Ellie Winters
Furman University
Bellum Catilinae 18
Ellie Winters /
- Created on 2021-09-27 05:32:10
- Modified on 2021-09-27 17:57:34
- Aligned by Ellie Winters
Latin
English
sed anteā item coniūrāvēre paucī contrā rem pūblicam , in quīs Catilīna fuit ; dē quā quam vērissumē poterō dicam .
L . Tullō et M’ . Lepidō cōnsulibus , P . Autrōnius et P . Sulla , dēsignātī cōnsulēs , lēgibus ambitūs interrogātī , poenās dederant . post paulō Catilīna pecūniārum repetundārum reus , prohibitus erat cōnsulātum petere , quod intrā lēgitumōs diēs profitērī nequīverat . erat eōdem tempore Cn . Pīsō , adulēscēns nōbilis , summae audāciae , egēns , factiōsus , quem ad perturbandam rem pūblicam inopia atque malī mōrēs stimulābant . cum hōc Catilīna et Autrōnius , circiter nōnās Decembrīs cōnsiliō commūnicātō , parābant in Capitōliō kalendīs Iānuāriīs L . Cottam et L . Torquātum cōnsulēs interficere , ipsī fascibus correptīs Pīsōnem cum exercitū ad obtinendās duās Hispāniās mittere . eā rē cognitā , rūrsus in nōnās Februāriās cōnsilium caedis trānstulerant . iam tum nōn cōnsulibus modo , sed plērīsque senātōribus perniciem māchinābantur . quod nī Catilīna mātūrāsset prō cūriā signum sociīs dare , eō diē post conditam urbem Rōmam pessumum facinus patrātum foret . quia nōndum frequentēs armātī convēnerant , ea rēs cōnsilium dirēmit .
L . Tullō et M’ . Lepidō cōnsulibus , P . Autrōnius et P . Sulla , dēsignātī cōnsulēs , lēgibus ambitūs interrogātī , poenās dederant . post paulō Catilīna pecūniārum repetundārum reus , prohibitus erat cōnsulātum petere , quod intrā lēgitumōs diēs profitērī nequīverat . erat eōdem tempore Cn . Pīsō , adulēscēns nōbilis , summae audāciae , egēns , factiōsus , quem ad perturbandam rem pūblicam inopia atque malī mōrēs stimulābant . cum hōc Catilīna et Autrōnius , circiter nōnās Decembrīs cōnsiliō commūnicātō , parābant in Capitōliō kalendīs Iānuāriīs L . Cottam et L . Torquātum cōnsulēs interficere , ipsī fascibus correptīs Pīsōnem cum exercitū ad obtinendās duās Hispāniās mittere . eā rē cognitā , rūrsus in nōnās Februāriās cōnsilium caedis trānstulerant . iam tum nōn cōnsulibus modo , sed plērīsque senātōribus perniciem māchinābantur . quod nī Catilīna mātūrāsset prō cūriā signum sociīs dare , eō diē post conditam urbem Rōmam pessumum facinus patrātum foret . quia nōndum frequentēs armātī convēnerant , ea rēs cōnsilium dirēmit .
Previously
a
small
number
likewise
conspired
against
the
commonwealth
,
and
one
of
them
was
Catiline
;
I
shall
speak
about
the
matter
as
briefly
as
I
can
.
In the consulship of L . Tullus and of M’ . Lepidus , P . Autronius and P . Sulla ( the designated consuls ) had been questioned under the laws of canvassing and punished . A little after , Catiline’s prosecution for extortion had prevented him from being a candidate for the consulship , because he had been unable to put forward his name within the prescribed number of days . A contemporary was Cn . Piso , an adolescent from the nobility , of the utmost daring , destitute and factious , who was being spurred by want and wicked habits to disrupt the commonwealth . It was with him that Catiline and Autronius around the Nones of December shared their scheme , and they were preparing to kill the consuls L . Cotta and L . Torquatus on the Capitol on the Kalends of January , and , having themselves seized the fasces , to send Piso with an army to hold the two Spains . But after the discovery of the affair , their response had been to transfer the murderous scheme to the Nones of February , and now they were already devising the destruction not only of the consuls but of numerous senators . And , had not Catiline been too speedy in giving the signal to his allies in front of the curia , the worst deed since the founding of the City of Rome would have been perpetrated on that day . But , because the armed men had not yet assembled in force , that circumstance caused the scheme to be broken off .
