I wish such cruelty had stayed in foreign lands. I wish we hadn't imported this brutal anger and punishment along with all the other vices that have corrupted Roman society! Marcus Marius — the man who had statues built in every street, who received offerings of incense and wine from the people — was ordered by Lucius Sulla to have his legs broken, his eyes torn out, his hands cut off. His whole body was slowly torn apart piece by piece, as if Sulla was killing him over and over with each wound. And who carried out Sulla's orders? None other than Catiline, already training his hands for every kind of evil. He butchered Marius right in front of the tomb of Quintus Catulus — a horrible burden on the ashes of that gentle man. Above that tomb, someone who was certainly a criminal, but still beloved by the people, someone who deserved love even though people loved him too much, was forced to bleed to death drop by drop.
Would to heaven that such savagery had contented itself with foreign examples, and that barbarity in anger and punishment had not been imported with other outlandish vices into our Roman manners! Marcus Marius, to whom the people erected a statue in every street, to whom they made offerings of incense and wine, had, by the command of Lucius Sulla, his legs broken, his eyes pulled out, his hands cut off, and his whole body gradually torn to pieces limb by limb, as if Sulla killed him as many times as he wounded him. Who was it who carried out Sulla’s orders? who but Catiline, already practising his hands in every sort of wickedness? He tore him to pieces before the tomb of Quintus Catulus, an unwelcome burden to the ashes of that gentlest of men, above which one who was no doubt a criminal, yet nevertheless the idol of the people, and who was not undeserving of love, although men loved him beyond all reason, was forced to shed his blood drop by drop.