v. Hoc adventu P. Sesti tribunorum pl. novorum, qui tum extremis diebus consulatus mei res eas, quas gesseram, vexare cupiebant, reliquaeque coniurationis impetus et conatus sunt retardati. Ac posteaquam est 12 intellectum M. Catone tribuno pl., fortissimo atque 5 optimo civi, rem publicam defendente per se ipsum senatum populumque Romanum sine militum praesidio tueri facile maiestate sua dignitatem eorum, qui salutem communem periculo suo defendissent, Sestius cum illo exercitu summa celeritate C. Antonium consecutus 10 est. Hic ego quid praedicem, quibus hic rebus consulem quaestor ad rem gerendam excitarit, quos stimulos admoverit homini studioso fortasse victoriae, sed tamen nimium communem Martem belli casumque metuenti ? Longum est ea dicere, sed hoc breve dicam: Si M. 15 Petrei non excellens animus et amor rei publicae, non praestans in re publica virtus, non summa auctoritas apud milites, non mirificus usus in re militari extitisset,

1, 2. tribunorum novo-Martem belli, 'doubtful success rum: those who went into office in battle.' Mars, god of war (see Dec. 10th, 63, especially Q. Metel- vocab.), is often used of 'success,' lus Nepos and L. Calpurnius Bes-'victory,' and is styled communis tia: see p. 39, § 69. extremis as being neutral. diebus, because Cicero's term expired Dec. 31st.

§ 12. 5. M. Catone: for Cicero's opinion of him see Ep. IV. 7. 81; he had stood for the tribunate with the avowed purpose of opposing Bestia and Nepos.

15, 16. Longum est: for mood cf. Sull. 80. 5; I. 12. 26. M. Petrei, a sturdy old soldier, of the type of Labienus, who commanded in the final battle (Feb., 62) against Catilina, when Antonius was, or pretended to be, unfit for duty. See Exc. IV. 59. 4–6; 60. 1 and 5.

10-14. C. Antonium, then facing Catilina in Etruria, p. 32, 17, 18. in re publica: sc. ge§ 53. praedicem, excitarit: renda, in administration:' used explain the mood. consulem of war as well as of civil affairs, quaestor: for position cf. vos and therefore not contrasted with nobis, § 2. 20. tamen: where is re militari. extitisset,' had been the concession? communem displayed.'

neque adiutor ei P. Sestius ad excitandum Antonium, 20 cohortandum, accusandum, inpellendum fuisset, datus illo in bello esset hiemi locus, neque umquam Catilina, cum e pruina Appennini atque e nivibus illis emersisset atque aestatem integram nanctus Italiae callis et pastorum stabula praeoccupare coepisset, sine multo sanguine 25 ac sine totius Italiae vastitate miserrima concidisset. 13 Hunc igitur animum adtulit ad tribunatum P. Sestius, ut quaesturam Macedoniae relinquam et aliquando ad haec propiora veniam. Quamquam non est omittenda singularis illa integritas provincialis, cuius ego nuper in 30 Macedonia vidi vestigia non pressa leviter ad exigui praedicationem temporis, sed fixa ad memoriam illius provinciae sempiternam ; verum haec ita praetereamus, ut tamen intuentes et respectantes relinquamus; ad tribunatum, qui ipse ad sese iam dudum vocat et quodam modo absor35 bet orationem meam, contento studio cursuque veniamus.

19-21. adiutor: for trans. cf. | least those of Apulia (see on III. Ep. III. 1. 15. datus . . . locus, 14. 20), were thought to be favor. 'place would have been given to able to Catilina's plans. winter in that war:' cf. the Eng. 'give place to one;' i.e., had it not been for Sestius and Petreius, Antonius would have seized upon the excuse of winter to stop operations, and Catilina would have escaped from the trap in which he was caught: see p. 38, § 68; Exc. IV. 57.2-5.