In the consulship of L . Tullus and of M’ . Lepidus , P . Autronius and P . Sulla ( the designated consuls ) had been questioned under the laws of canvassing and punished . A little after , Catiline’s prosecution for extortion had prevented him from being a candidate for the consulship , because he had been unable to put forward his name within the prescribed number of days . A contemporary was Cn . Piso , an adolescent from the nobility , of the utmost daring , destitute and factious , who was being spurred by want and wicked habits to disrupt the commonwealth . It was with him that Catiline and Autronius around the Nones of December shared their scheme , and they were preparing to kill the consuls L . Cotta and L . Torquatus on the Capitol on the Kalends of January , and , having themselves seized the fasces , to send Piso with an army to hold the two Spains . But after the discovery of the affair , their response had been to transfer the murderous scheme to the Nones of February , and now they were already devising the destruction not only of the consuls but of numerous senators . And , had not Catiline been too speedy in giving the signal to his allies in front of the curia , the worst deed since the founding of the City of Rome would have been perpetrated on that day . But , because the armed men had not yet assembled in force , that circumstance caused the scheme to be broken off .
Bellum Catilinae 19
Ellie Winters /
- Created on 2021-09-28 02:52:33
- Aligned by Ellie Winters
Latin
English
posteā Pīsō in citeriōrem Hispāniam quaestor prō praetōre missus est , annītente Crassō , quod eum īnfestum inimīcum Cn . Pompeiō cognōverat . neque tamen senātus prōvinciam invītus dederat , quippe foedum hominem ā rē pūblicā procul esse volēbat ; simul , quia bonī complūrēs praesidium in eō putābant , et iam tum potentia Pompeī formīdulōsa erat . sed is Pīsō in prōvinciā ab equitibus Hispānīs quōs in exercitū ductābat , iter faciēns occīsus est . sunt quī ita dīcant , imperia eius iniūsta , superba , crūdēlia barbarōs nequīvisse patī ; aliī autem equitēs illōs , Cn . Pompeī veterēs fīdōsque clientīs , voluntāte eius Pīsōnem aggressōs ; numquam Hispānōs praetereā tāle facinus fēcisse , sed imperia saeva multa anteā perpessōs . nōs eam rem in mediō relinquēmus . dē superiōre coniūrātiōne satis dictum .
Afterwards
Piso
was
sent
to
Nearer
Spain
as
quaestor
with
praetorian
power
thanks
to
the
efforts
of
Crassus
,
because
he
knew
that
he
was
a
fierce
antagonist
of
Cn
.
Pompeius
.
And
yet
the
senate
had
not
been
unwilling
to
give
him
the
province
,
since
it
wanted
a
foul
individual
to
be
far
away
from
political
life
,
as
well
as
because
numerous
good
men
saw
in
him
a
bulwark
,
and
at
that
time
Pompeius’
power
was
already
a
source
of
fear
.
But
he
was
the
Piso
who
,
during
a
journey
in
the
province
,
was
killed
by
Spanish
cavalry
whom
he
was
leading
as
part
of
his
army
.
There
are
those
who
say
that
the
barbarians
were
unable
to
tolerate
his
unjust
,
haughty
and
cruel
commands
;
but
others
that
the
cavalry
,
as
long-standing
and
loyal
clients
of
Cn
.
Pompeius
,
attacked
Piso
with
his
blessing
:
the
Spanish
had
never
done
such
a
deed
apart
from
that
,
they
say
,
even
though
they
had
previously
endured
many
savage
commands
.
We
shall
leave
the
matter
undecided
between
the
two
;
and
about
the
earlier
conspiracy
enough
has
been
said
.
