11. Sed primo magis ambitio quam avaritia animos hominum exercebat, quod tamen vitium propius virtutem[67] erat. Nam gloriam, honorem, imperium bonus et ignavus aeque sibi exoptant; sed ille vera via nititur, huic quia bonae artes desunt, dolis atque fallaciis contendit. Avaritia pecuniae studium habet, quam nemo sapiens concupivit;[68] ea quasi venenis malis imbuta corpus animumque virilem effeminat, semper infinita, insatiabilis est, neque copia neque inopia minuitur. Sed postquam L. Sulla, armis recepta re publica, bonis initiis malos eventus habuit,[69] rapere omnes, trahere, domum alius, alius agros cupere, neque modum neque modestiam victores habere, foeda crudeliaque in civibus[70] facinora facere. Huc accedebat, quod L. Sulla exercitum, quem in Asia ductaverat, quo sibi fidum faceret,[71] contra morem majorum luxuriose nimisque liberaliter habuerat; loca amoena, voluptaria[72] facile in otio feroces militum animos molliverant. Ibi primum insuevit exercitus populi Romani amare,[73] potare, signa, tabulas pictas, vasa caelata[74] mirari, ea privatim et publice rapere, delubra[75] spoliare, sacra profanaque omnia polluere. Igitur hi milites, postquam victoriam adepti sunt, nihil reliqui victis fecere. Quippe secundae res sapientium animos fatigant; ne illi corruptis moribus victoriae temperarent.[76] [67] _Propius virtutem_, also _propius virtuti_. See Zumpt, S 411. [68] _Concupivit_, 'No man in his senses _has_ ever coveted money for its own sake;' that is, and even now no one does so, nor will any one ever do so. But a _homo avarus_ covets money only that he may _have_ it, and not for any ulterior objects. [69] _Bonis initiis_ is the ablative absolute, 'though his beginnings were good.' Although Sulla's government began well, it became arbitrary and bad, especially by the unlimited partiality with which he treated the men of his own party. [70] _In civibus_. It would have been more in accordance with the common usage to write _in cives_; but the ablative signifies 'in the case of citizens.' [71] 'In order thereby to render him faithful or attached to himself,' _quo_ being equivalent to _ut eo_ or _ut ea re_. [72] Namely, the charming and delightful places in Asia Minor, near the sea-coast, under a mild climate, abounding in all the means calculated to afford pleasure and delight. [73] _Amare_, 'to indulge in illicit intercourse with the other sex:' _amare_ is often used to denote an immoral intercourse between the sexes. [74] _Vasa caelata_, vessels adorned with figures, and wrought with the _caelum_, the chisel. _Caelare_ and _caelatura_ denote the art of making raised figures in metal, _alto relievo_. [75] _Delubra_, 'temples of the gods.' Sallust has chosen this word in preference to the common _templa_ or _aedes_, because it conveys the idea of antiquity, sanctity, and mysterious seclusion, which is also contained in the word _fanum_.