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CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE.

B.C.

108.

73.

Birth of Catiline.

Catiline is tried for incest with the Vestal, Fabia.

68. Catiline praetor.

67. Catiline propraetor in Africa.

66. In the summer Catiline returns to Rome, but, being charged with extortion, is not permitted to be a candidate for the consulship.

In December he conspires with Piso and Autronius to murder the consuls.

65. Jan. 1st. The plot fails.

Feb. 5th. A second attempt is unsuccessful.

Toward the end of the year Catiline is brought to trial for extortion, but is acquitted.

64. Catiline forms another plot, and calls a meeting of the conspirators in June.

Cicero and Antonius are elected consuls, defeating Catiline and four other candidates.

63. Catiline is again a candidate for consul.

In July the Senate assembles to consider Catiline's seditious speech, and decides to postpone the consular election. At the meeting next day Catiline defies the Senate, but escapes with a mild rebuke.

The election results in Catiline's defeat.

Catiline continues his secret preparations, but Cicero is kept informed of them through Curius and Fulvia.

Oct. 21st. The Senate meets and takes vigorous measures to protect the state.

Oct. 27th.

Manlius raises the standard of rebellion in Etruria.
Nov. 6th. The conspirators meet at the house of Laeca.
Nov. 7th.

Attempt to murder Cicero.

B.C. 63 (continued).

Nov. 8th.

Cicero delivers his First Oration against Catiline before the Senate. Catiline leaves the city at night. Nov. 9th.

Cicero delivers his Second Oration before the people. Toward the close of November the Senate declares Catiline and Manlius to be public enemies, and commissions Antonius to lead an army against them.

Dec. 2d. Volturcius and the ambassadors of the Allobroges leave Rome at night and are arrested.

Dec. 3d. Arrest of the chief conspirators at Rome. Meeting of the Senate. Cicero delivers his Third Oration before the people.

Dec. 4th. Rumors of plans to rescue the conspirators.

Dec. 5th. Meeting of the Senate, at which Cicero delivers his Fourth Oration against Catiline. The conspirators are condemned and executed.

62. January. Battle of Pistoria, in which Catiline is defeated and

slain.

GAI SALLUSTI CRISPI

BELLUM CATILINAE.

1. Omnis hominēs, qui sēsē student praestare cēterīs animalibus, summa ope nītī decet, ne vitam silentio trānseant veluti pecora, quae nātūra prōna atque ventrī oboedientia finxit. Sed noştra omnis vis in animō et corpore sita est; animi imperiō, corporis servitiō magis 5 ūtimur; alterum nobis eum dīs, alterum cum bēluis commune est. Quō mihi rectius vidētur ingeņī quam vīrium opibus glōriam quaerere, et, quoniam vīta ipsa, quã fruimur, brevis est, memoriam nostrī quam māxumē longam efficere. Nam divitiarum et fōrmae gloria fluxa 10 atque fragilis est, virtus clara aeternaque habetur.

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Sed diū māgnum inter mortalis certamen fuit, vīne corporis an virtute animī rēs mīlitāris magis procederet. Nam et prius quam incipias cōnsultō et ubi cōnsulueris mātūrē factō opus est. Ita utrumque per se indigēns 15 alterum alterius auxilio eget.

2. Igitur initiō rēgēs - nam in terris nomen imperi id prīmum fuit divorsi pars ingenium, alii corpus exercebant; etiam tum vita hominum sine cupiditate agitābātur, sua cuique satis placebant. Posteā' vērō 20 quam in Asia Cyrus, in Graecia Lacedaemonii et Athēniēnsēs coepēre urbis atque nātiōnēs subigere, lubīdinem dominandi causam belli habere, maxumam glōriam in māxumō imperio putare; tum demum. periculo atque

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negōtiis compertum est in bellō plūrumum ingenium posse. Quod si rēgum atque imperatōrum animi virtūs in pace ita ut in bello valeret, aequabilius atque cōnstantius sēsē rēs hūmānae haberent, neque aliud aliō 5 ferri neque mūtārī ac miscērī omnia cernerēs. Nam imperium facile iis artibus retinetur, quibus initio partum est. Vērum ubi prō labōre desidia, prō continentia et aequitate lubido atque superbia invasere, fortūna simul cum mōribus immūtātur. Ita imperium semper 10 ad optumum quemque a minus bonō transfertur.