Belllum Catilinae 20.1-8
Ellie Winters /
- Created on 2021-10-01 17:37:30
- Modified on 2021-10-01 20:27:03
- Aligned by Ellie Winters
Latin
English
Catilīna , ubi eōs quōs paulō ante memorāvī convēnisse videt , tametsī cum singulīs multa saepe ēgerat , tamen in rem fore crēdēns univorsōs appellāre et cohortārī , in abditam partem aedium sēcēdit atque ibi , omnibus arbitrīs procul āmōtīs , ōrātiōnem huiusce modī habuit :
" nī virtūs fidēsque vostra spectāta mihi forent , nēquīquam opportūna rēs cecidisset ; spēs magna , dominātiō in manibus frūstrā fuissent , neque ego per ignāviam aut vāna ingenia incerta prō certīs captārem . sed quia multīs et magnīs tempestātibus vōs cognōvī fortīs fīdōsque mihi , eō animus ausus est maxumum atque pulcherrumum facinus incipere , simul quia vōbīs eadem quae mihi bona malaque esse intellēxī : nam idem velle atque idem nōlle , ea dēmum firma amīcitia est .
" sed ego quae mente agitāvī omnēs iam anteā dīvorsī audīstis . cēterum mihi in diēs magis animus accenditur , cum cōnsīderō quae condiciō vītae futūra sit , nisi nōsmet ipsī vindicāmus in lībertātem . nam postquam rēs pūblica in paucōrum potentium iūs atque diciōnem concessit , semper illīs rēgēs , tetrarchae vectīgālēs esse , populī , nātiōnēs stīpendia pendēre ; cēterī omnēs , strēnuī , bonī , nōbilēs atque ignōbilēs , volgus fuimus sine grātiā , sine auctōritāte , iīs obnoxiī quibus , sī rēs pūblica valēret , formīdinī essēmus . itaque omnis grātia , potentia , honōs , dīvitiae apud illōs sunt aut ubi illī volunt ; nōbīs relīquēre perīcula , repulsās , iūdicia , egestātem .
" nī virtūs fidēsque vostra spectāta mihi forent , nēquīquam opportūna rēs cecidisset ; spēs magna , dominātiō in manibus frūstrā fuissent , neque ego per ignāviam aut vāna ingenia incerta prō certīs captārem . sed quia multīs et magnīs tempestātibus vōs cognōvī fortīs fīdōsque mihi , eō animus ausus est maxumum atque pulcherrumum facinus incipere , simul quia vōbīs eadem quae mihi bona malaque esse intellēxī : nam idem velle atque idem nōlle , ea dēmum firma amīcitia est .
" sed ego quae mente agitāvī omnēs iam anteā dīvorsī audīstis . cēterum mihi in diēs magis animus accenditur , cum cōnsīderō quae condiciō vītae futūra sit , nisi nōsmet ipsī vindicāmus in lībertātem . nam postquam rēs pūblica in paucōrum potentium iūs atque diciōnem concessit , semper illīs rēgēs , tetrarchae vectīgālēs esse , populī , nātiōnēs stīpendia pendēre ; cēterī omnēs , strēnuī , bonī , nōbilēs atque ignōbilēs , volgus fuimus sine grātiā , sine auctōritāte , iīs obnoxiī quibus , sī rēs pūblica valēret , formīdinī essēmus . itaque omnis grātia , potentia , honōs , dīvitiae apud illōs sunt aut ubi illī volunt ; nōbīs relīquēre perīcula , repulsās , iūdicia , egestātem .
When
he
saw
that
those
whom
I
recalled
a
little
before
had
assembled
,
Catiline
,
despite
the
frequent
and
detailed
discussions
which
he
had
had
with
individuals
,
nevertheless
believed
it
would
be
pertinent
to
call
upon
them
collectively
and
encourage
them
,
so
he
withdrew
to
a
secluded
part
of
the
house
and
there
,
with
all
witnesses
moved
well
away
,
he
made
a
speech
of
this
type
:
‘If your prowess and loyalty had not been demonstrated to my satisfaction , this favourable circumstance would have fallen to us in vain , and the high hopes and dominion in our grasp would have been to no purpose — and I am not a man who would clutch at uncertainties instead of certainties , aided by cowards of unreliable disposition . But , because I have come to know , through many great turmoils , that you are courageous and loyal to me , that is the reason why my spirit has dared to embark on the greatest and finest of deeds , and also because I have come to understand that your perception of goodness and wickedness is the same as mine : wanting and not wanting the same things — that , ultimately , is firm friendship .
