A M B 
for he never knew either integrity, fincerity, or gratitude, 
when the purfuit of his views was in queftion. It was 
this ambition that made him quit the plough and take up 
the profefiion of arms, by which he was in hopes ot ma¬ 
king his fortune. He fucceeded beyond all expectations : 
but after having paffed through every honour in the Ro¬ 
man o-overnment; having acquired a conliderable fortune, 
and made a good alliance, by marrying Julia, Ctefar’s 
aunt; inftead of being fatisfied with his uncommon fttc- 
cefs, ’and enjoying the fruits of his toils and dangers, at 
the age of feventy, when he was become exceedingly grofs 
and heavy, and opprefled with many infirmities, he was 
determined to take on him the war againft Mithridates 
king of Pontus. He imagined, that this war furnifhed an 
occafion of acquiring great glory and riches, without much 
danger. But Sylla, as conl'ul, was general of the Roman 
armies, and had a juft right to appropriate the firft and 
moft glorious province to himfeif: he was likewife ap¬ 
pointed to this command by the fenate. Marius oppofed 
him. The conteft ran high: and a civil war enf'ued. 
Sylla believes the city of Rome, and Marius is obliged to 
fave himfeif by flight. Sylla makes an alteration in the_ 
o-overnment, and an’order is ifftted out in all the cities of 
Italy, to feize and kill Marius wherever he ftiould be 
found. After wandering from place to place, and fuffer- 
ino-a variety of difficulties, dangers, and diftrefles, both 
by*lea and land, he is at laft treacheroufly fet on fhore in 
the province of an enemy, without aid, without defence, 
and abandoned by all the world. He, however, did not 
abandon himfeif; but crofting marlhes, ditches full of wa¬ 
ter, and muddy grounds, he came at length to a poor 
wood-cleaver’s cottage. He threw himfeif at his feet, 
and conjured him to fave a man, who, if he efcaped dan¬ 
ger, would reward him beyond his hopes. The peafant, 
whether he knew him, or was ftruck with the loftinefs 
and majefty of his appearance, which his misfortunes had 
not effaced, anfwered, “That, if he only wanted reft, he 
might find it in his cottage; but, if he fled from enemies, 
he would fltew him a fafer retreat.” Marius having ac¬ 
cepted the laft offer, the man conducted him to a hollow 
place, near a marfh, where he covered him with leaves, 
reeds, and nifties. Marius had fcarcely entered this dif- 
mal retreat, before he heard his enemies in purfuit of him. 
They queftioned, prefled, and menaced, the woodman, for 
concealing an enemy of the public, condemned to die by 
the Roman fenate. Marius had no refource left: he 
quitted his retreat, undrefled himfeif, and plunged into the 
black and muddy water of the marfh. This dirty afylum 
could not conceal him. His purfuers ran to him; and 
having drawn him out of the water naked, and all covered 
with mud, they put a cord about his neck, and dragged 
him to Minturnae, where they delivered him to the ma- 
giftrates. Let us here confider Marius attentively in his 
deplorable ftate at this moment! What might then be his 
thoughts? How much ought he to have abhorred a fatal 
ambition that, from the height of greatnefs and glory, had 
plunged him into an abyfs of mifery below the condition 
Of mankind! And what a lefibn is this to thofe who are 
never contented with their condition; and who imagine 
they want all things, when but a fingle object is wanting 
to their infatiable avidity ! But fu-ch are the viciflitudes of 
human life, that even when hope forfook him, and while 
the hand was lifted up, he efcaped the blow. From the 
lowed ftate of mifery, he yet rofe to the pinnacle of what 
is falfely called honour and greatnefs. By the intrigues 
of a faction, he returned to Rome, where he gave the moft 
melancholy proofs that his misfortunes had neither made 
him wifer nor better, had neither taught him humility, 
companion, nor moderation. Being at firft, as it were, 
only protected by Cinna, who was then mafter of Rome, 
he affedted an air of dejedticn ; but his unextinguiftied 
ambition foon rendered him the foul of the party. Hav¬ 
