Quintus Sertorius

Quintus Sertorius (/sərˈtɔːriəs/; c. 123 – 72 BC) was a Roman statesman and general, born in Nursia, in Sabine territory. His brilliance as a military commander was shown most clearly in his battles against Rome for control of Hispania. His family, the gens Sertoria, was probably of Sabine origin, and was previously undistinguished.

Early political career

After acquiring some reputation in Rome as a jurist and an orator, he began a military career. His first recorded campaign was under Quintus Servilius Caepio at the Battle of Arausio, where he showed unusual courage. Serving under Gaius Marius in 102 BC, Sertorius succeeded in spying on the wandering tribes that had defeated Caepio. After this success, he fought at the great Battle of Aquae Sextiae (now Aix-en-Provence, France) in which the Teutones were decisively defeated. In 97 BC, he served in Hispania as a military tribune under Titus Didius, winning the Grass Crown.

In 91 he was quaestor in Cisalpine Gaul, where he was in charge of recruiting and training legions for the Social War. During this time he sustained a wound that cost him the use of one of his eyes. Upon his return to Rome he ran for tribune, but Lucius Cornelius Sulla thwarted his efforts (for reasons unknown), causing Sertorius to oppose him.

Sertorius (Corneille)

Sertorius is a play by Pierre Corneille on the revolt by Quintus Sertorius, created for the Théâtre du Marais of Paris for the 25 February 1662, afterwards published in July of the same year. The literary scholar George Saintsbury considered Sertorius to be "one of Corneille’s finest plays", and declared that "the characters of Aristie, Viriate and Sertorius himself [...] are not to be surpassed in grandeur of thought, felicity of design or appropriateness of language".

Quotation

«On a peine à haïr ce qu'on a bien aimé
Et le feu mal éteint est bientôt rallumé.»

“It is hard to hate what once has been well loved
And a passion ill snuffed out can readily be rekindled.”
(Act I, scene 3)

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