‘You have already heard before , separately , what I have pondered in my mind . Yet my spirit is kindled more and more each day when I reflect what the conditions of life will be if we do not assert our freedom ourselves . For , ever since the commonwealth passed to the jurisdiction of a powerful few , it has always been to them that the dues of kings and tetrarchs go , that the taxes of peoples and nations are paid ; the rest of us — all the committed and good , noble and ignoble — have been simply " the masses " , denied favour , denied influence , beholden to those to whom , if the commonwealth thrived , we would be a source of fear . Hence all favour , power , honour and riches rest with them or are where they want them ; to us they have left the dangers , rejections , lawsuits and destitution .
‘If your prowess and loyalty had not been demonstrated to my satisfaction , this favourable circumstance would have fallen to us in vain , and the high hopes and dominion in our grasp would have been to no purpose — and I am not a man who would clutch at uncertainties instead of certainties , aided by cowards of unreliable disposition . But , because I have come to know , through many great turmoils , that you are courageous and loyal to me , that is the reason why my spirit has dared to embark on the greatest and finest of deeds , and also because I have come to understand that your perception of goodness and wickedness is the same as mine : wanting and not wanting the same things — that , ultimately , is firm friendship .
‘You have already heard before , separately , what I have pondered in my mind . Yet my spirit is kindled more and more each day when I reflect what the conditions of life will be if we do not assert our freedom ourselves . For , ever since the commonwealth passed to the jurisdiction of a powerful few , it has always been to them that the dues of kings and tetrarchs go , that the taxes of peoples and nations are paid ; the rest of us — all the committed and good , noble and ignoble — have been simply " the masses " , denied favour , denied influence , beholden to those to whom , if the commonwealth thrived , we would be a source of fear . Hence all favour , power , honour and riches rest with them or are where they want them ; to us they have left the dangers , rejections , lawsuits and destitution .
Bellum Catilinae 15-16 (without guidelines)
Ellie Winters /
- Created on 2021-10-01 20:40:03
- Modified on 2021-10-03 00:01:03
- Aligned by Ellie Winters
Latin
English
[ 15 ] iam prīmum adulēscēns Catilīna multa nefanda stupra fēcerat , cum virgine nōbilī , cum sacerdōte Vestae , alia huiusce modī contrā iūs fāsque . postrēmō captus amōre Aurēliae Orestillae , cuius praeter fōrmam nihil umquam bonus laudāvit , quod ea nūbere illī dubitābat , timēns prīvignum adultā aetāte , prō certō crēditur necātō fīliō vacuam domum scelestīs nūptiīs fēcisse . quae quidem rēs mihi in prīmīs vidētur causa fuisse facinus mātūrandī . namque animus impūrus , dīs hominibusque īnfestus , neque vigiliīs neque quiētibus sēdārī poterat ; ita cōnscientia mentem excitam vāstābat . igitur colōs exsanguis , foedī oculī , citus modo , modo tardus incessus ; prōrsus in faciē voltūque vēcordia inerat .
[ 16 ] sed iuventūtem quam , ut suprā dīximus , illēxerat , multīs modīs mala facinora ēdocēbat . ex illīs testīs signātōrēsque falsōs commodāre ; fidem , fortūnās , perīcula vīlia habēre , post , ubi eōrum fāmam atque pudōrem attrīverat , maiōra alia imperābat . sī causa peccandī in praesēns minus suppetēbat , nihilō minus īnsontīs sīcutī sontīs circumvenīre , iugulāre ; scīlicet nē per ōtium torpēscerent manūs aut animus , grātuītō potius malus atque crūdēlis erat .
hīs amīcīs sociīsque cōnfīsus Catilīna , simul quod aes aliēnum per omnīs terrās ingēns erat , et quod plērīque Sullānī mīlitēs , largius suō ūsī , rapīnārum et victōriae veteris memorēs , cīvīle bellum exoptābant , opprimundae reī pūblicae cōnsilium cēpit . in Ītaliā nūllus exercitus ; Cn . Pompeius in extrēmīs terrīs bellum gerēbat ; ipsī cōnsulātum petentī magna spēs ; senātus nihil sānē intentus ; tūtae tranquillaeque rēs omnēs ; sed ea prōrsus opportūna Catilīnae .
