424. Sulla and his army wintered in Greece. There was
much to be done at Athens and elsewhere, and the preparations
for his return to Italy in defiance of the Marians had to be made
with care. He was interested in Greek arts and letters, and at
Athens he came upon a literary treasure, which he transferred to
Rome. This was a collection of the most important works of
Aristotle, long supposed lost, but lately rediscovered. But Sulla's
favourite companions were actors and musicians. There were in
Athens also various Romans, driven out of Italy by disgust at the
government of Cinna and Carbo. Among them was a young and
wealthy man of Equestrian rank, T. Pomponius Atticus. This
man is notable for the part played by him during all the later
period of revolution and civil wars. He early learnt to take
neither side in a quarrel, but to help men in their time of trouble
and earn their goodwill in case they returned to power. Atticus
gained the favour of Sulla, and used his influence on behalf of
the Athenians. He helped them over pressing difficulties by
lending money to the state on reasonable terms, but he wisely
insisted on punctual repayment. He became immensely popular
in Athens, and lived there more than 20 years. Sulla invited him
to return to Italy, but his Epicurean temperament made him prefer
to keep out of the stormy politics of Rome. Early in 83 Sulla
safely landed his army at Brundisium. He was well received, but
he had not more than 40,000 men. But the army was a real one,
and the prestige of his luck--the luck of which he always boasted
--was a force of incalculable value. His veterans swore to stand
by him, and they made ready to face great odds. In the last two
years he had sent despatches to the Senate, ignoring his outlawry.
He protested against the acts of the Marian party, and gave
warning of the redress that he would exact on his return. But
he shewed his insight into the situation of affairs in Italy by
announcing that he did not intend to reverse the enfranchisement
of the new citizens. Thus he sought to weaken or remove an
apprehension, natural enough, and to pave the way for detaching
new citizens from the Marian cause.

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