Quae homines arant, navigant, aedificant, virtuti omnia parent. Sed multi mortālēs, dediti ventri atque somno, indocti incultique vitam sīcuti peregrinantēs trānsēgēre; quibus profecto contrā nātūram corpus voluptātī, anima 15 oneri fuit. Eōrum ego vītam mortemque iuxta aestumō, quoniam de utraque silētur. Vērum enim vērō is dēmùm mihi vivere atque frui anima videtur, qui aliquo negōtiō intentus praeclārī facinoris aut artis bonae fāmam quaerit.

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3. Sed in magnă cōpiā rērum aliud alii nāṭūra iter ostendit. Pulchrum est bene facere rei publicae, etiam béne dicere haud absurdum est; vel pace vel bellō clārum fieri licet; et qui fecere et qui facta aliōrum scripsere, multi laudantur. Ac mihi quidem, tametsi haudquă25 quam pār glōria sequitur scriptorem et auctōrem rērum, tamen in prīmīs arduum vidētur rēs gestās scribere: primum quod facta dictis exaequanda sunt, dehinc quia plērīque quae dēlīcta reprehenderis malivolentia et invidia dicta putant, ubi de magna virtute atque glōriā 30 bonōrum memores, quae sibi quisque facilía factū putat, aequo animo accipit, suprà ea yeluti ficta prō falsīs ducit.

Sed ego adulēscentulus initiō sīcuti plerique studio ad rem publicam lātus sum, ibique mihi multa advorsa fuere. Nam prō pudōre, prō abstinentiā, prō virtūte, audacia, largītiō, avaritia vigebant. Quae tametsi ani-mus aspernābātur insolēns malarum artium, tamen inter 5 tanta vitia imbecilla aetās ambitiōne corrupta tenēbātur; ac mẽ, cum ab reliquorum malis mōribus dissentirem, nihilō minus honoris cupīdō eadem, qua cēterōs, fāmā atque invidia vēxābat.

4. Igitur ubi animus ex multīs miseriis atque perīcu- 10 līs requievit et mihi reliquam aetatem ā rē publică procul habendam dēcrēvī, non fuit consilium sōcordia atque dēsidia bonum ōtium conterere, neque vērō agrum colundō aut vēnandō — servīlibus officiis-intentum aetātem agere; sed a quo incepto studioque me ambitiō 15 mala detinuerat, eodem regressus statui rēs gestas populi Rōmāni cafptim, ut quaeque memoriā dīgna videbantur, perscribere, eo magis, quod mihi ā spē, metū, partibus rei publicae animus liber erat.

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/Igitur de Catilinae coniuratione, quam vērissumē poterō, 20 paucis absolvam; nam id facinus in primis ego memorābile exīstumō sceleris atque periculi novitāte. Dē cuius hominis moribus pauca prius explānanda sunt quam initium narrandi faciam.

5. L. Catilina, nobili genere natus, fuit māgnā vī et 25 animī et corporis, sed ingeniō malō prāvōque. Huic ab adulēscentia bella intestīna, caedēs, rapīnae, discordia cīvīlis grāta fuere, ibique iuventutem suam exercuit. Corpus patiens inediae, algōris, vigiliae supra quam cuiquam credibile est. Animus audax, 'subdolus, varius, 30 fuius rei lubet simulātor ac dissimulātor; aliēnī appetēns, sui profusus, ārdēns in cupiditatibus; satis elo

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