[ 16 ] sed iuventūtem quam , ut suprā dīximus , illēxerat , multīs modīs mala facinora ēdocēbat . ex illīs testīs signātōrēsque falsōs commodāre ; fidem , fortūnās , perīcula vīlia habēre , post , ubi eōrum fāmam atque pudōrem attrīverat , maiōra alia imperābat . sī causa peccandī in praesēns minus suppetēbat , nihilō minus īnsontīs sīcutī sontīs circumvenīre , iugulāre ; scīlicet nē per ōtium torpēscerent manūs aut animus , grātuītō potius malus atque crūdēlis erat .
hīs amīcīs sociīsque cōnfīsus Catilīna , simul quod aes aliēnum per omnīs terrās ingēns erat , et quod plērīque Sullānī mīlitēs , largius suō ūsī , rapīnārum et victōriae veteris memorēs , cīvīle bellum exoptābant , opprimundae reī pūblicae cōnsilium cēpit . in Ītaliā nūllus exercitus ; Cn . Pompeius in extrēmīs terrīs bellum gerēbat ; ipsī cōnsulātum petentī magna spēs ; senātus nihil sānē intentus ; tūtae tranquillaeque rēs omnēs ; sed ea prōrsus opportūna Catilīnae .
From
the
very
first
,
Catiline
as
an
adolescent
had
committed
many
unspeakable
acts
of
illicit
sex
-
with
a
noble
maiden
,
with
a
priestess
of
Vesta
-
and
other
deeds
of
this
type
contrary
to
divine
and
human
law
.
Finally
he
was
captivated
by
love
for
Aurelia
Orestilla
(
in
whom
no
good
man
ever
praised
anything
but
her
appearance
)
,
but
,
because
she
hesitated
to
marry
him
through
fear
of
a
stepson
of
adult
years
,
it
is
believed
for
certain
that
he
killed
his
son
,
thereby
ensuring
an
empty
house
for
the
criminal
marriage
.
It
is
this
affair
above
all
which
seems
to
me
to
have
been
his
reason
for
speeding
up
the
deed
:
for
his
vile
spirit
-
hostile
to
gods
and
men
-
could
not
be
calmed
by
wakefulness
or
repose
:
to
such
an
extent
was
his
conscience
preying
upon
his
unquiet
mind
.
Hence
his
bloodless
complexion
and
ugly
eyes
,
and
his
walk
alternating
between
fast
and
slow
;
in
short
,
there
was
derangement
in
his
demeanour
and
face
.
As for the young men whom ( as we said above ) he had enticed , he taught them wicked deeds in numerous ways . From them he provided false witnesses and signatories ; he commanded of them , first , that they should regard loyalty , fortunes and danger as cheap , and then , when he had worn away their reputation and sense of shame , other and still greater deeds . If reasons for wrongdoing were temporarily in short supply , he would nonetheless entrap and butcher the guiltless no differently from the guilty . ( It was of course to prevent their muscles or minds from languishing through inactivity that he was gratuitously wicked and cruel instead . )
These were the friends and allies on whom Catiline relied ; and , both because there was mighty debt across every land , and because many Sullan soldiers — too lavish with their own property , and mindful of the seizures of their old victory — were longing for civil war , he conceived the scheme of an assault upon the commonwealth . There was no army in Italy , and Cn . Pompeius was waging war in the most distant lands ; he had high hopes of his own candidacy for the consulship , and the senate was of course not concentrating : conditions on all fronts were settled and calm , but that was favourable to Catiline .
As for the young men whom ( as we said above ) he had enticed , he taught them wicked deeds in numerous ways . From them he provided false witnesses and signatories ; he commanded of them , first , that they should regard loyalty , fortunes and danger as cheap , and then , when he had worn away their reputation and sense of shame , other and still greater deeds . If reasons for wrongdoing were temporarily in short supply , he would nonetheless entrap and butcher the guiltless no differently from the guilty . ( It was of course to prevent their muscles or minds from languishing through inactivity that he was gratuitously wicked and cruel instead . )
These were the friends and allies on whom Catiline relied ; and , both because there was mighty debt across every land , and because many Sullan soldiers — too lavish with their own property , and mindful of the seizures of their old victory — were longing for civil war , he conceived the scheme of an assault upon the commonwealth . There was no army in Italy , and Cn . Pompeius was waging war in the most distant lands ; he had high hopes of his own candidacy for the consulship , and the senate was of course not concentrating : conditions on all fronts were settled and calm , but that was favourable to Catiline .
Bellum Catilinae 15-16 (with guidelines)
Ellie Winters /
- Created on 2021-10-04 02:56:44
- Modified on 2021-10-04 03:14:27
- Aligned by Ellie Winters
Latin
English
[ 15 ] iam prīmum adulēscēns Catilīna multa nefanda stupra fēcerat , cum virgine nōbilī , cum sacerdōte Vestae , alia huiusce modī contrā iūs fāsque . postrēmō captus amōre Aurēliae Orestillae , cuius praeter fōrmam nihil umquam bonus laudāvit , quod ea nūbere illī dubitābat , timēns prīvignum adultā aetāte , prō certō crēditur necātō fīliō vacuam domum scelestīs nūptiīs fēcisse . quae quidem rēs mihi in prīmīs vidētur causa fuisse facinus mātūrandī . namque animus impūrus , dīs hominibusque īnfestus , neque vigiliīs neque quiētibus sēdārī poterat ; ita cōnscientia mentem excitam vāstābat . igitur colōs exsanguis , foedī oculī , citus modo , modo tardus incessus ; prōrsus in faciē voltūque vēcordia inerat .
[ 16 ] sed iuventūtem quam , ut suprā dīximus , illēxerat , multīs modīs mala facinora ēdocēbat . ex illīs testīs signātōrēsque falsōs commodāre ; fidem , fortūnās , perīcula vīlia habēre , post , ubi eōrum fāmam atque pudōrem attrīverat , maiōra alia imperābat . sī causa peccandī in praesēns minus suppetēbat , nihilō minus īnsontīs sīcutī sontīs circumvenīre , iugulāre ; scīlicet nē per ōtium torpēscerent manūs aut animus , grātuītō potius malus atque crūdēlis erat .
hīs amīcīs sociīsque cōnfīsus Catilīna , simul quod aes aliēnum per omnīs terrās ingēns erat , et quod plērīque Sullānī mīlitēs , largius suō ūsī , rapīnārum et victōriae veteris memorēs , cīvīle bellum exoptābant , opprimundae reī pūblicae cōnsilium cēpit . in Ītaliā nūllus exercitus ; Cn . Pompeius in extrēmīs terrīs bellum gerēbat ; ipsī cōnsulātum petentī magna spēs ; senātus nihil sānē intentus ; tūtae tranquillaeque rēs omnēs ; sed ea prōrsus opportūna Catilīnae .
[ 16 ] sed iuventūtem quam , ut suprā dīximus , illēxerat , multīs modīs mala facinora ēdocēbat . ex illīs testīs signātōrēsque falsōs commodāre ; fidem , fortūnās , perīcula vīlia habēre , post , ubi eōrum fāmam atque pudōrem attrīverat , maiōra alia imperābat . sī causa peccandī in praesēns minus suppetēbat , nihilō minus īnsontīs sīcutī sontīs circumvenīre , iugulāre ; scīlicet nē per ōtium torpēscerent manūs aut animus , grātuītō potius malus atque crūdēlis erat .
hīs amīcīs sociīsque cōnfīsus Catilīna , simul quod aes aliēnum per omnīs terrās ingēns erat , et quod plērīque Sullānī mīlitēs , largius suō ūsī , rapīnārum et victōriae veteris memorēs , cīvīle bellum exoptābant , opprimundae reī pūblicae cōnsilium cēpit . in Ītaliā nūllus exercitus ; Cn . Pompeius in extrēmīs terrīs bellum gerēbat ; ipsī cōnsulātum petentī magna spēs ; senātus nihil sānē intentus ; tūtae tranquillaeque rēs omnēs ; sed ea prōrsus opportūna Catilīnae .
