41．The Great King Who Swallowed Poison

Mithradates（c．131-63 B．C．），the great king of Pontus and enemy of Rome，is said to have swallowed toxic substances systematically ，increasing the doses until he made himself im－mune from assassination by poison．

Ironically ，when he was defeated and cornered by theRomans，he tried to commit suicide by poison，only to find that it had no effect ．He had to get a soldier to kill him with asword．

41．吞毒的国王

据说，伟大的本都国王、罗马的敌人米特拉达梯（约公元前131-63前年）曾有步骤地吞服各种有毒的东西，并不断地加大剂量，直到后来能不被毒药暗杀。

具有讽刺意义的是，当后来他被罗马人打败而走投无路，曾想服毒自杀时，却发现毒药对他没有效力，他不得不叫一个士兵用剑将自己杀死。