Quadratus, learning that Mithridates had been betrayed and that
his kingdom was in the hands of his murderers, summoned a council, and,
having informed them of what had occurred, consulted them whether he should
take vengeance. Few cared for the honour of the State; most argued in favour
of a safe course, saying "that any crime in a foreign country was to be
welcomed with joy, and that the seeds of strife ought to be actually sown,
on the very principle on which Roman emperors had |