From
the
very
first
,
Catiline
as
an
adolescent
had
committed
many
unspeakable
acts
of
illicit
sex
-
with
a
noble
maiden
,
with
a
priestess
of
Vesta
-
and
other
deeds
of
this
type
contrary
to
divine
and
human
law
.
Finally
he
was
captivated
by
love
for
Aurelia
Orestilla
(
in
whom
no
good
man
ever
praised
anything
but
her
appearance
)
,
but
,
because
she
hesitated
to
marry
him
through
fear
of
a
stepson
of
adult
years
,
it
is
believed
for
certain
that
he
killed
his
son
,
thereby
ensuring
an
empty
house
for
the
criminal
marriage
.
It
is
this
affair
above
all
which
seems
to
me
to
have
been
his
reason
for
speeding
up
the
deed
:
for
his
vile
spirit
-
hostile
to
gods
and
men
-
could
not
be
calmed
by
wakefulness
or
repose
:
to
such
an
extent
was
his
conscience
preying
upon
his
unquiet
mind
.
Hence
his
bloodless
complexion
and
ugly
eyes
,
and
his
walk
alternating
between
fast
and
slow
;
in
short
,
there
was
derangement
in
his
demeanour
and
face
.
As for the young men whom ( as we said above ) he had enticed , he taught them wicked deeds in numerous ways . From them he provided false witnesses and signatories ; he commanded of them , first , that they should regard loyalty , fortunes and danger as cheap , and then , when he had worn away their reputation and sense of shame , other and still greater deeds . If reasons for wrongdoing were temporarily in short supply , he would nonetheless entrap and butcher the guiltless no differently from the guilty . ( It was of course to prevent their muscles or minds from languishing through inactivity that he was gratuitously wicked and cruel instead . )
These were the friends and allies on whom Catiline relied ; and , both because there was mighty debt across every land , and because many Sullan soldiers — too lavish with their own property , and mindful of the seizures of their old victory — were longing for civil war , he conceived the scheme of an assault upon the commonwealth . There was no army in Italy , and Cn . Pompeius was waging war in the most distant lands ; he had high hopes of his own candidacy for the consulship , and the senate was of course not concentrating : conditions on all fronts were settled and calm , but that was favourable to Catiline .
As for the young men whom ( as we said above ) he had enticed , he taught them wicked deeds in numerous ways . From them he provided false witnesses and signatories ; he commanded of them , first , that they should regard loyalty , fortunes and danger as cheap , and then , when he had worn away their reputation and sense of shame , other and still greater deeds . If reasons for wrongdoing were temporarily in short supply , he would nonetheless entrap and butcher the guiltless no differently from the guilty . ( It was of course to prevent their muscles or minds from languishing through inactivity that he was gratuitously wicked and cruel instead . )
These were the friends and allies on whom Catiline relied ; and , both because there was mighty debt across every land , and because many Sullan soldiers — too lavish with their own property , and mindful of the seizures of their old victory — were longing for civil war , he conceived the scheme of an assault upon the commonwealth . There was no army in Italy , and Cn . Pompeius was waging war in the most distant lands ; he had high hopes of his own candidacy for the consulship , and the senate was of course not concentrating : conditions on all fronts were settled and calm , but that was favourable to Catiline .
