Spartacus Page #7

- Now you're talking!

- Varinia, wonderful meal.

A small piece of land

with a few goats on it.

The best wine in the world.

For wine you've got to go to Aquitania.

The sweetest grapes on earth.

Come to Lidya for wine.

That's the best.

The best wine comes from Greece.

Everybody knows that. Even the Romans!

No, Lidya!

You're all wrong!

The best wine comes from home,

wherever it is.

I agree with you.

Gentlemen.

- Are there reports on Metapontum?

- Heralds are crying the news now.

We lost 19,000 men,

including Commodius and his offiicers.

Nineteen thousand?

Have you estates in Metapontum?

No. A son with Commodius.

With your permission, good day.

We take fiive years

to train a legion.

How can this Spartacus

train an army in seven months?

There's something wrong,

something very wrong.

- We should have an investigation.

- By all means, an investigation.

-Where is Spartacus now?

-He's nearing the seaport of Brundusium.

I need a few moments

of the commander's time.

Will you excuse us?

I hear you've taken a house

in the fourth ward.

Not a very splendid house either.

And you feasted 11,000 plebeians

in the fiield of Mars.

It scarcely could've

been called a feast.

For 200 years, your family

and mine have been members...

of the Equestrian Order

and the Patrician Party.

Servants and rulers of Rome.

Why have you left us

for Gracchus and the mob?

I've left no one,

least of all Rome.

But this much I've learned

from Gracchus:
Rome is the mob.

No!

Rome is an eternal thought

in the mind of God.

I had no idea

you'd grown religious.

That doesn't matter.

If there were no gods at all,

I'd revere them.

If there were no Rome,

I'd dream of her...

as I want you to do.

I want you to come back

to your own kind.

I beg you to.

Is it me you want

or is it the garrison?

Both. Tell me frankly.

If you were l, would you

take the fiield against Spartacus?

- Of course.

- Why?

We have no other choice

if we're to save Rome.

Caesar!

Which Rome?

Theirs...

or ours?

You know Gracchus

is my friend.

I won't betray him.

Caesar.

Which is worse:
to betray a friend

or to betray Rome herself?

My dear Crassus,

I face no such choice.

You will,

sooner than you think.

Good afternoon, Crassus.

I've been looking for you all day.

Your new master.

The senate's been in session all day

over this business of Spartacus.

We've got eight legions to march

against him and no one to lead them.

The minute you offer

the generals command...

they start wheezing

like winded mules.

I've seen such epidemics before,

haven't you?

- How's your health?

- Excellent, as you know.

I take it the senate's now offering

command of the legions to me.

- You've been expecting it.

- I have.

But have you thought how costly

my services might be?

We buy everything else

these days.

No reason why we shouldn't be charged

for patriotism. What's your fee?

My election as fiirst consul,

command of all the legions of ltaly...

and the abolition of senatorial

authority over the courts.

Dictatorship.

Order.

- Advise me if my terms are acceptable.

- I can tell you now.

- They're unacceptable.

- Yes, I know.

For the present perhaps, but times

change, and so does the senate.

When that day comes,

I shall be ready.

- Convey my respects to your wife.

- With pleasure.

He's right, you know.

If something isn't done about Spartacus,

the senate will change.

And Crassus will move in

and save Rome from the slave army...

by assuming dictatorship.

But that, like everything else,

depends on which way Spartacus jumps.

Just now, he's trying

to get out of ltaly.

If he succeeds,

the crisis is over...

and Crassus may stay

in retirement indefiinitely.

I've arranged for Spartacus

to escape from ltaly.

You've done what?

I've made a little deal

with the Cilician pirates.

I've assured them

that we won't interfere...

if they transport Spartacus

and his slaves out of ltaly.

So now we deal with pirates.

We bargain with criminals!

Don't you be so stiff-necked about it.

Politics is a practical profession.

If a criminal has what you want,

you do business with him.

How far are we from Brundusium?

About 20 miles.

Our army will have to camp here tonight.

They're still about six hours behind us.

Patullus, ride ahead to Brundusium.

Bring Tigranes here.

Marco, report back to Spartacus.

Tell him we camp tonight

by the sea!

If all goes well, my estimate is

we can load 150 ships a day.

That's your job, Dionysius.

Work with the Cilician pirates.

- That oughta keep him busy.

- Saves me fiinding someplace to sleep.

Crixus, keep giving me reports

on Pompey.

There won't be any surprises.

I still want patrols of

the back country until we board ship.

I'll get them together now.

Spartacus, the harbour district

in Brundusium has food warehouses...

but not enough to provide

for the whole fleet.

The countryside's fiilled with cattle.

And we've more than enough salt

to preserve them.

I'll handle it.

Find out how many men we have in camp

who were galley slaves or sailors.

Tigranes Levantus.

- My dear general.

- Welcome, Tigranes!

No, no. You needn't look

for litter bearers to emancipate.

I rode a horse.

Your gods lsis and Serapis

must've been good to us.

The balance of the 50 million sesterces

we owe you.

General...

I bear a heavy burden

of evil tidings.

What is it?

Pompey and his army

has landed in ltaly.

At the border of Rhegium

three days ago.

We get complete reports

on their movements.

But do you also know...

that a Roman fleet carrying

Lucullus and his army...

arrives tomorrow at Brundusium?

- Lucullus here?

- You have no ships.

I saw them in the harbour.

The Cilician fleet,

out of strategic necessity...

has been obliged to withdraw.

- Withdraw?

- There are no ships at all?

Cilician pirates can destroy

any Roman fleet that ever sailed.

If they run away now,

it's not because they're afraid!

You better give me

a better reason.

I'm as desolated

as you are, General.

Stand up. Up!

On your toes.

- You'll cut the skin.

- Why did the Cilicians run away?

They were paid.

And who paid them?

Who?

Crassus.

Crassus won't fiight us himself.

The reports say he won't take

the command of an army.

Why would he bribe your pirates

to keep us from escaping?

I don't know. How can I answer

when there is no answer?

I've been betrayed,

just as you have!

There is an answer.

There must be an answer

to everything.

We're fiive miles

from Brundusium.

Here's Rhegium.

Pompey's march must have

brought him to about here.

He's four days away,

maybe more.

Lucullus lands

at Brundusium tomorrow.

If we engage Lucullus...

Pompey will have enough time

to march against our rear.

If we turn west

to meet Pompey...

Lucullus will march

against our rear.

The only other army

in all of ltaly is here!

Rome.

Yes, of course!

Crassus is inviting us

to march on Rome...

so he can take the fiield

against us.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote