without always gaining authenticity. Strange things are done by men in real life; and the critic who rejects a tale simply because it tells of illogical actions is on very dangerous ground. Moreover, it will be noted that the most iconoclastic critics often give their sanction to incidents quite as improbable as others which they reject. Every intelligent reader is competent to draw his own conclusions as to the probabilities involved in these picturesque tales; but one cannot too often be reminded that pure invention is the rarest of human accomplishments. It is easy to pervert or exaggerate; but it is extremely difficult to create a truly novel situation, or to invent for mankind more incongruous actions than are spontaneously blundered into in actual life. It may well be doubted, then, that any Roman would ever have linked the Cimbrian warriors together in imagination unless those warriors had done something suggestive of this strange expedient. But, on the other hand, when we are told, e.g., that after the “greater part of the Cimbrians were killed,” 60,000 survived to be sold into slavery, the scepticism which is disposed to make the mental reservation of a cipher or two may perhaps be pardoned.]
Roman Seal Rings