De Bellum Catilinae 61
Ellie Winters /
- Created on 2021-12-01 20:20:12
- Modified on 2021-12-03 20:20:14
- Translated by Ellie Winters
- Aligned by Ellie Winters
Latin
English
English
sed cōnfectō proeliō , tum vērō cernerēs quanta audācia quantaque animī vīs fuisset in exercitū Catilīnae . nam ferē quem quisque vīvos pugnandō locum cēperat , eum āmissā animā corpore tegēbat . paucī autem , quōs mediōs cohors praetōria disiēcerat , paulō dīvorsius , sed omnēs tamen advorsīs volneribus conciderant . Catilīna vērō longē ā suīs inter hostium cadāvera repertus est , paululum etiam spīrāns ferōciamque animī quam habuerat vīvos in voltū retinēns . postrēmō ex omnī cōpiā neque in proeliō neque in fugā quisquam cīvis ingenuos captus est : ita cūnctī suae hostiumque vītae iuxtā pepercerant .
neque tamen exercitus populī Rōmānī laetam aut incruentam victōriam adeptus erat ; nam strēnuissumus quisque aut occiderat in proeliō aut graviter volnerātus discesserat . multī autem , quī ē castrīs vīsundī aut spoliandī grātiā prōcesserant , volventēs hostīlia cadāvera , amīcum aliī , pars hospitem aut cognātum reperiēbant ; fuēre item quī inimīcōs suōs cognōscerent . ita variē per omnem exercitum laetitia , maeror , lūctus , atque gaudia agitābantur .
neque tamen exercitus populī Rōmānī laetam aut incruentam victōriam adeptus erat ; nam strēnuissumus quisque aut occiderat in proeliō aut graviter volnerātus discesserat . multī autem , quī ē castrīs vīsundī aut spoliandī grātiā prōcesserant , volventēs hostīlia cadāvera , amīcum aliī , pars hospitem aut cognātum reperiēbant ; fuēre item quī inimīcōs suōs cognōscerent . ita variē per omnem exercitum laetitia , maeror , lūctus , atque gaudia agitābantur .
But when the battle was over you were indeed able to see how great must have been the boldness and how great in Catiline’s army the strength of spirit must have been . For nearly each one that let his soul slip away was covering with his body that place which , when fighting , he occupied alive . A few in the center , on the other hand , whom the praetorian cohort had scattered , were a little apart , but all the same were killed by wounds in the front . Indeed Catiline was found far out from them among the bodies of the enemy , still breathing a little , and in his face holding the ferocity of mind which he had in life . Finally out of the whole army , neither in battle nor in flight was anyone of the free-born cityizens captured , in such a way , on the whole they had spared their own lives and those of the enemy just the same . Still neither had the army of the Roman people obtained a happy or bloodless victory , for each one of the most vigorous had fallen in battle or had come away severely wounded . Many , however , who had come out from the camp for reason to see or to pilliage , turning over the bodies of the enemies found a friend , part of the others , a guest or a relative ; some would also have recognized those who were their personal enemies . In this manner , everyone throughout the whole army was variously affected with rejoicing and mourning , with sorrow and happiness .
But it was only when the battle was over that you could have perceived properly what daring and what strength of purpose there had been in Catiline’s army . Almost everyone , after gasping his last , protected with his body the place which he had taken by fighting when alive . Nevertheless a few , whom the praetorian cohort had scattered from the centre , had fallen over a somewhat wider area , yet all of them with frontal wounds . Catiline , however , was discovered far from his own men amongst the corpses of the enemy , still breathing a little and retaining on his face the defiance of spirit which he had had when alive . In fact , from that entire force , no freeborn citizen was captured either in battle or in flight : they had no more spared their own lives than those of the enemy .
Yet neither had the army of the Roman people achieved a delightful or bloodless victory : all the most committed had either fallen in the battle or retired seriously wounded . As for the many who had emerged from the camp for the purposes of viewing or plundering and were turning over the enemy corpses , some discovered a friend , others a guest or relative ; likewise there were those who recognized their own personal antagonists . Thus , throughout the entire army , delight , sorrow , grief and joy were variously experienced .
Yet neither had the army of the Roman people achieved a delightful or bloodless victory : all the most committed had either fallen in the battle or retired seriously wounded . As for the many who had emerged from the camp for the purposes of viewing or plundering and were turning over the enemy corpses , some discovered a friend , others a guest or relative ; likewise there were those who recognized their own personal antagonists . Thus , throughout the entire army , delight , sorrow , grief and joy were variously experienced .