eldictator's blog

Saturday, January 6, 2007

Posted by eldictator at 1:18 PM

eldictator: Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (Latin: L·CORNELIVS·L·F·P·N·SVLLA·FELIX)[1] (c. 138 BC–78 BC) Roman general and dictator, His character was often described as being half fox, half lion due to his legendary cunning and bravery; the fox being by far the most dangerous side to him. Machiavelli later alluded to this description of Sulla in his work "The Prince."[3] In character he was unusual for a Roman, in that he had a highly developed sense of humour and was completely unpredictable, both in his actions and moods. Although a clinically practical man, cynical too, he was also superstitious to the extreme. He believed in his luck, hence his choice of Felix as an agnomen. He was a thoughtful man, who would plan out his strategy, however, if faced with an immediate adversity, he would strike swiftly and with extreme prejudice. Of all the great men of ancient Rome, he is perhaps the most mysterious and difficult to understand.