§ 13. 26-29. Hunc animum, að described in § 12. 20. ut ... relinquam... veniam: for the clause cf. Ep. XXIII. 1. 4. quaesturam, in Macedonia, under Antonius: see Ep. II. Sal., and p. 69, § 75. Quamquam: use when first in a sentence? integritas provincialis: see on § 7. 25. nuper : when was Cicero in Macedonia ?

22-24. cum ... emersisset, 'when (if) he had once emerged.' 32-35. ita. . . ut: as in § 8. pruina. . . nivibus: cf. II. 23. 41. intuentes et respectantes, 36. Italiae callis, the mountain noticing and looking back at passes into Gaul, to secure his them.' iam dudum vocat: for retreat if necessary. pastorum tense cf. I. 12. 31. absorbet, stabula, as shelter for his men, in 'swallows up:' the metaphor is lieu of the huts of the castra from a whirlpool. contento.. stativa; besides, the pastores, at cursu: cf. Mur. 33. 27.

con- 10

VI. De quo quidem tribunatu ita dictum est a Q. 14 Hortensio, ut eius oratio non defensionem modo videretur criminum continere, sed etiam memoria dignam iuventuti rei publicae capessendae auctoritatem disciplinamque praescribere. Sed tamen, quoniam tribu- 5 natus totus P. Sesti nihil aliud nisi meum nomen causamque sustinuit, necessario mihi de isdem rebus esse arbitror si non suptilius disputandum, at certe dolentius deplorandum. Qua in oratione si asperius in quosdam homines invehi vellem, quis non cederet, ut eos, quorum sceleris furore violatus essem, vocis libertate perstringerem? Sed agam moderate et huius potius tempori serviam quam dolori meo; si qui occulte a salute nostra dissentiunt, lateant; si qui fecerunt aliquid aliquando atque eidem nunc tacent 15 et quiescunt, nos quoque simus obliti; si qui se offerunt, insectantur, quoad ferri poterunt, perferemus, neque quemquam offendet oratio mea, nisi qui se ita optulerit, ut in eum non invasisse, sed incucurrisse videamur.

20

Sed necesse est, antequam de tribunatu P. Sesti 15

Tribunate of Sestius (Dec. 58-'more minutely,' than HortenDec. 57) §§ 14, 15, interrupted by sius. the first Digressio.

9-19. Qua oratione, 'this § 14. 4-8. rei publicae ... dis- part of my speech:' so in Sull. ciplinam, a pattern and lesson 35. 24. sceleris furore: for how 'men should work in public trans. cf. Sull. 4. 7 and 13; Mur. life.' nihil aliud nisi. . . sus- 16. 20. perstringerem: cf. for tinuit, 'did nothing else but sup- meaning Sull. 46. 17. si qui . . . port,' 'merely supported;' the aliquid aliquando: for the accuphrase is elliptical (for the verb to mulation of indefinites cf. Ep. be supplied see Sull. 35. 23) and XIV. 1. 7. atque eidem: see on occurs frequently in Cicero and Sull. 20. 29. simus obliti: for later writers. si non ... at mood cf. lateant 1. 14; obliti is certe: which word is unneces- used as a pred. adj. incucursary? cf. § 7. 20, 21. suptilius, risse, 'to have chanced upon him.'

dicere incipiam, me totum superioris anni rei publicae naufragium exponere, in quo colligendo ac reficienda salute communi omnia reperientur P. Sesti facta, dicta, 25 consilia versata. VII. Fuerat ille annus iam in re publica, iudices, cum in magno motu et multorum timore intentus est arcus in me unum, sicut vulgo ignari rerum loquebantur, re quidem vera in universam rem 5 publicam traductione ad plebem furibundi hominis ac perditi, mihi irati, sed multo acrius otii et communis salutis inimici. Hunc vir clarissimus mihique multis