ing now the fword in his hand, and burning with revenge 
and indignation, he cut down all before him: naturally 
mercilefs and cruel, he fpared neither age, dignity, nor 
A M B 40 j 
virtue; a look, a nod, determined at once the fate of the 
moft illultrious perfons; every one whom he in the lealt 
fufpected or diftiked were put to death without the lealt 
form or ceremony. The (laughter, attended with plun¬ 
dering of houfes, and the moft criminal violences, conti¬ 
nued five days and five nights in Rome, which became 
one general feene of horror; unpitied fhrieks and cries 
were every where heard, the canals poured down with hu¬ 
man blood, w hile the lifelefs bodies, even of the moft emi¬ 
nent fenators, were trampled under foot; for it was pro¬ 
hibited to give them burial. Thefe were the glorious 
fruits of ambition! By thefe, without doubt, Marius 
intended to render himfeif great and happy; but he found 
it quite otherwife. The ftate of profperity in which he 
was, did not calm the difquiets occalioned by the fear of 
Sylla’s return, who was carrying on the war with Mithri.- 
dates. So formidable an avenger made Marius tremble ; - 
and he could not evendiifemble his fears. '1 hefe thoughts 
tormented him continually, and occalioned his nights to 
pafs without deep, which began to affect his health and 
fpirits. He therefore abandoned himfeif to the excefles 
of the table; and to fpend his nights in drinking.with.his 
friends and dependants. By this regimen he foon inflamed 
his blood. He was attacked with a fever, which present¬ 
ly feized his head; and, in his delirium, he raved of no¬ 
thing but the war with Mithridates: he imagined he had 
the command of it; and not only fpoke, but made ge(- 
tures, and affumed the attitude of a man that fights, or of 
a general giving orders: fo violent and incurable was the 
paflion, and fo deeply had it taken root in his heart, with 
which ambition and jealoufy uniting, had inlpired him 
for that command. Thus, fays Plutarch, at tiie age of 
feventy, the only man who had been (even times conful, 
and poffefling riches that might have fufficed for feveral 
kings, lamented as one buffering indigence, and died be¬ 
fore he could put his views in execution. 
Ambition, „a Roman deity, who had a temple at 
Rome. She was reprdented with wings on her back, and. 
naked feet. 
AMBI'TIOUS, adj. [ambitiofus, Lat.] Seized or touched 
with ambition; deiirous of advancement; eager of ho¬ 
nours; afpiring. It has the particle of before the object 
of ambition, if a noun; to, if exprefted by a verb : 
We feem ambitious God’s whole work /’ undo. Donne.. 
The neighb’ring monarchs, by thy beauty led. 
Contend in crowds, ambitious of thy bed : 
The world is at thy cho : ce, except but one, 
Except but him thou canft not choofe alone. Dryden-. 
AMBI'TIOUSLY, adv. In an ambitious manner; with, 
eagernefs of advancement or preference. 
AMBI'TIOUSNESS, f. The quality of being ambi¬ 
tious. 
AM'BITUDE,yi [ambinulo, Lat. of ambio, to furround. ]; 
Compafs ; circuit; circumference. 
AM'BITUS.yi in Roman antiquity, the fetting up for 
fome magiftracy or office, and formally going round the 
city to folicit the intereft and votes of the people. Ambitus 
differed from ambition , as the former lies in the adr, the lat¬ 
ter in the mind. Ambitus was of two kinds; one lawful, 
the other infamous. The firft, called alfo ambitus popula¬ 
rity was when a perfon offered his fervice to the republic 
frankly, leaving it to every body to judge of his pretenfions 
as they found peafonable. The (econd kind was that 
wherein force, cajoling, money, or other extraordinary in¬ 
fluence, was made life of. This was held infamous, and 
feverely punilhed, as a fource of corruption, and other 
mifehiefs. 
The practice ceafed from the time of the emperors, by 
reafon polls were not then to be had by courting the people, 
but by favour from the prince. Perfons who had caufes 
depending practifed the fame, going about among the 
judges to implore their favour and mercy. They who 
p radii fed this were called ambitiofi. Hence- we alfo meet 
with ambitiofa dec 1 eta, and ambitiofa jujia , ufed for fuch 
fentencea 