§ 15. 22-25. anni rei publicae: | fices (p. 70, § 81), because the for the double gen. cf. Ep. XXIII. sacra (Mur. 27. 32) of the patri2. 16. anni, the year 58, preced- cian family might be injured, and ing Sestius' tribunate. naufra- the consent of the patrician body, gium means both wreck,' 'ruin,' the comitia curiata (p. 59, § 28). and fragments of the wreck,' Clodius attempted the first and 'ruins;' in the former sense with simple process, but was prevented exponere, in the latter with colli- by Metellus the consul; then gere. Point out the chiasmus here. under the guidance of the tribune facta, dicta, consilia: for arrange- Herennius he tried to get the ment see on III. 3. 20 and 21. adrogatio sanctioned by the whole body of the people (comitia centuriata) instead of by the patricians (see on Ep. IV. 4. 57), and this also failed. Finally Caesar took offence at some political allusions in Cicero's speech for Antonius (see Ep. II. Sal. ad fin.) and rushed the adoption through the comitia curiata; but the act was attended by so many informalities that Cicero denied its validity and refuses to call it by its formal name. hominis, Clodius.

First Digressio: The year 58, §§ 15-71; (a) Clodius §§ 15, 16.

1-4. Fuerat, had passed.' annus, the year 59, in which Clodius became a plebeian and was elected tribune. Read p. 41, §§ 7577. quidem, adversative: cf. II. 2. 25.

5. traductione. A patrician might become a plebeian by making formal renunciation of the privileges of his rank (transitio ad plebem), or he might be adopted into a plebeian family, thus losing all his own family privileges. This second method (adrogatio) was an act of great formality and required the consent of the ponti

6, 7. mihi irati, with good reason: read p. 41, § 74, and Ep. III. §§ 9, 10. inimici: notice that this word governs otii and salutis as a noun, but is modified by the adv. acrius as if an adjective.

repugnantibus amicissimus, Cn. Pompeius, omni cautione, foedere, execratione devinxerat nihil in tribunatu contra me esse facturum. Quod ille nefarius ex 10 omnium scelerum colluvione natus parum se foedus violaturum arbitratus est, nisi ipsum cautorem alieni periculi suis propriis periculis terruisset. Hanc tae- 16 tram immanemque beluam vinctam auspiciis, alligatam more maiorum, constrictam legum sacratarum catenis 15 solvit subito lege curiata consul vel, ut ego arbitror, exoratus vel, ut non nemo putabat, mihi iratus, ignarus

8-13. omni, execratione, 15. more maiorum: the con'every sort of security, pledge, stitution (see on I. 28. 15) disand protest,' or (cf. § 2. 23) 'every couraged the practice of transisort of security and pledge under tio and adrogatio, except under oath.' esse facturum: sc. from certain conditions, none of which Hunc, 1. 7, a subject referring to existed in case of Clodius. legum Clodius. Quod, with foedus, 1. sacratarum, certain laws, a viola11. ex ... natus, 'born of the tion of which caused the offender rottenness of every crime.' parum to be pronounced sacer ('de= non satis. ipsum cautorem, voted,' 'accursed') and gave any etc., the very man (Pompe- one the right to kill him with imius) who had taken precautions for another's (Cicero's) safety.' propriis: Pompeius was made to believe that a plot to assassinate him had been laid by Cicero.

§ 16. 14. vinctam auspiciis: the auspicia privata were the exclusive possession of the patricians, as were also the auspicia publica in early times. If such irregular 'transfers' as that of Clodius were to be allowed there was danger that no patricians would be left (see on Mur. 16. 16.) to take the auspices at such times as the state had no magistrates as it in fact had none at the beginning of the year 52. For the auspicia see p. 71, §§ 83–85.

punity. The law which provided that the tribunes should be chosen exclusively from the plebeians was such a lex sacrata, and if the adrogatio of Clodius was invalid his election to the tribunate was a breach of the law. Notice the climax in the words vinctam, alligatam, constrictam, and how it is marked by the number of modifying words with each.

16. solvit: sc. his vinclis. subito: see on 1. 5 above. consul, 'the consul' (Caesar), not ‘as consul,' for Caesar's power to further the adoption of Clodius lay in his being pontifex maximus, and thus presiding over the meeting of the comitia curiata that